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. 

JNM: PET has predictive value for triple-negative breast cancer

An interim 18F-FDG PET/CT exam after two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was predictive of pathologic response and disease-free survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype of breast cancer, according to a prospective study published online Jan. 12 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Study: Obesity, race, gender all play role in cancer screening rates

Obesity is clearly associated with an increase in cancer morbidity, but its correlation with screening rates is more complicated. Obesity has been linked to higher rates of some cancer screenings, such as prostate cancer, and associated with lower rates of others, such as cervical cancer screening, according to a review of published literature appearing in the January issue of the Journal of Obesity.

University radiology department could face investigation after audit

An internal audit published in late 2010 showed that University of Missouri Health Care was providing unrequested radiology services, according to the Columbia Tribune.

FDA expands Gore's endo graft to treat thoracic aortic transection

The FDA expanded the approved usage for an endovascular graft manufactured by W.L. Gore and Associates to include treatment of thoracic aortic transection.

Biomet wins FDA clearance on two new products

The FDA has cleared Biomet to sell its E1 humeral bearing and Comprehensive Segmental Revision systems.

Study: Molecular profiling may cut breast cancer overtreatment

As a woman ages, her chances of being diagnosed with a lower-risk breast tumor increase, according to a study published in the December 2011 issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. The study showed that for women over age 50, a substantial number of cancers detected by mammograms have good prognoses.

New type of NIH lab to study global health issues

The Living Lab Structural Biology Center was formed through a cooperative research and development agreement between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Bethesda, Md., and FEI, in Hillsboro, Ore., a scientific instruments company, to help accelerate medical discoveries relating to global health challenges, such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. The lab will utilize near-atomic resolution microscopy and other structural biology technologies.

FDA blames CardioGen overexposure problems on improper usage

The FDA has released preliminary information from the ongoing investigation of the improper usage of CardioGen-82 (Bracco Diagnostics). The agency said that certain clinical sites are responsible for the exposure of some patients to more radiation than is typically associated with a CardioGen-82 scan. A voluntary recall of CardioGen-82 was launched on July 25, 2011.

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.