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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BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG has announced the European launch of its new, unified platform pacemaker series, Evia, and several new products to further strengthen its bradycardia portfolio. Evia pacemakers are already designed to be MRI-conditionaland BIOTRONIK is planning to launch a new pacemaker-lead system which will be MRI-compatible under specific conditions during the first half of 2010.

The University of Illinois at Chicago recently unveiled this new generation magnetic resonance imaging (popularly called MRI) machine, which has a magnetic field strength more than three times that of the state-of-the-art clinical units. The world’s most powerful MRI can detect brain tumors and diseases such as Alzheimer’s even before actual symptoms appear. The FDA has approved the use of the device for certain research projects.

The FDA has approved a new trauma device in which FISO Technologies Inc’s fiber optic sensor is a key element. FISO expects the device to be released to the markets in the forthcoming months. Fiber optic temperature probes are insensitive to radio frequency and microwave radiation and can, therefore, be used in MRI machines without affecting the image clarity.

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.

Doctors from Weill Cornell Medical College and University of California have found evidence which links memory loss to brain damage following mild traumatic brain injury. This recent discovery can prove helpful in diagnosing when a routine concussion can cause lasting cognitive problems. Patients who experience concussion following a head injury show no signs of damage in a traditional MRI scan or CT. On passing the basic neurological test, they are sent back home without a treatment. Researchers examined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This advanced form of MRI facilitates the study of microscopic movement of water molecules within the white matter of brain.

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.