Peridot Technologies announced the release of another Medical Imaging App for Windows Phone 7 devices that can browse and load medical images from patient’s HealthVault Account, so patient can easily share his medical images with friends, family and other doctors.
My Medical Images is a DICOM Viewer app for Microsoft HealthVault users to load medical images and studies (like X-Ray, Ultrasound, CT Scan, MRI, PET Scan etc.) on Windows Phone 7. With this application user can securely sign in to HealthVault account to search studies within the account and then open the specific study with all of the study data and medical images, once study data and preview images for all of the series are loaded, then user may touch or click on any preview image tile to load the high resolution medical images on the full screen of the phone, where user can scroll through various images and frames within that series or pinch to zoom or pan the image
♦ Securely Sign In to HealthVault Account
♦ Search Studies within HealthVault account with Study Date, Series UID, Physician’s Name or Study Description
♦ Open Study with Preview Images and Study Header Data
♦ Load High Resolution/high Quality Study Images in Full screen mode
♦ Scroll through different images / Frames of the Series with the touch and scroll of the finger on the image
♦ Pinch to Zoom
♦ Rotate phone to Rotate Image on the screen
source: PR Web
1.27.2012
1.26.2012
CT Scans for Dizziness in the ER: Worth the Cost?
DETROIT – Performing CT scans in the emergency department for patients experiencing dizziness may not be worth the expense – an important finding from Henry Ford Hospital researchers as hospitals across the country look for ways to cut costs without sacrificing patient care.
According to the Henry Ford study, less than 1 percent of the CT scans performed in the emergency department revealed a more serious underlying cause for dizziness – intracranial bleeding or stroke – that required intervention.
The findings suggest that it may be more cost effective for hospitals to instead implement stricter guidelines for ordering in-emergency department CT scans of the brain and head for patients experiencing dizziness.
“When a patient comes into the emergency department experiencing dizziness, a physician’s first line of defense is often to order a CT scan to rule out more serious medical conditions. But in our experience it is extremely rare that brain and head imagining yields significant results,” says study author Syed F. Ahsan, M.D., a neuro-otologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.
“It is our hope that our investigation into our own practices will shed light on avenues to run leaner practices within our institution, as well as serve as a model for other health systems.”
Along with Dr. Ahsan, Henry Ford study co-authors are Mausumi N. Syamal, M.D., and Kathleen Yaremchuk, M.D.
source: Henry Ford Health System
According to the Henry Ford study, less than 1 percent of the CT scans performed in the emergency department revealed a more serious underlying cause for dizziness – intracranial bleeding or stroke – that required intervention.
The findings suggest that it may be more cost effective for hospitals to instead implement stricter guidelines for ordering in-emergency department CT scans of the brain and head for patients experiencing dizziness.
“When a patient comes into the emergency department experiencing dizziness, a physician’s first line of defense is often to order a CT scan to rule out more serious medical conditions. But in our experience it is extremely rare that brain and head imagining yields significant results,” says study author Syed F. Ahsan, M.D., a neuro-otologist in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford.
“It is our hope that our investigation into our own practices will shed light on avenues to run leaner practices within our institution, as well as serve as a model for other health systems.”
Along with Dr. Ahsan, Henry Ford study co-authors are Mausumi N. Syamal, M.D., and Kathleen Yaremchuk, M.D.
source: Henry Ford Health System
1.22.2012
New Technology Allows CT Scans to Be Done with a Fraction of the Conventional Radiation Dose
University of Michigan Health System is first U.S. academic site to put GE’s Veo into clinical use
A technological breakthrough is allowing the University of Michigan Health System to be the first teaching hospital in the U.S. to perform some CT scans using a fraction of the radiation dose required for a conventional CT image.
Over the past decade, U-M scientists have contributed to the research behind the new GE Healthcare technology, known as Veo.
“Reducing patients’ radiation exposure is a high priority for us,” says Ella Kazerooni, M.D., M.S., professor of radiology at the U-M Medical School. “The radiation dose for a standard chest CT is equal to about 70 chest x-rays. In comparison, a chest CT using Veo can use a radiation dose equivalent to just one or two chest x-rays."
Doses for scans using Veo, however, will vary depending on factors like the size of the patient, the part of the body being scanned, and the diagnostic task, Kazerooni notes.
source: University of Michigan
1.19.2012
Bismuth Nanoparticles Yield Promising X-ray Imaging Agent
A major focus of research in cancer nanotechnology aims to develop nanoparticles that can improve the ability of various imaging techniques to spot tumors at a very early stage. While these efforts have focused almost exclusively on developing so-called “contrast agents” for use with magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging, one group of investigators has now developed a polymer-coated bismuth nanoparticle that holds promise for improving the tumor-detecting capabilities of computed tomography X-ray imaging, or CT.
