Learn more about the RSNA Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance
Presentations by the Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers Alliance (QIBA) during RSNA 2008 are available online.
Presentations offer an overview of QIBA, which was formed to foster more interest on quantitative imaging in clinical care. QIBA also focuses on imaging as a biomarker in clinical trials.
In addition to the overview, RSNA 2008 presentations include updates from QIBA committees focused on volumetric CT, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR, FDG-PET/CT and uniform protocols for imaging in clinical trials (UPICT).
Headlines
Leading the News
Research
Technology
Medical-Legal Issues
Clinical Practice
Leading the News
Ultrasound Proves Just As Useful As CT for Detecting Free Air
Ultrasound may be as effective as CT for the detection of intraperitoneal free air (IPFA) in patients with acute abdominal injury or pain, according to a recent study by Dr. Yoshihiro Moriwaki from the Critical Care and Emergency Center at Yokohama City University. Moriwaki and colleagues conducted ultrasound, abdominal radiography, and abdominal CT on 484 patients with abdominal pain or acute injury. Ultrasound detected IPFA in 85.2 percent of the blunt trauma patients. Ultrasound demonstrated 85.7 percent sensitivity and 99.6 percent specificity in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. The researchers found that in patients with severe acute abdominal pain, sensitivity was 85 percent and specificity was 100 percent. Dr. Christine Cocanour from the department of surgery at the University of California, Davis Medical Center notes that ultrasound diagnosis of IPFA is operator-dependent because many of the techniques for detection are dynamic and require patience. "In busy hospitals in the U.S., where technicians perform nearly all ultrasounds, ultrasound will probably not replace CT or plain radiographs for the diagnosis of free air unless we truly decide that we need to decrease medical costs," she states. Moriwaki says that "we should not compare the usefulness of CT alone with ultrasound alone for diagnosing gastrointestinal perforation, but should compare CT alone with CT plus ultrasound."
From "Ultrasound Proves Just As Useful As CT for Detecting Free Air"
Diagnostic Imaging (02/09) Moan, Rebekah
Research
Ultrasound and TPA More Effective for Stroke than TPA Alone
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Prof. Andrei Alexandrov, director of the UAB Comprehensive Stroke Center, and colleagues have found that the use of microspheres activated by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) may be more effective for the treatment of ischemic stroke than tPA alone. For the purposes of this phase I/II clinical trial, Alexandrov and colleagues used TCD ultrasound to activate either 1.4 mL or 2.8 mL doses of MRX-801 microspheres developed by ImaRx Therapeutics. Results of the trial, reported at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in San Diego, showed that recanalization was achieved in 120 minutes in 67 percent of patients who received 1.4 mL of the microspheres plus tPA compared to 46 percent of patients who received 2.8 mL and 33 percent of control patients, who received the standard dose of tPA alone. Dramatic clinical recovery was achieved in 45 percent of patients who received 1.4 mL, 10 percent of those who received 2.8 mL, and 27 percent of controls. Additionally, clinical improvement after 90 days was reported in 75 percent of patients who received 1.4 mL, 50 percent of those who received 2.8 mL, and 36 percent of controls.
From "Ultrasound and TPA Effective for Stroke According to Study"
Medical News Today (02/20/09)
Pediatric Hodgkin's Disease Survivors Face Increased Breast Cancer Risk
Women who have undergone radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease as children are 37 times more likely to develop breast cancer compared to women who have not, according to a recent study led by University of Rochester pediatric oncologist Louis S. Constine, MD. For the purposes of their study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, researchers from five institutions evaluated 398 females who were treated for Hodgkin's while under 19 from 1960 until 1990. On average, it took approximately 19 years after treatment for cancer to develop. Additionally, the researchers found that patients between the ages of 12 and 19 at the time of treatment had a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer as adults than those who were under 12 when receiving treatment.
From "Pediatric Hodgkin's Disease Survivors Face Increased Breast Cancer Risk"
Huliq.com (02/12/09)
Drug May Cut Radiation-Related Brain Function Loss
In testing on rats, researchers at Wake Forest University, led by Prof. Mike Robbins, have identified a compound that may reduce cognition loss caused by brain tumor radiation treatments. The compound, which is similar to the anti-hypertensive drug losartan, was found to protect the normal brain from cognitive injury during radiation treatments without producing any pro-tumor effects. The researchers hope that the results of the study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, can be replicated in human testing.
From "Drug May Cut Radiation Brain Function Loss"
United Press International (02/18/09)
fMRI Decodes Short-Term Memory
Psychologists from the University of Oregon and the University of California at San Diego have found that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to image blood flow changes in the brain that indicate what types of information individuals store as part of short-term memory. In order to achieve this goal, the researchers allowed subjects to view a stimulus for one second. The subjects were then instructed to focus on one aspect of the object after the stimulus disappeared. Following exposure, researchers used fMRI to image brain activity during memory selection and storage processing in the visual cortex. This information was then used to create algorithms to examine spatial patterns of activation in the early visual cortex that are associated with remembering various types of stimuli.
