Telemedicine brings new ways to monitor lung diseases
Aipermon GmbH & Co. KG reports that cooperations with medical device manufacturers Vitalograph and PARI Pharma have opened up new approaches to telemonitor lung patients.
Debating the challenges of image data retention, storage and compression
The United Kingdom’s diagnostic imaging departments are not only dealing with an increasing workload of over 10% per annum but also with the growing sophistication of MR and CT scanners. They need and are looking for solutions to deal with an almost exponential data explosion. This daily overload has to be managed in telemedicine network data sharing environments as well as in long-term…
Mindray’s ‘new star’
Over the past 15 years, Mindray, of Shenzhen, China (http://www.mindray.com) has been increasingly in the limelight for its development and manufacturing of medical products that are marketed worldwide. The firm’s broad range of products cross three primary business segments: patient monitoring and life support, in-vitro diagnostics and medical imaging systems. Among these, Mindray’s broad…
Like a torch in the night
No one would think of roaming through unknown territory at night without a torch. Yet, anaesthetists have been doing just that when navigating through peripheral nerve blocks and vessels with a needle. Ultrasound has long been a useful imaging tool in this process. However, so far, this has been a case of the steeper the angle of the needle, the more difficult the ultrasound visualisation.
Landwind: High performance systems and yet affordable
The Mirror2plus, a top of the range, colour Doppler diagnostic system was demonstrated by Landwind Medical during the 63rd CMEF exhibition held this April in Shenzhen, China. ‘According to the practical clinical demand, Mirror2plus is substantially upgraded on other devices of the kind, as a general purpose colour Doppler unit,’ the firm reports.
The DUS 60 does so much
Manufactured by Edan Instruments Inc. of Shenzhen, China, the DUS 60 is a compact, portable diagnostic ultrasound system designed to meet a wide range of clinical requirements including abdomen, OB/GYN, urology, small parts and biopsy.
The S20 colour Doppler system
S20, the newest colour Doppler system from ultrasound systems and transducers specialist SonoScape has an innovative ergonomic design, the latest ultrasound technology and powerful workflow.
Article • Sonography
The future of radiology in the modern ultrasound lab
Sonography is a jack-of-all-medical-trades. Unlike magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography it does not require radiation and it is not performed by a radiologist but by the experts in the individual clinical disciplines. Technical progress has turned sonography into much more than the “stethoscope of the 21st century” – a sophisticated imaging modality that requires special…
Aloka’s new ProSound F75
Launching its new ProSound F75 at the 20th ISUOG World Congress in Prague this October, Aloka Holding AG explained that it was designed to meet the firm’s new ‘FIT’ ethos (Facilitated workflow; Investment return; True diagnostics). Each machine can be tailored to any physician’s needs (over 45 user presets), simplifying the process, vastly reducing patient dependency and time to conduct…
RSNA 2010
A double-edged sword would be a good analogy for diagnostic imaging in 2010. New ways to utilise imaging technologies are being developed, imaging equipment is doing more, faster than ever, and image processing software is increasingly innovative. Today's radiology exams are ‘slicing’ through the body to reveal anatomy with increasing clarity for better diagnoses and therapeutic treatment…
MPR 3-D echocardiography
A cardiologist at a UK hospital has become the first in the world to develop a technique to ‘slice’ 3-D images of the heart into intricate sections using computer software. The method, devised by consultant congenital cardiologist Dr Joseph Vettukattil at Southampton General Hospital, is known as multiplane review (MPR) 3-D echocardiography. This allows cardiologists to identify heart defects…
New diagnostic tools win the hearts of cardiologists
During the 2010 ESC meeting, held in Stockholm, new guidelines for myocardial revascularisation were handed down by a prestigious Task Force made up of representatives of both the ESC and the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons (EACTS).
Alcyone Technology
Cardiologist, nuclear medicine specialist and researcher Dr Alessia Gimelli works for the Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio, National Research Council in Pisa, Italy. For the past year she has used Discovery NM 530c, GE’s latest Nuclear Cardiology platform, featuring an innovative CZT collimation technology called Alcyone Technology.
