March 31, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Drug-eluting stents reduce repeat treatment in peripheral arterial disease By H.A. Abella Drug-eluting stents provide a significantly higher patency rate after three years in patients with critical limb ischemia compared with bare metal stents. Findings of a recent study suggest that drug-eluting stents can reduce also postintervention treatment rates. Critical limb ischemia has reached epidemic proportions, leading to nearly a quarter million amputations and…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 31, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 30, 2009 DiagnosticImaging.com. UPDATE -- X-ray contrast case: Bracco wins $11.4 M in damages from GE By Greg Freiherr Buoyed by last week's U.S. District Court decision, Bracco Diagnostics is anything but shy about saying GE Healthcare used "false and misleading advertising and marketing" to gain an advantage for its Visipaque x-ray contrast agent over Bracco's Isovue product. But how -- or even whether -- the company will use the legal finding in its future marketing of Isovue is a…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 30, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 27, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Congress intervenes to force continued nuclear medicine funding at DOE By James Brice Nuclear medicine advocates enlisting the help of Congress have forced the Department of Energy to continue to fund basic research for radioisotope and imaging instruments design, despite DOE plans to use its scientists to develop nuclear imaging tools for biological and environmental applications. At the urging of SNM, Congress included language in the fiscal 2009…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 27, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 26, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Radiologist slapped with $2 million fine for billing fraud blames recordkeeping By James Brice A radiologist implicated in one of the largest billing fraud cases in Medicare history is blaming poor recordkeeping for a federal investigation and prosecution that led him and his partner to a $2 million settlement with Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Settlement terms were announced March 25. To settle Medicare's false claims…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 26, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 25, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Decision-analytic model guides cervical cancer treatment By Rebekah Moan MRI and/or PET/CT can help physicians determine appropriate treatment for cervical cancer patients as well as prevent unnecessary therapy, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. Treatment of patients with cervical cancer involves two options. The first is surgery with or without postoperative adjuvant chemoradiation (chemotherapy and radiation therapy).…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 25, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 24, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Drug-resistant TB shows abnormalities on CT By Rebekah Moan Micronodules, tree-in-bud appearance, consolidations, cavities, bronchiectasis, and lobular consolidations are frequent CT abnormalities of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Dr. Eun Sun Lee from the Seoul National Hospital in Korea and colleagues made these determinations by retrospective review of microbiological results and drug sensitivity tests of 260 patients. They had been diagnosed with…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 24, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 23, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Minority groups join outcry over CMS’ rejection of CTC screening coverage By H.A. Abella Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined the ranks of CT colonography advocates to pressure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reverse a proposal to deny reimbursement for CTC screening. Proponents argue that the policy could widen existing colon cancer screening inequalities. In a Proposed Decision Memorandum issued Feb. 11, CMS suggested that…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 23, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 20, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. CT computer-aided volumetry fast tracks pneumothorax measurement Rebekah Moan Potential deadly traumatic pneumothoraces can be measured in the emergency room with a computer-aided volumetric technique that helps move patients from diagnosis to treatment many times faster than conventional visual assessments of the condition with multislice CT. The new approach, developed at Massachusetts General Hospital, has potential implications for the 30% to 39% of chest…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 20, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 19, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. ‘Detection’ takes on new meaning at Madoff-connected radiology center By James Brice A small part of the answer to the question about what happened to the $65 billion bilked from investors in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme may lie in a Hoboken, NJ, diagnostic imaging service. Ruth Madoff, wife of the disgraced New York financier, purchased a 21.25% share in Hoboken Radiology five years ago, according to Bloomberg News. Madoff is one of nine investors who own…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 19, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 18, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Cognition-enhancing modafinil shows addictive properties By James Brice Students may think they are getting smarter from the cognitive boost possible with prescription drug modafinil. They need to learn, however, that claims about its lack of serious side effects are wrong. A National Institutes of Health study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2009;301[11]:1148-1154) used PET to demonstrate that modafinil can be…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 18, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 16, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Groups