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May 2008 Blog Posts (142)

Radiologist finds potential in FIESTA for noncontrast renal artery MRA

May 9, 2008 Radiologist finds potential in FIESTA for noncontrast renal artery MRA James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A noncontrast, flow-dependent FIESTA sequence offers a safe and effective alternative to gadolinium-enhanced MR angiography for renal artery evaluations. That conclusion, drawn from a Japanese study of 63 patients with suspected renal tumors, should come as good news to physicians who are making treatment decisions for… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 9, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Hitachi primes 1.2T Oasis for commercial launch

May 9, 2008 Hitachi primes 1.2T Oasis for commercial launch Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hitachi executives hope their booth at the ISMRM meeting will serve as a springboard for sales of their open 1.2T Oasis, set to begin shipping this month. The new high-field scanner is the company's chance to rekindle a market that has all but collapsed in the past several years with the advent of compact wide-bore 1.5T devices and expanding… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 9, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Functional brain mapping boosts early assessment of brain cancer treatment response

May 9, 2008 Functional brain mapping boosts early assessment of brain cancer treatment response James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first three months after standard radiation therapy for a brain tumor must be hell for patients and their families. The established MacDonald criteria for assessing treatment force them to wait up to 10 weeks for follow-up CT or MR to determine if the size of the treated tumor has changed. Using the… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 9, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Ultra-high field MRI improves characterization of multiple sclerosis

May 8, 2008 Ultra-high field MRI improves characterization of multiple sclerosis James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Studies described during a scientific session at the ISMRM on Wednesday showed that diagnostic power and field strength go hand in hand when it comes to evaluating multiple sclerosis. It is no secret among board-certified radiologists that 1.5T MRI misses many MS-related white-matter lesions found during postmortem… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridges

May 8, 2008 SIIM 2008 chooses a city full of lakes in which to build its bridges A full exhibit hall, exciting scientific program, and thoughtful general sessions portend a successful, stimulating meeting Caroline Wilson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practice meets theory at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2008 Annual Meeting, May 15-18, in Seattle. The SIIM meeting has always provided a collegial environment for practical… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Report from ISMRM: MRS glutamate measures reflect heroin craving

May 8, 2008 Report from ISMRM: MRS glutamate measures reflect heroin craving James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New MR spectroscopy findings indicate that changes in brain glutamate levels reflect changes in heroin craving among addicts during methadone maintenance therapy. MRS may eventually help predict if addicts will relapse after treatment. Animal studies have previously shown that glutamate is involved in the development and… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

MR mammography excels as presurgical planning tool in dense breasts

May 8, 2008 MR mammography excels as presurgical planning tool in dense breasts James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Italian study involving 238 women has confirmed the value of MR mammography as a presurgical planning tool for appreciating the full extent of cancer in dense breasts. Dr. Federica Pediconi, a researcher in the department of radiological sciences at the University of Rome La Sapienza, and colleagues found MR mammography… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Diffusion tensor imaging shows promise in evaluating spinal trauma

May 8, 2008 Diffusion tensor imaging shows promise in evaluating spinal trauma James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A University of Maryland study suggests that diffusion tensor imaging may provide emergency room physicians with valuable information to assess the extent of injuries to the cervical spine. Researchers have had reasonable success with diffusion-weighted MR imaging and DTI in spinal injury experiments in animals. Radiologists… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Device lets readers gesture through images

May 8, 2008 Device lets readers gesture through images Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first practical intuitive device for browsing digital images using only hand gestures is being tested in intensive care settings and operating suites. Gestix is a video-based gesture capture and recognition system used to manipulate MR images. It was designed, as a joint effort between the Institute for Medical Informatics at the Washington… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 8, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

MRS glutamate measures reflect heroin craving

May 7, 2008 MRS glutamate measures reflect heroin craving James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New MR spectroscopy findings indicate that changes in brain glutamate levels reflect changes in heroin craving among addicts during methadone maintenance therapy. MRS may eventually help predict if addicts will relapse after treatment. Animal studies have previously shown that glutamate is involved in the development and expression of drug… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 11:30pm — No Comments

