Digital Radiography News

A team of researchers from the University of Surrey, have identified a new kind of light sensor that could soon pave the way for medical and security imaging byway of low cost cameras. The team's research has gone on to be published in the journal Nature's Scientific Reports. The researchers developed a novel 'multispectral' light senor that has the ability to identify the full spectrum of light, from ultra-violet (UV) rays, to visible, and near infrared light. In addition, near infrared light can be utilized to conduct non-invasive medical procedures and practices, such as measuring the oxygen level tissue and detecting tumors. Moreover, infrared light is also extensively used in security camera systems and for quality control in the agriculture and food industries. Researchers believe that having a single low cost near infrared system, in accordance with standard imaging, opens up whole new doors of possibilities. "Until now specialist light sensors have been limited in the kinds of light they can detect, with multiple sensors required to measure different ranges of the light spectrum, significantly increasing cost," said lead researcher from the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute, Dr. Richard Curry. "This new technology could allow surgeons to 'see' inside tissue to find tumors prior to surgery as well as equip consumer products, such as cameras and mobile phones, with night imaging options. This is useful for capturing quality pictures in the dark, and may eventually enable parents to simply monitor a child's blood or tissue oxygenation level via a smartphone camera which could be linked to healthcare professionals," he added. Moreover, the sensors themselves are quite flexible and be manufactured with little cost, utilizing the same laser-printers found in homes and offices. And unlike other sensors, do not need specific manufacturing ... Read more

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have recently discovered a protein molecule that appears to slow the development of pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease that is often fatal three to five years ... Read more

A recent update of an oncology software platform equips physicians with a wide range of new tools that render the use of diverse types of images so much easier and automates time-consuming image-processing tasks that are critical to treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy or radiosurgery. Velocity software is designed to find a point of entry and amass unstructured treatment and imaging data from varied systems to demonstrate a broad view of a patient’s diagnostic imaging and treatment history, regardless of where they were treated or what technology was applied. The software allows clinicians to utilize oncology patient images and data to plan and assess treatment options, work in partnership with colleagues, and share clinical knowledge. By sorting out and systematizing patient data and making it accessible in one designated area, the Velocity software can aid healthcare professionals in making better, more knowledge based treatment decisions. This newest Velocity software release also adds an array of new applications that make it simpler to merge images, measure and determine the probable impact of different doses of radiation on tumors, and normal tissues, automate several intricate image handling processes, and effectively utilize the program to communicate and cooperate with other with colleagues. Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA, USA) acquired the Velocity software platform from a privately-held Atlanta, GA, USA, firm in April 2014.  “We’re very pleased with how the integration process is going, and looking forward to sharing this latest Velocity release with Varian customers and others interested in our growing collection of tools for data-driven clinical decision making. The Velocity software product will be among the products highlighted within the Varian booth at the upcoming annual meetings of the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists [AAMD] and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine [AAPM] later this year," said associate vice president, imaging informatics at Varian, Tim ... Read more

