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. 

British researchers testing drug that stops Alzheimer’s in mice

A team from the U.K. government’s Medical Research Council has developed a drug that prevents neurons from being destroyed due to the abnormal proteins that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative brain diseases, according to a report from Sky News.

Thumbnail

Screening mammography rates decline in Vt. following USPSTF recommendations

The percentage of women who underwent breast cancer screening mammography in Vermont declined from 45.3 percent in 2009 to 41.6 percent in 2011, a decrease that coincides with the 2009 revision of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for screening, according to a study published online Sept. 26 in Radiology.

AHRA and Toshiba offering new grant opportunities

The Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) & Toshiba Putting Patients First Program is offering seven new grants for the 2013 year to fund programs, seminars, or training focused on improving pediatric or adult patient care and safety within the realm of diagnostic imaging.

Thumbnail

Could a tablespoon of peanut butter help diagnose Alzheimer’s?

As neuroimaging technology continues to be researched as a tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Florida (UF), Gainesville, have been investigating a much more low-tech alternative requiring only a ruler and a dab of peanut butter.

Thumbnail

First-in-human cannabinoid PET imaging aims for neuro-inflammation

A novel cannabinoid type 2 receptor ligand that binds to microglial and immuno cells could be a hit for neuro-inflammatory imaging, according to a study published in the August 2013 issue of Molecular Imaging and Biology.

MIMICS Emerging Data Suggest Patency Protective Effect

Data presented here yesterday during the Late Breaking Clinical Trials session at VIVA13 show that a stent with unique three dimensional helical geometry, BioMimics 3D™, developed by Veryan Medical Ltd., (Horsham, UK) has demonstrated safety and promising clinical performance at twelve months in the treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) undergoing femoropopliteal artery intervention. 

FDA grants Roche’s Perjeta accelerated approval for use before surgery in people with HER2-positive early stage breast cancer

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of a Perjeta (pertuzumab) regimen for neoadjuvant treatment (use before surgery) in people with high-risk, HER2-positive early stage breast cancer. This approval is based primarily on data from a Phase II study showing that nearly 40 percent of people receiving the combination of Perjeta, Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy had no evidence of tumour tissue detectable at the time of surgery (known as a pathological complete response, or pCR). The Perjeta regimen is the first neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment approved by the FDA and also the first to be approved based on pCR data.

ProMedica Breast Care at Toledo Hospital First in Ohio to Adopt VolparaDensity™ Breast Imaging Software to Improve Early Detection of Cancer in Women with Dense Breasts

Matakina International today announced that ProMedica Breast Care on the campus of ProMedica Toledo Hospital became the first in Ohio to offer VolparaDensity™ breast imaging software, designed to help overcome the limitations of mammography to detect cancer in women with dense breasts. Serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, the Toledo Hospital Breast Care Center is the region’s premier imaging facility devoted exclusively to patients with breast health concerns and issues and has been named a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

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.