Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008 - (Page 10)

news updaTe Clinical Studies Coronary calcium distribution tied to heart attack risk Calcium coverage scoring, which identifies the amount and distribution of calcified plaque build-up in the coronary arteries, may better predict a person’s risk of heart attack, according to a new multicenter study published in Radiology. The results showed that diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia were highly associated with calcium coverage score. The study also found that the calcium coverage score was a better predictor of future cardiac events than currently used measures that gauge only the amount of calcium present.  business buZZ u.s. mri annual volume growth slowing In the last four years, MRI procedure volume growth in the united States has slowed to an average annualized rate of 3 percent, compared to an average growth rate of 15 percent prior to 2004, according to a study published by IMV Medical. The study revealed that new procedures are the key avenue for growth, and 3T MRIs are providing some potential for growth.  Study recommends standards for pediatric doses A review of 13 pediatric hospitals in North America has revealed a lack of universally applied standards for administering radiopharmaceutical doses to children undergoing nuclear medicine examinations, according to survey results published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The study authors recommend establishing guidelines that balance the need for high-quality image resolution and low radiation exposure with each child’s unique profile. Image: TeraRecon philips to sell its stake in medQuist for $285m Royal Philips Electronics has reached an agreement to sell its 69.5 percent ownership interest in MedQuist to CBay Systems Holdings for approximately $285 million. Radiation plus surgery improves survival in neck cancer Adding radiation therapy to surgery significantly improves overall survival in patients diagnosed with node-positive head and neck cancer compared to surgery alone, according to a study in International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. Investigators found that the adjuvant radiation therapy significantly improved five-year overall survival (46.3 percent for surgery plus radiation therapy vs. 35.2 percent for surgery alone) and cancer-specific survival (54.8 percent for surgery plus radiation therapy vs. 46.2 percent for surgery alone).  apple to launch iphone 3g with medical imaging capabilities Apple will launch its iPhone 3g with add-on applications offering medical imaging capabilities. The company said medical imaging is data intensive and requires considerable user interaction, which it believes the iPhone’s multi-touch interface supports. aCademiC allianCes GE, UPMC launch company to digitize pathology GE Healthcare and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) have formed a new company, Omnyx, to improve the diagnosis and interpretation of lab results by digitizing the pathology process. GE and UPMC are each putting $20 million into the new company. Omnyx will bring to market digital solutions to a science that has relied on glass slides and microscopes for more than 125 years.  varian inks $320m supply agreement with Toshiba Varian Medical Systems has executed a $320 million, three-year contract to supply medical imaging subcomponents to Toshiba for integration into diagnostic imaging equipment. Orders will be booked over the period of the agreement, according to the Palo Alto, Calif.based Varian. Ziosoft, Johns Hopkins to develop cardiac advanced viz applications Ziosoft, a provider of advanced visualization and analysis software for medical imaging, is partnering with medical teaching institution, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, to explore innovative applications for cardiac CT and MR imaging. Johns Hopkins will utilize Ziosoft’s Ziostation 3D/4D enterprise software to develop applications for coronary and cardiac analysis. STAY CONNECTED: For daily news, log onto HealthImaging.com 10 Health Imaging & IT | July 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008

Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008 On the Web The Enterprise News Update Convention Spotlight: AHRA 2008 Cover Story: Driving Metrics to Drive Business: Digital Dashboards Deliver Mammography CAD Comes of Age Breast MR CAD: Earlier Detection, Increased Efficiency Lung CAD Earning a Spot in Day-to-Day Practice Colon CAD: Breaking Down Barriers Modality Review: Cardiac CT Angiography: A Clear Pathway to Better Cardiac Patient Management Practice Management: RIS Rights Efficiency & Productivity Wrongs In Practice: Advanced Visualization Across the Enterprise Regulatory Update: Beware: Recovery Audit Contractors Poised for Permanent Status Technology Outlook: Compressing Images for Remote Transmission Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.