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October 2008 Blog Posts (116)

Physicians miss opportunities to empathize with emotionally vulnerable patients

October 16, 2008 Physicians miss opportunities to empathize with emotionally vulnerable patients Rebekah Moan An emotional connection between patients struggling with the emotional effects of a life-threatening disease and their physicians is often missing, according to a recent study of physician behavior. An evaluation of audio recordings found that physicians missed about nine of 10 opportunities to show empathy during consultations with lung cancer patients. Mammographers say their patients… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 16, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Mortality because of postoperative colon cancer is higher in hospitals with a relatively high percentage of Medicaid patients

According to report in published in the August issue of the “Journal of the American College of Surgeons”, mortality because of postoperative colon cancer is higher in hospitals with a relatively high percentage of Medicaid patients.

Dr. Kim F. Rhoads said that the report emphasizes that this is the potential effect of resource inequality in different institutions on cancer outcomes. He said this report highlights the issues arising as American health-care economies are tightening… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 15, 2008 at 4:30am — No Comments

Can novice readers read Computer Tomography Colonography (CTC)?

Latest study done in the University of Chicago has indicated that intensive and structured training might enable novices to read the Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC) studies with more accuracy than compared to the standard colonoscopy.

This study appears in online version of Radiology, Underscores the Computed Tomography Colonography’s (CTC) valuable role as a screening tool for colorectal cancer. The cancer which is the 3rd most frequently diagnosed and one of the leading… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 15, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Molecular imaging researcher shares 2008 Nobel Prize for chemistry

October 14, 2008 Molecular imaging researcher shares 2008 Nobel Prize for chemistry James Brice Molecular imaging researcher Roger Tsien, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with two other American scientists for the discovery of green fluorescent protein and the creation of fluorescent molecules that are often used to track subcellular structures during in vivo molecular imaging. A professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, Tsien… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 14, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Europeans face potential Mo-99 supply nightmare; key nuclear reactor closed until February 2009

October 14, 2008 Europeans face potential Mo-99 supply nightmare; key nuclear reactor closed until February 2009 Paula Gould The Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) has announced that the High Flux Reactor in Petten, the Netherlands, will remain shut down until Feb. 16, 2009, raising the possibility of another four months of molybdenum-99 shortages for thousands of European nuclear imaging services. Most Mo-99 generated in Europe comes from two nuclear reactors: the HFR and the BR-2… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 14, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

80% of cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy are pain-medication free

The results of a recent research indicate that around eighty percent of cancer patients who undergo radiation therapy may not be using any kind of medications to combat pain.

According to the report published in the “International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics” for the September issue reports that many patients do not undergo any medications to combat pain mainly due to fears of addiction and the cost of medication. Although, the most common reason for not using… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 14, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Access to Mammography - a potential real concern for low-income women

A United States government study suggests that low-income women who are treated under free mammography screening may be bearing some personal costs to have the procedure.

In the United States, a government funded project known as the “National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program” helps in covering the costs of cervical and Breast cancer tests for women. These women are usually at or below two hundred and fifty percent of the federal defined poverty line.

But… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 14, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Patients with the age of 75 years and above and suffering with brain metastases respond as well as the younger patients to the Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)

Patients with the age of 75 years and above and suffering with brain metastases respond as well as the younger patients to the Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS); this is according to a recent research published in the August 15th issue of Cancer.

The authors explain that several studies have in some way or the other demonstrated the survival advantage of treating brain metastases with SRS, but till date there has never been a detailed examination of the utility of SRS treatment in… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 13, 2008 at 7:00am — No Comments

Molecular imaging leader backs research aimed at tangible clinical benefits

October 13, 2008 Molecular imaging leader backs research aimed at tangible clinical benefits Paula Gould Dr. Markus Schwaiger, a leader in the drive toward molecular imaging advancements in Europe, has thrown his support to research designed to foster tangible clinical benefits in the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration, coronary artery disease, and cancer. Molecular imaging research is benefiting enormously from the energy of a relatively young, enthusiastic workforce, Schwaiger said… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 13, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Power Doppler Ultrasonography Makes Waves

According to a research report published in the August issue of “Arthritis & Rheumatism”, Power Doppler ultrasonography monitors the response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to the treatment with Anti-tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) agents more accurately than any other system does.

