AMICAS, Inc. has announced a new contract with Central Kentucky Radiology that will allow the latter to use AMICAS Financials(TM) to streamline their radiology billing and AMICAS RIS(TM) to gain practice management efficiencies and to further improve service delivery. Central Kentucky Radiology, a 24-radiologist practice, provides interpretation services for 14 hospitals and four imaging centers. In practice for more than 40 years, Central Kentucky Radiology provides mammography, x-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, and interventional radiology services.

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According to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital a rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control. In addition, the researchers also found that the higher the metabolic activity and tumor size on a PET scan before treatment, the more likely a patient is to die from lung cancer.

The University of Florida (UF) Veterinary Medical Center has installed a new clinical imaging system to enable veterinarians to obtain diagnostic images of previously inaccessible and larger parts of the body, such as the upper legs of horses. The new 1.5 Tesla Titan MR, made by Toshiba, has never previously been used by any academic veterinary medical center in the United States.

Positron Corp, a molecular imaging solutions company focused on Nuclear Cardiology, will be showcasing its newly developed cardiac optimized PET scanner, the Attrius, at the 14th Annual American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) annual conference in Minneapolis. The demand for Cardiovascular PET imaging is rapidly increasing as it enables the physician to provide better patient care, accurate diagnoses and the potential to reduce unnecessary procedures and radiation exposure. Joseph Oliverio, Chief Technology Officer of Positron said, “The Attrius has a small footprint, robust standard cardiovascular software package, competitive scan times and an affordable cost of entry making the AttriusTM the right choice for enhancing the capabilities of a Cardiovascular practices, while providing better care.”

NeuroLogica Corporation has received the 510(k) clearance from the FDA for the SPECT (single photon emission computed tomograph). The inSPira HD is a mobile system that runs on batteries and can be moved around hospital wards if necessary. Image quality of inSPira HD is close to that of PET with the resulting reconstructed spatial resolution as high as 3.0mm. inSPira HD is capable of imaging all available neuro radiotracers offering a broad range of clinical applications including Epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Stroke and Alzheimer’s.

PhotoDetection Systems (PDS) has introduced its NeuroPET scanner. NeuroPET’s wavelength-shifting fiber technology enables high-sensitivity and superior spatial resolution. Its compact/portable design requires no special site preparation. PDS said its scanner uses low doses of 18F and 11C tracers to image metabolism, amyloid and dopaminergic binding in neurological diseases. The tracers are known to be helpful in imaging challenging and costly diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, neuro-oncology, epilepsy, Parkinson’s and neuro-psychiatric disorders.

With the US facing erratic availability of this technetium-99m’s feedstock, molybdenum-99, the FDA is advising physicians to consider substituting sodium-fluoride positron emission tomography, also known as NaF-18 PET imaging. However, this PET bone imaging test would not be covered by Medicare. Although the five medical societies have petitioned the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to alter its PET-exclusion policy, no decision is expected till March 2010.

GE Healthcare has introduced Discovery PET/CT 600, the company’s latest PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) system. Designed for faster and more accurate diagnosis, the scanner will emerge as a useful tool for cancer testing. The device has the highest sensitivity in the industry and includes a scintillator with a proven track record. GE’s BGO technology improves detetion of lesions, reducing dosage.