Not Your Father's X-Ray Machine

Say so-long to the days of black and white 2-D X-rays and images. From CT, to MRI and PET, medical imaging is faster, more detailed, and three-dimensional and is revolutionizing the way medicine is practiced.  Thanks to years of improved imaging, today's scans can quickly and painlessly diagnose a life-threatening condition, often eliminating the need for costly and painful "exploratory surgeries."

See video from Siemens at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/siemens/RSNA-2010

Doctors use robotics, the latest scanners and 3-D technology to get the fastest and most accurate diagnosis.  Doctors say these scans are critical when it comes to detecting and treating certain diseases.  So what do patients need to consider before undergoing a scan?  Since these machines all look very similar, how are they different?  Is this innovative technology better than what was offered in the past? What kind of effect does this imaging have on the body?  Dr. Don Rucker, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Siemens Healthcare, is available to discuss the latest innovations in medical technology.

More video, audio, text, graphics and photos at http://www.thenewsmarket.com. 

Adding M.R.I.’s to Mammograms for High-Risk Women

A combination of annual mammograms and M.R.I. scans for women at high risk of breast cancer appears to saves lives, new research shows. The New York Times medical reporter Denise Grady reports on the research in today’s Science Times.

The study, the first to measure survival in a large number of high-risk women receiving M.R.I.’s, found that after six years of follow-up, 93 percent of mutation carriers with cancer were still alive, compared with only 74 percent alive at five years in earlier studies….

Experts began several years ago to recommend yearly M.R.I. scans in addition to mammograms for high-risk women, because M.R.I. is better at finding tumors. Mammograms still detect some cancers that M.R.I.’s miss, so high-risk women are generally advised to have both tests. But until now, researchers did not know whether the combined testing saved lives.

To learn more about who can benefit from the additional testing, read the full story, “M.R.I.’s Help Fight High Risk of Cancer,’‘ and then please join the discussion below.

via NY Times

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Risks: Greater Risks for Cancer Patients With Diabetes

People with diabetes are at increased risk for developing some cancers and are more likely than nondiabetics to die of cancer. Now a study reports that they also have a higher risk of dying in the weeks just after cancer surgery. 

The analysis of 15 earlier studies encompassed about 60,000 patients, both with and without diabetes, who underwent surgery for cancers of the colon, esophagus, liver, lung, stomach, pancreas and prostate. It found that the patients with pre-existing diabetes were 50 percent more likely than nondiabetic patients to die within a month of surgery, regardless of the type of cancer.

The patients in the studies had both types of diabetes, though Type 2 is more common.

Their higher death rate may have resulted from problems associated with the chronic illness, like a greater risk of infections and heart disease, said Hsin-Chieh Yeh, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and an author of the paper, published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.

“The implication of this is that diabetes care is important on top of the cancer care,” Dr. Yeh said. “When patients are diagnosed with cancer, the patient and the family and the physician think, ‘This is serious — we have to take care of the cancer part first.’ And sometimes they forget about the diabetes they have.”

via NY Times

Humbug! Holiday Stress Hits Hard

The winter holidays are full of festive decorations, gatherings with loved ones and plenty of home-cooked food and drinks.

They are also filled with stress, and experts say that stress can be counterproductive and harmful to one's health, even if it is just for a few weeks.

"When we're stressed, our adrenal glands release hormones, especially adrenaline and cortisol,as part of the normal 'fight-or-flight' response," said Dr. Philip Ragno, president of Island Cardiac Specialists in Garden City, N.Y. and director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. "With an increase in adrenaline, our heart rate and blood pressure go up in order to deliver more blood to our muscles and the release of cortisol heightens our immune system and increases our blood glucose levels."

These are all a healthy part of the body's response to stress, but over time, chronic stress can really take a toll on the heart.

"Constant stress can cause cortisol to become chronically elevated, with levels up to 10 times higher than our normal baseline. Persistent elevation of cortisol levels can lead to increased levels of bad cholesterol, decreased levels of good cholesterol and elevated blood sugar levels. These changes result in the development of excess abdominal fat and diabetes, as well as reducing our immune response," said Ragno.

No matter how much people know it's coming and try to avoid it, holiday stress happens every year.

"People are surprised by their own reactions to the holidays, yet they're very familiar," said Simon Rego, director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

The triggers are the same every year: too much shopping and preparation to do, end-of-year job responsibilties, crowds andfamily gatherings are among them.

One reason why stress is so recurrent during the holidays is that people fall into the same patterns year after year, such as waiting too long to shop.

"People don't change their behavioral patterns," said Rego. "A lot can be reduced if people would recognize ahead of time what their vulnerabilities are and plan accordingly and act differently."

"Be more organized and don't do everything at the last minute," said Ragno. "Also, get support from other people. They can help take pressure and demands off."

People also tend to place very high expectations on themselves in terms of what gifts to buy, how big a party to throw or how many family members to see.

"People need to try to minimize the damage and just expect what's reasonable," said Dr. Charles Raison, associate professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. That means, he said, learning how to decline invitations and be firm about placing limits on gifts.

A lot of holiday stress can also be brought on by depression, which can either be strictly seasonal or can be a year-long depression that the holidays can exacerbate because one is lonely or forced to endure unpleasant family gatherings.

"People need to try to identify what's bothering them and how to make the holidays less of a burden," said Raison. "If people are lonely, they should keep busy and take advantage of social resources. If they don't want to be around family members, they should either try and tolerate it or cut themselves a break and don't go."

via ABC news

MD N News: Digital Mamography the New Tool for Early Breast Cancer Detection

This year, more than 184,450 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. Allegan General Hospital has advanced the fight against this pervasive disease by installing a new cutting edge digital mammography system.

Allegan, MI — This system will provide physicians with clear and precise all-digital images, rather than images on X-ray film.  What’s more, it provides the largest field of view currently available, which can be extremely helpful for precision imaging of patients with diverse shapes and sizes.
“We are very excited to be able to provide digital mammography services to the community,” says Clarence Snyder, radiology manager at Allegan General Hospital. “Digital mammography allows us to offer our patients state-of-the-art mammograms that are fast and easy.  And most importantly it gives our referring physicians accurate images to use in diagnosis.” 


In Michigan, an estimated 7,340 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

“This new digital technology will provide both accuracy and increased ease of use for our patients,” says Snyder.  “Providing outstanding diagnostic equipment for patients is a vital step to good preventive health, and one we take very seriously.  As did the AGH Foundation, who helped support our purchase of this new equipment.”

There are many advantages to a digital system. The images are clear and easier to read, and it offers an excellent view of the breast, especially near the skin line, chest wall and in women with diverse breast tissue types.  Plus digital images can be refined during viewing. Brightness, contrast, and clarity can all be manipulated by the radiologist to enhance the image as much as possible.  Physicians can also zoom in, magnify and optimize different parts of the breast tissue.

The digital image is ready to read within 10 seconds — there is no longer a wait for films to be developed to be sure the images are of diagnostic quality.  Digital mammograms are also quicker than traditional film mammograms.  And if a second opinion is needed, the image can be sent electronically to a consulting physician virtually instantaneously.

Digital mammography also increases the ability to detect even small cancers earlier—especially in women under 50 and women who are pre-menopausal or in its beginning stages.


via MD News