Space technology may soon help earthbound patients suffering from kidney stones. Scientists are working on ultrasound technology that can not only detect the stones but also push them out of the kidney.

Michael Bailey, PhD, one of the project leaders, summed up the research this way:
We have a diagnostic ultrasound machine that has enhanced capability to image kidney stones in the … read more »

Less than 1 percent of the time—0.74 percent, to be precise—does a CT scan performed on an emergency department patient who is experiencing dizziness yield clinically significant results that require medical intervention.

So says a study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. They presented it this week at The Triological Society’s annual Combined Sections Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida.

The … read more »

T-rays: the next frontier?

Terahertz waves, also known by the much cooler-sounding name “T-rays,” are in the far-infrared part of the spectrum—some say between the microwave and infrared zones. Their wavelengths are hundreds of times longer than those of the rays in the visible light spectrum. Their most common use right now is in airport security scanners.

T-rays have great potential for … read more »

How do physicians go about diagnosing peripheral neuropathy? There are almost countless ways, says a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan. The researchers suggest some standardization is in order.

“Currently no standard approach to the evaluation of peripheral neuropathy exists,” said Brian Callaghan, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “We need more … read more »

About 23 percent of the time, an old-fashioned autopsy comes up with a new diagnosis that was missed by all of modern medicine’s amazing imaging tests and sophisticated laboratory procedures.

So why, ask two experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, should we think that the imaging-based virtual autopsy, or “virtopsy,” is ready to replace the traditional direct physical inspection … read more »

The University of Missouri Department of Radiology appears to be under investigation.

The Columbia Daily Tribune newspaper of Columbia, Missouri (home of the university), reported Sunday that:
Multiple sources have told the Tribune that radiology employees, including low-level staff members, recently were instructed by the UM System General Counsel’s office not to delete e-mails or destroy documents, indicating an investigation.
The newspaper also … read more »

Alberta has joined the parade of Canadian provinces reporting significant problems with misread radiology scans, following British Columbia, Quebec, and Newfoundland.

Back in November, a patient at the Drumheller Health Centre in the town of Drumheller, in central Alberta, complained about a sudden change in treatment after an X-ray. That led to a review of 249 CT scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays … read more »

A new iron-based MRI contrast agent offers not only the benefit of safety but also a better means of differentiating  between benign and malignant tumors.

University of Pennsylvania engineers coated iron oxide nanoparticles with glycol chitosan, a sugar-based polymer that reacts to acids. The sugar keeps the particles from binding or being absorbed by the body, but this particular formulation allows … read more »

Researchers at Johns Hopkins In-Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center in Baltimore have begun a breathtaking five-year initiative to detect and treat breast, prostate, and other common cancers at their very earliest stages—when they’re hiding inside cells.

More than $8 million in grants from the National Cancer Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health) are fueling the initiative. It builds … read more »

Medicare paid $12.8 million in questionable reimbursements and $6.6 million in flatly incorrect reimbursements to portable X-ray suppliers in 2009, according to a study by inspector general of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

The study, released this week, covered providers who travel to nursing facilities, private homes, and other nonclinical locations to provide X-rays of the extremities, pelvis, … read more »