Susan E. Wiegers, MD, of Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, has taken over the one-year term of president of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) following ASE’s annual meeting in Boston.

While amyloid imaging is typically discussed with regard to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, a team of French researchers, presenting at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2015 annual meeting, have found that amyloid scans of the heart can predict major cardiac events.

CT angiography (CCTA) is effective at measuring levels of unstable arterial plaque in asymptomatic patients, which is associated with the development of diabetes, high blood pressure and elevated “bad” cholesterol, according to results of a study published online June 2 in the journal Radiology.

Significantly fewer renal and cardiac events are associated with angioplasty procedures using isosmolar contrast medium (IOCM) agent Visipaque (iodixanol) than those using low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM), demonstrate data from abstracts presented today at the EuroPCR Congress 2015 in Paris. 

Timing is everything when it comes to emergency stroke response—patients who are treated within 60 minutes of the initial event have significantly improved outcomes. That fact led two Washington DC area hospitals to borrow ideas about “lean” production processes from profit-driven manufacturers to reduce the time interval between arrival and treatment for acute stroke victims, according to a recent study by the National Institute of Health (NIH) published online May 13 in the journal Neurology.

Bay Area Medical Center (BAMC) in Marinette, Wisconsin, can now provide its patients with efficient exams that eliminate the choice between safety and image quality with the InfinixTM Elite cardiovascular X-ray system from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.

The use of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has spiked over the past four decades and along with it individual patient dose. A comprehensive effort to reduce that dose could reduce unnecessary procedures and reduce the risk of downstream cancers, according to a meta-analysis published in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

CT coronary angiography (CTCA) can clarify the diagnosis of angina due to coronary heart disease, leading to a reduced need for further stress testing and enabling more targeted interventions. Ultimately, changes in treatments stemming from the addition of CTCA to standard clinical care could reduce fatal and non-fatal heart attack rates, according to the SCOT-HEART study.