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Those receiving ultrasound enhancing agents (UEAs) for transthoracic or stress echocardiography had lower odds of all-cause death in comparison to patients who did not have UEAs, according to a nationwide study involving 11.4 million patients.



Large Study Affirms Safety of Ultrasound Enhancing Agents for Echocardiography

The latest FDA 510(k) clearance is for B-Right Views, an AI-enabled device, which provides automated detection of required views necessary for second- and third-trimester fetal heart ultrasound exams.

BrightHeart Garners Third FDA Clearance for AI-Powered Assessments of Fetal Heart Ultrasound

The only ultrasound enhancing agent that does not contain polyethylene glycol, Optison may now be utilized to enhance echocardiogram assessment of ventricular function in pediatric patients.



FDA Expands Approval of Cardiac Ultrasound Imaging Agent for Pediatric Patients

Cardiac CT angiography may provide insights on common post-op complications of left atrial appendage closure, ranging from peri-device leaks to device-related thrombus, according to research presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) conference.

Can Cardiac CTA be a Viable Alternative for Post-Op Assessment of Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Closure?

Recent research has demonstrated that the AI software HeartFocus enabled novice health-care providers to achieve greater than 85 percent agreement with expert sonographers in assessing echocardiographic parameters.

FDA Clears Emerging AI-Enabled Software for Cardiac Ultrasound

While Marfan syndrome is a clinical diagnosis, Alan C. Braverman, M.D., FACC, noted in a recent interview that radiologists play an “invaluable” role in facilitating early diagnosis of this genetic aortic condition.

“They can be the first to put the words into a clinician's mind that this condition that they're seeing on imaging could be something much more,” emphasized Dr. Braverman, the director of the Marfan Syndrome and Aortopathy Center at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.

“When there are combinations of findings — root aneurysm, tortuous arteries, mitral valve prolapse — when these features are seen on an imaging study, not just reporting them in diameters accurately, but also suggesting the possibility of something more, like Marfan syndrome or some genetic aortic condition when unexplained in a young person, in particular, can be so helpful to the clinician. It's invaluable.”

For patients with Marfan syndrome, Dr. Braverman emphasized complete assessment of the proximal aorta. Noting that an enlarged aortic root is common in this patient population, Dr. Braverman said the diameter of the aortic root generally exceeds 40 millimeters in younger male patients and 37 millimeters in younger female patients.

While these findings can be visualized very well on echocardiogram, cross-sectional imaging with computed tomography angiography (CTA) or magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) are recommended for initial diagnosis in adult patients and can aid in differentiating between Marfan syndrome and other conditions, such as Loeys-Dietz syndrome, noted Dr. Braverman, a professor of medicine and alumni endowed professor of cardiovascular diseases at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

(Editor’s note: For related content, see “

Improving Adherence to Best Practices for Incidental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms on CT and MRI

Emerging ECG-Based AI Screening Software for Aortic Valve Stenosis Gets FDA’s Breakthrough Device Designation

Cardiac Ultrasound Update: FDA Clears Software with 45 Automated Parameters for Echocardiographic Analysis

For more insights from Dr. Braverman, watch the video below.

Alan Braverman, MD, discusses the role of radiologists in facilitating the timely diagnosis of Marfan syndrome.

Pertinent Insights into the Imaging of Patients with Marfan Syndrome

Emphasizing the role of radiologists in facilitating timely diagnosis of Marfan syndrome, Alan Braverman, M.D. discussed the use of echocardiography, CT, and MRI in evaluating patients with this genetic aortic condition.

Eric Secemsky, M.D. says there can be a fair amount of assumptions and guesswork with sole reliance on angiography to inform peripheral vascular interventions.

For example, an angiogram provides “a very poor understanding” of a significant amount of pathology that occurs on the luminal surface of the vessel, noted Dr. Secemsky in a recent interview. He maintained that intravascular ultrasound can provide greater clarity on this pathology as well as lesion severity and morphology, vessel measurements and where disease segments begin and end.