Reporting its work in the journal Nature Materials, a team of researchers led by Ralph Weissleder, M.D., Ph.D., at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, began their work by refining a method for growing bismuth sulphide nanocrystals to produce flat, rectangular particles of reproducible size and shape. They then coated the resulting nanocrystal with the biocompatible polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone), or PVP, to create nanoparticles that would be inert in the body, absorb X-rays efficiently, and remain long enough to accumulate in the tumor, and thus, be more visible in a CT image. The researchers note that the PVP coating should also enable them to add tumor-targeting molecules to the particles to increase their ability to image small tumors.
Tests in animals showed that these bismuth nanoparticles remained in the bloodstream far longer than commercially available iodine-based CT contrast agents, and could be used at lower doses.
source: National Cancer Institute
Reporting its work in the journal Nature Materials, a team of researchers led by Ralph Weissleder, M.D., Ph.D., at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, began their work by refining a method for growing bismuth sulphide nanocrystals to produce flat, rectangular particles of reproducible size and shape. They then coated the resulting nanocrystal with the biocompatible polymer poly(vinylpyrrolidone), or PVP, to create nanoparticles that would be inert in the body, absorb X-rays efficiently, and remain long enough to accumulate in the tumor, and thus, be more visible in a CT image. The researchers note that the PVP coating should also enable them to add tumor-targeting molecules to the particles to increase their ability to image small tumors.
Tests in animals showed that these bismuth nanoparticles remained in the bloodstream far longer than commercially available iodine-based CT contrast agents, and could be used at lower doses.
source: National Cancer Institute
1.16.2012
Medical Arts Radiology Introduces First Volumetric PET/CT to Long Island
PET/CT scanning is a powerful diagnostic tool in medicine and has revolutionized the field of oncology. Medical Arts Radiology, one of the first sites on Long Island to offer PET/CT, has extensive expertise in the performance and interpretation of this important imaging modality.
Medical Arts Radiology introduces the GE Discovery VCT to its Plainview location, offering improved patient safety with new, state-of-the-art crystal technology. The Discovery VCT’s ultra-fast LSO crystal produces enhanced quality images, and brings significant advantages to 3-D volumetric acquisition. In addition, the VCT addresses one of the biggest challenges in PET/CT – motion artifact, enabling detailed and precise imaging even in areas subject to motion, like the heart and lungs.
These advances in PET/CT technology being employed by Medical Arts offer an improved measure of patient safety, boasting a faster scan time and reduces the dose of radiation necessary to produce enhanced quality images.
source: PR Web
Medical Arts Radiology introduces the GE Discovery VCT to its Plainview location, offering improved patient safety with new, state-of-the-art crystal technology. The Discovery VCT’s ultra-fast LSO crystal produces enhanced quality images, and brings significant advantages to 3-D volumetric acquisition. In addition, the VCT addresses one of the biggest challenges in PET/CT – motion artifact, enabling detailed and precise imaging even in areas subject to motion, like the heart and lungs.
These advances in PET/CT technology being employed by Medical Arts offer an improved measure of patient safety, boasting a faster scan time and reduces the dose of radiation necessary to produce enhanced quality images.
source: PR Web
1.15.2012
Advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology Suggests Axonal Repair in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with COPAXONE(R)
JERUSALEM, Jan, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Researchers utilizing an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to characterize and chart the evolution of MS lesions found that relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with COPAXONE(R) (glatiramer acetate injection) experienced significantly increased magnetization transfer ratio (MTR). Magnetization transfer ratio is a nonconventional MRI technique used to investigate abnormalities in brain structures, and increased values indicate potential remyelination and axonal tissue repair.
The 12-month MRI study, conducted at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC) located in the Jacobs Neurological Institute at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, examined 40 RRMS COPAXONE(R) naive patients. Patients received monotherapy with COPAXONE(R) (20 mg/day) everyday beginning at the baseline visit for 12 months. Study patients were assessed at baseline and after 12 months based on clinical examinations and using detailed conventional and nonconventional MRI protocols, including magnetization transfer imaging (MTI), an emerging MRI technique used to assess remyelination in the brains of MS patients.
"These data indicate that treatment with COPAXONE(R) resulted in a measureable amount of tissue repair in study patients," said Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, Director of the BNAC, Professor of Neurology at the University at Buffalo, and lead study author. "The observed increases in MTR point to a potential for remyelination. Overall, these findings contribute to the vast body of research that supports the long-term efficacy and safety of the therapy."
source: MarketWatch
1.11.2012
Patient-Matched Technology Shows Value for Patients, Surgeons and the Healthcare System
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN, LSE: SN) today announces the publication of a new study on the value of patient-matched technology for total knee replacement. Published in the Journal of Arthroplasty (JOA), the official Journal of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, this first-of-its-kind study specifically looked at the VISIONAIRE patient-matched system from Smith & Nephew.
