The year: 2034. Breast cancer patients benefit from perfectly personalised diagnostics and therapies. The tedium of follow-up treatments is a thing of the past, thanks to AI, augmented reality and robotics. Just a tale from the realm of science fiction, or could this soon be clinical reality? At the annual meeting of the German Senologic Society, Prof Dr Marc Thill from the Agaplesion Markus…
Researchers propose the use of molecular ‘cages’ (made of pseudopeptides) to selectively eliminate cancer cells in acidic microenvironments. This could help reduce side effects from chemotherapy.
Many medicines require cold storage, which is a challenge for infrastructure and sustainability. Now, researchers designed a hydrogel protecting therapeutics at temperatures as high as 50°C.
The new Nuclear Medicine Department of the San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital was inaugurated in Rome. The Department was inaugurated with the online intervention of Health Minister Orazio Schillaci and in the presence of Maria Tripodi (Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), Antonello Aurigemma (President of Lazio Regional Council).
A whole-body MRI scanner with a compact 0.05 Tesla permanent magnet has been developed that operates on a standard wall power outlet without radiofrequency or magnetic shielding cages.
The IRCCS in Bologna has inaugurated a state-of-the-art integrated PET/CT system. This cutting-edge technology allows for the entire human body to be studied in a single scan, even detecting the smallest tumour cells.
Breast cancer has no “one size fits all” therapy approach: subtypes differ significantly in malignancy, progression, and treatment response. Therefore, the more is known about the type of carcinoma in a patient, the better the outcome. At the annual scientific EUSOBI meeting in Valencia, Dr Ramona Woitek pointed out the potential of novel imaging techniques and computational image analysis…
New research demonstrates how tiny nanomachines could greatly reduce bladder cancer by precisely targeting the tumour and attacking it with a radioisotope carried on their surface.
Advances in positron computed tomography (PET) could lead to a more refined approach to the precise removal of brain tumors is on the horizon, experts from Poland point out.
An advanced imaging method is showing promise as a way to improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer by giving clinicians a clearer view of suspected tumours during biopsy.
New method for the detection of alcohols combines zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance with the SABRE-Relay hyperpolarization technique.
Researchers are seeking alternatives to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) to help raise levels of patient safety. An open hybrid session at ECR in Vienna heard how research across several centres has been examining the options of new approaches to reduce reliance on GBCAs.
Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance enables major medical advances in molecular diagnostics, for example for cardiovascular diseases or cancer therapy.
Advances in image post-processing and contrast-enhanced techniques have widened the scope of possibilities for MRI and ultrasound vascular imaging, experts showed in a dedicated course at the ECR Overture.
The advantages and limitations of the value of traceability chains in therapeutic drug monitoring will be explored during a key session at the EuroMedLab event.
Using a novel probe for functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers have devised a way to monitor individual populations of neurons and reveal how they interact with each other.
A multidisciplinary team of scientists based at the Universidad de Valladolid and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has developed a highly efficient method for identifying the 3-dimensional features of the scar tissue formed after a myocardial infarction. The study was carried out in partnership with scientists and clinicians at Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital…
Combining imaging modalities is helping to achieve better diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes for heart patients. The topic, discussed in detail by experts at the ICNC-CT online International Conference on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT, examined hybrid/fusion imaging as the standard in cardiovascular imaging, and its value in clinical practice. Professor Terrence Ruddy spoke about the role of…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is providing numerous opportunities across clinical care in the field of cardiovascular imaging. While challenges remain, AI is being applied in terms of diagnosis and prognosis, defining cardiovascular imaging pathways, and image acquisition and analysis. It can also help cardiologists predict which patients may do well, or which treatments are best applied to those…
Hyperpolarized MRI is a recent development and its research and application potential has yet to be fully explored. Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM) have now unveiled a new technique for observing metabolic processes in the body. Their singlet-contrast MRI method employs easily-produced parahydrogen to track biochemical processes in…
Using a nanopore, researchers have demonstrated the potential to reduce the time required for sequencing a glycosaminoglycan — a class of long chain-linked sugar molecules as important to our biology as DNA — from years to minutes. Research to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences shows that machine-learning and image recognition software could be…
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) can detect prostate cancer and inform about treatment response and disease progression earlier and better than other imaging modalities. A Belgian expert will delve into the latest and future developments of the technique for prostate cancer and distant metastases imaging in a dedicated session at ECR. WB‐MRI and nuclear medicine -…
For the first time, an international research alliance has observed the RNA folding structures of the SARS-CoV2 genome with which the virus controls the infection process. This could not only lay the foundation for the targeted development of novel drugs for treating Covid-19, but also for occurrences of infection with new corona viruses that may develop in the future.