Based on a recent study published in the May edition of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (Red Journal), the official scientific journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with hyperfractionated radiation therapy (HFX) noted improved local-regional control and over a five year lapse experienced improved overall survival with no spike in toxicity. The study which is called, "Final Results of Local-Regional Control and Late Toxicity of RTOG 9003: A Randomized Trial of Altered Fractionation Radiation for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer," includes several institutional randomized Phase III trial of fractionation in locally advanced head and neck cancer. The study, which is considered the largest fractionation study conducted at this point, assessed patients who were treated with standard fractionation (SFX) as opposed to those who received HFX, accelerated fractionation with a split (AFX-S) or accelerated fractionation-continuous (AFX-C). Patients registered in the study were age 18 years or older and had previously untreated, locally advanced squamous cell cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx or supraglottic larynx in stage III or IV or stage II-IV carcinoma of the base of the tongue or hypopharynx. Patients with a prior (within five years) or synchronous malignancy other than nonmelanoma skin cancer were exempted from the trial. The trail amassed a total of 1,076 patients from September 30, 1991 to August 1, 1997. Patients were randomized to four different treatment strategies: SFX (2 Gy/fraction/day to 70 Gy in 35 fractions over seven weeks), HFX (1.2 Gy/fraction, twice daily, to 81.6 Gy over seven weeks), AFX-S (1.6 Gy/fraction, twice daily, to 67.2 Gy over six weeks, with a two-week break after 38.4 Gy) and AFX-C (total dose of 72 Gy delivered over six weeks in 1.8 Gy daily fractions and additional 1.5 Gy boost field in the afternoon during the last 12 days of treatment). All treatments were delivered five days a week, and twice-daily treatments had a minimum interfraction interval of six hours. Local-regional failure was examined at two years, at five years and at last follow-up. As of October 1, 2012, the average follow-up was 14.1 years. Toxicity and disease recurrence evaluation was performed weekly while patients underwent RT; four months following treatment completion; every three months for one-and-a-half years; every four months between one-and-a-half and three years; every six months in years three to five; and then annually until death. Toxicities that took place less than180 days from the beginning of radiation were classified as acute, and those occurring more than180 days following RT were considered late effects. At the time of this report's analysis in October 2012, 52.7 percent of patients (568) had experienced local-regional failure, with 97.4 percent (553) happening within the first five years. Secondary primary cancers were reported for 18.6 percent of patients (200), with 50 percent (100) reported within the first three years, and 75 percent (150) reported within the first 5.5 years. After 5.5 years following treatment, the rates of secondary malignancies decreased to less than 1 percent per year. There were no notable differences in the rates of second malignancies among all four study treatment plans. At five years, the occurrence of grade 3, 4 or 5 toxicity, any feeding tube use following 180 days or feeding tube use at one year did not differ considerably when the SFX arm was juxtaposed to the three experimental arms. Grade 3, 4 or 5 toxicity tended to be decreased for patients treated over seven weeks as opposed to those treated over six weeks (9.0 percent vs. 16.7 percent, respectively), and 4.8 percent of disease-free patients treated with HFX had feeding tubes compared to 13.0 percent of patients treated with AFX-C. At five-years after treatment, patients in the HFX arm had the highest overall survival rates at 37.1 percent (HR 0.81, 95 percent CI), as opposed to 33.7 percent for the AFX-C arm, 29.3 percent for the SFX arm, and 29.0 percent for the AFX-S arm. "This study, one of only a few large studies to have follow-up beyond five years, demonstrates that patients who have head and neck cancers and who are being treated with radiation therapy alone have improved local-regional control and no increase in late toxicity when radiation therapy is delivered twice a day in two smaller doses which we call hyperfractionation," said lead author of the study and professor of radiation oncology, otolaryngology and hematology/medical oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Jonathan J. Beitler, MD, MBA, FASTRO. "The decrease in the rate of new cancers was unexpected; however, the large database and the long follow-up provided us with a window into information that had not previously been available about the long-term patterns of head and neck tumors and is particularly heartening. The results suggest that twice-daily radiation may improve cure and limit late side effects for patients. Twice-daily radiation might be worth considering in place of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for those patients who are at low risk for distant metastases and those patients who cannot tolerate systemic ... Read more

According to a recent study, since there has been a growing interest in utilizing the body's own immune system to combat tumor cells, a method that has the possibility of being very effective without the side effects typically caused by standard ... Read more

According to a new study from Utah, children with supposed sports-related head injuries discovered that emergency room visits have significantly increased since the state passed a concussion law back in 2011. Additionally an increase in CT scans, ... Read more

A study carried out by the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that estimated radiation doses are significantly lower for pediatric CT exams of the brain that employ an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique (ASIR) as opposed to those that did not employ ASIR. Additionally, the researchers discovered that the brain and salivary gland doses were considerably lower for ASIR-enabled exams as opposed to those without ASIR technique. However, no differences in the estimated organ doses were discovered for the thyroid gland, skeleton, and eye lenses across the two groups of CT exams. "CT radiation dose is an important concern with all imaging sites, especially for children. We performed this study to do a preliminary analysis of pediatric head CT examinations and to assess the factors influencing radiation doses," said Ranish Deedar Ali Khawaja.  Average radiation dose was set at 1.6 ± 1.5 mSv (estimated effective dose) in pediatric head CT. Furthermore, to the iterative reconstruction algorithm, patient age and effective body diameter notably carried enough weight to impact the doses. Khawaja and his fellow researchers presented their study at the 2014 ARRS Annual Meeting in San Diego, ... Read more

Based on a new study, an old concept of re-treating lung tumors has come back into the fold, this time with modern technology on its side. The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is one of only several cancer centers ... Read more

According to a recent study, dose-tracking software has provided an effective and easy monitoring of radiation dose exposure in a hectic academic environment. The study was conducted by the researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital. For ... Read more

According to Raphael Bueno, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, a new method that brings CT imaging into the operating room will enable surgeons to specifically isolate and remove small sub-centimeter lung nodules, leaving as much healthy ... Read more

