Neurology

Simply operate giddiness away?

A compressed cranial nerve by blood vessels is responsible for numerous diseases. The most well-known example is trigeminal neuralgia, which is agony for many people affected by its sudden shooting pain in the face.

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.

Adiposity is not generally a risk factor for stroke

Professor Tobias Back MD is medical director of the Clinic for Neurology and Neurological Intensive Medicine in Arnsdorf, Germany.

PET scans to diagnose Alzheimer's disease

The so-called 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C]PiB) type of positron emission tomography (PET) may be useful in a non-invasive assessment of the formation of Alzheimer's disease-related plaques, according to a study that will appear in the October 2008 issue of Archives of Neurology.

Research on small RNA molecules could bring new therapies

The discovery of small RNA molecules and their relevance for gene regulation has dramatically changed our understanding of many essential cellular processes - and provides the opportunity to develop new ways for treating various diseases.

How small RNA molecules impact biomedical research

The discovery of small RNA molecules and their relevance for gene regulation has dramatically changed our understanding of many essential cellular processes — and provides the opportunity to develop new ways for treating various diseases. By selectively inhibiting gene expression and thereby “silencing” genes involved in pathogenesis, the RNA molecules constitute a unique tool to treat…

Dynamic processes and volume in one capture

During a Toshiba press conference on Monday at ECR 2008, Prof P. Rogalla Chief Radiologist CT and Prof R. Klingebiehl, Department of Neuroradiology both of the Charité University Hospital, Berlin (Germany), reported about the new diagnostic opportunities the company's latest innovation — the Aquillion ONE - offers.

Dynamic volume CT - the impact on neuro-imaging

A 320-row CT scanner (Aquilion One, Toshiba Medical Systems Co., Tokyo, Japan) was installed for the first time in Europe, at the Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany, in November 2007. Its capability to cover the whole brain in a single rotation means this new type of scanner has the potential to impact strongly on the field of neuro-imaging.

Thin client products aim to `unleash the potential of scanner technologies´

The Visage Thin Client product range on show at the ECR provides a fully-integrated system with advanced tools for 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D image review and interpretation, post-processing, data management, and image distribution.

PC diagnoses Alzheimer's better than physicians

Standard computers can be taught to diagnose Alzheimer's disease from brain scans, according to researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuro-imaging at University College London.

Clear goals — even though the priority is `family life´

A specialist in radiology and neuroradiology, Dr Birgit Ertl-Wagner is senior physician for teleradiology at the Institute for Clinical Radiology, in Grosshadern University Hospital, Munich.

Article • Neuropelveology

Forging links between neurology and surgery

Surgery in the lower pelvic region often involves injury to or severing of nerve tissue. As in chronic diseases of the nervous system, the result can be pain, sensory disturbances or loss of function. Up to now the poor view of the nerves, partially formed of fine interwoven networks, has been one of the major problems – exacerbated by the strict division of skills between neurologists and…

Interventional Neuroradiology

In Johns Hopkins therapeutic radiology, we perform 2,600 procedures in neurointervention and 14,000 peripheral interventions each year, totalling over 16,000 image-guided procedures a year in 14 rooms. We changed our approach to image guided therapy in June 2001, when we installed a new O.5 mm multidector CT (Aquilion, Toshiba America Medical Systems) and two 3D visualization workstations (Vital…

Ultrasound Diagnostics of Tendon Injuries in Hand Surgery

Sonography is an increasingly used examination procedure for the diagnosis of illnesses of the hand, especially of the soft tissues. Sonoanatomic assessment of the functional structures (Tab. 1) sometimes allows the exclusion of various differential diagnoses. However, this requires quite a bit of experience on the part of the examiner. The assessment of the peripheral nerves can be difficult -…

Pancreatic Tumours and Echo-Enhanced Ultrasound

Echo-enhanced ultrasound is a newly available imaging modality for use in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic tumours. Ductal carcinomas are often hypovascularised compared with the surrounding tissue. On the other hand, neuroendocrine tumours ar hypervascularised lesions. Tumours associated with pancreatitis have a different vascularisation pattern depending upon their inflammation and…

Pioneering vertebral procedure

Czech Republic - In 2001, when doctors at the Motol Faculty Hospital first saw Dusan Matras, he was diagnosed with a thyroid gland problem. However, they later found he had a tumour. Six years later, Dusan has become the first in the world to undergo a unique surgical procedure on the vertebral column in the neck area.

European initiative "TREAT-NMD" launched to aid neuromuscular disease patients

TREAT-NMD (Transnational Research in Europe - Assessment and Treatment of Neuromuscular Diseases) is a European Union funded Network of Excellence launched on January 1st 2007 with the aim of improving treatment and finding cures for patients with neuromuscular diseases.

The Fresenius Inventors' Prize

If something doesn't fit we make it fit, and if it doesn't exist we invent it: Pragmatism combined with imagination and idealism are the foundation stones of groundbreaking inventions that improve daily life in medicine.

Top-Class scientific lectures and lively discussions in Heidelberg

Four times a year, the “Leica Scientific Forum — Advances in Life Science” offers top-class lectures, with eminently respectable speakers in the field of medicine like Noble prize winner Professor Dr. Erwin Neher from the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, who was guest speaker at the last Forum this year on December 5. The Forum – which takes place in Heidelberg…

Patient's brain controls mechanical ventilation

Among ventilation advances demonstrated at this year's European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Congress, held in Barcelona, the combination of the SERVO-i ventilator with Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) provoked considerable interest because the system allows ventilation to be controlled by the patient's own respiratory centre in the brain. During a discussion with Daniela…

Neurobiology

The 2006 Eppendorf and Science prize, the annual international research prize of US$25,000 has been awarded to Doris Tsao PhD, of the USA.

40th anniversary

As the German Society of Neuroradiology 40th annual meeting approached (Venue: Dresden. 31 August - 3 September), Professors Martin Schumacher (Freiburg), President of the German Society of Neuroradiology (GSN) and Rüdiger von Kummer (Dresden), the meeting's President, examine the history and potential in this medical field