Search is Powered by Google
Breast Cancer News

Breast Radiation Exposure Reduced By 50 Percent Using Angled Gantry Technique

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 04 Dec 2008 - 4:00 PST

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:3 stars

3 (1 votes)

Article Opinions: 0 posts

A novel angled gantry approach to coronary CT angiography reduced radiation exposure to the breast by more than 50%, according to Thomas Jefferson University researchers.

Ethan Halpern, M.D., associate professor of Radiology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, presented the research at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

"Radiation dose to the breast during coronary CT is especially a concern for young women as the dose may increase the risk for breast cancer," Dr. Halpern said. "Physicians are working diligently to reduce the patient radiation dose related to coronary CT."

Dr. Halpern and colleagues retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive coronary CT angiography images that were obtained with a 64 detector helical scanner. They evaluated sagital images to: 1) define the position of the breasts and the gantry angulation required to perform a CT examination parallel to the long axis of the heart; and 2) determine the reduction in breast exposure to radiation that might be accomplished by imaging the heart with an angled gantry acquisition.

The standard axial imaging plane for coronary CT angiography required a 6.5cm. ± 1.8 cm. overlap with the lower breast. The overlap with the lower breast using the angled scan was reduced in half to 3.2 cm ± 1.6 cm (P<0.001).

"Angled gantry is a feasible technique for coronary CT angiography that reduces radiation exposure to the breast by 50%," Dr. Halpern said. "These results warrant the development of machines that can perform this technique."

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

Source: Emily Shafer
Thomas Jefferson University


Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Opioid Induced Constipation ADHD Anxiety Asthma Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles All 'How To...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Understanding And Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
07 Jan 2009
Triple-negative breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer that is clinically negative for expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER/PR) and HER2 protein. It is characterized by its unique molecular profile...


Treating HER2+ Breast Cancer image Treating HER2+ Breast Cancer

There are at least four different kinds of breast cancer and each is treated differently. For HER2+ breast cancer, a chemotherapy drug is typically the best option. Here's an overview of the drugs used to treat breast cancer...

Breast Cancer Treatment: Get Involved image Breast Cancer Treatment: Get Involved

Today, breast cancer patients may be treated by a multidisciplinary team of specialists, consisting of nurses, oncologists, surgeons, social workers, nutritionists and genetic counselors. However, patients, too, have a critical role in their treatment...

View more videos...