World's first 85cm 64 and 128 slice wide bore CT unit for oncology

A team of international researchers has developed a new imaging biomarker able to non-invasively predict a patient’s risk of coronary inflammation and heart attack, according to research published Aug. 28 in The Lancet.

An expert consensus document published May 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology offers recommendations for limiting radiation exposure to both patients and medical personnel during cardiovascular imaging procedures.

In 2017, Anthem implemented a new policy that requires outpatient MR and CT scans not considered medically necessary to be completed at a freestanding imaging facility to receive coverage. This went into effect in several states, sparking its fair share of controversy along the way, and a team of Boston-based researchers wanted to know how such a policy could impact patient care in Massachusetts.

New research suggests emergency patients are often given unwarranted CT scans to check for skull fractures and brain hemorrhage, resulting in wasted healthcare dollars and increasing exposure to radiation, according to an American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) press release.

Despite the many benefits of CT imaging—early diagnosis, enhanced diagnostic accuracy, improved outcomes, etc.—a small number of cancers resulting from patient exposure to radiation from CT scans can have a big financial impact on treatment costs, according to results of a study recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) announced that Matthew J. Budoff, MD, had won its 2016 Gold Medal Award.