Healthcare Imaging Update Archives – August 1, 2008
August 1, 2008
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Two new studies: Radiotherapy offers dividends following radical prostatectomy
Powerful new evidence has emerged demonstrating the benefits of radiotherapy in prostate cancer patients following radical prostatectomy. -
Multidisciplinary care critical to treatment
It's great to be armed with scientific evidence, but it does no good if the patients who could benefit from this evidence are not referred to you for care. -
New study questions retrograde urethrography
It's unpleasant enough to receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer and to face a course of radiotherapy that can cause a number of side effects, ranging from incontinence to a loss of potency. -
Does preoperative MRI boost mastectomy rates?
In the absence of any randomized clinical trial data, clinicians aren't exactly sure when it makes good sense to order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to breast cancer surgery and when it is more likely to offer little benefit. -
Multiple factors drive increased use of preop MRI
There is no question that the use of MRI prior to breast cancer surgery has increased dramatically in recent years. At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, for example, the use of preoperative MRI in breast cancer patients more than doubled between 2003 and 2006. -
Milk found effective, low-cost contrast agent
Could whole milk work just as well as the more expensive, barium-based contrast agents for imaging of the gastrointestinal tract? -
Milk gets mixed reviews as a contrast agent
The idea of using milk as a contrast agent for gastrointestinal imaging has obvious appeal. -
Radiotherapy boosts survival in cancer patients
While radiotherapy is commonly prescribed following surgery for patients with node-positive head and neck cancers, until now there has been little evidence that it actually improves survival. -
New PET scanning probe offers tantalizing capabilities
In the next few months, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA's) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center will begin human studies on a new probe for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) that they believe will provide clinicians and researchers with a powerful new window on the immune system, as well as enable them to gauge early patient response to therapies. -
Discovery of new probe has broader implications
The most exciting aspect to the discovery of a new probe at The University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA's) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center might not be the potential of the probe itself for monitoring immune system function and treatment response, but rather the model scientists have put in place that could lead them to the discovery of many more valuable probes. -
CMS aims to boost quality, streamline rates for imaging
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule that would, if approved, update its payment policies and rates for hospital outpatient departments, including imaging, in the calendar year 2009. -
FDA: X-rays during CT may cause device malfunction
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent an alert about X-rays used during CT examinations that might cause implanted and external electronic medical devices to malfunction.