June 27, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Imaging thrives by making connections Politics and the science of diagnostic imaging intermingle in the first half of 2008 James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first six months of 2008 demonstrated the connectivity of diagnostic imaging. Groundbreaking clinical research often has a multifaceted influence. It may establish or confirm the efficacy of a promising imaging application to foster its clinical…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 27, 2008 at 8:00pm —
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June 26, 2008 Multiframe algorithm addresses image integrity Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most schemes that address medical image integrity and authenticity deal only with single frame images and lack satisfactory solutions for multiframe modalities. Recent work in Brazil achieves viable integrity of n-frame medical images, such as x-ray angiography or intravascular ultrasound. "We offer a way for the physician to know whether the…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 26, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 25, 2008 New device provides e-mail ECG service Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent advancements in electrocardiogram recording and encryption allow digital storage and secure e-mail transmission, reducing report turnaround time by two to three weeks. One PC-based recorder developed in Scotland provides a 12-lead ECG in an encrypted file sufficiently small to be transmitted easily by e-mail. A 30-second recording results in a…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 25, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 25, 2008 Milk may outperform barium as GI contrast medium H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Researchers have found that whole milk is as effective a contrast agent as the standard barium suspension given orally to patients undergoing CT of the gastrointestinal tract. Barium cannot compete with milk in cost or taste. Optimal GI imaging depends on adequate bowel distention. High-attenuation oral contrast media, such as iodine or…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 25, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 25, 2008 For teleradiology revolution, press ‘1’ now Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A radical new teleradiology concept centered on cell phone technology may one day provide medical imaging to millions of people in areas currently underserved by medicine. The new approach replaces the conventional stand-alone medical imaging device with a new imaging system consisting of remote acquisition and processing components connected by…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 25, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 24, 2008 Radiology societies seek Medicare coverage for CT colonography H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Several radiology-related professional societies have joined forces to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to approve national Medicare coverage for CT colonography to screen patients for colorectal cancer. The American College of Radiology, the Society of Gastrointestinal Radiologists, and the Society of…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 24, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 24, 2008 Bedside ultrasound provides easy way to monitor lungs of heart failure patients Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bedside ultrasound can be a valuable diagnostic tool for monitoring pulmonary congestion in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. As the heart weakens, fluid backs up into the lungs, and critical patients could benefit greatly by being monitored for their condition without having to be moved for…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 24, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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June 23, 2008 Salvage radiotherapy boosts disease-free survival in prostate cancer patients Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Treatment inside a two-year window and a prostate-specific antigen doubling time of less than six months may be the key factors in optimizing salvage radiotherapy results for recurrent prostate cancer, according to investigators from the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Their…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 23, 2008 at 9:00pm —
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June 20, 2008 Ultrasound weighs fracture risks for elderly women H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An Achilles' heel may not be such a bad thing after all. Data from a prospective study performed in Switzerland on more than 6000 women showed that an ultrasound scan of the heel, combined with other clinical parameters, may predict the risk of fractures in elderly women afflicted by osteoporosis. Osteoporosis and the incidence of…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 20, 2008 at 9:00pm —
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June 20, 2008 Mammography database of African American women addresses breast cancer disparities Douglas Page ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rate of decline in breast cancer rates over the past decade has been smaller among African American women than the general population, despite improved screening techniques. African American women are more likely to develop cancer before age 35 and more likely to die from it at any age. Some studies have…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 20, 2008 at 9:00pm —
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June 19, 2008 Nomograms for everyone Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has come up with a mathematical modeling system that can predict the probability of a patient with renal cancer being cancer-free 12 years after initial surgical treatment. This nomogram considers sex, the presence or absence of symptoms, radiological data, and the size of the mass. For example, an asymptomatic…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 19, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 19, 2008 Intraoperative angiography proves worth for brain aneurysm clipping H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A decade-long study of more than 1000 patients has shown strong evidence that the use of angiography during intracranial brain aneurysm surgery is safe and useful to evaluate the surgery's success. It can alter management in more than 12% of cases. Neurosurgeons have long tried to assess the value of different approaches…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 19, 2008 at 9:00pm —
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June 18, 2008 Report from SNM: Society protests Medicare reimbursement policies James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Society of Nuclear Medicine officials say the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is manipulating the definition of radiopharmaceuticals to artificially deflate its payment rates for radioactive imaging agents essential to nuclear and molecular imaging practice. SNM opposition to the CMS practices, announced Tuesday…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 18, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 17, 2008 Study validates low-cost analog teleradiology Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- German researchers have found that a technically simple low-cost teleradiology system is sufficient to provide appropriate treatment of trauma, stroke, and intracerebral hematoma patients. It could help offset the rising cost of healthcare. A paper documenting five years of experience with the system concludes that the analog image transfer…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 17, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 17, 2008 Report from SNM: PET avoids unnecessary liver resection for metastatic colon cancer James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liver resection for metastatic colon cancer is painful and debilitating enough, without a patient's subsequent discovery that the surgery did nothing to halt disease progression. A multicenter prospective trial presented Monday at the Society of Nuclear Medicine conference in New Orleans found that FDG-PET…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 17, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 17, 2008 Report from SNM: Images of the Year cover molecular imaging from head to toe James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Henry J. Wagner Jr. has selected two images, a PET/CT scan showing the early metastatic spread of tumor in a patient's ear and a SPECT/MRI study of osteomyelitis in another patient's foot, to exemplify the diagnostic capabilities of nuclear medicine as the 2008 Society of Nuclear Medicine Image of the Year.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 17, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 16, 2008 Report from SNM: PET/CT restaging alters management for one-third of breast cancer cases Erica Andrews -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FDG-PET/CT is gaining attention for its role in staging and restaging breast cancer. A trial from the Technical University of Munich, presented Sunday at the 2008 Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in New Orleans, found that PET/CT detected local or distant recurrence in 67% of breast cancer…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 16, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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June 16, 2008 CT lung cancer screening offers moderate benefit in smokers Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new study finds that CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality among smokers but won't protect them from the other adverse effects of lighting up. Results from an evaluation of the long-term efficacy of screening fell between more positive outcomes reported by the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) and…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 16, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 16, 2008 Contrast-enhanced ultrasound shows vascular details of liver nodules Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound with microflow imaging provides noninvasive analysis of the vascular structure and hemodynamics of liver nodules. This analysis, in turn, provides information about how advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is. Dr. Katsutoshi Sugimoto and colleagues in the gastroenterology and hepatology…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 16, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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June 12, 2008 Study recommends standardized image reject methodology Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digital radiography systems are in common use for medical imaging, yet few studies have examined computed radiography quality performance in terms of reject rates. This lack is due primarily to difficulty in obtaining the data required to calculate reject statistics. "This problem has been further compounded by the lack of software…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on June 12, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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