Submit Abstracts for RSNA 2009
The online system to submit abstracts for RSNA 2009 will be activated in mid-January. The submission deadline is 12:00 p.m. Central Time on April 15, 2009. Abstracts are required for scientific papers, scientific posters and education and applied science exhibits.
To submit an abstract online, go to RSNA.org/abstracts.
More information about RSNA 2009, including registration and course enrollment dates, is available at RSNA2009.RSNA.org.
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Research
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From RSNA
December RSNA News Now Online
The full version of the December issue of RSNA News is now available online.
Highlights include:
Practice Issues Dominate Ongoing Virtual Colonoscopy Discussion
With the clinical accuracy of CT colonoscopy established, new issues—training and accreditation, reimbursement, management of extracolonic findings and multispecialty coordination—are moving to the fore.
Laser Technique Could Unlock Protein Imaging
Physicists at a national laboratory have demonstrated the world's first X-ray microprobe of laser-aligned molecules—a first step toward better understanding human proteins when studying drug interaction.
MBI Shows Promise
A recent study indicates molecular breast imaging could be a beneficial adjunct test for women with dense breasts who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Benefits, Drawbacks Must be Weighed in Relationships with Industry
RSNA 2008 course presenters discussed how the recent proliferation of physician-industry relationships benefit the medical profession and how potential downsides should be managed.
Different Methods Deployed to Manage Imaging Utilization in U.S. and Canada
While limiting capacity controls imaging utilization in Canada, utilization in the U.S. is managed by limiting economic incentives to image, said presenters of an RSNA 2008 session.
Leading the News
FDA Teams With WebMD for New Online Consumer Health Information
The FDA has partnered with WebMD in an effort to provide patients with more detailed and timely drug and device safety information. The partnership will allow patients to access information on the safety of FDA-regulated products via WebMD.com. The site will also post adverse event-reporting instructions, FDA public health alerts, and consumer updates. Additionally, FDA Consumer Updates will be featured in WebMD's bimonthly print publication a minimum of three times a year.
From "FDA Teams With WebMD for New Online Consumer Health Information"
FDA.gov (12/03/08)
Research
Advancing Prostate Cancer: Combo Treatment Best
Radiation plus hormone therapy should become the standard first-line treatment for locally advanced prostate cancer, according to researchers from Umea University, Sweden. The study, led by Anders Widmark, MD, found that after 10 years of treatment, 24 percent of men treated with hormone therapy alone died of prostate cancer, compared with only about 12 percent of men who received the hormone/radiation combination. The study notes that the improvement did not have excess long-term toxicity, and although patients who received the combined treatment reported significantly more diarrhea four years after treatment, 85 percent of them said the side effects were acceptable. Alex Tan, MD, and Chris Parker, MD, of England's Institute of Cancer Research, wrote an accompanying editorial that said the combination treatment may slow progression of "micrometastases." The study and editorial were published in the Dec. 17 issue of The Lancet.
From "Advancing Prostate Cancer: Combo Treatment Best"
WebMD (12/15/08) DeNoon, Daniel J.
Nationwide Clinical Trial to Determine Effectiveness of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Prostate Cancer
Phase II/Phase III clinical trials have been initiated to determine the effectiveness of high-intensity focused ultrasound in the treatment of prostate cancer. The trials will reportedly enroll approximately 410 patients over 60 years old with a diagnosis of clinical stage T1a, T1b, T1c, or T2a organ-confined prostate cancer confirmed by prostate biopsy.
From "Centers Nationwide Participating in Clinical Trial to Determine Effectiveness of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Procedure for Prostate Cancer"
Medical News Today (12/16/08)
Lower-Dose Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy Results in Better Hearing Preservation
A recent study conducted by Thomas Jefferson University Prof. David W. Andrews and his team found that a lower dosage of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR) for acoustic neuromas resulted in better hearing preservation while maintaining 100 percent tumor control. Andrews and his team analyzed the records of 89 patients treated with FSR at Jefferson between 1994 and 2007. Forty-three of those patients received the high-dose 50.4 Gruyere (Gy) while 46 received 46.8 Gy. Following treatment, the pure tone average was 33 decibels for patients in the low-dose group, a significant improvement over the 40 decibels in the high-dose group. Furthermore, the actuarial hearing preservation rate for the low-dose group was 165 weeks, compared to just 79 weeks for the high-dose group. Full results of the study can be found in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology *Biology* Physics.