According to recent findings, an image comparable in shape of a Swallow's tail has been identified as a new and accurate test for Parkinson's disease. The image, which depicts the healthy state of a group of cells in the sub-region of the human brain, was singled out using 3T MRI scanning technology, standard equipment in clinical settings today. The research was led by Dr Stefan Schwarz and Professor Dorothee Auer, experts in neuroradiology in the School of Medicine at The University of Nottingham and was carried out at the Queen's Medical Centre in collaboration with Dr Nin Bajaj, an expert in Movement Disorder Diseases at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Their discoveries have since been published in the open access academic journal PLOS one. The work builds on a successful collaboration with Professor Penny Gowland at the Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre at The University of Nottingham. 'The 'Swallow Tail' Appearance of the Healthy Nigrosome, A New Accurate Test of Parkinson's Disease: A Case-Control and Retrospective Cross-Sectional MRI Study at 3T,’ explains how the nonexistence of this imaging sign can help to diagnose Parkinson's disease using standard clinical Magnetic Resonance Scanners. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which destroys brain cells that control movement. Around 127,000 people in the UK have the disease. Currently there is no cure but drugs and treatments can be taken to manage the symptoms. Up until this point diagnosing Parkinson's in clinically uncertain cases has been limited due to costly nuclear medical methods. The diagnosis can be challenging early in the course of the condition and in tremor dominant cases. Other non-licensed diagnostic techniques offer a varying range of accuracy, repeatability and reliability but none of them have demonstrated the required accuracy and ease of use to allow translation into standard clinical practice. Using high resolution, ultra high filed 7T magnetic resonance imaging the Nottingham research team has already pinpointed the characteristic pathology of Parkinson's with structural change in a small area of the mid brain known as the substantia nigra. The latest study has shown that these changes can also be detected using 3T MRI technology which is accessible in hospitals across the country. They subsequently coined the phrase the 'swallow tail appearance' as an easy recognizable sign of the healthy appearing substantia nigra which is lost in Parkinson's disease. A total of 114 high-resolution scans were reviewed and in 94 per cent of cases the diagnosis was accurately made using this technique. "This is a breakthrough finding as currently Parkinson's disease is mostly diagnosed by identifying symptoms like stiffness and tremor. Imaging tests to confirm the diagnosis are limited to expensive nuclear medical techniques which are not widely available and associated with potentially harmful ionizing radiation.Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (no ionizing radiation involved and much cheaper than nuclear medical techniques) we identified a specific imaging feature which has great similarity to a tail of a swallow and therefore decided to call it the 'swallow tail sign'. This sign is absent in Parkinson's disease,” said ... Read more

Based on a new study, imaging of the coronary arteries with computed tomography (CT) angiography provides an accurate evaluation of arterial plaque and could have a significant effect on the management of diabetic patients who face a high risk of heart attacks and other adverse cardiovascular events. The study has since been published online in the journal Radiology. Plaque that forms in the arterial walls can confine blood flow and, in some cases, rupture, leading to possibly fatal heart attacks. There is substantial evidence that calcified, or stable, plaque, is less prone to rupture than non-calcified, or soft, plaque. Intravascular ultrasound can measure non-calcified and calcified coronary artery plaque, however it is invasive and incompatible for screening purposes, and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring with CT, a common noninvasive option, has limitations. "Calcium scoring measures how much calcified plaque a person has, but it doesn't measure the component that's not calcified, and that's the component that tends to be dangerous," said João A. C. Lima, M.D., from the cardiology division at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Quantitative plaque analysis with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has come into view as a feasible screening option. CCTA can capture the full anatomic map of the coronary arteries in a single heartbeat with low radiation dose. CCTA can offer a picture of the total amount of plaque throughout the arteries of the heart. Researchers from three centers: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., Johns Hopkins, and the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City; recently worked in partnership to assess CCTA in 224 asymptomatic diabetic patients. "Obese people with diabetes have a propensity for extensive and premature development of coronary artery plaque, making them an ideal study group for plaque assessment," they noted. The researchers employed measurements of coronary artery wall volume and length to determine a coronary plaque volume index (PVI) for each patient. The method provided information well beyond the presence or absence of coronary stenosis, or narrowing. PVI was linked to age, male gender, body mass index (BMI) and duration of diabetes. Younger individuals with a shorter duration of diabetes had a greater percentage of soft plaque. "Coronary plaque volume index by CCTA is not only clinically feasible and reproducible in patients with diabetes. It provides a more complete picture of the coronary arteries that could be routinely applied in at-risk patients " said David A. Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., from the NIH Clinical Center. "These findings represent a very important step in the ability to quantify plaque, particularly non-calcified plaque," added Lima. BMI, a measure of body fat based on weight and height, was the principal modifiable risk factor connected to total and soft coronary plaque as determined by CCTA. "The results reinforce how important it is to evaluate BMI as a potential driver of overall diabetes. As the only modifiable risk factor, obesity is an important target for managing diabetic patients," said Bluemke. Only about one-third of the coronary plaque in patients showed calcification, underscoring the widespread presence of non-calcified plaque. The ability to distinguish between calcified and non-calcified plaque is important because treatment may vary based on plaque composition. "People with soft plaque respond better to interventions, particularly medical therapy like statins," said Lima. The researchers will press on monitoring the patients from the study to better understand the worth of coronary artery plaque evaluation in predicting future adverse cardiovascular events and to further highlight and define the role of plaque volume index versus CAC score. A clinical trial would be required to determine if risk factor reduction would result in reduced PVI. "Now that we have baseline indices of plaque in the study patients, we can look for people who, despite optimal management, experience a cardiovascular disease event like a heart attack," Bluemke noted. CCTA is likely to be valuable for other groups of patients at high risk for cardiovascular events, the researchers said, and may one day enable physicians to predict plaque development and treat it aggressively before PVI increases ... Read more