June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. MRS links fibromyalgia pain to changes in brain molecule -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new study from the University of Michigan featuring proton MR spectroscopy has found a key linkage between the widespread muscle pain, tenderness, and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia and brain glutamate. Findings could lead to new drugs to treat the condition, researchers said. Dr. Daniel J. Clauw, director of the UM…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Isotope supply crash drives push for new moly sources Political bickering, engineering incompetence, and benign neglect make a mess of North American medical isotope supply system James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Knowledgeable Canadians considered the molybdenum-99 crisis of 2007 a national disgrace. A squabble between the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Atomic Energy Canada, the federal…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. IRs look for silver lining as government pushes quality Specialty fights falling reimbursement while persuing practice improvements via reporting and drug and device initiatives H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interventional radiologists, like their diagnostic counterparts, remain under pressure as payers ratchet back reimbursements. But they continue to fight on the reimbursement front and see some…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Investment in imaging exploits trends in genetics, nanotech James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Necessity is not always the mother of invention. If you are Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, invention can germinate from any number of sources. The likelihood of its ultimate adoption increases with the help of federal funds and the guidance…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. GE's Signa MR750 brings new power, simplicity to 3T -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advanced gradients and parallel imaging, along with ergonomic features, combine to boost productivity A new 3T scanner unveiled last month by GE Healthcare delivers unprecedented speed and resolution in some of the toughest areas of the body to image. Combining advanced parallel imaging software with powerful gradients and an…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Fear of nuclear terrorism lurks behind molybdenum supply debate John C. Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The crash of the radioisotope supply last winter gets a close look in this month's cover story. It details the politics and policy issues that closed down the Chalk River reactor in Ontario for nearly a month, leaving North American nuclear medicine physicians without a reliable supply of technetium-99.…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Fast CT scans increase risk of contrast timing errors -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The potential advantages of multislice CT for contrast-enhanced imaging are clear. The improved spatial and temporal resolution offered by MSCT means that high-quality images can be obtained far more quickly. Phases of enhancement are well defined, the volume of contrast required for vessel imaging can be reduced, and, depending…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Drug-resistant TB story illustrates global challenge for radiology John C. Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ours is a global economy, and personal mobility is part of the equation. Immigration rates are up everywhere, and with this movement come new trends and developments in disease that strain the healthcare system, including imaging. Part of this is evident in an Overread article in this issue ("Chest…
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June 3, 2008 Contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnoses small renal lesions Wendy Despain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solid renal parenchymal lesions with a diameter of 5 cm or less can be difficult to diagnose, requiring irradiation and biopsy. Catching renal cell carcinoma in early stages before tumors grow larger than 7 cm, however, increases a patient's chances of survival over five years. Researchers in China have found that…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Chest x-ray remains crucial for finding drug-resistant TB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Budget cuts have been added to coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus and multidrug-resistant disease as the biggest threats to the prevention of tuberculosis in the U.S. San Francisco and neighboring Bay Area communities saw TB incidence decline until 2006, thanks to a stringent control program funded by the Centers…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Case of the Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLINICAL HISTORY A 40-year-old man presented with upper and lower back pain. His symptoms worsened over the course of a month. The patient denied any bowel or bladder dysfunction, radiating symptoms, or motor deficits. FINDINGS Axial T2-weighted MR images (Figures 1 and 2) reveal a longitudinally split thoracic spinal cord with cerebrospinal fluid intervening…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Breast MRI CAD zeroes in on malignant lesions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results from two recent studies suggest computer-aided detection for breast MRI may be closing in on true cancer detection. Researchers from Penn Diagnostics, a breast MRI CAD company, and George Washington University tested the ONCAD system for contrast-enhanced MRI. They reviewed images of 102 biopsy-proven breast cancers and 131…
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June 3, 2008 Brain anomalies on fetal MRI call for postnatal imaging backup Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posterior fossa anomalies detected on fetal MR imaging should be confirmed with postnatal imaging, according to a study in the June American Journal of Roentgenology. Investigators from the U.S. and Canada found significant discrepancies between fetal and postnatal posterior fossa findings on MRI. Posterior fossa dysgenesis…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. U.S. patients miss benefits of ultrasound contrast media Contrast-enhanced ultrasound provides valuable information in clinical practice for imagers in country's northern neighbor BY TAE KYOUNG KIM, M.D., HYUN-JUNG JANG, M.D., AND STEPHANIE R. WILSON, FRCPC, M.D -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for abdominal applications in radiology was first approved in Canada in 2001. Although…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Though lips may move, no one is listening You can lead a horse to water, but don't try to tell it not to drink before an exam BY BRADLEY M. TIPLER, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For as long as I can remember, both the American College of Radiology and the RSNA have emphasized communicating with patients. Personal contact and face time are the best ways. Clearly written instruction sheets, detailed…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Tepid demand for MR in 2007 still dampens scanner sales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New models and upgrades for high-field systems continue to shape 2008 in lingering buyer's market After three years of declining sales, manufacturers are hoping for a rebound in the MR marketplace this year. If it comes, it won't be much. Lingering fallout from reimbursement cuts, coming mostly at the hands of the Deficit…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Telerad school in Bangalore aims at shortage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Yale-trained neuroradiologist who was born and raised in India has established his home country's first teleradiology training center to address a radiologist shortage so severe that less than one practicing diagnostic radiologist is available to meet the medical imaging needs of every 100,000 people. Dr. Arjun Kalyanpur, who gained…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Telerad plus mammography makes effective combination Study certifies effectiveness of transmitting digital exams to centralized site for remote interpretation -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The feasibility of hub-and-spoke mammography, in which breast imaging studies are performed at satellite centers and read at a centralized reading station, has been confirmed through an evaluation of 30,000 cases and three…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Study favoring routine screens in older women draws fire Controversy kicks up among breast health experts, who charge that study fails to consider biases inherent in screening trials By Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A recent study that linked improved survival in elderly breast cancer patients with regular screening mammography is "fatally flawed" and "naïve," according to some cancer screening…
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June 3, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Smartphone shows images for radiologists on the go Pocket-sized wireless system taps into hospital PACS to offer fast emergency access nearly anywhere -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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…
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