Screening for aortic aneurysms is cost effective
...al, researchers assessed the cost effectiveness of ultrasound screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms in 67,800 men aged 65-74 years for up to four years. Over four years, there were 47 fewer deaths related to abdominal aortic aneurysms in the screening group than in the control group, but the additional costs...Evidence supports two types of heart failure
...systolic heart failure is easily diagnosed with an ultrasound test to measure the heart's squeezing ability, the... "When patients have symptoms of heart failure and ultrasound shows a heart that contracts normally, doctors have doubted their own diagnostic abilities and have ...Calcium-blocker drug slows artery clogging better than beta blocker
...cessary, a diuretic was added. Patients underwent ultrasound scanning of carotid arteries to measure the thickness of the arterial wall at baseline and every year throughout the study. When blood pressure was measured in the clinic the drugs achieved virtually the same reductions. When it was monitored using ...UNC forms Conte Center for multidisciplinary schizophrenia research
... associated with schizophrenia. One study will use ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine prenatal and neonatal brain development in the children of women with schizophrenia, a technique being used for the first time in schizophrenia research. Children will be monitored from the second trime...Prototype developed for ultrasonic patch to deliver insulin
... State engineers have developed a prototype for an ultrasound insulin delivery system that is about the size and...essor of bioengineering, says, "The new Penn State ultrasound patch, which operates in the same frequency range as the large commercially available sonic drug del...Radio-frequency ablation for treatment of cancer pain in bone
...ough the skin and guided by computed tomography or ultrasound imaging to the target area. An intense heat is transmitted through the tip of the needle, killing the nerve endings and much of the cancer tissue, thereby alleviating the pain....Heart failure mortality substantial among elderly
...gnosed with congestive heart failure. The CHS used ultrasound images of the heart along with participants' physical symptoms to diagnose heart failure type. The researchers compared outcomes in four groups of participants: no heart failure, diastolic heart failure, systolic heart failure, and no symptoms of hea...MRI can predict risk of heart attacks
... women referred for MRI stress testing after their ultrasound screenings for heart disease were inconclusive. In an MRI stress test, drugs are used to stress the heart, then researchers study the reaction. Hundley notes the study yielded several important findings: Regardless of other risk factors, MRI can p...Doppler-guided fluid administration during surgery improves outcome
...ac output. Use of the EDM involves placing a small ultrasound probe down the esophagus to a location adjacent to the aorta, the main artery out of the heart. By measuring the reflection of sound waves directed into the aorta, the EDM is able to measure and calculate the volumes of blood being pumped out of the ...OHSU receives $7.8 million NIH grant to develop first ultrasound to also deliver heart treatment
... of heart disease. Instead of using one device for ultrasound imaging of the heart and another to deliver treatm... can do both. The team will create three different ultrasound devices that provide physicians a better look inside the heart than ever before during a procedure a...Equation rivals ultrasound in calculating birth weight
...ristics and gestational age is just as accurate as ultrasound for predicting birth weight, while costing less and requiring no additional trained staff, says a new study from Duke University Medical Center and California State University. The equation also predicts birth weight earlier than ultrasound, allowin...Elevated leptin in teens linked with dangerous artery changes
...y mass indexes. Researchers performed noninvasive ultrasound tests to examine their arteries, measure blood pressure, blood cholesterol, glucose, leptin and the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP). The average leptin level was 2.8 micromoles per liter (umol/L) for boys and 10.2 umol/L for girls. "T...Strong statin therapy reverses plaque build-up in arteries
... group's LDL level was 76 mg/dL. Researchers used ultrasound to compare the thickness of the carotid arteries (major arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain) before treatment, after six months, and after one year of therapy. The amount of plaque in the carotid arteries is considered a good indicat...Smokers infections increase risk of early atherosclerosis
...a history of chronic infection." Researchers used ultrasound scans to examine changes in the carotid arteries (the main vessels supplying blood to the brain) of 826 men and women ages 40 to 79. The participants were part of the Bruneck Study, a prospective, population-based survey in Bruneck, Italy, designed ...Genes play a role in heart function -- May determine who develops heart failure
...dy of 574 groups of siblings, the researchers used ultrasound to measure how efficiently participants' hearts refilled with blood after each squeezing heart beat. They found that family relationships explained a significant portion as much as half of variability in the heart's filling, which is known as diast...Vitamin E is important for early prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged women
...cy questionnaires and blood samples. In addition, ultrasound examinations of the carotid arteries and bifurcations (branches) were performed. Among the group, 66% had atherosclerotic plaques at one or more sites in the carotid arteries and 34% had no plaques.2 Low intakes of vitamin E were significantly associ...New device finds silent clots, may help prevent strokes
...rt procedures and surgery. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves transmitted through the skull to ... important because a solid clot reflects back more ultrasound signal at the higher frequency, but gaseous bubbles reflect back more signal at the lower frequency,...Panel advises easing selection criteria to boost supply of donor hearts
...nd function. Many hearts also are rejected when ultrasound suggests thickening of the heart muscle, which makes the heart work less efficiently. But the panel recommends that hearts with only mild thickening be considered for transplantation. One recommendation deals with requirements for angiography. Cur...Genetic variant reduces immune response, yet protects against atherosclerosis
...tion of patients' immunological status, as well as ultrasound studies of the major arteries in the neck. Of the ...chers then examined the results of three different ultrasound tests used to determine the degree to which the carotid artery -- the main artery supplying oxygen-r......alve problems are typically diagnosed by a cardiac ultrasound or echocardiogram. If it is determined that a patient has a problem, current American Heart Association recommendations advise that he or she take antibiotics in advance of dental cleanings. Previous research by Manning had found that patient complia...