Prenatal X-rays don't raise kids' brain tumor risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overall, children born to women who received an X-ray while pregnant are not more likely than other children to develop a brain tumor, Swedish researchers report based on a study they conducted.

However, the study hints that abdominal X-rays during pregnancy may raise the risk of a specific type of brain tumor called primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

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Cone Beam CT Faster, Potentially More Accurate Than Conventional Mammography

Cone-beam breast CT provides exceptional tissue contrast and can potentially reduce examination time with comparable radiation dose to conventional 2D mammography, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Cone-beam breast CT employs a large area x-ray beam in conjunction with a flat panel x-ray detector to scan and generate 3D images of the breast. The scanner is placed below a table on which the patient lies prone with the breast protruding through an opening. Only the breast is exposed to radiation resulting in improved image quality and sparing the rest of the patient's body from unnecessary radiation exposure. The scan can be completed in less than one minute with a single complete rotation of the x-ray tube-detector gantry around the breast. Unlike conventional CT, the patient is not moved through the gantry during scanning.

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'Super-resolution' technique gives better quality X-ray images sans high radiation

Washington: US researchers have come up with a new way to get better quality X-ray images without having to use more radiation, which increases risk for patients.

The researchers took 15 images made with low doses of X-ray radiation, and used a new software to create a high resolution one from them, a process known as "super-resolution".

Efforts of researchers from Duke University Medical Center in Durham and the University of California Santa Cruz, as well as Silicon Valley-based scientists, have given rise to the new approach.

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Stop Offering Healthy People CT Scans, Says British Government Advisory Body

Even though offering CT scanning - using a computed tomography X-ray machine - on healthy individuals might provide some benefits to the person concerned in some cases, it is a practice which has an impact on public health, says COMARE (Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment). COMARE is an independent expert committee which advises the UK government, its members are chosen for their medical/scientific expertise and recruited from Universities, Research and Medical Institutes - its member are never recruited from the Nuclear or Electrical Power Supply industries.

This latest report comes after COMARE examined studies and reports which showed both the benefits and detriment linked to commercial CT scanning of asymptomatic people. The committee also looked at the psychological effects of the practice, as well as the potential physical detriment from further investigations. As the National Health Service (NHS) may become liable for further examinations and tests, the economic implications for the NHS were also reviewed. The committee members also reviewed alternative techniques which use lower doses of ionizing radiation or non-ionizing radiation.

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Siemens Introduces New Generation Of Artis Interventional Imaging Systems

Siemens Medical Solutions has launched its new range of Artis zee(R) systems at RSNA in November 2007. The next generation of interventional imaging systems offer breakthrough versatility, enhanced image quality and help to streamline workflow across an array of clinical environments, from body and neurointerventional radiology suites to operating rooms and hybrid rooms.

The revolutionary new Artis zeego® features a multi-axis C-arm that employs robotic technology to extend imaging capabilities through virtually unrestricted C-arm positioning. The extra positioning flexibility allows for advanced cross-sectional imaging not achievable with traditional C-arm systems. The position of the isocentre can be adjusted in accordance with procedural needs or the height of the physician. This is beneficial to a physician during lengthy procedures and also enables off-centre rotational angiography for all areas of the body and supports advanced 3D imaging techniques, including cross-sectional imaging through Siemens' first-to-market syngo® DynaCT.

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Accuracy Of Diagnostic Mammograms Varies By Radiologist

For women with breast symptoms such as lumps, the ability of diagnostic mammograms to detect breast cancer accurately depends strongly on which radiologist reads them, according to a Group Health study published online on December 11 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"When a woman gets a mammogram, she wants to know that if she has breast cancer, the mammogram will be likely to detect it," said study leader Diana Miglioretti, PhD, an associate investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies. "This is especially important when the woman has a breast concern such as a lump."

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New X Ray Technique Targets Terrorists And Tumours

Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a new x-ray technique that could be used to detect hidden explosives, drugs and human cancers more effectively.

Professor Robert Cernik and colleagues from The School of Materials have built a prototype color 3D X-ray system that allows material at each point of an image to be clearly identified.

The innovative work is reported in the latest issue of The Journal of the Royal Society Interface and is published online. The technique developed by the Manchester scientists is known as tomographic energy dispersive diffraction imaging or TEDDI.

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