The new Joint Imaging Platform – JIP for short – is a flexible, decentralized analysis platform for medical images. The JIP was initially developed for the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) sites. It is designed to facilitate cross-institutional imaging projects and to help meet the technical and legal challenges associated with the joint use of imaging data.
University of Maryland scientists have developed a method to determine the structures of large RNA molecules at high resolution.
A newly published paper details a research breakthrough that provides a promising starting point for scientists to create drugs that can cure Clostridium difficile (C. diff) — a virulent health care-associated infection that causes severe diarrhea, nausea, internal bleeding, and potentially death. The bacteria affects roughly half-a-million Americans and causes nearly 15,000 deaths in the U.S.…
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) is championed as offering significant benefits, such as improving disease evaluation for prostate cancer patients. During an intense session in genito-urinary cancer at ECR 2019, three key speakers focused on the advantages over conventional imaging modalities as well as discussing new PET (Positron Emission Tomography) tracers.
“Proteins are the workers in the cell, and it's important to know their shape,” says Chris Sander, PhD, director of Dana-Farber’s cBio Center in the Department of Data Sciences. Sander and his colleagues have now demonstrated a powerful “experimental evolution” method to discover details of protein shape and function, and the method may find uses across a very broad spectrum of…
Parkinson’s and multisystem atrophy (MSA) – both of them neurodegenerative diseases – are associated with the accumulation of alpha-synuclein proteins in the brain. Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (MPI-BPC) have investigated the molecular makeup of these protein deposits finding structural…
Early non-invasive detection of kidney rejection after transplantation was the central aim of a collaboration between Prof. Dr. Bernhard Banas, Chairman of Nephrology at the University Hospital Regensburg (UKR) and the medical diagnostics company, numares. The results of their joint clinical trial “UMBRELLA” were just published in EBioMedicine and presented at the American Society of…
For patients with kidney failure who need dialysis, removing fluid at the correct rate and stopping at the right time is critical. This typically requires guessing how much water to remove and carefully monitoring the patient for sudden drops in blood pressure. Currently there is no reliable, easy way to measure hydration levels in these patients, who number around half a million in the United…
Intervention in ventricular arrhythmia has improved dramatically over the past three decades thanks to advances in imaging and cooperation between cardiology and radiology, according to Professor Josep Brugada MD, director of the paediatric arrhythmia unit at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona. ‘Echocardiography, CT and MRI, combined with cardiology,’ he said, ‘have revolutionised the…
MRI has a central role in picking up myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary disease, a condition that particularly affects women but is often left untreated, with potentially fatal outcome. Heart attack in women presents differently than in men and requires a different approach when it comes to detection and prevention, according to cardiologist Allison Hays.
Experts outlined approaches to ischaemia imaging during the recent British Cardiovascular Society conference. In a ‘Detection of ischaemia by cardiac imaging in 2018’ session, comparisons were made between solid state SPECT cameras, whether spatial resolution or visual assessment was of the greater importance, if CT-FFR offered advantages over CT perfusion, and the challenges in defining a…
The development of new procedures to monitor cancer treatments is gathering momentum. One such innovation is liquid biopsy. This new lab technique allows non-invasive identification, characterisation and monitoring of circulating tumour DNA. Thus, liquid biopsy can potentially revolutionise oncological diagnostics – and put a spoke in the wheel of radiology. High time to act, says Professor Dr…
Hybrid imaging is still a leading topic in radiology – underlined by the 14 related sessions held during the 29th European Congress of Radiology (ECR 2017) held in Vienna, this March. Those sessions focused on the combination of radiological and nuclear medical imaging procedures that aim to visualise morphology as well as function, structure and metabolism of an organ or region of interest.
Bracco Imaging S.p.A., a leading global company in the diagnostic imaging business, today announced at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) the launch of the "Bracco Fellowships", a new, unique initiative to promote excellence among European radiologists in partnership with the European Society of Radiology (ESR).
Fusion imaging will create a multi-modality monster for radiology groups that already struggle to deal with data from dual-modality hybrid systems. It’s like acquiring a Porsche but only able to use 1st gear.
‘The combination of nuclear medicine and modern imaging procedures such as CT and MRI is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis, treatment planning and aftercare of cancerous diseases,’ explains Professor Katrine Åhlström Riklund, who presides over the newly established European Society for Hybrid Medical Imaging, ESHI.
The unusual electronic properties of some superconducting materials permit lossless and dense electrical currents at very low temperatures, even in high magnetic fields. Conductors made of these materials are thus ideal for winding coils to generate very high magnetic fields, which are essential for a number of applications like magnetic medical imaging, MR spectroscopy for the analysis of…
‘In imaging there is a trend towards quantification,’ said Professor Siegfried Trattnig, Medical Director of the High-Field MR Centre (HFMRC) at the Medical University Vienna, Austria. Whilst before, radiologists’ findings were subjective, qualitative results, based on signal intensity and grey scale, he pointed out. ‘Today imaging can draw on quantifiable and comparable parameters with…
In the world of technology, the term Industry 4.0 is already well known. Univ-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Bernhard Wolf has reveals a comparable development in medicine. Smart systems and personalisation have enormous potential, the Professor for Medical Electronics at the Technical University of Munich is convinced.
