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Patients with head and neck cancer may be spared the risk and expense of surgery by undergoing a CT scan

Researchers with the UF Shands Cancer Center have identified criteria doctors can use to evaluate CT scans four weeks after patients undergo initial treatment. If these criteria are met, there is a 94 percent likelihood a patient's lymph nodes are cancer free, said Stanley L. Liauw, M.D., a resident in radiation oncology.

18 Oct 2005

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer

Results from a University of Pittsburgh study evaluating intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer determined the ideal doses for lessening treatment side effects. The findings were presented today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

18 Oct 2005

Discovery could lead to tests for the clinic or battlefield to diagnose ailments with just a few drops of blood

A way to detect fragments of broken brain cells that leak into the bloodstream may help doctors more quickly and precisely treat people with severe head injuries or brain diseases, say researchers at the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute.

17 Oct 2005

Erectile dysfunction may be a sign that coronary artery disease is developing

"We think that erectile dysfunction represents the 'tip of the iceberg' of a systemic vascular disorder; thus potentially preceding severe cardiovascular events. Erectile dysfunction should be part of a cardiovascular risk assessment.

11 Oct 2005

CT colonography best choice for regular screening for cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in most developed countries. Screening for colorectal malignancies and polyps (which frequently become cancerous) has been shown to lower the number of deaths from cancer. Most cancer societies and preventive task forces recommend regular screening for cancer of the colon.

10 Oct 2005

Still a long way to go in diagnostic evaluation of all patients who suffer ischemic strokes

Women who survive a stroke are less likely than men to get crucial tests of their heart and neck arteries that can help improve their treatment and reduce their risk of a second stroke, a new University of Michigan study finds.

27 Sep 2005

New treatment option for chronic sinusitis

Acclarent on Saturday unveiled their new treatment option for chronic sinusitis, the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure. Results from the initial safety and feasibility study of this unique, catheter-based treatment for chronic sinusitis were presented by William Bolger, MD, FACS.

26 Sep 2005

New approach to treating brain aneurysm combining the use of intracranial stents and coil embolization

A fender-bender may have saved Douglas Collins' life. A CT scan following the accident discovered Collins, 64, had a brain aneurysm, a weakness in the arterial wall that if ruptured could cause a stroke or death. It was not caused by the accident, but likely could have been a ticking time bomb present for years. The aneurysm was large and previously thought to require open surgery and a lengthy recovery.

26 Sep 2005

First clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus

An international team of medical experts led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher has established the first clinical guidelines to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a debilitating condition in the brain that often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

21 Sep 2005

Enhanced imaging techniques could improve medical diagnosis

Chris Wyatt is a Virginia Tech electrical engineer who is attempting to provide the medical community with better, quicker, and more relevant images of the human body. The side effects are not bad either - lower medical costs, new treatments, and earlier disease detection.

19 Sep 2005

Safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess

Researchers at Westmead Millennium Institute have discovered a safe, non-surgical method of identifying brain infections such as brain abscess, and an accurate and rapid way of diagnosing meningitis.

10 Sep 2005

Study indicates that patients with a cervical spinal injury may harbor additional spinal damage not visible on regular x-rays

In fact, more than a third of patients who were thought to have low-risk injuries actually have additional damage that may include significant fractures with the potential to produce serious spinal problems if not detected and treated properly.

7 Sep 2005

Surgeons have, for the first time, successfully removed a tumour with the aid of new 3-D computer modelling software

German cancer surgeons have, for the first time, successfully removed a tumour with the aid of new 3-D computer modelling software which the designers say will make these operations safer and more accurate.

6 Sep 2005

CT scans that detect calcium deposits in heart arteries can help predict the risk of coronary heart disease

Even among relatively young and healthy men, CT scans that detect calcium deposits in heart arteries can help predict the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study in the Sept. 6, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Sep 2005

Can a new combination treatment prevent a secondary stroke in children with sickle cell anemia?

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will lead a national Phase III clinical trial to investigate whether a new combination treatment can prevent a secondary stroke in children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and eliminate the need for nightly injections with a drug that reduces iron overload in these patients.

1 Sep 2005

Private health screening bonanza as thousands of Brits take unnecessary tests

According to doctors in the UK, thousands of healthy people, encouraged by celebrity endorsements, are having expensive private medical tests done which they do not need and may even be doing them harm.

24 Aug 2005

Mission to teach patients about modern treatments for sinusitis

Coughing, headaches, fatigue, post-nasal drip and intense pressure throughout the face. For millions of Americans, these aren't just the side effects of a short bout with the flu, but what they experience every day living with sinusitis.

16 Aug 2005

Lung cancer cure possible with early screening

Recent reports in the media of the deaths of well known people from lung cancer and the surprising news that Dana Reeve, the non-smoking wife of the late Christopher Reeve has the disease, has re-ignited concerns about the so-called 'silent killer', lung cancer.

15 Aug 2005

Taking parathyroid hormone followed by a year on alendronate shows strong osteoporosis benefit

Postmenopausal women who took a bone-building drug for one year followed by a year on a standard drug that fights bone loss experienced greater increases in bone density than has been reported from any other drug regimen, an NIH-sponsored study has found. Bone density is the standard predictor of fracture risk associated with osteoporosis.

11 Aug 2005

Two minor changes in technique could make a major difference in the radiation dose used in survey CT scans

...a new study shows. Survey scans are those that are performed before a regular CT scan, usually to plan for the examination.

9 Aug 2005