Desk-sized MR scanner shows potential for rheumatoid arthritis patients

May 7, 2008 Desk-sized MR scanner shows potential for rheumatoid arthritis patients Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assessment with MR is essential for the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis in the hands and the monitoring of drug therapy, but hand studies are not cost effective. That's where the Japanese firm MR Technology of Tsukuba, in the prefecture of Ibaraki, comes in. The company, working with the Institute of Applied… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Kaiser study of 3.3 million members finds single case of NSF

May 7, 2008 Kaiser study of 3.3 million members finds single case of NSF James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A comprehensive evaluation of Magnevist use among the 3.3 million members of Kaiser Permanente in Northern California has found a lower risk for developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis than reported in previous studies in renal disease patients who received gadolinium-based MR contrast media. Lead author Thomas A. Hope, Ph.D.,… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

Desk-sized MR scanner shows potential for rheumatoid arthritis patients

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Cardiac coil boosts data acquisition on Toshiba 1.5T

May 7, 2008 Cardiac coil boosts data acquisition on Toshiba 1.5T Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quality Electrodynamics has constructed and tested a 32-channel cardiac array for use on the Toshiba 1.5T Vantage Atlas that its developers say will provide acceleration factors in any direction, including oblique phase-encoding, which is often applied in cardiac imaging. In a presentation May 7 at the ISMRM meeting, the development team… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Report from ISMRM: Prostate imaging studies weigh diagnostic power of MRI methods

May 7, 2008 Report from ISMRM: Prostate imaging studies weigh diagnostic power of MRI methods -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A clinical trial presented Monday demonstrated how complicated the quantification of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of suspected prostate cancer can be. Investigators hold great hope for DCE-MRI for this application because of the insensitivity of contrast-enhanced T2-weighted imaging and the considerable convenience of… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Philips advances quantitative MR

May 7, 2008 Philips advances quantitative MR Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quantitative MR, characterized by the precise measurement of data points that underlie MR images, may one day provide an exact and definable basis to recognize the early signs of disease and response to therapy. Philips Healthcare is moving toward that day, developing techniques that quantify the presence of cancerous tumors and heart disease. Stefanie… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 7, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Report from ISMRM: Society expands educational scope, global reach

May 6, 2008 Report from ISMRM: Society expands educational scope, global reach James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiologists can anticipate access to more web-based educational programming from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and a more intense international flavor in the society's future work. Education and global outreach are key elements of the ISMRM's three-year strategic plan, said society president… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 6, 2008 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Prostate imaging studies weigh diagnostic power of MRI methods

May 6, 2008 Prostate imaging studies weigh diagnostic power of MRI methods James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A clinical trial presented Monday demonstrated how complicated the quantification of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of suspected prostate cancer can be. Investigators hold great hope for DCE-MRI for this application because of the insensitivity of contrast-enhanced T2-weighted imaging and the considerable convenience of performing… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 6, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

MR elastography shakes up assumptions about body MR

May 6, 2008 MR elastography shakes up assumptions about body MR James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MR elastography debuted on Tuesday as a clinical application ready for diagnostic uses in the liver and many diagnostic niches elsewhere in the body. Modality inventor Dr. Richard Ehman noted during the morning plenary session that though elasticity is the physical property of tissue most changed by disease, it has never before been… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 6, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Merck plans evaluation of spin-signal MR

May 6, 2008 Merck plans evaluation of spin-signal MR Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GE Healthcare's gas-based MRI imaging strategy may find a home, if tests of the technology by Merck pan out. The pharmaceutical company plans to audition GE's Spin Signal Technology (SST) utilizing hyperpolarized xenon 129 gas for use in assessing its experimental respiratory treatments. GE Healthcare has granted Merck access to the technology and… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on May 6, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments