Ultrasound

Practitioners can choose either vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty to treat vertebral compression fractures until a prospective trial comparing the two techniques says otherwise, according a multisociety position statement in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. The statement does not fully address the economic impact of each treatment choice.

An increased demand for vascular ultrasound technologists and interventional technologists parallels an increase in the number of peripheral vascular disease cases and minimally invasive procedures.

Lower costs, speedier recovery, and reduced pain give uterine artery embolization an edge over surgery for fibroid treatment, according to a multicenter trial that examined the relative merits of the two methods.

Current teleradiology image transfer systems were developed for high-bandwidth networks and therefore cannot support radiographs or sonograms from remote or underdeveloped areas due to limited bandwidth availability at those locations.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is a relatively common malignancy, and its incidence is increasing worldwide, especially in the Caucasian population. The clinical course of melanoma depends on tumor thickness, localization, ulceration, growth rate, and histology of the primary tumor. Metastatic spread may arise from very small masses.

Diagnosing pancreatic disease generally requires many different imaging procedures. Ultrasound and CT are most commonly used to evaluate the pancreatic ducts, parenchyma, and adjacent soft tissues. CT-based assessment of pancreatic pathology has been greatly aided by the advent of multislice technology.

In late November, nearly 300 doctors and imaging center managers paid $325 each for a day-long seminar sponsored by the law firm McDermott Will & Emery. They packed a large ballroom in the swank Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Water Tower Place in Chicago to learn how to turn referrals to imaging facilities into lucrative income streams.

Technical advances in MRI have paved the way for functional imaging of the abdomen, moving beyond simple morphological evaluation of disease and in some cases proving superior to multislice CT.

Patients with major depressive disorder can show actual physical changes to the brain structure on sonographic evaluation, according to German researchers. One study found that depressed patients with a history of responding to serotonin reuptake inhibitors also had a high incidence of reduced echogenicity of the brain stem raphe. Another found that many patients diagnosed with depression also showed increased echogenicity in a specific area of the midbrain common in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Engineers at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have come up with software that twists the data composing volumetric ultrasound images into stereoscopic views, creating images that appear to float off display monitors into 3D space. The software splits the single ultrasound image into two separate images 7° from each other -- one seen by the right eye and the other by the left.

Advanced Magnetics losses balloonAloka integrates FPGAsKodak upgrades dashboard

Several studies published in the top peer-reviewed journals in April caught our eye, particularly those relevant to current trends and clinical practice issues. Credible indications suggest that the rate of thyroid cancer in the U.S. may be on the rise. A ground-breaking study published in Radiology from Japanese and U.S. researchers assesses the value of elastography to tell benign from malignant lymph nodes in the neck. The same publication also ran an editorial by a leading Thomas Jefferson University sonologist that sheds light on this issue. Researchers in Michigan discovered relevant changes in fetal cardiac development that have been overlooked, even with 3D technology. Italian investigators published a study comparing sonography and multislice CT to characterize renal cysts and found the former could help reduce unnecessary surgery and radiation dose exposure. And an interesting study from Iran assesses the feasibility of replacing invasive endoscopic cholangiopancreatography with ultrasound for detection of biliary gallstones.

The first quarter of this year was the slowest of any in the seven years during which DI SCAN has tracked FDA clearances. The radiology industry was able to clear just 55 devices in the first three months of 2007. Only once since the decade began has the FDA cleared fewer than 60 devices during the first quarter. That was in 2004, when radiological device makers earned 59 clearances.

A technique previously shown to diagnose cardiogenic pulmonary edema has now been used to successfully diagnose pulmonary edema brought on by high altitude. Pulmonary edema is the primary cause of death from altitude sickness, and ultrasound could be an effective, low-cost test suitable for field hospitals.

A method of automatically combining CT, PET, and ultrasound scans into one image may help clinicians diagnose gynecological cancers. Together, the three modalities provide a clearer picture of indeterminate solid masses in the pelvic area.

SonoSite enhances MicroMaxx Suros unveils breast biopsy for ultrasoundFonar launches new ad campaign

OrthoView plans upgrade launchChinese center installs Varian imagerImaging Dynamics board chairman resignsCivco develops Ultrasonix needle guide

Concerns about the danger of thrombosis resulting from the use of drug-eluting stents, combined with confidence in the safety of bare metal stents, have driven down the use of drug-eluting stents substantially over the past year, according to Volcano Corporation. That’s bad news for the makers of drug-eluting stents but good news for the makers of intravascular ultrasound systems. The top executive at Volcano reports a surge in the sale of the systems.

Ultrasound strain imaging, or elastography, can show the difference between a benign breast mass and a tumor, avoiding biopsy. Although accuracy depends on the skill of the reader, strain imaging can be used to better determine which masses should be biopsied.

Nordion partners on AD compoundsSiemens targets rural ChinaCivco tailors needle system

Intravascular ultrasound maker adds embolic protection deviceNightHawk leaps at the bellAdvanced Magnetics founder retiresAccuray device passes milestone

Like many legal feuds between two major competitors, the one now building between SonoSite and Zonare has broad ramifications that threaten to involve other companies and their products. Whether the case spills into the rest of the ultrasound industry may depend on the specifics of two patents now at issue.

FDA decision on Epix agent drags onVI and Toshiba renew partnershipFonar expands presence in Middle EastSonoSite boosts UK anatomy training

The double lung point is an ultrasound sign that may help diagnose transient tachypnea of the newborn, a respiratory disorder currently diagnosed mainly by excluding other disorders. A recent study identified the double lung point in newborns already diagnosed with transient tachypnea.

Physicians, scientists, and other stakeholders formed the Foundation for Focused Ultrasound Research in January 2005 as a nonprofit vehicle to promote the specialty of high-intensity focused ultrasound.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has shown promise as a pain management strategy in patients with bone metastases for whom other treatments are ineffective, according to researchers at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel (Ann Oncol 2007;18:163-167).

The use of high-intensity focused ultrasound for various therapeutic applications has continued to grow since Lynn et al first proposed it in 1942.1 Advances in medical imaging technology in the last two decades have led to its widespread use in both research and clinical practice for the treatment of benign and malignant tumors, hemostasis, uterine fibroids, and other conditions.

For the first time, data accrued over a decade show that the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in clinical breast cancer research may have significantly influenced study design, focus, and results, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of Cancer.

Women's health and imaging's role in it are of enormous social, economic, and psychological importance. Recognition of this importance prompted the University of Rochester Medical Center's imaging sciences department to hold its first annual Women's Health and Imaging in a Digital Environment conference in San Antonio, TX, in January 2007.

Modern high-resolution ultrasound has excellent spatial and contrast resolution for the near field, and the development of 3D technology, extended field-of-view or panoramic imaging, and color flow and power Doppler applications has led to great improvements in its diagnostic utility and accuracy.