A (human) interventional radiologist and a veterinary radiologist have developed alginate capsules that can transport bone marrow stem cells to a patient’s blood stream and aid in the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, and they can be seen and followed in X-rays.

Having tested their technique on animal models, they found that the X-ray-visible microbubbles made of seaweed better protect the stem cells … read more »

The FDA announced Tuesday the launch of an initiative to cut unneeded radiation exposure from three kinds of medical imaging procedures: computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine studies, and flouroscopy. These three are the biggest contributors to total radiation exposure for Americans and use much higher radiation doses than other imaging procedures, such as standard X-rays, dental X-rays, and mammograms.

While CT, … read more »

Patients who have undergone treatment of intracranial aneurysms with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDC) need regular follow-up studies to confirm long-term occlusion of the aneurysm, because the coils can change shape, or the aneurysm can grow. … read more »

In response to concerns over radiation overexposure, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will require all makers of CT scanners used at NIH clinics to use software that tracks and logs a patient’s radiation dose.

The number of CT scans in the U.S. has skyrocketed over the last couple of decades—up from 3 million in 1980 to 70 million in 2007—and … read more »

A joint summit on optimizing image quality and managing CT radiation will be held in April, following several reports on the dangers of radiation therapy. The summit is organized by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and funded by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and other groups.

Late last year, the FDA issued a safety investigation of CT brain … read more »

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) responded earlier this week to a New York Times article reporting on errors made during radiation therapy. Focusing on radiation accidents in the state of New York, the Jan. 24 Times story warned readers that radiation therapy, when administered incorrectly, can kill and maim patients. The story went on to say that it’s … read more »

Almost 15,000 patients each year have lower gastrointestinal bleeding that cannot be diagnosed despite aggressive workup, because standard modes of imaging and endoscopy show normal results.

Using pharmacological agents during standard angiography to induce a prohemorrhagic state is termed “provocative angiography,” and is best used when conventional angiography is non-diagnostic, and significant bleeding would otherwise necessitate emergency surgery. … read more »

Intracranial vascular stenosis is a risk factor for cerebral infarction, and methods of treatment include conservative management, angioplasty, or angioplasty and stent.

A recent study was conducted to evaluate outcomes and factors related to adverse events following balloon expandable intracranial stent placement (BEICS).

Angioplasty and stenting of severe intracranial stenosis has proven to be highly successful. … read more »

Air Emboli: Risks Associated With Central Venous Catheter Placement and Exchange
Air embolization (AE) is a potentially fatal complication of central venous catheter placement, manipulation, removal, or exchange.

There are a variety of protective devices or techniques that are used to limit the incidence of air emboli during catheter procedures, but the effectiveness of these has not been evaluated by objective experimental … read more »

A recent study was conducted to evaluate the perfusion of ischemic myocardium on 64-MDCT coronary angiography.

In general, on 64-MDCT coronary angiography, ischemic myocardium is characterized by less perfusion of the subendocardium during systole and normal perfusion during diastole.
… read more »