Medtronic Inc. has received CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark for the first-ever MR-Conditional pacemaker system, the EnRhythm MRI TM SureScan TM pacemaker and CapSureFix MRI TM SureScan TM pacing leads (Model 5086MRI). The new system was designed, tested and approved for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under specified scanning conditions, and is now commercially available in select European countries. Patients receiving the EnRhythm MRI SureScan Pacing System will for the first time be able to undergo MRI scans under certain conditions, representing a major milestone in the evolution of implantable cardiac devices.

The American Society of Breast Disease’s Consensus Committee has corroborated that screening MRI is appropriate as an additional test to mammography, clinical breast examination, and ultrasonography for the detection of breast cancer in women who are at high risk. The recommendation was based on the most current data available.

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The US federal government will continue to cover the scanning procedure to detect heart disease, despite having misgivings over whether such coverage is justified or not. The payments would be left up to the local insurance carriers who have been covering these tests so far. Dr. Barry Straube, CMO for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that more evidence is needed before the policy can be reversed.

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According to a Dutch study, the often-used MRI scans to detect breast cancer frequently scare women unnecessarily. Five out of six scans were found to be incorrect, although the women concerned were going for mastectomies only after careful analysis. Published in the Annals of Oncology, the study further states that women with certain genes face 85% risk of breast cancer.

Sonomed Inc., a subsidiary of Escalon Medical Corp, has received the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approval in China to market the PacScan(R) and E/Z-Scan(R) series of products. Both products are already being marketed internationally and are among the best-selling ophthalmic biometry and ultrasound imaging systems. Sonomed Inc. is a diagnostic ultrasound company that focuses on instruments for ophthalmology.

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Using the newly designed 3-D ultrasound technology, Duke University bioengineers can compensate for the thickness and unevenness of the skull to see in real-time the arteries within the brain that most often clog up and cause strokes. The researchers believe that these advances will ultimately improve the treatment of stroke patients by enabling emergency medical technicians (EMT) to quickly scan the heads of potential stroke victims while in the ambulance or allowing physicians to easily monitor in real time the patients’ response to therapy at the bedside.

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According to the authors of an article released on April 18, 2008, in The Lancet, venous ultrasonography may no longer be needed to diagnose pulmonary embolisms (PE) when a multislice CT scan (MSCT) is used. Detection of PE currently includes clinical probability assessment (CPA) with subsequent sequential diagnostic tests, such as the D-dimer, ultrasonography and CT scans.

According to US researchers who conducted meta-analysis of 33 prospective studies, ultrasound or MRI should be the imaging modality of choice in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While colonoscopy and barium examination can also be used, these methods are time consuming. Moreover, colonoscopy is invasive and may result in perforation in severe ulcerative colitis. Reported sensitivities and specificities of other options, such as ultrasonography, CT, MRI and scintigraphy, vary and, hence, are not extremely reliable.

Medical professionals can now know more about tumors using a new technique, known as Raman spectroscopy, in a non-invasive manner. These disease sites were earlier accessible only through biopsies, which is an invasive procedure. The new procedure uses low-power infrared lasers with nanoparticles that tag targeted areas suffering from tumors.

A team of doctors, along with the Sense About Science charitable trust, based in the U.K., has said that it does not agree with the way the Do It Yourself (DIY) tests are being targeted at the general public. Previously, U.K. government advisors had warned private firms offering body scans. A study by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (Comare) also said that cancer risks may increase if people expose themselves to radiations through unnecessary scans.