CT

Berlex recalls tainted contrast media

A cardiology task force is recommending that two tests, CT for coronary artery calcium and ultrasound for carotid intima-media thickness and plaque assessment, be used to screen asymptomatic patients for heart attack risk.

Anecdotal evidence abounds for coronary CT angiography’s value in detecting heart disease in high-risk asymptomatic patients, and referring cardiologists are increasingly enthusiastic about its use. But do the facts support the confidence? A small new study suggests they do, at least for some referring doctors.

A top official for the American College of Cardiology says cardiologists should drive quality improvements in cardiac imaging, and that a major effort should be made to increase how imaging is used in cardiology research and practice.

Colonic diverticular disease won't spoil CT colonography as long as radiologists apply a 3D imaging approach, according to a study by University of Wisconsin researchers.

Buoyed by highly promising preliminary results, radiologists and cardiologists are lining up to learn coronary artery CT. Interest is growing in new CCT fellowships and medical conferences offering CCT training. Record sales of cardiovascular 64-slice CT scanners, many installed in the first half of 2006, are fueling the demand.

I believe myself fortunate to have a soapbox-this column in DI-from which to opine my views on the legal and regulatory issues encountered in my practice representing radiologists. Few issues have been as nettlesome, or as hot politically, as the one involving shared arrangements for radiologists and cardiologists to interpret cardiac CT angiography studies. It is my strongly held view that there are significant regulatory issues with many of these shared reading or overread arrangements between cardiologists and radiologists. If such arrangements are not structured correctly, I am concerned radiologists could face legal exposure.

Siemens installs dual-source CTsFonar rebrands flagship MR scanner…againBerlex aligns with Washington University

Definitive evidence that coronary CT angiography can replace conventional angiography is lacking, according to a report presented on the last day of the 8th Annual International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT in San Francisco.

Anecdotal evidence abounds for coronary CT angiography’s value in detecting heart disease in high-risk asymptomatic patients, and referring cardiologists are increasingly enthusiastic about its use. But do the facts support the confidence? A small new study suggests they do, at least for some referring doctors.

A series of prospective, multicenter trials comparing 16-slice CT angiography with conventional angiography show results similar to single-center trials, although CTA performance in some applications is slightly lower than previously reported, according to presentations at the Stanford Multidetector-Row CT meeting on Saturday.

As if one CT imaging chain were not enough to swamp an IT network, Siemens Medical Solutions has added a second to its Somatom Definition, turning an everyday headache into a migraine. But the company has come up with a remedy, a thin-client server called syngo WebSpace.

Minimizing contrast while maximizing quality is a perennial challenge for CT imagers. But it can be met by following a few simple tips. The key is developing a protocol that makes the most of the contrast being used, said Dr. Michael Lev, director of emergency neuroradiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, speaking at the Stanford Multidetector-Row CT meeting in San Francisco.

ContextVision reaches milestoneFDA clears Barco cardiac analysisDynamic Imaging taps new executiveMedrad plans to expand production of sterile disposables

It’s not what you get, it’s what you keep could be an idiom that applies directly to imaging technology.

GE equipment performs CT helical shuttle, dual-energy scansUltrasound for iPodsEclipsys to acquire lab software companyGE releases CardIQ Fusion

Nuclear medicine’s growing importance to medical practice and research permeated Dr. Henry Wagner’s 29th annual meeting highlights lecture last Wednesday at the 2006 Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting.

From the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting, an audio interview with Jeff Grenier, director of marketing and sales for Stockholm-based Hermes Medical Solutions, about the company’s plans for referring physician outreach and expansion into PACS.

GE Healthcare commercially launched its quad-slice Infinia Hawkeye SPECT/CT at the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting. The company also kicked off a sales campaign for its 64-slice Discovery PET/CT.

An image illustrating perfusion SPECT/CT’s importance for assessing low-risk patients with suspected myocardial infarction was selected as image of the year at the 2006 Society of Nuclear meeting in San Diego.

From the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting exhibit floor, an audio interview with Karthik Kuppusamy, Ph.D., general manger for Americas nuclear medicine, PET/CT, and cyclotron business at GE Healthcare, who touted the company’s Discovery VCT.

With $2.6 million in early commitments, the Society of Nuclear Medicine passed the halfway point in its $5 million goal on the first day of a planned five-year campaign to promote the translation of molecular imaging discoveries into clinical practice.

A monoclonal antibody-labeled radioimmunotherapy may help overcome a leukemia resistant to radio- and chemotherapy, according to a report presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in San Diego.

The 2006 meeting of the Academy of Molecular Imaging occupied the middle ground between meetings of its two sister societies, the eminently scientific Society for Molecular Imaging and the clinically oriented Society of Nuclear Medicine.

As the incidence of malignant melanoma increases, researchers are seeking ways to accurately and reproducibly measure tumor volume and therapy response. Computer-aided volumetry may be an answer.

Image reconstruction software that virtually unfolds the colon wall could shorten CT colonography's reading time without compromising diagnostic accuracy, according to researchers at the 2005 RSNA meeting.

SPECT/CT has been tagged, rather unkindly, as a modality solution looking for a problem. But as early adopters are showing, it has considerable potential as an all-rounder in busy nuclear medicine departments.

As the diagnostic CT side of hybrid imaging adds new clinical potential for nuclear practices, some sites are facing questions about how to bill properly for the procedures. While practitioners in Germany and the Netherlands have encountered no problems with reimbursement, the situation outside of Europe is different.

The first official document outlining the appropriate use of PET/CT in cancer patients, released in May, aims to help physicians and technologists follow standardized guidelines. But it's unlikely to quell the debate over who should interpret the hybrid exams.

Philips Medical Systems will launch the latest version of its JetStream Workspace at the Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in San Diego next week.The enhanced product, Version 3.0, features new workflow and image-display capabilities. Incremental improvements have been made in cardiac, bone, renal, salivary, and brain imaging.