Medical Imaging

Physicians utilize medical imaging to see inside the body to diagnose and treat patients. This includes computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, angiography,  and the nuclear imaging modalities of PET and SPECT. 

Molecular MRI technique gives early indication of cancer treatment effectiveness

Researchers from Cambridge University have performed a new molecular imaging technique that allows doctors to determine whether cancer drugs are successful within a few days following initial treatment on a European patient for the first time.

CT research: How exactly does the Zika virus affect the developing brain?

Brazilian researchers have teamed up with scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicince to describe certain CT features of Zika-related microcephaly, according to a letter to the editor recently published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers: No routine imaging needed for HPV-related head and neck cancer

Researchers recently conducted a study to determine time to recurrence and mode of detection of recurrence in patients with HPV-related oropharanx cancer who had been treated with definitive radiation therapy.

Radiologists use cryoablation to ‘freeze’ phantom limb pain

New results from an ongoing clinical trial show the potential of a minimally invasive procedure known as cryoablation to effectively treat patients suffering from phantom limb pain, according to researchers from Emory University.

Research review: What we know so far about gadolinium contrast toxicity

The reasons for gadolinium accumulation—and the potential negative consequences for patients—are still largely unknown, due in part to limited existing clinical data regarding the mechanisms of gadolinium toxicity, according to a research review recently published in the journal Biometals.

‘Promotoras’ improve breast cancer screening rates for Latino women

Follow-up visits from trained community health workers known as ‘promotoras’ have been shown to improve breast cancer screening rates among Latino women, according to results of a new study published in Cancer Epidemiology.

Accuracy of 12,000 mammograms in question after FDA retracts imaging center’s accreditation

Hilo Women’s Imaging Center in Hawaii has begun notifying patients that mammograms taken at the facility may contain inaccuracies after the FDA retracted the center’s accreditation.

Your brain on food: fMRI shows obesity drug’s impact on brain function

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are using fMRI to show how the diabetes and weight loss drug liraglutide affects brain receptors to make the body react differently to enticing foods.

Around the web

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses declining reimbursement rates, recruiting challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in transforming the industry.

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.

A total of 16 cardiology practices from 12 states settled with the DOJ to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for imaging agents used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.