Integrated Diagnostic Imaging with Biograph mCT
Siemens Healthcare introduces molecular CT, a new concept in integrated imaging that provides a premium imaging platform, and is a practical solution for today's shrinking healthcare budget.
EU-Funded R-Bay Project
Carestream Health is a major technical infrastructure provider to the EU-funded R-Bay validation project, which aims to address the uneven spread of radiologists across member states.
Two for one - and one for two
Philips and Steris join forces to provide hybrid surgical rooms: a flexible environment for optimal imaging during open and minimally invasive cardiovasculare procedures that will optimise workflow and streamline room planning.
Radiofrequency Ablation: Minimally invasive and flexible
Tumour ablation - and Radiofrequency (RF) ablation in particular - is getting more and more important in oncology. The therapy option offers benefits in terms of costs, ease of set-up and flexibility so that experts see the need to expand the applications of it.
Will there be a lack of radiopharmaceuticals?
The shortage of radiopharmaceuticals due to the planned shutdown of some nuclear reactors will now be discussed by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The European Commission (DG Enterprise and Industry) asked EMEA to analyse the extend and to develop potential approaches to address any problems.
NICE renewed flu guidance
The next flu season will come. To prevent high-risk people from infections, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently published a final guidance on the use of the drugs oseltamivir, amantadine and zanamivir for the prophylaxis of influenza. "But vaccination is the main way to prevent flu", says Gillian Leng, NICE Deputy Chief Executive.
Carestream Health Unveils First Wireless, Cassette-Size DR Detector
Carestream Health, Inc., recently announced the industry`s first wireless DR detector that is the size of a standard cassette and can be used with existing wall stand or table-based Buckys. The CARESTREAM DRX-1 System, currently a work in progress, is expected to be available in many parts of the world during the first quarter of 2009.
Mystery of complicated plaques
Until recently, physicians believed that stenosis was responsible for strokes. But new investigations show that the composition of complicated plaques are the major cause. Canadian researchers now used 3-D MRI to accuratly detect bleeding by those plaques within the vessel walls.
Research to prolong the retention time in the blood
The University of Urbino and Philips Research will jointly research the encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticle contrast agents inside living blood cells to prolong the retention time of these agents in the blood. Injected as free particles, magnetic nanoparticle contrast agents are quickly excreted from the blood via the patient's liver, which limits their application.
Better images for X-ray mammography with new tool
Fighting breast cancer is always a race against time - early detection of breast carcinoma an essential condition for cure. Now Scientists from Finland, Germany and France developed a promising new CT technique with high resolution and contrast that visualises tumours that are even diffusely growing or those in dense breasts.
Eat Mediterranean to stay healthy
Mediterranean diet protects against chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Italian scientists bolstering one more time the idea that low intake of meat, dairy products and alcohol, but high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, olive oil, grains and fish servers as a model of healthy eating, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.
Care of the elderly varies widely within the EU
Drug access by older citizens varies widely across 25 EU member countries, according to a new study by IMS Health. Per capita usage of drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease in the five EU countries where utilization was highest was 20 times greater than in the five lowest-use countries.
Breast cancer: new method is more effective than mammography in women with dense breasts
“Molecular breast imaging” (MBI), a new scintigraphy method developed by US researchers, might improve early detection of breast cancer in women with dense breasts. The results of an initial clinical study were recently presented at the Breast Cancer Symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Washington, DC, USA.
PET scans save colorectal cancer patients' lives
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers to cause death. A PET scan improves prognosis and changes management of recurrent colorectal cancer in more than half of patients according to a latest study from Australia. Therefore, the data suggest to conduct nuclear imaging in cancer treatment more often.
Seasonal mood changes visualised by PET
Seasons change - and so does our mood. When days become shorter and hours of sunlight become fewer some of us suffer from seasonal depression. Brain scans taken at different times of the year brings it to light: sun makes happy.…
New concept in the treatment of aortic valve disease
Transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) is a new therapeutic strategy, which has been implemented successfully into clinical practice in several hundred patients suffering symptomatic aortic stenosis and an increase perioperative risk during the past two years. The Edwards SAPIEN™ prosthesis has been used.
Robotic navigation in catheter ablation
Catheter ablation is still associated with a substantial amount of complications, and more failure then sometimes reported. Perforation with catheters is especially important in atrial fibrillation. Robotic navigation could reduce these complications.
First wireless DR detector
Carestream Health's engineers created the first wireless DR detector which is not bigger than a standard cassette and can therefore withstand the challenging environment of a modern x-ray department. The rugged detector, case, and internal components are made to produce DR images of high quality under real-life x-ray department conditions.
Intima media thickness to measure the thickness of artery walls
Intima media thickness (IMT) is a valuable research tool that can be used as surrogate end points in clinical trails, says Professor Stefan Agewall.
Coma: Functional MRI to predict first signs of awareness
Terry Shivo was 27 when she collapsed. Paramedics found neither respiration nor a pulse. Almost three months later her eyes had opened, but she was not conscious. She has a sleep/wake circle and sometimes appeared to smile - she was in a vegetative state.
Sono-elastography
Martini Clinic, in the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE) campus in Hamburg, is one of the world's major centres for nerve-sparing prostatectomy. The Martini physicians not only specialise in surgical intervention but are also at the cutting edge of diagnostics, being among the few in Germany to use sono-elastography, an innovative tool to detect prostate cancer. We asked Dr Georg Salomon (GS),…
European debut for Acuson S2000
Siemens Healthcare will show its Acuson S2000, the first ultrasound system in the new product series S, at the ESC*. The system platform includes integration of the newest technologies to optimise workflow, e.g. comprehensive software applications such as new software for breast imaging.
ProSound a7
`High performance systems need not be large,´ says Aloka, manufacturer of the new compact ProSound a7, which produces high-resolution images yet can be used in areas with little spare space. `Broadband Harmonics provides high sensitivity and penetration that is comparable to fundamental-frequency imaging resulting in a significant improvement above standard harmonic imaging,´ Aloka reports.
Philips HD15 ultrasound system
Philips has added a new platform to its HD ultrasound products - the HD15 - which aims to provide small hospitals, clinics and private practices with advanced image clarity and broad application support for everyday use.
Article • Stroke prevention
Ultrasound brings many advantages, but trained sonographers are too few
What is the role of vascular ultrasound in stroke prevention? Asked by Karoline Laarmann of European Hospital, Professor Christian Arning MD, Medical Director of the Neurology Department at Asklepios Klinik Wandsbek, Germany, and Deputy Chairman of the German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM), gave an unequivocal answer: crucial - but only if the sonographer is properly qualified.