Virtual models can be created in the angiography room thanks to an approach developed by researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) and the university’s departments of radiology, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine. The latest advances were presented by Dr. Gilles Soulez at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe (CIRSE) conference…
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have uncovered key cellular functions that help regulate inflammation -- a discovery that could have important implications for the treatment of allergies, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.
The role transthoracic echocardiography plays in a number of common clinical scenarios was discussed by leading cardiac imaging experts at this year’s British Cardiovascular Society Conference.
Someone once described the fusion of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a great technology looking for an application. Report: John Brosky
Hybrid imaging is of little clinical value. PET-MRI, according to many experts, is the best clinical procedure to confirm coronary heart disease (CHD). Report: Axel Viola
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is sending a promising duo into the race against cancer: A new PET/MR system that can combine high-resolution images with functional information to improve cancer diagnosis.
Since its creation three years ago, the French National Alliance for Health and Life Sciences (Aviesan) has proved its full worth in scientific coordination, Annick Chapoy reports from Paris
Adding micro-bubbles to the blood lights up the body for ultrasound scanners. Non-invasive, non-toxic and low-cost, these examinations present a disruptive, readily accessible technology for diagnosing disease. John Brosky reports
Today, magnetic resonance imaging receives top billing in cardiology next to the co-star computed tomography while much hailed single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) plays but a minor role.
They examine the structure of the heart muscle with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or evaluate the status of the coronary vessels with computed tomography (CT): radiologists increasingly use imaging methods to prevent or to assess cardiac diseases.
Embolisation – the blocking of vessels - is a key procedure in Interventional Radiology. It plays a steadily growing role in the treatment of various tumour lesions, with hepatic cellular carcinoma and uterine fibroids the main focus.
2011 brought a second year for European and US scientists to meet up at the Annual Scientific Symposium on Ultra High Field Magnetic Resonance, held at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch (MDC), Germany, to present and discuss their recent findings. Along with technical improvements, the main issues of the one-day gathering were cardiac, cerebral and molecular MR imaging.…
Siemens Healthcare presented solutions for sustainable cardiovascular care at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress in Paris, France, under the motto "Are you ready for the long run?". This includes all modern imaging technologies, in-vitro diagnostics, IT solutions and consulting services.
PredictAD is an EU-funded research project that develops objective and efficient methods for enabling earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Diagnosis requires a holistic view of the patient combining information from several sources, such as, clinical tests, imaging and blood samples.
Preliminary research presented at SNM’s 58th Annual Meeting is breaking new ground for the development of a brand new hybrid molecular imaging system. Simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is providing important diagnostic information about soft tissues and physiological functions throughout the body. Scans focused on screening suspicious lesions…
Philips introduced the Philips IntelliSpace Portal, a multimodality workspace that uses advanced networking capabilities to facilitate collaboration between radiologists and referring clinicians that may lead to faster, more accurate and informed patient care. Featured at the 96th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North American (RSNA) in Chicago, the IntelliSpace Portal turns…
Advancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up the Tesla scale may sound good, but will it produce the results and patient safety radiologists actually desire? Faced with the question: ‘How many Tesla should it be?’, Professor Siegfried Trattnig MD, head of the Centre of Excellence in high-field MRI at the University Clinic for Radiodiagnostics, Medical University of Vienna, and Austria’s…
Malignant diseases rank second in mortality rates in Germany. These patients thus receive a major proportion of ambulant and hospital care, with apparent socioeconomic consequences. To optimise treatment planning, for all solid tumour entities it is mandatory to delineate or stage the primary extent of tumour invasion and spread prior to therapy as precisely as possible.
Not only is heart failure one of the single biggest causes of morbidity and mortality in man, but the incidence of the condition is steadily increasing. Rising to this challenge, innovative medical diagnostic techniques with ever greater performance are constantly being introduced so that early, unambiguous detection of the underlying condition is now possible, enabling the prompt initiation of…
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Siemens Healthcare was presenting its latest solutions for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer at the German Radiology Congress in Berlin. These Breast Care Solutions include a variety of imaging procedures, such as ultrasound, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supplemented by IT and laboratory diagnostic solutions. Siemens places special focus on the third…
Molecular imaging, the discipline that unites molecular biology and in vivo imaging technologies to assess biological activity in the body, promises to open up ‘…an entire new universe,’ declared Dr Ralph Weissleder, of the Centre for Molecular Imaging Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, in the journal Radiology. That was just one decade ago. And he was right. It has indeed…
Clinicians gathering in Brussels for the first-ever conference on Molecular Imaging in Radiation Oncology (MIRO), from 18-20 March, will take the first steps toward setting practice guidelines for using PET scans to target radiotherapy, a task that will culminate with publication of these recommendations in September.
