Cardiovascular Radiology: Page 252

MRI immediately post MI yields important prognostic clues

By Eric Barnes

CHICAGO - If you're looking for microvessel obstruction in patients with acute myocardial infarction, it's worth the rush to perform cardiac MRI within 48 hours after the event -- and within two minutes of injecting the contrast. You could potentially help your patients live longer.

November 30, 2005

Coronary CTA requires dedication, 64-slice minimum

By Tracie L. Thompson

CHICAGO - Cardiac imaging may have slipped away from radiology in stages over the years, but radiologists can capture the boom in coronary CT angiography if they move fast, train hard, and plan to use at least a 64-slice scanner. Those were some of the views shared by leading practitioners during a lively and opinionated keynote and panel discussion Tuesday at the RSNA meeting.

November 29, 2005

Preablation CTA may avoid complications

By Tracie L. Thompson

CHICAGO - As electrophysiologists perform more pulmonary vein isolation procedures to treat atrial fibrillation, preprocedural CT angiography may help avoid potentially fatal complications by showing anatomic variants and proximity of a vulnerable esophagus, according to a presentation Monday at RSNA 2005.

November 27, 2005

64 CT slices beat 16 for stenosis and diagnosis of heart disease

By Eric Barnes

CHICAGO - Due to its superior z-axis resolution, 64-slice CT may do a better job than 16-slice in detecting in-stent stenosis, researchers reported on Sunday at the RSNA meeting. Another group found that 64-slice CT did not visualize vessels significantly better than 16-slice, but did improve diagnostic accuracy.

November 26, 2005

Cardiac CT strategies cut dose, keep image quality

By Eric Barnes

By definition, symptomatic screening patients deserve the lowest possible CT dose. For that matter, "as low as reasonably achievable" (ALARA) is a wise dosing strategy for symptomatic heart patients, too. A look at the diagnostic question at hand and adherence to a few scanning principles can often reveal opportunities for significant dose savings, according to a recent presentation.

November 24, 2005

Shimadzu completes Safire install, inks research deal

By AuntMinnie.com staff writers

Shimadzu Medical Systems USA said that Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, FL, has opened its new catheterization lab in Munroe's Heart and Vascular Center.

November 23, 2005