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Friday, August 21, 2009
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Mummy Scan
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Stanford has recently utilized a CT scan to diagnose the death, life, and preservation of a 2,500 year old mummy. By looking beyond the wraps and mummification, researchers can look for details in the mummy's body that may unlock answers to questions about ancient Egypt.
"What we're trying to do is merge science, culture, history, medicine, art - it gives us an opportunity to incorporate modern techniques and procedures along with one of the oldest things in our collections," said the curator of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco to Mercury News.
The scan results made researchers question the actual age of the mummy at the time of death. The information was then compared to other mummy data collected over the years. This is Stanford's second mummy to be scanned in their radiology department.
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Monday, August 10, 2009
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Scan for Mesothelioma
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Researchers are now saying that a combination of computed tomograph and positron emission tomography may be best for scanning for mesothelioma. The CT-PET test may help stage the disease better than an MRI or just a CT scan. By doing this, patients may be able to avoid invasive surgery that may not be necessary.
"CT and MRI scans are used to stage mesothelioma patients, but research shows they are not very accurate at determining how far mesothelioma has spread. As a result, 25% of patients undergo invasive surgery for cancer that cannot be removed surgically" researchers report to Surviving Mesothelioma.
For those with the disease, invasive surgery such as extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) surgery may be needed. During surgery, the entire lung, lining of the heart, and diaphragm are removed. Patients scanned with a CT-PET scan may allow doctors a better chance at correcting diagnosing if a patient's cancer will be cured by the EPP surgery. More tests are still being conducted to confirm the research results, however the scan is already being used by many diagnostic centers nationwide.
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Thursday, August 06, 2009
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Veteran Lung Scan
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Over 500 New Mexico veterans have signed on for a new program to scan for early detection of lung cancer. Biomoda Inc, the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology are all involved in this state-funded screening based on new technology by Biomoda. The veteran participants are screened with Biomoda's CyPath(r) technology and then the results are compared to CT scans and PAP stains.
"This study will help us move the CyPath(r) technology closer to FDA approval and commercialization, bringing a non-invasive, accurate, and inexpensive tool for detecting cancer to market. The health benefits of the Biomoda diagnostic are obvious and have worldwide implications" explained the president of Biomoda.
Over 100 of the participants have already been screened. Veterans and the armed forces have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. One purpose of the study is to spread awareness to veterans of the importance for early detection of the disease and hopefully find a more efficient method to do so.
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
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Breast CT Scan
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A new CT Scan used to detect cancerous breast tumors is currently being tested as an alternative to a traditional mammogram. For the test, women lay on their stomach with their breasts placed within two holes in the scanning table. The CT scanners rotate around the breasts from underneath the table. Women participants have noted that this is more comfortable position and scanning method than a mammogram.
The scan is being tested at UC Davis and the "breast CT is still experimental for diagnosis" says the research leader to US News & World Report. More tests need to be conducted before widespread use of this new scanning technology.
However, there are some drawbacks. The test could not be used by women with small breasts that cannot drop down in the specified holes. Also, tumors that are not close to the nipple may not be able to be detected from this type of CT scan. These are issues being tested and more research will be conducted in the coming months
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
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CEO Saved By Own Scan
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The CEO of Mountain Vista Medical Center decided to participate in a discounted scan promotion his hospital was running to show support. In truth, it may have saved his life. The hospital was running a promotion on a CT scan called HeartView for under a hundred dollars. Once scanned, the CEO was shocked to know he had an abnormality in his aorta.
Not knowing of this childhood heart condition, the CEO had calcium deposits on his arteries and he was at high risk for heart disease. Now he is managing his weight and watching his blood pressure. He says the scan saved his life, and has even had his whole family scanned as a result. Such scans can detect heart related issues early, making treatment easier and more effective.
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Monday, August 03, 2009
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Doctors Performing Own Scans
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Many doctors today are investing in diagnostic imaging technology to have within their own office. As a result, the number of self-referred scans has increased in the past few years. Patients are being scanned in their physician's office immediately instead of waiting for a diagnostic center. Although this is more convenient for the patient, many critics believe that self-referral needs to be regulated.
The Washington Post found that one Iowa urologist increased from 8 scans prescribed to 55 scans. "The increase came in the months after the urologists bought their own CT scanner. Instead of referring patients to radiologists, the doctors started conducting their own imaging -- and drawing insurance reimbursements for each of those patients."
Another criticism of self-referral is the health risks associated. New studies show there may be a cancer risk if too many radiation scans are prescribed. The new democratic healthcare reform is addressing many issues and there may be more regulation in years to come.
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Friday, July 31, 2009
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Scanning for the Future
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A SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) scan shows a 3-dimensional view of all heart arteries. A new study suggests that using the SPECT scan with a calcium scan provides the best information for physicians to diagnose future health risks in patients with coronary disease. Adding a calcium scan may provide vital information for treatment options.
"The combination of myocardial SPECT and coronary artery calcium scoring could help identify those who are at highest risk for subsequent fatal cardiac events in a long-term outcome," says study leader Dr. Haker to AJC News.
Patients with a higher calcium score (CAC) were at the highest risk for future health issues, such as having bypass surgery. Use of both the calcium score and the SPECT scan helped physician correctly diagnose a patient's risk of such health issues. The more information a doctor is given, the easier it is for them to tailor treatment to the patient according to their risk level.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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Military CT Scans
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CT Scans are used for a variety of purposes to diagnose medical conditions. However, there is another use for these scans which the military has been using. Military officers perform "virtual autopsies" on deceased soldiers in Iraq for research purposes.
"Such records of the dead are unprecedented and have provided a plethora of data. Improvements such as increasing the length of intravenous tubing to accommodate the more robust American troops, or creating upper body armor to protect soldiers in commonly-targeted areas of the body during battle - have been made using the information garnered from such virtual autopsies" reports DotMed News.
The CT Scans are used by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) since 2004. Although these scans are not used to help cure illness, since the soldiers have already passed, they do help pinpoint areas of the body in an x-ray that normal autopsies may have missed. These machines are being used in a variety of new ways as technology makes it easier for such scans to occur outside of a medical office.
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Monday, July 27, 2009
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Uncommon Condition Diagnosed by Scan
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A boy in Mumbia was recently diagnosed with a very rare disease after a CT Scan of his lung found that half of his stomach had migrated into his lung cavity. The condition, called hiatus hernia, is rare and is very dangerous if left untreated.
"We took him to several doctors when he started having persistent colds after six months of age. All these years, he never had any serious problem. About 10 days ago he had severe chest pain that refused to subside despite medication" stated his parents to DNA India.
After being misdiagnosed with pneumonia, his symptoms did not stop and his parents took him for a lung scan. Doctors were able to operate and pull down half of his stomach. They were also able to narrow the cavity between the stomach and lungs so the problem could never occur again.
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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CT Scans as Art
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Most doctors use CT scans as a medical diagnosis tool, however; one doctor in China has created works of art from these scans. Kai-hung Fung has found a way to combine his career as a diagnostic radiologist with his passion for digital art. One of these scans even won a creative contest by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
His winning artwork depicted a 3-dimensional scan of the human nose and paranasal sinuses, but with a rainbow coloring technique. Patrons at first did not realize that the graphic art they were judging was in fact a real CT Scan.
This type of creativity shows the out-of-the-box thinking that many doctors do have. Although this is a more creative approach to new technology, other doctors are always testing current techniques in order to improve them.
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