From "Lower-Dose Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy Results in Better Hearing Preservation"
PhysOrg.com (12/17/08)
New Study Finds Survival Benefit Among Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Definity-Enhanced Echocardiography
A recent study conducted by Lantheus Medical Imaging found that the use of perflutren lipid microsphere (Definity) reduces the risk of short-term mortality in patients who undergo echocardiography by 24 percent. The study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, analyzed the records of 4.3 million patients from the Premier Perspective Database. Of those patients, 4,242,712 underwent echocardiography with Definity while 58,254 did not.
From "New Study Published in the American Journal of Cardiology Finds Survival Benefit Among Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Definity-Enhanced…"
Genetic Engineering News (12/15/08)
Technology
CAD May Increase False-Positive Breast Cancer Results
Computer-aided detection (CAD) mammography may help detect more cases of breast cancer but it may also increase the instance of false-positive results, according to research conducted by Meredith Noble and her team at the ECRI Institute. Their report analyzed data from CAD mammography's use in 392,015 healthy women. They found the technique had a test sensitivity between 84.2 percent and 87.6 percent as well as a test specificity between 88.1 percent and 88.3 percent. When Noble and her colleagues compared the CAD mammography findings to biopsy results and patient follow-up records, they also found that CAD mammography helped identify approximately 50 additional cancers for every 100,000 women who underwent the screening test. However, they also found that between 1,090 and 1,290 women per 100,000 women screened were recalled for further testing and/or biopsy following CAD results that later proved to be false positives.
From "Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) Mammography for Breast Cancer Screening"
News-Medical (12/15/08)
New MRI Technique Quickly Assesses Acute Stroke Damage
A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique is able to detect the extent of the ischemic penumbra following an acute stroke, according to a study led by Dr. Charlotte Rosso. The new technique, known as NEURiNFARCT uses basic routine diffusion MRI sequences to measure the mobility of water molecules in tissues, which is significantly reduced in the core of the infarct lesion and the ischemic penumbra region. Analysis of these tissues is then based on a model of the ongoing infarct growth in the brain, allowing earlier evaluation of the severity of a stroke. The technique, described in Radiology, was found to be at least as effective as alternative perfusion MRI or CT techniques that require the use of contrast agents.
From "Innovative MRI-Based Technique"
ScienceDaily (12/15/08)
Medical-Legal Issues
Will FDA’s Risk Management Model For Drugs Migrate To Devices?
The FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) may introduce more risk management regulations on moderate-risk devices. In a teleconference Nov. 13, lawyers from the firm Sidley Austin said that CDRH may impose authority similar to the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) that the FDA requires for drugs and biologics with known or potential serious risks. Voluntary recommendations from CDRH may lead to legal requirements, said Sidley Austin partner Coleen Klasmeier. The FDA may also start to recommend that 510(k) sponsors voluntarily adopt added risk management measures. Klasmeier said that device reviewers have already contacted one firm with a pending 510(k) to suggest establishing a specialized training or certification program. Jeffrey Gibbs, a lawyer with Hyman, Phelps, & McNamara, said that expanding its post-market powers through new legislation is not a high priority for CDRH, though he expects it to adopt REMS policies over time. The FDA, Gibbs said, could use existing authorities to increase its powers without legislation.
From "Will FDA’s Risk Management Model For Drugs Migrate To Devices?"
Medical Devices Today (12/02/08) Bylander, Jessica
Clinical Practice
New Standards Reduce Damage to Brachial Plexus Nerves from Head and Neck Radiation Therapy
UC Davis Cancer Center researchers, led by assistant radiation oncology Prof. Allen Chen, have developed specific standards designed to avoid damage to the brachial plexus nerves when delivering radiation treatments for head and neck cancers. The standards establish step-by-step techniques that identify the brachial plexus complex using anatomical markers visible with computed tomography. Additionally, Chen and his team have designed delivery contours for intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatments that avoid those areas. The standards were then tested on 10 patients with head and neck cancers. An evaluation of the standards can be found in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physiology.
From "Cancer Treatments Redefined to Reduce Potential Nerve Damage"
ScienceDaily (12/20/08)
MRI Accurate in Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be able to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease using a visual rating system that determines the level of atrophy in the patient's medial temporal lobe. This technique was tested in a 260-person trial at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. The study, led by Mount Sinai Medical Center medical director Ranjan Dura, found that scores generated by MRI evaluation accurately distinguished between patients with probable Alzheimer's Disease, other forms of cognitive impairment, and no discernable memory loss. Full results of the study can be found in the journal Neurology.
From "MRI Brain Scans Accurate in Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease"
Eureka! Science News (12/18/2008)
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