Health Imaging & IT - January 2008 - (Page 48)

stat sheet FDG-PET aids inflammatory breast disease detection With inflammatory breast disease, FDG-PET scans may detect distant metastases that are missed by CT, according to research presented at RSNA 2007 in November. In a retrospective study of 41 women, mean age 50, who had newly diagnosed inflammatory breast cancer, 20 had distant metastases detected by PET/CT that were not detected by standard imaging. PET/CT was 95 percent accurate for diagnosing distant metastases. Inflammatory breast cancer accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancers and is considered the most aggressive form of breast cancer. Mean five-year survival for inflammatory breast cancer is 30 percent and researchers said it was too soon to determine whether early diagnosis of metastases with PET/CT would result in increased survival. Philips Gemini GXL PET/CT system Migraines may cause brain alterations Migraine sufferers may have alterations in their brain structures related to pain sensation, according to findings published in Neurology. Areas of the somatosensory cortex were as much as 21 percent thicker in patients who get migraine headaches than in healthy controls. Although the somatosensory cortex plays a crucial role in processing pain and sensory information, the significance of the changes remains unknown. Researchers speculated that repetitive migraine attacks could lead to or be the result of neuroplastic changes in cortical and subcortical structures of the trigeminal somatosensory system. E-prescriptions growing but adoption rates stay low The number of electronic prescriptions is increasing significantly, but the rate of adoption among doctors remains low, according to a new report by SureScripts. According to the report, about 35 million prescriptions and refill requests will be transmitted electronically through the SureScripts e-prescribing network in 2007. The number of e-prescriptions for the first three quarters of 2007 exceeded volume for the last three years combined and approximately 100 million e-prescriptions will be transmitted through SureScripts’ network in 2008. The report found that e-prescribing accounts for only 2 percent of new prescriptions and renewals; only 6 percent of U.S. doctors use electronic prescriptions. About 70 percent of pharmacies have e-prescribing capabilities. Obese missing out on imaging The morbidly obese population may be missing out on essential diagnostic imaging simply because the equipment cannot support their weight, according to a study presented by Raul N. Uppot, MD, of Harvard Medical School at RSNA 2007 in November. A standard table cannot support a heart attack patient weighing 350 pounds, eliminating the possibility of angiography, and many large patients are too big to undergo CT for diagnosis. Unfortunately, obese patients usually need more imaging studies than their leaner counterparts—obesity is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease but the patients are too big to take advantage of cath lab technology. Researchers found that obese patients weighing an average of 505 pounds had an average delay of 18 days before their condition was correctly diagnosed and treated. overweight kids on the way to big heart trouble in adulthood Overweight and obesity among kids substantially increase their future risk of heart attack and other cardiac events, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Boys overweight by 25 pounds at age 13 had a 33 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease events in adulthood than those at a normal weight at that age. This elevated risk was similar for girls with a similar body mass index. If current obesity trends continue, heart disease prevalence may increase 5 percent to 16 percent over the next 25 years as today’s obese adolescents age. Researchers said that while the childhood obesity epidemic has gotten a lot of attention, it’s clear that its full impact lies in the future. 48 Health Imaging & IT | January 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - January 2008

Health Imaging & IT Table of Contents On the Web The Enterprise: Is More Better? News Update A Look Inside Next-Generation Multidetector CT Convention Spotlight: RSNA in Review RIS/PACS in the Imaging Center Sweden: A Study in Mammography Excellence The Votes are in: Yea for Speech in U.S. Capital & Beyond Subspecialty Reading Services: Quality Reads, Peace of Mind, 24/7 Enterprise Lung CAD Eases Workflow Advertisers Index Company Index Coming Soon Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - January 2008

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