Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest MRI / PET / Ultrasound News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/mri-pet/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172031.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172031.php In an Australian first, a new $1million MRI compatible incubator designed for babies, will allow University of Queensland researchers to develop earlier and more effective treatments for newborns with brain impairment. Until now, imaging premature babies' brains has not been standard practice due to the shortcomings of adult equipment and the risks to these extremely vulnerable patients - despite a significant incidence of impairment. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171997.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171997.php ProUroCare Medical Inc. (OTCBB: PUMD) (OTCBB: PUMDU) (OTCBB: PUMDW), a provider of proprietary medical imaging products, announced that a 510(k) application for U.S. market clearance of a prostate mechanical imaging system has been filed with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The labeling claim for the device is that it can be used as an aid to visualize and document abnormalities of the prostate detected and/or monitored by digital rectal examination (DRE). Prostate / Prostate Cancer Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171995.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171995.php GE Healthcare today introduced MR-Touch, a visual palpation technology that uses low frequency sound waves in combination with MRI to measure tissue elasticity. For centuries, clinicians have evaluated tissue stiffness-the physical property of tissue most affected by disease-through palpation. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171937.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171937.php Rom Houben, a Belgian man whom doctors believed to have been in a coma for 23 years following a car crash in 1983, was conscious all the time: we know because Houben himself has told us, in several media interviews conducted over the last few days. Doctors in Zolder, Belgium, had repeatedly diagnosed Houben using the internationally accepted Glasgow Coma Scale to assess his eye, verbal and motor responses. Neurology / Neuroscience Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171842.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171842.php Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a respiratory disease commonly known as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. 600 million people live with COPD and while researchers have yet to find any real treatment or cure, Grace Parraga of Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, is using various imaging techniques to gain new insight into the disease. COPD Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171832.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171832.php The addition of a "genetic sonogram" maximizes the accuracy of non-invasive testing for Down syndrome, said a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who was lead author of a landmark study in the current issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "We wanted to be able to definitively describe the detection and accuracy of noninvasive prenatal screening for the detection of Down syndrome," said Dr. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171834.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171834.php In women with lower urinary tract symptoms, a medical imaging technique called dynamic MRI allows clinicians to diagnose pelvic organ prolapse - a condition that often goes undiagnosed on static MRI and at physical examination, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Pelvic organ prolapse is relatively common and occurs when the pelvic floor muscles become weak or damaged and can no longer support the pelvic organs. Women's Health / Gynecology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171835.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171835.php Chest ultrasound can serve as a viable alternative to chest CT in the evaluation of pediatric patients with complicated pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion (a build-up of fluid between the lung and chest wall), according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Pneumonia in the pediatric population is common. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171616.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171616.php Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging/Molecular Breast Imaging (BSGI/MBI) has been recognized and endorsed by two highly esteemed organizations for the fight against breast cancer: The Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Surgeons. Both societies published articles supporting the further application of this breakthrough imaging technology for the early detection of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171557.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171557.php Guided Therapy Systems, LLC (GTS), a leading medical technology company, is the first company in the world to develop and commercialize products that employ a unique form of ultrasound technology, Intense Therapeutic Ultrasound (ITU). Addressing a $4 billion market, the company's patented products combine ultrasound imaging with ultrasound treatment in a single non-invasive "see and treat" device. The "see" capability allows physicians to see into the body without surgery. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171546.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171546.php Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR), a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and flat panel digital image detectors, will exhibit its PaxScan digital image detectors and its line of X-ray tubes for fluoroscopy, angiography, cardiology and cone-beam CT imaging at the MEDICA 2009 International Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany from November 18-21, 2009. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171462.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171462.php NYU Langone Medical Center is the first hospital in the Northeast to offer one of the world's fastest and most radiation dose efficient computed tomography (CT) scanner. The Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash can image ten times as fast as other clinical units, with an up to 90% dose reduction in radiation compared to conventional imaging. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171440.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171440.php The public may have problems this week sorting through news articles about a government task force's opposition to routine mammograms for women under 50 and articles about breast cancer survivors touting the benefits of early mammograms. But to properly interpret the news, the public must learn to balance the research with the anecdotal evidence says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Professor of English Cynthia Ryan, Ph.D. Breast Cancer Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171393.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171393.php Brain imaging can offer a window into risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). A study conducted at the University of Kansas School of Medicine demonstrated that genetic risk is expressed in the brains of even those who are healthy, but carry some risk for AD. The results of this study are published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's / Dementia Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171404.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171404.php If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important - especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. But new research* makes it possible to scrutinize activities that occur over hours or even days inside cells, potentially solving many of the mysteries associated with molecular-scale events occurring in these tiny living things. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171260.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171260.php In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, sub-regional brain volume loss using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The study is published the week of November 16 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Alzheimer's / Dementia Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171181.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171181.php Following is a statement by Constance Lehman, M.D., PhD, medical director of radiology and director of breast imaging, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; and professor and vice chair of radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine. The statement is in response to new breast cancer mammography screening guideline recommendations announced today by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171066.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171066.php Prism Clinical Imaging, Inc., in collaboration with investigators at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has received a $1.6 million, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop and clinically validate advanced medical imaging software that aids the diagnosis and treatment of patients with brain cancer. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170926.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170926.php SNM applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) decision to expand coverage of FDG PET for the initial staging of cervical cancer without previously imposed restrictions. "CMS' decision to expand coverage of FDG PET for the initial treatment strategy evaluation of cervical cancer is important for patient care," said Michael M. Graham, Ph.D., M.D., president of SNM. Cervical Cancer / HPV Vaccine Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170930.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170930.php Research into designing and building unique 'metamaterials' has received a £4.9 million funding boost from The Leverhulme Trust. Metamaterials can be used for invisibility 'cloaking' devices, sensitive security sensors that can detect tiny quantities of dangerous substances, and flat lenses that can be used to image tiny objects much smaller than the wavelength of light. IT / Internet / E-mail Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170746.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170746.php James Oliver picked up an Xbox game controller, looked up to a video screen and used the device's buttons and joystick to fly through a patient's chest cavity for an up-close look at the bottom of the heart. And there was a sight doctors had never seen before: an accurate, 3-D view inside a patient's body accessible with a personal computer. A view doctors can shift, adjust, turn, zoom and replay at will. Software that uses real patient data from CT and MRI scans. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170675.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170675.php InSightec Ltd. announced that three new papers published in the November issue of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology add to the growing body of data supporting the use of ExAblate(R) as a safe, effective and durable treatment for uterine fibroids. Women's Health / Gynecology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170636.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170636.php The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University and the Texas Heart® Institute (THI) a $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology that could make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up to 40 times more sensitive than existing MRIs and help guide adult stem cells within the human body to repair damaged hearts. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170650.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170650.php Demonstrating its commitment to providing top-tier value and service in diagnostic imaging, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has introduced the Toshiba Assurance Refurbishment Program to provide customers the ability to purchase previously owned, completely refurbished Toshiba systems. The first line of Toshiba products available through the program are Aquilion® CT systems. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170598.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170598.php With about 35 million people around the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the year 2010 and an expectation that these numbers will double every twenty years with approximately 115 million cases by 2050, pressure on healthcare systems worldwide will be intense. Alzheimer's / Dementia