“These are just a few of the many areas where intravascular imaging catheters can really help augment and support angiography,” noted Dr. Secemsky, the director of vascular intervention and section head of interventional cardiology and vascular research with the Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

To that end, Dr. Secemsky recently led a multidisciplinary roundtable discussion, comprised of interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists, and vascular surgeons, to discuss 

emerging evidence on the use of intravascular ultrasound

 to bolster decision-making and help improve outcomes for peripheral vascular interventions in the lower extremity.

Key Takeaways from Multidisciplinary Roundtable on Intravascular Ultrasound Use for Peripheral Vascular Interventions

Intravascular Ultrasound for Lower Extremity Interventions: Seven Takeaways from New Global Consensus Recommendations

While acknowledging different practice settings and pressures to turn over rooms for procedures, Dr. Secemsky said the perception that using imaging catheters increases procedure time is a fallacy. Research in the coronary intervention space has demonstrated that increased familiarity with imaging catheters shows no increased procedure time and additional benefits such as reduced radiation time and exposure to contrast media, according to Dr. Secemsky, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

For further insights from Dr. Secemsky, watch the video below.

Eric Secemsky, M.D., discusses advantages of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in supplementing angiography for peripheral vascular interventions.

Making the Case for Intravascular Ultrasound Use in Peripheral Vascular Interventions

In a recent interview, Eric Secemsky, M.D., discussed an array of benefits for the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in supplementing angiography for peripheral vascular interventions, current barriers preventing more widespread adoption of the technology and other salient insights from a recent multidisciplinary roundtable discussion.

When evaluating an artificial intelligence (AI) model for initial assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on echocardiograms, David Ouyang, M.D., said he was genuinely surprised that cardiologists had greater confidence in initial AI assessments than those provided by cardiac sonographers with an average of 14.1 years of experience.

In the randomized trial, recently published in 

, cardiologists revised 27.2 percent of initial LVEF assessments by sonographers in comparison to 16.8 percent of AI assessments.

“We initially thought of the tool as kind of a streamlining tool where it speeds things up. We actually designed the trial as a non-inferior trial. We weren’t expecting AI to be better than sonographers. Hopefully, it would be equivalent,” noted Dr. Ouyang, who is affiliated with the Department of Cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute and the Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “We were pleasantly surprised that AI actually was superior. This really speaks to the high level of precision that automation delivers.”

Study Finds AI More Effective Than Sonographer Interpretation of Cardiac Function on Echocardiograms

Can AI Improve Triage of CT Pulmonary Angiography Exams for Acute PE?

AI Platform for Ultrasound Detection of Cardiac Amyloidosis Gets FDA Breakthrough Device Designation

In a recent interview, Dr. Ouyang also discussed another 

 that employed deep learning segmentation of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine how variations in left ventricle sphericity can impact cardiovascular risks. Based on their findings from a large cohort of nearly 39,000 participants from the UK Biobank, Dr. Ouyang and colleagues found that one standard deviation increase in the left ventricle sphericity index led to a 47 percent increased risk for cardiomyopathy and a 20 percent higher risk of atrial fibrillation.

For more insights from Dr, Ouyang, watch the video below.

In a recent video interview, David Ouyang, M.D., shared insights from two recent studies he co-authored on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve initial assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on echocardiography and ascertain cardiac risks associated with changes in the left ventricle sphericity index seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Emerging AI Advances in Cardiac Imaging

The purchase of new and cutting-edge imaging equipment comes with a lot of excitement—and a learning curve. That's where Canon Medical Education comes in, providing a host of education solutions for clients that include both in-person and virtual training and continuing education opportunities.

The education arm of Canon Medical Systems USA provides a customizable plan to ensure that all imaging associates are well-trained and comfortable operating advanced equipment including MR and CT, as well as vascular and cath applications, among others. 

Understanding that every learner is different, Canon offers educational opportunities that include in-person, at their Institute of Advanced Imaging in Irvine, California; on-site training at a client facility; online and instructor-led courses in their Canon Learning Center; as well as CE and non-CE webinars and special programs.

To learn more about Canon's educational offerings, 

Canon Medical Systems offer a range of in-person and virtual educational opportunities for their clients. 