challenge plan to slash imaging technology payments By H.A. Abella Access to Medical Imaging Coalition, a partnership among various professional and trade political interests, has rebutted a proposal by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to change the formula for calculating practice expense relative value units for advanced imaging exams. Coalition members argue that MedPAC's plan is based on flawed information. They point to an independent…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 16, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 13, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Second look at x-ray, CT exams could reduce diagnostic errors By James Brice Simple physician checklists, diagnostic decision-support systems, or second looks at medical imaging exams could help to reduce the estimated 40,000 to 80,000 hospital deaths in the U.S. from diagnostic errors. Writing for the March 11 Journal of the American Medical Association, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine physicians Dr. David Newman-Toker and Dr. Peter Pronovost…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 13, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 12, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from SIR: Interventionalists assess fluorescing stem cells to treat peripheral vascular disease By H.A. Abella Using biotechnology developed from fireflies and seaweed, Johns Hopkins researchers are developing radiopaque stem cells for targeted delivery of therapy in patients with peripheral arterial disease. The technique may allow guidance and tracking of stem cell injections meant to grow new blood vessels and offer a way to confirm therapy response.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 12, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 11, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Simple solution could cut long MRI wait times in Canada By H.A. Abella Referring physicians and MR imaging centers in Canada could substantially reduce wait times by sticking to standard rules dictating scanning priorities and appropriate clinical indications. Trouble is, according to a study from the University of Calgary, those guidelines already exist but few pay heed. As the U.S. enters its first serious debate on healthcare reform in more than a decade,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 11, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 10, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Imaging checklist holds key to hepatocellular carcinoma prediction By Paula Gould Mountaineering metaphors provided the framework for Sunday's Josef Lissner honorary lecture: Ode to the liver. "The liver, in my opinion, is for radiologists what the Matterhorn is for alpinists. It is a sort of litmus test for measuring your skills," said Prof. Carlo Bartolozzi, chair of radiology at the University of Pisa in Italy. Bartolozzi began by…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 10, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 9, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Correct modality choice proves essential in head and neck trauma By Philip Ward CT and MRI have a vital part to play in cases of head and neck trauma, but it is important to know which modality to use under the clinical circumstances, according to speakers at Friday's opening session of the minicourse on major trauma. CT has high sensitivity for mass effects, ventricular configuration, bone injuries, and acute hemorrhage, and it is rapid,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 9, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 6, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Healthcare consumers receive dose of Image Gently By H.A. Abella The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging has developed a new set of Image Gently brochures for distribution in physicians' offices to help parents appreciate the risks and benefits of medical imaging and to track their children's imaging histories. The initiative adds a new dimension to the alliance. Since its formation in January 2008, the alliance has reached out to technologists,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 6, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 6, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Report from ECR: Studies suggest new value for digital breast tomosynthesis By John C. Hayes Digital breast tomosynthesis was found to be superior to 2D digital mammography for determining tumor boundaries, a value at a time when more women with breast cancer are choosing breast conservation therapy, according to a study presented Friday. Another study concluded that tomosynthesis can be combined with standard 2D breast imaging to provide a more complete scan.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 6, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 5, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. New payment formula proposes Medicare cuts for high-tech imaging By James Brice A new formula proposed by the influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for calculating practice expense relative value units could cut technical payments for MRI, CT, and PET from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule by as much as 44%. In its annual report to Congress, MedPAC recommended doubling the assumed utilization rate for calculating practice expense RVUs for the…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 5, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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March 2, 2009 Diagnostic Imaging. Risks outweigh benefits for low back pain imaging By Greg Freiherr Low back pain is so common a complaint that physicians increasingly are recommending against invasive therapy for any but the most serious cases. This approach has led researchers to back up a step in patient management and crunch the numbers behind the imaging procedures that are done to assess and monitor this condition. It's not good news for radiology. Based on meta-analyses of research…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on March 2, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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