Radiology services: In or out?
How does a hospital decide what to do about in-house radiology if, for example, its consultant retires? Select a ‘new broom’ to brush out earlier practices, or make this an opportunity to redefine its radiology department’s services and objectives? In the latter case, outsourcing to receive diagnoses from an external radiologist might be potentially interesting. However, Dr Winfried…
The Virtual Autopsy Table
This is imaging with a ‘wow’-effect: The Swedish Centre for Medical Image Science & Visualisation (CMIV) in cooperation with the Norrkoping Visualisation Centre has developed a ‘Virtual Autopsy Table’ that allows a unique look inside the human body and takes interaction with volumetric medical data to a new level.
CT and PET - Improving radiation therapy planning
When planning radiotherapy the combination of positron emission tomography (PET) and Computed tomography (CT) can provide a better outcome than CT alone. Michael Krassnitzer asked Terri Bresenham MSc BSc, Vice President for Molecular Imaging at GE Healthcare, for her views on the value of PET/CT, the new EANM guidelines, novel tracers and the future of other hybrid imaging technologies.
Real-time tissue elastography as a complementary procedure
Tissue hardness provides radiologists and gynaecologists with significant information to help distinguish between benign and malignant tumours. Tumour tissue is harder and less malleable than normal glandular and fatty tissues. Therefore, the classification of tissue hardness determines whether a biopsy is necessary. For breast diagnoses, real-time tissue elastography, along with conventional…
Modern radiological diagnostics for the evaluation of muscle diseases
Muscular diseases belong to a heterogeneous group with various causes like neurogenic, metabolic, dystrophic, or inflammatory mechanisms as well as channelopathies leading to disorders of the muscle cell membrane potential. In most progressive disease cases the result is a focal or general muscle weakness that, unfortunately, is a very unspecific symptom. Standard neuromuscular literature…
Diffusion weighted whole body MRI
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.
Three megapixel greyscale display with ISD technology and FDA Mammography approval
With the greyscale display MS31i2, Totoku has introduced the first 3 Megapixel with ISD Technology. The high resolution display is suitable especially for X-ray diagnosis and thorax images, the company reports, adding: ‘With its high brightness of up to 1500 cd/m² it offers a very long backlight lifetime.’
RSNA 2010 Refresher course: A focus on major contrast agent issues
The 90-minute refresher course ‘Contrast Agent Issues 2010: What the Experts Really Do for Allergies, Contrast-induced Nephropathy, Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, and Extravasation’, to be held during this year’s Radiological Society of North America meeting, will focus on the use of iodinated and gadolinium-based contrast media and the issues, advantages and considerations for patient…
The economic value of PET-CT - a scenario-based analysis
PET/CT is an established clinical tool especially for cancer-related diagnosis. This involves both initial diagnosis and follow-up examinations. There are other procedures, like CT/MRT, bone scan, or mediastinoscopy, all of which are also costly. Given the fact that PET/CT is widely used anyway, the question arises whether it is medically responsible and financially favourable to focus solely on…
Does a foetus think - if so, how?
Ultrasound is the undisputed choice for foetal imaging. However, the lack of amniotic fluid, an unfavourable foetal position or maternal obesity could daunt even the best radiographer. In such circumstances prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – a non-invasive and non-irradiating procedure – is a helpful diagnostic tool.
Understanding breast cancer functions
High resolution radionuclide imaging is a technique increasingly used to detect breast cancers and has already been shown to offer improved diagnosis in many clinical situations. The technique, which will be discussed at RSNA 2010 (28 November to 3 December, Chicago) , is also allowing clinicians to detect previously unknown areas of breast cancer in women with newly-diagnosed disease.
From East to West - HIFU for tumour therapy
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation repeatedly compare well with surgery in the treatment of primary and secondary liver, kidney and lung tumours and the palliative care of bone cancer. Thus oncologists are increasingly attracted to using bloodless, non-invasive treatment methods. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), primarily used in myoma therapy, is leading medical…
