Trails blazed in medicine often bring controversy and even consternation. Breast care is no different. Since 1965, when the American College of Radiology formed the Committee on Mammography, advances in breast imaging and legislation to ensure its quality have largely centered on x-ray mammography.
Zone Sonography had been on the market for nearly two years before SonoSite formally charged its developer, Zonare Medical Systems, with patent infringement. In its lawsuit, filed in late February, SonoSite alleged that Zonare’s z.one, which converts from a midtier cart-based system to a compact hand-carried unit, violates its “412 patent,” described generally as covering a portable ultrasound system weighing less than 10
In late February,SonoSite -- the first company to commercialize a modern hand-carried ultrasound unit -- filed a lawsuit alleging patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division. This lawsuit, while specific to Zonare Medical Systems, holds extraordinary significance for all developers of hand-carried ultrasound systems, putting the industry on notice that SonoSite will vigorously defend its intellectual property.
Ultrasound is more accurate than conventional screening for detecting goiter in patients on long-term lithium therapy, according to a recent study from Germany. Lithium therapy inhibits normal function of the thyroid, but clinical inspection and palpation missed goiter in some patients in whom it was detected with ultrasound.
Patient files lawsuit against OptiMark makers Europe approves Kodak/Onex dealGE showcases laptop scanner at AIUM meetingACR launches research group
Sonoelastography shows strong performance in prostate cancer detection, but room for improvement remains when it comes to specificity, according to research from the Medical University Innsbruck presented at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna.
ContextVision unveils ultrasound algorithmSpineAssist improves safety, precision
This month’s review glances through a survey of safety issues among practitioners of fetal ultrasonography. We ran into a study using computer-adided detection to differentiate benign from malignant breast tumors. In a different study, researchers inAsia discuss a new application to detect a bacterial pathogen associated with increasing levels of liver disease and even diabetes in Western and Eastern populations. We also found an interesting study advocating the use of “telesonography” to aid developing countries where ultrasound scanners represent the dominant -- sometimes the only -- imaging modality. Finally, we summarize a review of a new book about pediatric musculoskeletal disease.
GE 3T serves interventional suiteAloka reaches milestoneKodak XR film program stays on trackScImage bags VHA contractNovaRad adds billing module to RISPET pioneer turns to security
Sonoelastography shows strong performance in prostate cancer detection, but room for improvement remains when it comes to specificity, according to research from the Medical University Innsbruck in Austria, a leading center in prostate imaging research.
Buyers of Zonare Medical Systems’ latest iteration, the z.one ultra, will read images whose gain and brightness have been automatically adjusted using software advances. The same allows automatic spectral Doppler waveform tracing. Reader will be able to see the images as never before.
Ultrasound techniques that are improving prostate cancer detection, grading, and staging are useful in men presenting with an elevated level of prostate specific antigen. They offer therapeutic strategies and may avoid the need for prostatectomy. In the future, surgery may not be the number one treatment choice, according to speakers at a special focus session on imaging in patients with elevated PSA levels.
Esaote is looking to break into therapy with a new take on fusion imaging. Well known for its line of MyLab ultrasound systems and niche MR scanners, the Italian company is fusing data from the two modalities in which it specializes as well as CT. It is turning its ultrasound scanners into portable workstations that provide real-time guidance during interventions.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound exams detecting residual tumor blood flow can accurately predict how effective transarterial chemoembolization is in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The study had no false-negative results, and the one false positive came from an exam administered just one day after treatment. Ultrasound exams administered from two days to one month after treatment provided treatment results usually available only after three months using CT or MRI.
Recent innovations in multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound have so dramatically improved the visualization of the small bowel wall and its vascularity that they are challenging the conventional workup of patients with acute or chronic inflammatory processes such as Crohn's disease.
Youth will rise to the fore at today's European Congress of Radiology. At just 51 years of age, Prof. Christian Herold is one of the youngest ECR presidents and the first from Austria. He admits that he represents the new generation of leaders.
Orthopods hot-list MR, DRiCAD 4Q losses narrowMerge upgrades breast workstationVital Images teams with Cerner
Emergency medicine residents participating in a new study successfully performed a limited duplex ultrasound exam on patients with symptoms of acute deep vein thrombosis after just 90 minutes of training. Their conclusions were very similar to those of an experienced vascular technician examining the same patients.
Groin pain, whether acute or chronic, is a common clinical presentation that can be caused by a diverse array of disorders involving different anatomic structures. This makes definitive diagnosis difficult for even the most experienced clinician.
At a recent symposium on multislice CT, a physicist kicked off her lecture by presenting a big-screen image of a fetus inside a pregnant woman. Then she asked her audience a provocative question, "Is this a bad thing?"
In October 2006 the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound brought diagnostic ultrasound's leadership together in San Francisco. Two days of lectures and debate led to a strategy statement defining a plan to maintain radiology's leadership over the modality.
Diagnostic ultrasound is ideal for many patients. No other imaging option gives them a real-time look at their own anatomy or so openly encourages discussion with the radiologist about their symptoms and the evidence of disease on the monitor.
The estimation of tissue hardness and masses by palpation during a physical examination is one of the oldest methods used in medical diagnosis. Palpation was practiced by Egyptian physicians as early as 2600 BCE.
Embryo transfer will more likely result in pregnancy if catheter placement is guided by ultrasound rather than clinical touch, according to a study analyzing research through August 2006.
A unique study documenting the prevalence of congenital heart disease in both adults and children in the same Québecois population found a striking increase in the number of adults with the condition. Investigators suggest that improved imaging and surgical techniques have helped children with congenital heart disease live longer.