With the VISIONAIRE system, a surgeon uploads each patient's specific MRI and X-Ray images into Smith & Nephew's proprietary web-based software. A Smith & Nephew engineer then uses this data to design and build customized surgical instruments that accommodate the unique shapes and angles of each patient's joint for a more precisely aligned implant.
According to the JOA study, surgeries that used patient-matched instruments resulted in implants that were a full degree closer to neutral – the body's natural alignment – than those using traditional instrumentation. The accurate placement of an implant has been shown to reduce implant wear and improve the longevity of an implant.[i]
Additional key findings in the study are that patient-matched technology:
source: PR Newswire
With the VISIONAIRE system, a surgeon uploads each patient's specific MRI and X-Ray images into Smith & Nephew's proprietary web-based software. A Smith & Nephew engineer then uses this data to design and build customized surgical instruments that accommodate the unique shapes and angles of each patient's joint for a more precisely aligned implant.
According to the JOA study, surgeries that used patient-matched instruments resulted in implants that were a full degree closer to neutral – the body's natural alignment – than those using traditional instrumentation. The accurate placement of an implant has been shown to reduce implant wear and improve the longevity of an implant.[i]
Additional key findings in the study are that patient-matched technology:
- Reduces the amount of time a patient spent under anaesthesia;
- Shortens a patient's hospital stay;
- Shortens the length of the incision required for knee replacement surgery.
source: PR Newswire
1.09.2012
Costly diagnostic MRIs unnecessary for many back pain patients
By Stephanie Desmon, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins–led research suggests that routine MRI imaging does nothing to improve the treatment of patients who need injections of steroids into their spinal columns to relieve pain. Moreover, MRI plays only a small role in a doctor’s decision to give these epidural steroid injections, or ESIs, the most common procedure performed at pain clinics in the United States.
With greater focus on runaway health care costs, the study’s findings, appearing online in the Archives of Internal Medicine, highlight one element of the problem: the indiscriminate use of an expensive imaging tool that shows little clinical benefit.
“Our results suggest that MRI is unlikely to avert a procedure, diminish complications or improve outcomes,” said study leader Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Considering how frequently these epidural injections are performed, not routinely ordering an MRI before giving one may save significant time and resources.
“If we’re trying to cut back on unnecessary medical costs,” Cohen added, “we should stop routinely doing MRIs on almost everyone who comes to us needing ESIs.” A single MRI costs roughly $1,500.
source: Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins–led research suggests that routine MRI imaging does nothing to improve the treatment of patients who need injections of steroids into their spinal columns to relieve pain. Moreover, MRI plays only a small role in a doctor’s decision to give these epidural steroid injections, or ESIs, the most common procedure performed at pain clinics in the United States.
With greater focus on runaway health care costs, the study’s findings, appearing online in the Archives of Internal Medicine, highlight one element of the problem: the indiscriminate use of an expensive imaging tool that shows little clinical benefit.
“Our results suggest that MRI is unlikely to avert a procedure, diminish complications or improve outcomes,” said study leader Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Considering how frequently these epidural injections are performed, not routinely ordering an MRI before giving one may save significant time and resources.
“If we’re trying to cut back on unnecessary medical costs,” Cohen added, “we should stop routinely doing MRIs on almost everyone who comes to us needing ESIs.” A single MRI costs roughly $1,500.
source: Johns Hopkins University
1.01.2012
MRI Scan May be a Better Tool for Assessing Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease has traditionally been assessed through coronary angiography and SPECT scanning, both of which employ ionizing radiation to produce diagnostic images.
A recent British Heart Foundation study which was published online in the Lancet has
shown that MRI may also be a reliable and in some respects better alternative in assessing chronic heart disease.
The five year study led by Leeds researchers involved 752 patients. The results have shown that not only is MRI a consistent and reliable tool for detecting CHD, it was also better than SPECT at diagnosing CHD and at ruling out heart disease in patients who did not have the condition. MRI scanning has the additional advantage of not exposing the patient to radiation.
In a press release the University of Leeds noted that this is "the first time that MRI has been compared head-to-head against the 'gold standard' tests for CHD in such a large group of patients".
A recent British Heart Foundation study which was published online in the Lancet has
shown that MRI may also be a reliable and in some respects better alternative in assessing chronic heart disease.
The five year study led by Leeds researchers involved 752 patients. The results have shown that not only is MRI a consistent and reliable tool for detecting CHD, it was also better than SPECT at diagnosing CHD and at ruling out heart disease in patients who did not have the condition. MRI scanning has the additional advantage of not exposing the patient to radiation.
In a press release the University of Leeds noted that this is "the first time that MRI has been compared head-to-head against the 'gold standard' tests for CHD in such a large group of patients".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
