Brachytherapy stent benefits patients with advanced esophageal cancer
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 16 - In patients with advanced esophageal cancer, brachytherapy using a self-expandable esophageal stent loaded with iodine-125 seeds prolongs relief from dysphagia and extends overall survival, according to a study by Chinese researchers published in the May issue of Radiology.
 
Gene therapy slows progression of Batten disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 16 - Treatment with a normal copy of the mutated gene responsible for late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) can slow the progression of this fatal disease, new research suggests. The study by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers used a clinical rating scale and MRI assessment to compare neurologic decline in the treated and untreated children over 18 months.
Lossy compression perceptible at even low levels
SEATTLE - Lossy-compressed images at even mild compression ratios are highly distinguishable from lossless-compressed images, according to research presented at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) meeting. Elizabeth Krupinski, Ph.D., and Dr. Bradley Erickson, Ph.D., presented the findings of SIIM's Transforming the Radiological Interpretation Process (TRIP) compression study during the 8th annual SIIM Research and Development Symposium.
IT users need to demand more from vendors
SEATTLE - Healthcare providers and information technology (IT) users must do a better job of demanding that vendors incorporate profiles and functions created from the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise initiative. That message came from Dr. Ronald Arenson, chairman of the department of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco, who today gave the opening keynote address at the 2008 Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) meeting.
Low-energy, high-current CT nabs tiny liver lesions
 LAS VEGAS - Dual-energy CT using different tube energy (kVp) settings can be used to distinguish imaging targets with similar densities but different attenuation properties, thereby increasing the conspicuity of contrast-enhanced lesions.
High-dose brachytherapy effective for soft-tissue sarcoma in children
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 15 - High-dose brachytherapy (HBRT), alone or in combination with external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), produces "excellent" local control rates in pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma, according to a report in the April 19 issue of the BMC journal Radiation Oncology.
Low-dose intraventricular tPA ups survival substantially in hemorrhagic stroke
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 15 - New research confirms that a very low dose of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) improves survival in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Using CT to track patients' daily progress, the researchers found that the optimal dosage and timing of tPA administration is 1 mg every eight hours for up to four days.
U.S. Senate revises drugmaker gift bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters), May 15 - A revised U.S. Senate bill would require drugmakers and medical device makers to publicly report gifts over $500 a year to doctors, watering down the standard set in a previous version. The new language of the Senate bill was endorsed by Eli Lilly and Co., maker of impotence drug Cialis and schizophrenia drug Zyprexa.
Clinically significant contrast-induced nephropathy rare
LAS VEGAS - Retrospective studies have shown that contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following CT occurs in about 1% to 12% of patients undergoing contrast-enhanced CT. These studies also demonstrate an association between CIN and mortality. However, a new prospective study presented at the 2008 International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT found that contrast-enhanced CT can be safely performed in most patients with chronic kidney disease.
CT experts grapple with rising concerns about radiation dose
LAS VEGAS - Finding ways to handle rising concerns over radiation dose from CT scanning was the subject of a series of presentations Tuesday at Stanford University's International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT. While several of CT's leading experts expressed frustration about the level of misinformation in the lay press on radiation dose, they acknowledged that more needs to be done to reduce dose to the lowest possible levels.
MRI shows frequent temporomandibular joint involvement in juvenile arthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health), May 14 - Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but not ultrasound, is often found at the onset of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), according to Pennsylvania-based researchers.
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