News from Radiological Society of North America Meeting in Chicago 12/3/2002
From: Radiological Society of North America Newsroom, 312-791-6667; after Dec. 6: Maureen Morley, 630-590-7754 or Doug Dusik, 630-571-7845 CHICAGO, Dec. 3 -- Following is news from the 88th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago. NOTE: All news releases are embargoed as indicated: -- 'Camera Pill' Promising for Crohn's Disease Sufferers (embargoed until 9 a.m. CT, Dec. 3) A pill-sized camera swallowed by the patient can help radiologists "see" areas of the intestines that other diagnostic techniques cannot. Research from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, suggests capsule endosocopy (CE) shows promise in diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's Disease, which affects about 1 million Americans. -- Brain Activity Abnormal in Children With Delayed Speech (embargoed until 9:30 a.m. CT, Dec. 3) Children with unusually delayed speech tend to listen with the right side of their brains rather than the left side, cutting-edge fMRI research from Miami Children's Hospital suggests. After the age of 4, language-delayed children's brain activity lessened, indicating that early invention is key for such children. -- New Imaging Tool Diagnoses Parkinson's Disease (embargoed until 10:30 a.m. CT, Dec. 3) A new tweak to an existing imaging method can diagnose Parkinson's disease with 98 percent accuracy, according to a new study from Adelaide & Meath Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Using a new radiopharmaceutical agent for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can differentiate Parkinson's disease from a less debilitating neurologic disorder called essential tremor. -- Combined PET-CT More Exact for Cancer Detection and Assessment (embargoed until 11 a.m. CT, Dec. 3) Two imaging methods are better than one, according to research that shows combining positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) may significantly improve cancer treatment. PET-CT allows small tumors to be detected with PET, and precisely located with CT, leading to better, more targeted treatment, suggest several studies out of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and University Hospital-Zurich. -- Full-Body Screening CT Gains Popularity Though Some Experts Urge Caution (embargoed until 12 p.m. CT, Dec. 3) Looking to get a jumpstart on disease before symptoms develop, people are increasingly intrigued by full-body computed tomography (CT), according to a study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. But imaging the entire body may not always be the best approach and may result in invasive and unnecessary testing. Two studies from the University of California in San Diego show that while 46 percent of such scans resulted in abnormal findings, only 1 percent were suggestive of cancer or other life-threatening diseases, and none in patients younger than 45. Radiologists are working to establish guidelines and a standardized reporting system for this hotly debated procedure. ----- Wednesday press conferences focus on cutting-edge cancer treatments, how mammography may detect heart disease, a new noninvasive method for detecting prostate cancer, an ultrasound- guided therapy for sports injuries, and the first magnetic resonance images of West Nile Virus encephalitis. |