CT Scanning News and Research

RSS

DIBH can spare hearts and lungs of breast cancer patients from radiation

Respiratory movement during radiotherapy makes it difficult to hit the right treatment target and this in turn can lead to an under-dose of radiation to the tumour, or a potentially toxic over-dose to the surrounding healthy tissue. Getting this right is a real challenge for the radiotherapist, but new techniques are helping to deliver the correct dose to the right place, the 31st conference of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO 31) will hear today.

14 May 2012

New EMR tool helps reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scan use among ER patients

A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

New study on curcumin for advanced bowel cancer

Compounds found in curry are being investigated as a way of improving drug response in patients with advanced bowel cancer in a new study launched on Monday.

7 May 2012

Improved lung-cancer screening by combining blood test with CT imaging

National Jewish Health is seeking to refine and improve lung-cancer screening by combining a blood test with CT imaging to detect disease earlier and more effectively. The trial combines a CT chest scan and the EarlyCDT-Lung blood test to screen for cancer, and seeks to build on recent research demonstrating that CT screening alone can reduce lung-cancer mortality.

4 May 2012

Brain imaging for stroke is still occurring too slowly at many hospitals

The mantra in stroke care is "time is brain." With each passing minute more brain cells are irretrievably lost and, because of this, timely diagnosis and treatment is essential to increase the chances for recovery. While significant strides have been made to improve the response time of caregivers, a new study shows that a critical step in the process - imaging of the brain to determine the nature of the stroke - is still occurring too slowly at too many hospitals.

3 May 2012

PET/CT could help improve prediction of heart attack

An award-winning research project, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has tested a new imaging method which could help improve how doctors predict a patient's risk of having a heart attack.

25 Apr 2012

Computational adaptive optics for real-time in-vivo applications

Real-time, 3-D microscopic tissue imaging could be a revolution for medical fields such as cancer diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery and ophthalmology. University of Illinois researchers have developed a technique to computationally correct for aberrations in optical tomography, bringing the future of medical imaging into focus.

24 Apr 2012

Study finds increase in use of emergency CT in pediatric patients with abdominal pain

Computed tomography (CT) utilization in pediatric patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain increased in emergency departments each year between 1999 and 2007, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The study authors found no corresponding increase in ultrasound use during the same period, despite research supporting it as an important diagnostic tool for assessing pediatric abdominal pain.

24 Apr 2012

New techniques show promise in detecting early-stage lung cancer

New techniques for identifying lung cancer earlier -including a new type of chest screening, a nanotech 'nose' and a method to examine the cells of the cheek-- are showing substantial promise, according to presentations at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) in Geneva.

19 Apr 2012

Surgery to remove only the tumor preferable to removing entire kidney

Kidney cancer patients who had only their tumor removed had better survival than patients who had their entire kidney removed, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

18 Apr 2012

Lung cancer screening could be cost effective: Study finds

A new study shows that screening longtime tobacco users for lung cancer would be less costly than the widely accepted practice of screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers and would reduce the death toll of lung cancer by an estimated 15,000 lives a year.

11 Apr 2012

Researchers develop 'phantoms' to make medical imaging safer for obese patients

Most medical imaging equipment is not designed with overweight and obese patients in mind. As a result, these individuals can be exposed to higher levels of radiation during routine X-ray and CT scans.

6 Apr 2012

HSP27 protein can indicate lung damage during early stages of COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a widespread disease. In Austria alone, there are between 500,000 and 600,000 sufferers; around ninety per cent of cases are the result of smoking. Now, under the leadership of Hendrik Jan Ankersmit, a research team from the University Department of Surgery at MedUni Vienna and the Christian Doppler Laboratory for the Diagnosis and Regeneration of Heart and Thorax Diseases has discovered a protein marker in the blood that can already indicate lung damage during the early stages of COPD, before a decrease in lung volume is detected by a pulmonary function test.

5 Apr 2012

More than 4 in 10 people at high risk for hereditary pancreatic cancer have small lesions

A team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins researchers have found that more than four in 10 people considered at high risk for hereditary pancreatic cancer have small pancreatic lesions long before they have any symptoms of the deadly disease.

5 Apr 2012

Nine physician organizations identify specific tests or procedures that may be unnecessary

Nine leading physician specialty societies have identified specific tests or procedures that they say are commonly used but not always necessary in their respective fields. Patient advocates are calling the move a significant step toward improving the quality and safety of health care.

4 Apr 2012

Secondary cancer risk from MDCT scans is low among older adults

The secondary cancer risk from multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans is low among older adults, according to a study from Stanford University in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. MDCT is a high-speed imaging technique that is commonly used to diagnose a variety of diseases and conditions.

3 Apr 2012

PET allows survival predictions in sarcoma after initial cycle of neoadjuvant chemo

An early Positron Emission Tomography (PET) response after the initial cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used to predict increased survival in patients with soft tissue sarcomas, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3 Apr 2012

Top-line results from Shire's SPD476 phase 3 trial on diverticulitis

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced top-line results of the PREVENT2 trial, a phase 3 investigational study of once-daily SPD476, MMX mesalamine in patients with a history of diverticulitis.

31 Mar 2012

Myths and facts about concussion

Suppose your son or daughter has just been brought home from an athletic field with a concussion, complains of being tired and wants to go to sleep. Should you let that happen? "There was a time when it was considered life-threatening to let someone suffering from a concussion to fall asleep," said Chris Hummel, a certified athletic trainer and clinical associate professor in Ithaca College's Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences.

30 Mar 2012

Accidental ingestion of wire bristles leads to necessity for surgery

Rhode Island Hospital physicians identified six cases of accidental ingestion of wire grill brush bristles that required endoscopic or surgical removal. The paper calls attention to the need for the public and physicians to be aware of this potential danger.

29 Mar 2012