From "Decoding Short-Term Memory With fMRI"
Eureka! Science News (02/20/2009)
Technology
MRI Modified for Better Images
University of Zurich researchers, led by Prof. Klaas Pruessmann and doctoral candidate David Brunner, have developed a new type of MRI that allows the production of broader images with reduced shading. The researchers used traveling electromagnetic waves as opposed to standing waves, with the cylindrical conducting tube lining of the MRI machine acting as a waveguide for a signal transmitted by an outside antenna. By doing so, Pruessmann and his team were not only able to improve the quality of larger images produced, but they were also able to remove the radio-frequency coil from the MRI machine and replace it with their system, which is capable of gathering images from up to five meters away.
From "MRI Modified for Better Images"
Nature (02/19/09) Vol. 457, No. 7232, P. 947; Sanderson, Katharine
3D Ultrasound-Guided System Minimizes Prostate Biopsy Error
Scientists from the Robarts Research Institute in London, Ontario, Canada, have developed a 3D navigation system designed to minimize the margin of error during prostate biopsy. The system includes a 3D ultrasound subsystem and a passive mechanical arm to minimize prostate motion during the biopsy. The accuracy of 3D prostate segmentation, determined by comparing the known volume in a certified phantom to a reconstructed volume generated by the researchers' system, was shown to estimate the volume with a less than 5 percent error. Additionally, the study found that the system produced an average geometric error of 0.37 mm while the mean error in biopsy needle guidance accuracy tests was 2.1 mm and the mean error for the 3D location of the biopsy core was 1.8 mm.
From "Mechanically Assisted 3D Ultrasound Guided Prostate Biopsy System"
UroToday (02/20/2009) Bax, J.; Cool, D.; Gardi, L.
Microfocus Spectroscopy Images Metal Distribution in the Brains of Patients with Parkinson's Disease
University of Florida Prof. Mark Davidson, Keele University Prof. Joanna Collingwood, and colleagues were recently able to map the distribution of metal ions in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease using microfocus spectroscopy. This technique, which uses tightly focused X-rays to penetrate tissue samples, allowed the researchers to image metal distribution throughout the brain region affected by Parkinson's, where previous testing had found significantly elevated iron levels in individual cells. During her report of the team's research at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting in Chicago, Dr. Collingwood said the next step to further verify the clinical implications of these findings would be to "determine how much the contrast change seen by clinicians in the MRI scan results is directly due to changes in iron distribution and form."
From "X-ray Eyes Bring Us Closer to Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease"
InSciences.org (02/16/09)
Medical-Legal Issues
Workers' Comp Treatment Costs Higher than in Group Health
A recent National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) study of workers' compensation fee schedules reveals workers' comp plans pay more to treat injured workers than group healthcare plans. Care costs for surgery and radiology were higher for workers' comp plans than group healthcare plans, and hospital-provided physician care costs more than similar care provided in physicians' offices. Higher workers' comp costs also are related to higher utilization rates, a limited number of specialists in rural areas, and greater paperwork requirements. NCCI claims that increasing comp fee schedules would merely limit worker access to care, though providing incentives to physicians could entice them to offer more care to comp claimants. Comp insurers are willing to pay more for care that is necessary and will improve workers' return-to-work ratios.
From "Comp Treatment Costs Higher Than in Group Health, Says NCCI"
National Underwriter (Property & Casualty - Risk & Benefits Management Edition) (02/13/09)
Clinical Practice
Routine Scans for Low-Back Pain Do Not Improve Outcomes
Routine radiography, MRI, and CT scans do not improve clinical outcomes for patients with low-back pain but no indication of a significant underlying condition, according to a study conducted by Oregon Health & Science University Prof. Roger Chou and colleagues. This conclusion by Chou and his team was based on a meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials that compared immediate back imaging using MRI, CT, or radiography with usual clinical care. The trials involved more than 1,800 patients, and they used a range of measures to determine clinical outcomes, including pain and function, quality of life, mental health, overall patient-reported improvement, and patient satisfaction. The analysis, published in The Lancet, showed no significant difference between immediate imaging and usual clinical care. The authors say that the results are most applicable to acute or sub-acute low-back pain of the type assessed in a primary care setting with the patient's family doctor.
From "Routine Scans for Low-Back Pain Do Not Improve Outcomes"
Science Daily (02/18/09)
RSNA Weekly is a briefing of the latest radiology-related news selected from hundreds of sources by the editors of Information, Inc. While care is taken to use good sources, inaccuracies in source material are not the responsibility of RSNA or Information, Inc.
Abstract News © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC.
Radiological Society of North America, Inc.,
820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523-2251
|
