ASE recommends contrast agent usage in echoes

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) has issued a consensus statement, supporting the use of contrast agents used to enhance echocardiogram images, and providing a guide for physicians who may be hesitant to use the contrast agents following a 2007 FDA black-box warning. The statement was published in the November issue of Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

EuroPCR: Xience continues to perform better than Taxus at two years

Two-year data from the SPIRIT III trial, Abbott’s U.S. pivotal trial,demonstrated that its Xience V everolimus-eluting coronary stent systemcontinues to deliver clinically superior benefits compared to BostonScientific’s Taxus paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system, accordingto a presentation at a late-breaking clinical trials session at EuroPCR2008 in Barcelona, Spain.

Around the web

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Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.