Radiation Exposure News and Research

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Report says children exposed to too much radiation by CT scans

According to a report by a Canadian expert, children are being exposed to excessive amounts of radiation when they have a CT scan.

11 Dec 2006

Thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased

The number of new cases of thyroid cancer among women in the U.S. has increased over the past decade despite a decline among women in mortality rates for most cancers, according to a report released Wednesday by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute, CDC and the American Cancer Society, Long Island Newsday reports.

7 Sep 2006

Effect of obesity on image quality: Evaluation of dictated radiology reports

The increase of obesity in the United States doubled the number of inconclusive diagnostic imaging exams over a 15-year period, according to a study featured in the August issue of Radiology.

25 Jul 2006

Bones rendered more vulnerable following radiation therapy

Researchers have found that mice who were given one therapeutic dose of radiation equal to that received by human cancer patients, lost as much as 39 percent of the spongy portion of their inner bone.

12 Jul 2006

Nuclear test study rules out radiation link

A University of Adelaide study has found that cancer rates among Australian men involved in the 1950s British nuclear tests are 23% higher than the general population, but has shown no link between the increased cancer rates and exposure to radiation.

5 Jul 2006

Diagnostic performance of stress perfusion and delayed-enhancement MR imaging in patients with coronary artery disease

A new cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique can noninvasively demonstrate blockage of the coronary arteries with high diagnostic accuracy, according to a study featured in the July issue of Radiology.

27 Jun 2006

Antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy for treating primary varicocele in children

This study by Zaupa et al evaluated the effectiveness and limitations of antegrade sclerotherapy (AS) for the treatment of primary varicocele in childhood.

19 Jun 2006

MR cystography accurate and safe for vesicoureteral reflux screening

MR cystography provides excellent anatomic detail of the urinary system and is a potential screening examination for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), according to a new study by researchers from Changi General Hospital in Singapore and the University of California, San Francisco.

3 May 2006

New technique reduces radiation exposure by 60 percent in abdominal CT of children

By lowering the tube current to account for both the weight and body symmetry of a child, an abdominal CT radiation dose can be reduced by 60% without compromising the image quality, says a new study by researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

3 May 2006

Coronal reformatted images speed radiologist's body CT readings

Coronal multiplanar reformatted images can replace conventionally used axial images for interpretation in the MDCT evaluation of the GI tract, improving the speed and accuracy of diagnosis

3 May 2006

New radiation protection technique significantly reduces physician radiation exposure during coronary angiography

Using the new device, physicians monitor patients' angiograms and control exam table movement from behind a lead plastic shield. A newly developed extension bar allows the physician to remain safely behind the shield and still retain table control for panning, according to Martin Magram, MD, developer of the new technique and assistant professor in the department of diagnostic radiology.

3 May 2006

Early myocardial enhancement defects (dark spots) on multidetector CT are valuable predictors of myocardial viability

...in patients who have suffered a heart attack, reported doctors from the departments of cardiology and radiology at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel.

3 May 2006

Call to speed access to innovative advances for all breast cancer patients

Breast cancer specialists and advocates at the 5th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-5) called for patients to have equal and speedy access to new breast cancer treatments and procedures, as soon as they are validated by comparative clinical trials.

28 Mar 2006

New method for examining how radiation damages body tissue

The knowledge may make it possible to reduce side effects for cancer patients or to develop treatments for radiation exposure.

1 Mar 2006

Magnetic resonance imaging can help rule out acute appendicitis in pregnancy

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help rule out acute appendicitis in pregnancy when ultrasound findings are inconclusive, according to a study in the March issue of Radiology.

28 Feb 2006

ANSTO radiation worker records unusual dose

During a normal monthly health physics check, the radiation monitoring badge of an Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) worker recently registered an unusual dose of 66 millisieverts or the equivalent of five abdominal CT scans. Other workers’ badges were normal.

26 Oct 2005

New approaches to counteract platelet shortages

Availability of safe platelets is a fundamental blood transfusion challenge and can be especially problematic in times of emergency. Several studies presented at the annual American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) meeting today demonstrate new approaches to counteract platelet shortages by enhancing the safety of whole blood derived platelets, precluding the need to rely on only those obtained through apheresis.

17 Oct 2005

Gene therapy may prevent the damaging effects of radiation

Gene therapy could be used as an agent to protect normal tissues, including the esophagus and lung, from damage during a second administration of radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer, according to an animal study presented by University of Pittsburgh researchers at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Denver.

16 Oct 2005

Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident

A total of up to four thousand people could eventually die of radiation exposure from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) accident nearly 20 years ago, an international team of more than 100 scientists has concluded.

5 Sep 2005

First proof of how the rare disorder Fanconi anemia causes chromosomal instability

The scientists found a gene mutation not previously known to be related to Fanconi anemia, and they say that BRIP1 is the first gene associated with the disease whose protein has a known function.

22 Aug 2005