The idea of publishing a Textbook of Cardiovascular Imaging which accumulates the expertise of European cardiovascular imagers, is long awaited. The new textbook by the European Society of Cardiology is written with a patient rather than technology-based approach, helping clinicians to explain the condition to the patient, with the aid of imaging.
When we organised the first Diagnostic Week in Karlsruhe, in 1969, no one could have known that this event would one day turn into the annual highlight in the world of medicine, reflected Dr Wolfgang Albath, laboratory medicine pioneer and one of the founding fathers of MEDICA the world`s largest medical trade show. Initially planned as a moving exhibition, the show has been based in…
A new technology that dramatically improves the sensitivity of Magnetic Resonance techniques including those used in hospital scanners and chemistry laboratories has been developed by scientists at the University of York.
"Radiologists often see cancer patients over a period of years and continuously deliver important information for the treatment process," says Claus D. Claussen MD, Professor of Radiology and Director of the Clinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University Hospital in Tübingen and President of the 90th German Radiology Congress. For the first time in the history of this…
A new technology which dramatically improves the sensitivity of Magnetic Resonance techniques including those used in hospital scanners and chemistry laboratories has been developed by British scientists. The technique could replace current clinical imaging technologies that depend on the use of radioactive substances or heavy metals, which themselves create health concerns.
Switzerland - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans could become a more comfortable experience for patients because, by tinkering with the detection technique, researchers have freed up more space inside the machine.
In the sixth in his series for European Hospital, Professor Stefan Schönberg (left) of the Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (IKRN), University Hospital Mannheim, Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, invited colleagues from Mannheim and Vienna for a round-table discussion on:
The European multi-centre, multi-modality cardiac imaging project that could lead to a more intelligent and less costly use of today's technology in cardiac care.
An emerging discipline of noninvasive cardiac imaging, molecular imaging, has evolved constantly in the last few years and is increasingly being translated from the preclinical to the clinical level. Molecular imaging allows for unique insights into specific disease mechanisms and holds great promise to change the practice of cardiovascular medicine by facilitating early disease detection,…
Only few imaging modalities lend themselves to imaging of the lungs. Conventional chest radiography is the most commonly used tool in the investigation of pulmonary pathology but yields the perhaps most difficult, plain radiographs to interpret.
Imaging in Internal Medicine is among the main topics for 114th Congress of the German Society of Internal Medicine (March. Wiesbaden). Specialists in internal medicine, radiologists, and nuclear medicine have developed a programme that will not only provide an overview of the values of modern imaging procedures but also tackle controversial subjects.
Molecular imaging aims at the in vivo quantitative visualisation of molecules and molecular events that occur at cellular level. The potential towards clinical translation is huge, because the same modalities used in medical imaging are used in molecular imaging investigations.
For individualised radiotherapy, high-precision delineation and characterisation of the tumour is critical. If highest radiation doses are delivered in a targeted fashion, the chance of tumour cell kill increases and tumour control probability is enhanced.
Competitive or complementary? By Florian Schwarz BS, Balazs Ruzsics MD PhD and U. Joseph Schoepf MD, of the Radiology and Medicine Departments, at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA.
As part of a research and development project, doctors at the University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany, are treating oncology patients with local minimally invasive surgery (MIS) which, for the first time, can be carried out under radiological image control using high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The system offers excellent image quality under extremely favourable, radiation-free…
Dr A Tamosiunas, Associate Professor at the Radiology Centre in the Medical Faculty at Vilnius University, Lithuania, and Director of the Radiology Centre at Vilnius University Hospital, discusses the present situation and future development of the radiology services in Lithuania with EH correspondent Andrius Vagoras
Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation is a global medical solutions company covering research and development, manufacture, sales and service for medical diagnostic X-ray systems, CT scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, nuclear medicine systems, as well as healthcare IT systems and radiation therapy equipment. Daniela Zimmermann, of European Hospital, recently visited Toshiba's…
Aiming for European biomedical research at the highest level.
Scientific meetings held since 1998 at Alpbach, Germany, have attracted the sponsorship of leading associations and companies such as the Philip Morris External Research Programme, the Donors Association of German Science, Swiss National Fund, the German Heart Centre Foundation, Berlin, and Philips Medical Systems. At the 4th Alpbach Meeting, which focused on Magnetic Resonance, Contrast…
Late in November and into early December, as icy air streamed over the shores of Lake Michigan - affirming the nickname `windy city´ for Chicago - radiologists continued to immigrate here en masse for their biggest annual gathering. This year the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) held its 91st annual meeting, parallel with the scientific congress and trade fair. The exhibition alone…