+ imagingbiz newswire

Foundation Radiology to Provide 24/7 Reads for United Radiology of MD

April 11, 2012

Foundation Radiology Group of Pittsburgh, PA signed an exclusive teleradiology deal to read advanced imaging studies performed at the Rockville, MD-based United Radiology.

United Radiology is a diagnostic imaging provider that specializes in cardiac imaging, and claims to be the only site in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer rubidium-based PET/CT.

“That’s their niche and we’re helping them fill that,” says Phil Feldstein, spokesperson for Foundation Radiology.

Although the contract is a 24/7 arrangement, Feldstein says his group... Read More »

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Posted in ct , teleradiology , pet-ct , cardiac

CCTA Can Lower Costs, Save Lives, Says ACRIN Committee Chair

March 27, 2012

In what the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) is calling a landmark study that will save lives, time, and money, coronary CT angiography (CCTA) was found to be more effective in treating ER patients with chest pain than traditional methods.

The multicenter study examined the effects of CCTA on 908 low-to-intermediate-risk chest pain patients. Of the 640 participants whose CCTAs were negative, zero suffered a heart attack or died within 30 days after being discharged on the strength of their test results, ACRIN reports.

... Read More »

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Posted in ccta , research , cardiac

FDA Approves Revised Label for Rubidium Compound CardioGen-82

February 24, 2012

The Food and Drug Administration approved revised labeling for CardioGen-82 this month, signaling a return to the market soon for an important compound in cardiovascular nuclear medicine. 

CardioGen-82 consists of a small generator that’s supplied to facilities by the manufacturer every four weeks. The generator is then used to produce rubidium, a tracer material in a preferred method of cardiovascular imaging.

When it comes to diagnosing myocardial profusion, rubidium has clear advantages as a tracer to technetium-99 used in SPECT exams, according... Read More »

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Posted in cardiac

Cardiologists Using Fewer Imaging Tests

February 14, 2012

Cardiologists expect to order fewer diagnostic imaging tests, based on a new report by the market research firm IMV.

The report is based on a survey of 200 radiologists. Compared to similar surveys in 2006 and 2009, the use of imaging modalities is declining for diagnosing heart disease.

The survey focused on the use of cardiac CT angiography, CT calcium scoring, cardiac MR and MR angiography, SPECT and SPECT/CT, PET and PET/CT, cardiac catheterization, and echocardiography, according to a press release.

Read More »

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Posted in utilization_management , cardiac

Studies Lacking on Radiation Exposure from Cardiac Imaging

February 01, 2012

An article in the Feb 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology examines the available research on dose exposure for cardiac imaging and finds it lacking

Author Andrew Einsten, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center found no direct studies of cancer risk from cardiac imaging but could nonetheless project risk from other studies on radiation exposure, according to an article at CardiovascularBusiness.com.

Cardiac imaging requires some of the highest dose levels compared to... Read More »

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Posted in ct , dose_monitoring , cardiac