Bold three-stage brain operation for intractable seizures appears promising
...possible to determine where they originated. Other noninvasive imaging techniques cannot accurately pinpoint where seizures begin. To overcome this problem, neurosurgeons place electrodes directly on the brain itself, which requires removing a portion of the bony cranium and cutting through the dura mater, t...SCAI Founders' Lecture traces impressive progress in interventional cardiology
...o makes it impossible to use increasingly powerful noninvasive imaging techniques, such as multislice computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, to evaluate the health of the artery. Enter bioabsorbable stents, experimental devices that have recently been implanted in humans for the first time. Bioabsor...SCAI Hildner Lecture highlights innovative techniques for plaque imaging
... techniques for detecting vulnerable plaque. Among noninvasive methods, multislice computed tomography is generating the greatest excitement today. Easy to use and available in every major medical center, high-end CT scanners create colorful and detailed pictures of the coronary arteries. Invasive techniques ar...Cure for reading glasses may be in view
... how much or where to cut, he adds. "There are no noninvasive or minimally invasive procedures for presbyopia," said O'Donnell, 55, who explained that he started research on presbyopia when he began to notice his own near-sight failing. He held up his reading glasses: "I got sick of wearing these things." The U...Study finds ways to improve detection of blood clots in the lung
...he images to make detailed pictures. CT scans are noninvasive and well tolerated by most patients. Adverse effects are rare and are primarily related to the iodine-based dye that is injected; possible complications include kidney damage in patients with kidney disease and allergic reaction. The tests involve so...Study evaluates benefits and risks of tamoxifen and raloxifene for reducing risk of breast cancer
...ng to the study authors. There were fewer cases of noninvasive breast cancer in the tamoxifen group (57 cases) than in the raloxifene group (80 cases), while there were 36 cases of uterine cancer with tamoxifen and 23 with raloxifene; however, neither of these differences were statistically significant. No diffe...Researcher develops better way to detect shock
...d by a team at the medical school, the device is a noninvasive sensor that caregivers could use to monitor oxygen...g measured. "It is incredibly exciting to create a noninvasive instrument that we can then give to a physiologist or physician to use in their work," Soller said. ...ACTOS (pioglitazone HCl) to be studied in new trial
...atients with type 2 diabetes. CIMT is a preferred, noninvasive measure of atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart attack or stroke because of reduced or blocked blood flow through the arteries. CHICAGO will also examine another marker of atherosclerosis, coronary artery calcium (CAC): calcium build-up in the a...Lung function test underused in patients with COPD
...cently diagnosed with COPD underwent spirometry, a noninvasive lung function test, to confirm COPD or to manage their condition. Current national guidelines recommend spirometry for the diagnosis and management of COPD. "Spirometry testing is necessary for the diagnosis and staging of COPD, yet the majority of p...New ACC/AHA guidelines released for valvular heart disease
...ns. "These guidelines highlight major advances in noninvasive testing and surgery for patients with valvular heart disease," said Robert O. Bonow, M.D., lead author of the joint statement, chief of cardiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Goldberg Distinguished Professor of Cardiology at Northwester...New cardiac MRI pinpoints closed arteries without surgery
...ible on x-rays. There is a need for a preliminary, noninvasive way to assess the arteries to learn if such invasive investigation is required. The authors applied a technique called stress first-pass perfusion MRI in combination with a delayed contrast-enhancement technique. This approach is different than the t...Aggressive heart pacing may work best in some spinal cord patients
...tem to slow it down, says Dr. Gyanendra K. Sharma, noninvasive cardiologist and study co-author. With a cervical spinal cord injury, the influence of the sympathetic nervous system called the fight or flight system because it responds to stress by enabling an increase in heart rate can be injured or lost whi...Study examines usefulness of cardiac CT scan for detecting blockages in coronary arteries
... proceed to conventional angiography or additional noninvasive testing in clinical practice." If all nonevaluabl... conventional angiography, additional confirmatory noninvasive testing, or both. Nevertheless, the high sensitivity and negative predictive value of this test sugg...Valve disease study suggests new public health concern, say Mayo Clinic researchers
...Mayo Clinic cardiologist. An echocardiogram -- a noninvasive test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart -- is done to evaluate murmurs or causes of shortness of breath or chest pain or heart failure, and is ideal for detecting or confirming valve diseases, Dr. Nkomo says. Valve disea...Consensus reached on new guidelines for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death
...ave or may be at risk for VA. Evaluation includes noninvasive and invasive techniques such as electrocardiography and electrophysiological testing. Possible therapies include pharmacological (drugs), devices, ablation (destruction of the affected area), surgery and revascularization. Acute and chronic therapie...New objective criteria improve PET scan reliability in detecting breast cancer metastasis
...metastasis has occurred. In an effort to develop noninvasive options to assess lymph node involvement, PET scan...tect breast cancer cells in lymph nodes. But while noninvasive imaging procedures offer reduced discomfort and risk, scans may be open to interpretation when analy...Doctors know best when it comes to treating chronic coronary artery disease
...one of the three potential treatments: medication, noninvasive angioplasty using balloons and/or stents to open clogged arteries, or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to reroute blood through new vessels grafted into place. After the cardiologists made their recommendations, the patients were randoml...MRI can track survival of pancreatic islets after transplantation
...t proceeds over time. Monitoring islet survival by noninvasive imaging could give us the ability to detect and measure rates of islet loss under a variety of conditions, which could help develop procedures leading to better therapeutic outcomes." Pancreatic islet transplants are being investigated as a way to t...Computer-driven system reduces patient mechanical ventilation time significantly
... self-removal from ventilator assistance, need for noninvasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation longer than 21 days, and tracheotomy (surgically opening the trachea), was reduced by 30 percent in the computer-driven weaning group. "The system used in the study was developed several years ago and has been rep...'Umbrella' valve provides a potential alternative to lung surgery
...hysema breathe easier and may ultimately provide a noninvasive alternative to lung reduction surgery. In a new study presented at CHEST 2006, the 72nd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the IBV TM Valve, a nonsurgical, investigational device, was shown t...