Education in Radiology: Canon's Customized Approach

’s Weekly Scan. I’m senior editor, Whitney Palmer.

Before we get to our featured interview with Stephanie Johnston, a radiologic technologist at Solis Mammography in Texas, as well as the past president of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists about way to improve a patient’s mammography experience, here are the top stories of the week.

Our coverage of Breast Cancer Awareness month continued this week with a look at research published in the 

 According to researchers at the Center for South Asian Quantitative Health and Education at Rutger’s School of Public Health, women of Indian and Pakistani descent get diagnoses of more aggressive forms of breast cancer at younger ages. South Asian women have the fastest growing breast cancer rate in the United States, so identifying culturally targeted screening and prevention methods could be beneficial. Based on a comparison of 4,900 Indian and Pakistani women with breast cancer to 482,250 non-Hispanic white women with the disease, the team found that not only are the number of cancers in the study group growing, but they are also being diagnosed at more advanced stages. There are distinct sociocultural reasons that could play a role here, the team said. These women may not get screened because they have transportation difficulties, they may lack family support, or they could avoid screening due to modesty, fear, or a belief that the cancer is a punishment for past misdeeds. These factors are particular problems for women who have low English proficiency, have lived in the United States for less than a decade, and who do not have confidence in the U.S. healthcare system. Consequently, the team said, the industry must develop strategies to reach these women and encourage them to come in for screening.

This week also saw a great deal of news about prostate cancer. During the American Society for Radiation Oncology 

, investigators from the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University shared the results of their EMPIRE-1 trial, revealing that adding the PET radiotracer fluciclovine to conventional imaging significantly benefits patients. In fact, they said fluciclovine PET is the “best available test” for imaging recurrent prostate cancer. According to their study results, they found that 75 percent of patients who used the PET molecular to guide their treatment were still disease-free three years later, creating an increased survival rate that was sustained for four years. This type of advanced imaging, the team said, helps providers better select patients for radiation therapy, as well guide radiation treatment decisions and planning. The team divided 165 men who had undergone radical prostatectomies, had abnormal PSA levels, and had CT or MRI imaging as part of their initial treatment planning into two groups – one that stuck with conventional imaging alone and one that underwent fluciclovine PET. At three years, the fluciclovine PET group has a 12-percent better cancer control rate, as well as a 24-percent improvement. Based on these results, the team recommends widely integrating it into prostate cancer treatment planning.

For more coverage based on industry expert insights and research, subscribe to the Diagnostic Imaging e-Newsletter

And, the news is still coming about COVID-19. This week, the 

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

published research that shows cardiac ultrasound can reveal how the virus damages the heart, potentially helping doctors identify at-risk patients and guiding future therapies. According to investigators at Icahn School of Medicine and Mt. Sinai Hospital, echocardiograms can identify different types of cardiac injury structural damage in nearly two-thirds of patients positive for the virus, and that damage can be linked to potentially fatal conditions, such as heart attack, pulmonary embolism, heart failure, and myocarditis. By examining echocardiograms from 305 adult, COVID-19-positive patients, the team discovered myocardial injury in 190 individuals – 62.6 percent of the study. These injuries were diverse – 26.3 percent had right ventricular dysfunction, 23.7 percent had regional left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, 18.4 percent had diffuse left ventricular dysfunction, 13.2 percent had grade II or III diastolic dysfunction, and 7.2 percent had pericardial effusions. Overall, the team said their findings point to the importance of cardiac ultrasound in managing COVID-19 patients and determining the courses of treatment.

 spoke Stephanie Johnston, a radiologic technologist from Solis Mammography in Texas. Johnston, who is also past president of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, discussed the importance of focusing on the patient experience during a mammogram – whether a woman is a first-time or returning patient. She shared insights on how to maximize the encounter, including specific steps Solis has taken, and the touched on changes brought about from the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what she had to say.

Breast Cancer Screening in Indian & Pakistani Women; Fluciclovine PET for Prostate Cancer Imaging; Cardiac Ultrasound & COVID-19; and Improving Mammography Patient Experience

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