Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano is the first hospital in North Texas to offer full-body three-dimensional imaging with a lower dose of radiation than traditional imaging.

One life-threatening complication of lung cancer surgery is the formation of blood clots in the lungs (also called pulmonary embolism, PE) or in the legs (also known as deep vein thrombosis, DVT). Together, they would be defined as venous thromboembolic events (VTE). Several presentations at AATS 2015 shed new light on this serious problem. In the first prospective study of its kind, the incidence of VTE was found to be higher than previously reported, with a 5.4 percent VTE-specific mortality rate. Of concern to clinicians, most events were asymptomatic and occurred after patients were discharged from the hospital. The second report highlights the importance of screening for VTEs, especially since the majority of lower extremity VTEs found after pneumonectomy would have gone undiagnosed and untreated without screening. The third report describes a risk assessment tool for VTEs that is applied for the first time to predict an individual’s risk of VTEs after lung cancer surgery, which can help clinicians decide whether prolonged anti-clotting therapy is warranted.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting patients who had mammograms at Coastal Diagnostic Center in Pismo Beach, California, on or after Feb. 24, 2013, about possible problems with the quality of their mammograms. This does not mean that the results of the mammograms were inaccurate, but it does mean that the patients should consider having their mammograms re-evaluated at a Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA)-certified facility to determine if they need a repeat mammogram or additional medical follow-up.

Proton Partners International Limited announced the appointment of global partners in its plans to build three proton beam therapy centers in the U.K. Partner organizations will provide state-of-the-art clinical equipment and technology solutions to the company.

ependymoma, pediatric, radiotherapy, dose, ESTRO

Two new studies show that increasing the dose of radiotherapy given to children with an intracranial ependymoma, a form of cancer of the central nervous system, can significantly improve their survival. Results of both studies were presented at the third European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Forum in Barcelona, Spain.

The American College of Radiology (ACR) announced its support for the Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act (H.R. 2043) which seeks to prospectively repeal the existing 25 percent Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) applied to Medicare reimbursement. The MPPR is applied for interpretation of advanced diagnostic imaging scans performed on the same patient, in the same session, on the same day.

A first-in-human prostate cancer study in the Journal of Molecular Imaging and Biology showed initial safety, biodistribution and dosimetry results with [18F]DCFPyL, a second-generation fluorine-18 labeled small-molecule prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) inhibitor. The imaging biomarker has been developed at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore by study co-author Martin G. Pomper, M.D., Ph.D.

Ultrasound has become an essential tool for diagnostic and procedural uses in the critical care environment. The May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia outlines a new set of basic ultrasound learning skills developed specifically for use in anesthesiology-critical care medicine (ACCM) training programs.


Kaiba was just a newborn when he turned blue because his little lungs weren’t getting the oxygen they needed. Garrett spent the first year of his life in hospital beds tethered to a ventilator, being fed through his veins because his body was too sick to absorb food. Baby Ian’s heart stopped before he was even six months old.

With higher deductibles and more price-conscious healthcare consumers, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, improving the performance, comfort and speed of MRI scans can be an important strategy for imaging centers that must compete by offering the best patient care and experience.
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