MRI

Who will speak for cardiac CT? No one, when the setting is the annual business meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Perfusion and delayed-enhancement MR imaging played a central role in a recent randomized double-blinded controlled trial investigating the effect of intra-arterial stem cell transfer on the global left ventricular function of patients following myocardial infarction.

Delayed-enhancement cardiac MR imaging has been widely adopted as a powerful test for predicting the success of revascularization for heart attack patients. DE-MRI can significantly improve risk stratification of dilated cardiomyopathy patients as well, according to results of a prospective trial reported at the ninth annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance held in Miami Jan. 20 to 22.

In 1997, while visiting the University of Washington, I dropped in on the Human Interface Technology Laboratory, known to the locals simply as HITLab. What drew me there was research into a surgical simulator. But what captured my imagination was a project exploring the concept of “virtual space” and an offshoot called “telesavance.”

When a particular joke goes over well with one sex and not the other, you might chalk it up to biology. Apparently, there are differences in humor appreciation between the sexes.

Radiofrequency ablation is as effective as resection for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study presented at the joint RSNA/SIR Foundation Interventional Oncology Symposium. The key factor is RFA's ability to easily repeat treatment on recurring tumors in a less destructive fashion than surgery.

Could patients with possible biliary and/or pancreatic disease soon be offered a pina colada before imaging? Not quite, but a team of Belgian radiologists has started serving pineapple juice labeled with gadolinium to boost the quality of its MR cholangiopancreatography scans.

In the wake of Thanksgiving every year, a city rises within the confines of McCormick Place. It is a kind of radiological Epcot Center, a futuristic vision designed to dazzle; constructed of software, heavy iron, and handhelds; and swathed in platitudes.

Two different advanced MRI techniques can help clinicians choose epilepsy patients who will favorably respond to surgical intervention, according to a pair of studies published in the October 2005 issue of Neurology.

Tensor imaging and tractography are diffusion-based MR techniques for advanced functional imaging of brain white matter.1 Imaging brain anisotropy can yield useful information about white matter integrity and demonstrate pathology occult to conventional imaging techniques. Anisotropy imaging can also provide information about ordered white matter (WM) tracts such as directional orientation and connectivity, which can be critical in surgical planning and useful in the understanding of certain developmental and acquired disease states.

On the same day that New York researchers received the top honor at the RSNA meeting for their poster detailing the benefits of an infection imaging agent, the drug's maker issued a warning about two deaths and additional serious adverse events attributed to its use. The admonition was released by Tyco Mallinckrodt Healthcare, which markets NeutroSpec (technetium-99m fanolesomab), a monoclonal antibody-labeled radiopharmaceutical agent approved in the U.S. for the diagnosis of equivocal appendicitis.

Most orthopedic implants and materials do not pose problems for patients undergoing MRI procedures. MRI may be hazardous for external fixation systems, however, because of the length of the implant or the formation of a conductive loop.

Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have performed real-time functional cardiac MRI in two fetuses. It is the first time this technique has been reported, and it may represent an advance over the current gold standard of fetal echocardiography.

Heavy use of marijuana may put adolescents who are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia at greater risk of developing the brain disorder, according to a study presented at the 2005 RSNA meeting.

Cognitively healthy elderly people who experience atrophy in the amygdala and hippocampus have a good chance of developing dementia, according to a study from the Netherlands in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Hyperpolarized helium-3 diffusion MR can detect alveolar changes due to lung disease in children and provide quantitative data on airflow to the peripheral lobes, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting.

Early diagnosis of femoro-acetabular impingement syndrome could prevent degenerative arthritis of the hip. It may keep young patients from potentially expensive, and possibly disastrous, invasive treatment interventions, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting.

Philips Medical Solutions wants operators of its MR scanners to work smarter, not harder. To help, the company developed SmartExam.

Early diagnosis of femoro-acetabular impingement syndrome could prevent degenerative arthritis of the hip. In addition, it may keep young patients from potentially expensive, and possibly disastrous, invasive treatment interventions, according to research presented at the RSNA meeting.

The fact that metal and MRI do not mix has, until recently, thwarted attempts to develop hybrid PET/MR scanners. Now engineers are maneuvering around the problem by eliminating the metal from PET scanners.

Diffusion tensor imaging, an MR technique that produces images based on the orientation of water molecules, has mainly been used to evaluate brain white matter diseases. Now, Stanford University researchers have combined DTI with computer-generated musculoskeletal models to plan gait-correcting surgeries in children with cerebral palsy.

MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery is a safe, effective treatment for uterine fibroids, according to the results of a new multicenter trial presented at the RSNA meeting.

Although neurosurgeons depend on preoperative functional MRI to map eloquent brain areas, technique standards need strengthening and reimbursement is nonexistent. The recent formation of a dedicated fMRI society is serving to galvanize interest and search for solutions to these and other issues, according to a Wednesday panel discussion.

Philips Medical Solutions wants operators of its MR scanners to work smarter, not harder. To help, the company developed SmartExam.

Academic radiologists usually cut to the chase in describing how imaging increasingly factors into drug discovery and research. They display cellular metabolism FDG-PET images or dynamic-contrast MR images quantifying changes in tumor vascularity. These glamor children of radiological research reflect the potential of medical imaging in measuring therapeutic response.

Although the debate regarding MR colonography screening lives on, European radiologists agree dark lumen MRC is ready for prime time, according to studies presented Tuesday.

Siemens demonstrated hands-off imaging at the RSNA with a work in progress that turns control of an MR scanner over to remote operators. The goal behind Expert-I, which is pending FDA clearance, is to allow expert collaboration on challenging examinations regardless of how far away the expert may be.

Academic radiologists usually cut to the chase in describing how imaging increasingly factors into drug discovery and research. They display cellular metabolism FDG-PET images or dynamic-contrast MR images quantifying changes in tumor vascularity. These glamor children of radiological research reflect the potential of medical imaging in measuring therapeutic response.

Hyperpolarized helium-3 diffusion MR can detect alveolar changes due to lung disease in children and provide quantitative data on airflow to the peripheral lobes, according to research presented Tuesday.

The message of a Monday morning interventional session at the RSNA meeting was clear: When it comes to embolization of uterine fibroids, all embolic agents are not created equal.