Dr. Esperanza Naredo of the Severo Ochoa Hospital in Madrid said that “Power Doppler ultrasonography” is more sensitive and that is why possibly more predictive than the clinical evaluation of the RA… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 13, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

PET aids in decision support for pain treatment choices

A recent study of the normal brain activities using PET technique suggests that individuals who are in a minimally conscious state (MCS) have greater chances of perceiving pain and hence should receive analgesic treatment.

Senior author of the report Dr. Steven Laureys told Reuters Health that the major finding of this research was how these patients' brain responds to pain in a way that is very similar to the normal brains and how this is different from what is seen in Persistent… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 12, 2008 at 12:08am — No Comments

Two Radiologists versus One CAD Enhanced Radiologist

The results of a recent study suggests that in evaluating the images of mammograms done for breast cancer, one reader attached to a computer might perform just as good as or sometimes even better than two readers,.

In this research study reported and published in “The New England Journal of Medicine” for the second Week of October and released ahead of the print itself, the specificity, sensitivity, and the positive predictive values for both the reading protocols was almost the… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 12, 2008 at 12:00am — No Comments

Age bows out as factor in cancer recurrence for women with ductal carcinoma

October 10, 2008 Age bows out as factor in cancer recurrence for women with ductal carcinoma Rebekah Moan Conventional thinking says younger women with ductal carcinoma in situ are more likely to have cancer recurrences than older women diagnosed with the condition. A new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center, however, is proving this view wrong. Traditionally, it was thought younger women with DCIS were likely to have more recurrence than women diagnosed at an older age. A study presented at the… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 10, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Latest Version of OsiriX just released - Download it now! (3.3f2)

The innovative folks at OsiriX have just released the latest version (3.3f2). You can find it here: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/osirix/OsiriX3.3f2.zip

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on October 9, 2008 at 10:00pm — No Comments

CT study stirs debate about optimal varicose vein modality

October 9, 2008 CT study stirs debate about optimal varicose vein modality Rebekah Moan Korean researchers find 3D CT scans offer a comprehensive view of complex varicose veins in the lower extremities, a practice that U.S. doctors find troubling. A study appearing in the October American Journal of Roentgenology (2008;191:1186-1191) examined 100 patients with varicose veins at the Seoul National University Hospital using 3D CT. Dr. Jin Wook Chung and Dr. Whal Lee from the radiology department… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 9, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Brain scans for the prosecution

October 9, 2008 Brain scans for the prosecution Greg Freiherr Those of us who recognize our frailties -- the prejudices and biases that creep almost imperceptibly into our decision making -- would welcome a quantifiable means for ensuring that those decisions are best made. Last month, prosecutors successfully convinced a court in Mumbai, India, that a scan that records activity in distinct areas of the brain can be such a measure. On the basis of a "Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature"… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 9, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Automated diaphragm delineation tackles segmentation in CT images

October 9, 2008 Automated diaphragm delineation tackles segmentation in CT images Douglas Page Precise delineation of relevant anatomical structures is necessary for accurate treatment planning and radiation therapy. Yet segmentation in CT images of internal features like the diaphragm can be a difficult problem. Independent research in Canada and Japan recently established methods to automatically delineate the diaphragm from 3D CT data sets. …

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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 9, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

New SNM research network lays groundwork for molecular imaging clinical trials

October 8, 2008 New SNM research network lays groundwork for molecular imaging clinical trials James Brice The SNM has announced the formation of the Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network, a multi-institutional effort to establish scientifically sound, efficient ways to evaluate proposed clinical applications of biomarker imaging. The network will provide centralized investigational new drugs (INDs) for biomarkers of interest to the pharmaceutical industry for new drug research and to… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 8, 2008 at 1:00am — No Comments

Facebook for physicians offers networking application

October 8, 2008 Facebook for physicians offers networking application Douglas Page Social networking applications on the Internet, like Facebook and MySpace, exist mainly for students and the forlorn. Professionals tend to use systems such as LinkedIn, Research Crossroads, and InnoCentive. But scientists and medical researchers have lacked an efficient computer-based expertise locator system. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh recently announced a prototype networking application… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 8, 2008 at 12:30am — No Comments

Report from ARRS: Ultrasound pins down source of stump pain in amputees

October 7, 2008 Report from ARRS: Ultrasound pins down source of stump pain in amputees H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sonography can accurately detect the causes of stump pain in amputees, according to researchers in the U.K. Investigators say ultrasound findings could guide management, help educate patients about their condition, and allow prosthesis design customization. Images from the Beijing Paralympic Games or those of a… Continue

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