Ultrasound

Three-D ultrasound designed for cardiac imaging may be just what interventionalists need to improve the administration of nerve blocks, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

Ultrasound is the most commonly used abdominal imaging modality. The addition of color and spectral Doppler imaging has been particularly beneficial. When ultrasound findings are nonspecific, however, patients are generally referred to CT or MRI

The American Society of Echocardiography has issued a new consensus statement for interpreting and responding to results of carotid artery ultrasound. The guidelines set carotid artery wall thickness values greater than the 75th percentile as the threshold for aggressive treatment.

Color Doppler flow and sonographic wall thickness are as good as -- and in some cases better than -- contrast MRI for showing the extent of Crohn’s disease. Both ultrasound and MRI match clinical results from barium studies, surgery, and colonoscopy.

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The colossal linemen of the National Football League and large folks in general may have more in common than their size. Everyone who weighs more than 300 pounds is more than twice as likely as a lighter person to die from a heart attack or stroke, according to a study sponsored by the Living Heart Foundation.

Ablation using high-intensity focused ultrasound can effectively control some types of localized prostate cancer for five years or longer, according to a study by German researchers.

Ultrasound exams conducted by expert sonographers make a measurable difference over routine exams in the treatment of suspected ovarian cancer, decreasing the number of major staging procedures and reducing in-patient hospital stays.

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Lung ultrasound exams reliably detect respiratory distress syndrome in premature neonates and could be used as a radiation-free method for diagnosis and guidance for treatment.

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Despite ACRIN 6666 trial results, sonography could still play a role in supplemental screening of high-risk women

Study comparing residents' to attending physicians' reports identifies areas of weakness

Partnership of public and private sectors and academia, resembling coalition built around breast imaging, may bring about 'manogram'

Ultrasound-guided therapy helps heal Achilles tendinosis

MR elastography proves edge in liver fibrosis staging

Good communication between radiologists, surgeons helps minimize mastectomy rates

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is almost as accurate as contrast-enhanced CT for diagnosing solid organ injuries in children following blunt abdominal trauma. This less expensive option is also beneficial because it doesn't require irradiating young patients.

Ultrasound exams of patients with a history of idiopathic carpal tunnel are better diagnostic tools than the standard physical maneuvers known as Tinel’s sign and Phalen’s maneuver.

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Global demand for hand-carried ultrasound units rose 42% in 2007, according to industry analyst Harvey Klein. Total medical sales were $565 million compared to $398 million the year before.

A study by University of British Columbia researchers has found that ultrasound-guided prolotherapy can alleviate the pain of patients with chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon.

The massive American College of Radiology Imaging Network 6666 trial shows that adding ultrasound to the initial breast screening protocol for high-risk women could help detect 30% more cancers, but at the questionable cost of many more needless biopsies of benign lesions.

New data presented at the 2007 RSNA meeting may help ease fears that use of preoperative breast MRI will hike mastectomy rates and cause delays in time to surgery.

Prostate cancer imaging experts sent out a clear message in 2007: Prostate cancer in the U.S. has become an unrecognized patient care crisis that needs tackling. The good news is these experts agree that advanced imaging technologies could help in early detection and minimally invasive treatment. The lack of a cohesive national strategy is worrisome, however, and they want to see the adoption of a broad initiative for diagnosing and treating prostate cancer similar to that for breast cancer.

Researchers in Belgium have found that MR elastography is more accurate than a blood test commonly used in the noninvasive staging of liver fibrosis. The study adds weight to clinical literature that suggests MR elastography could replace biopsy.

Plans for a clinical trial designed to overcome long-standing regulatory obstacles to the general clinical use of ultrasound contrast media in the U.S. have been knocked off track by an FDA-mandated black box safety warning for two microbubble agents approved for echocardiography.

Researchers used a customized search engine to quickly find that most discordant resident versus attending physician preliminary reports involved fractures, liver/kidney lesions, pulmonary nodules, and gastrointestinal wall thickening.

A large prospective screening trial from the University of Pennsylvania compared screen-film mammography, digital mammography, whole-breast ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced MRI in a population of 569 asymptomatic women. In this single-center trial, funded by the National Cancer Institute, the definition of high risk included women with a 25% lifetime risk based on genetic testing or Gail or Claus models and those with a history of cancer in the contralateral breast.