April 9, 2008 TACE plus RFA extends survival in liver cancer patients Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pairing chemoembolization with radiofrequency ablation improved survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular cancer, according to a multidisciplinary group based at Shangdong University in Jinan, China. Their study results demonstrated how tumor microarchitecture could be manipulated to boost localized therapy. Transcatheter…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 9, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 9, 2008 Massive Southwest telehealth grid promises benefits for teleradiology Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new broadband telehealth network being designed will connect more than 500 sites across seven southwestern states, providing an improved teleradiology platform to support clinics and hospitals in remote locations throughout the region. "The Southwest Telehealth Access Grid promises to bring access to critical imaging…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 9, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 8, 2008 Lower cancer screening rates in obese women show surprising racial twist Yomi Wrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A review of 32 studies examining medical imaging of obese patients found that extremely large women are less likely than smaller women to be screened for breast, colon, and cervical cancer. The analysis also revealed surprising trends along racial lines, indicating that overweight white women are less likely than their…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 8, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 7, 2008 Utilization management firm pitches patients on dose concerns Yomi Wrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A website that allows patients to calculate radiation exposure levels for particular exams is drawing fire from some radiologists, who question whether the health plan-owned company is using safety as a smokescreen for profit management. With a few clicks, visitors to Patient Safety choose a procedure — Bone Density, CT, PET…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 7, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 7, 2008 Doppler ultrasound finds increase in renal blood flow in children with diabetes Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doppler ultrasound shows that diabetic nephropathy may affect the kidneys of pediatric diabetes patients long before clinical indications become evident. Diabetes-related microvascular complications rarely reach clinical stages in childhood, but researchers investigated whether Doppler ultrasound could…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 7, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 4, 2008 Hemostatic clips and MRI procedures: Some are safe, some may not be Frank Shellock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A recent "Sentinel Alert" from the Joint Commission addressing the prevention of accidents and injuries in the MRI suite stated: "All implants should be checked against product labeling or manufacturer literature specific to that implant, or peer-reviewed published data regarding the device or implant in question.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 4, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 4, 2008 RFA provides sustained pain relief in osteoid osteoma patients Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CT-guided radiofrequency ablation offers long-term pain reduction in patients with osteoid osteoma, making it a viable alternative to open surgery, according to researchers from Seoul. "Surgery is considered if pain persists, but open surgical excision is known to have high morbidity and recurrence is not uncommon," said Dr.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 4, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 4, 2008 Grid debuts to facilitate inter-institutional image interoperability Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A grid designed to link applications in the research environment leverages grid computing technologies and web resources to provide a set of programming tools for research application development and deployment. The National Cancer Institute's cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG) program reached a major milestone…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 4, 2008 at 12:00am —
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April 3, 2008 Race exerts little influence on CT calcium test results Yomi Wrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calcium deposits in coronary arteries provide a strong predictor for incidence of heart attack and cardiac disease, and detecting such deposits via CT scanning can help promote overall cardiac health in racially and ethnically diverse populations, according to a new study in March 28 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 3, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 2, 2008 Web-based repositories pose threat of unprotected records Douglas Page ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reluctance or inability of the healthcare industry or federal government to provide a universal online personal medical record repository mechanism has created a vacuum. This vacuum, in turn, has attracted deep-pocket giants like Google and Microsoft. In February, Internet search titan Google stepped into the online repository…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 2, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 2, 2008 Online patient medical records will challenge radiologists and others John C. Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a decade after the shift to PACS became firmly established in radiology, a national movement toward digitizing all medical information appears to be gaining traction. Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest players in the digital world, have launched efforts to provide free storage of personal medical…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 2, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 2, 2008 New recommendations target NSF risk Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis has received widespread attention, but official protocols on how to avoid the life-threatening skin condition are quite sparse: Only one section in the American College of Radiology's 2007 white paper on safe MR practices is devoted to the condition. The ACR is already rectifying that situation, however, with detailed…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 2, 2008 at 12:30pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Web-based repositories pose threat of unprotected records Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reluctance or inability of the healthcare industry or federal government to provide a universal online personal medical record repository mechanism has created a vacuum. This vacuum, in turn, has attracted deep-pocket giants like Google and Microsoft. In February, Internet search titan Google stepped into…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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April 1, 2008 Teleradiology scheme delivers high-quality images to smartphones Douglas Page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new teleradiology solution takes advantage of improvements in wireless networking, imaging technology, and handheld devices to permit referring physicians to view CT and MR scans remotely on cell phones and personal digital assistants. The system has the potential to improve outcomes for patients experiencing…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Swedish researcher adds touch to 3D interpretation Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Engineers are always on the lookout for new and better ways to present data. So it's been with the transition from 2D to 3D and, lately, to 4D, with the capture of dynamic organs or the display of large volumes of data. But even the most advanced of these techniques, whether fly-throughs of the colon or 4D fetal…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:30pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Spoof Nobel Prize goes to imaging study with sharp point OVERREAD Philip Ward -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Brian Witcombe, a consultant radiologist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, collaborated with Dan Meyer, executive director of the Sword Swallowers' Association International on the study. Interviews with experienced sword swallowers revealed that lower chest pain, often lasting days, followed some…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:30pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Shifting clinical needs recast thick-, thin-client PACS debate Image Reconstruction Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiology has been through thick and thin—clients, that is. The two approaches in PACS are defined by the way images are reconstructed, on a central server or a dedicated workstation. Thick-client products once dominated, but advances in PC technology, particularly in memory, along…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:30pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Shifting clinical needs recast thick-, thin-client PACS debate Image Reconstruction Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Radiology has been through thick and thin—clients, that is. The two approaches in PACS are defined by the way images are reconstructed, on a central server or a dedicated workstation. Thick-client products once dominated, but advances in PC technology, particularly in memory, along…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Reimbursement woes call for paradigm shift PAYMENT POLICY Michael Longacre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent economic headlines have been equally negative for both providers and vendors: "$45 trillion gap seen in US benefits," "Medicare spending surged in 2006," "DRA cuts enter year two," "Philips' imaging sales hit by DRA," "GE Healthcare profits decline in 2007," "Bush seeks surplus through Medicare cuts."…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm —
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April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Online patient medical records will challenge radiologists and others Emily Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a decade after the shift to PACS became firmly established in radiology, a national movement toward digitizing all medical information appears to be gaining traction. As reported in our EI&IT section, Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest players in the digital world, have launched…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm —
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