The FDA has released a draft correspondence establishing a framework for the regulation and oversight of nanotechnology. Made available on its website on June 9, the document is a collaborative product between the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Despite the fact that appropriate use criteria have been developed to help guide myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), women remain undertested. A study published this week in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology showed that the vast majority of inappropriate MPI studies were ordered in women by primary care physicians, alluding to the fact that more education for physicians will be crucial.

GE Healthcare has received FDA clearance of AngioViz, an application that provides visualization of vascular flow on a single image.

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new type of imaging technology which could be used to take 3D images of plaque lining arteries, according to study findings scheduled to be published June 17 in Physical Review Letters. The  authors said the technology could be used to diagnose cardiovascular disease and other lipid-related disorders, by measuring ultrasound signals from chemical bonds in molecules exposed to a pulsing laser.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have awarded GE Global Research and Mayo Clinic a $5.7 million grant to conduct research to understand design and application issues involved in the use of a dedicated MRI brain scanner to image neurological and psychiatric disorders such as stroke, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, traumatic brain disorder, depression and autism.                  

Specialty pharmaceutical company Acusphere has reached an agreement with the FDA on a Special Protocol Assessment clinical trial to assess the ability of the companys Imagify drug to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) on stress ultrasound.

A West Palm Beach, Fla. radiology practice will pay the U.S. government $3 million to settle charges that it submitted false Medicare claims as part of illegal service agreements with referring physicians. A pair of radiologists who initiated the investigation will receive a $600,000 settlement.

Thirty-three states have now said they will further slash Medicaid payments to healthcare providers, according to a survey issued by the National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers.