Clinical News: Page 2402

Covidien to acquire VNUS for $440M

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers

Healthcare firm Covidien has inked an agreement to acquire VNUS Medical Technologies for $440 million.

May 7, 2009

Ziehm extends deal with BrainLab

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers

C-arm developer Ziehm Imaging and image-guided therapy firm BrainLab have extended to North America their alliance covering the joint development and marketing of C-arms and computer-aided surgical software.

May 7, 2009

Positron Systems inks Mo-99 deal with Idaho State

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers

Positron Systems has signed an agreement with Idaho State University for the production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the precursor to the commonly used radioisotope technetium-99m.

May 7, 2009

Computer-assisted ultrasound aids liver imaging in obese children

By Erik L. Ridley

An open-source image processing software package can be a useful tool for evaluating ultrasound images of obese children for signs of fat deposits in the liver, according to research from Brazil published in the May edition of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

May 7, 2009

VC not cost-effective in FOBT-positive screening population

By Eric Barnes

Patients with positive screening results on fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) should probably head straight to optical colonoscopy for their next exam, according to a new study from the Netherlands. Virtual colonoscopy may not be cost-effective in this population because so many FOBT-positive patients would need referral for polypectomy anyway, the researchers said.

May 7, 2009

Protons promise lower second cancer risk

By Tami Freeman

Proton therapy offers a lower second cancer risk than that associated with photon radiotherapies, even when neutron effects are taken into account, according to research from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

May 7, 2009