Ultrasound

The news keeps getting better on the regulatory front. The imaging industry in July added to its already extraordinary record of FDA clearances for 2006, boosting the year’s tally by 32 to 200 premarket notifications.

Toshiba strikes alliance, scores ultrasound orderNCI funds thermal ablation technologyCalypso earns FDA clearance for localizer

Imaging community lauds Senate billAmicas revenues dropPhilips allies with Canada Health InfowayUltrasound disturbs embryonic mouse brain

Researchers focusing on various image-guided methods also evaluate quality of embolizing particles

Researchers from Seoul National University Medical Center found that ultrasound-only-detected breast cancers are not very sensitive to a mammography computer-aided detection system.

MR elastography could provide noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, according to researchers in Belgium and Minnesota. The technique could lead to earlier detection in patients at risk and reduce the need for biopsy.

Elastography is attracting growing attention in prostate imaging. The term refers to the measurement of the elastic properties of tissues, based on the well-established principle that malignant tissue is harder than benign tissue. A color classification system registers tissue as benign (green) or malignant (blue).

Echocardiography has unearthed links among morbid pediatric obesity, sleep disorders, and potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension, according to a study presented at the 2006 American Society of Echocardiography meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Attendance breaks records following years of meticulous planning with member societies

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed specifications for an ultrasound scanner tailored for the battlefield: one that searches for internal bleeding, targets the source, and then increases the beam intensity to coagulate the wound. The agency has tapped Philips Medical Systems to build it.

Contrast-enhanced sonography could be just as good as CT to detect solid organ injuries in patients with blunt abdominal trauma, even in the absence of free intraperitoneal fluid. Data from Italian researchers suggest that CE ultrasound could reduce the need for abdominal CT in emergency radiology.

If the future of ultrasound is integration, the industry drew a step closer this week with the global launch of Boston Scientific Lab’s intravascular ultrasound system. The product, billed as the first of its kind, can be installed directly into a cardiac cath lab or radiology suite, allowing doctors to incorporate IVUS technology into their daily workflow, visualizing the heart as well as coronary and peripheral vasculature.

Philips Medical sales riseMercury signs global PACS partnersSiemens claims top U/S radiology position, cites Klein

Radiological device vendors reached a record high for midyear clearances by the FDA in June, scoring 34 premarket notifications, raising this year’s tally to 168. The industry has come close to this midyear high only once since DI SCAN began tracking FDA clearances in 2004, when 159 devices were favorably reviewed.

MS Word upgrades low-cost structured reportingContextVision signs Japanese vendorSiemens achieves open MR milestone

A cardiology task force is recommending that two tests, CT for coronary artery calcium and ultrasound for carotid intima-media thickness and plaque assessment, be used to screen asymptomatic patients for heart attack risk.

Think back to when you were little, really little, and everything was big. Remember reaching up to the sink and wondering how you’d ever wash your hands? It is one of those defining visions that surfaces every now and then in my mind: looking up at this big box with the sink atop it. Then, as time went on, the sink got smaller, and I remember wondering, “How is it doing that?” Ultrasound appears headed on a similar path.

CE-sonography helps trauma assessmentFDG-PET guidelines appear in publicationPlanmed submits FFDM application

The California State Assembly has passed a bill that would restrict sales of ultrasound machines to medical professionals. The move follows public safety concerns raised by actor Tom Cruise's purchase of ultrasound equipment to perform exams on his pregnant fiancee in November 2005.

Ultrasound elastography is being proposed as a way to guide and monitor ablation therapy. Researchers say elastography could help ultrasound overcome limitations in this setting, and increase its visibility among other imaging modalities used for guidance.

Using radiology residents to make up for the shortage of qualified sonographers could undermine medical education and compromise patient care, though some professors consider the nightshift duties essential learning experience. The findings of a Stanford University survey suggest teaching hospitals should reinforce training for residents if they are to perform after-hours ultrasound scanning.

Prostate imaging can be a lonely, thankless line of work for radiologists. Specialists are scarce, and urologists have the upper hand. Cancer screening is controversial, and imaging research has yielded a mixed bag of results. Nevertheless, prostate guru Dr. Ethan Halpern is bullish about the future.

GE teams with Asian dairy companyUltrasound firm targets emboliFonar wins temporary Nasdaq reprieveUltrasound ablation reaches Poland

Stress echocardiography can accurately predict the onset of cardiovascular disease in patients waiting for kidney transplants, according to a study presented in June at the American Society of Echocardiography meeting.

ExAblate 2000 to enter Australia, TaiwanEmageon signs MidMichigan HealthUltrasonix recruits senior execs

FDA reviewers cleared 34 radiological devices in May, the highest number for this month since 2000, when DI SCAN began tracking clearances. The stellar performance puts the industry on track for a record year.

Echocardiography has unearthed links among morbid pediatric obesity, sleep disorders, and potentially fatal -- often hidden -- pulmonary hypertension, according to a study presented in June at the American Society of Echocardiography meeting.

Biotech firm teams with GE HealthcareGE unveils ASP version of CentricityMicroMaxx enters race circuit

An intraperitoneal injection of dextrose prior to radiofrequency ablation of peripheral liver tumors reduces postprocedural pain and the need for painkillers, according to two studies in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. The technique could make treatment available to a larger pool of patients by rendering RFA safer in anatomically challenging areas.

Bayer gains control of ScheringIDC begins ships new DR, appoints execsSonoSite selects new VPsAdvanced Magnetics moves to Nasdaq