Nuclear Medicine Archive

Thursday, September 3, 2009

inSPira HD Portable SPECT Gets FDA Green Light

NeuroLogica Corporation, out of Danvers, Massachusetts, has announced
receipt of FDA 510(k) clearance for the company's SPECT (single photon emission computed tomograph). The inSPira HD is a mobile system that runs on batteries, and so, at only 1800 pounds, can be moved around hospital wards if necessary.

inSPira HD features NeuroLogica's patented spiral-rotating focused collimators within a mobile platform. Image quality approaches 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.

The focused collimators and spiral scan motion of the inSPira HD are responsible for the higher resolution (both in-plane and in z-axis) as compared to conventional Gamma Camera SPECT systems. The combination allows isotropic scans and reconstruction with as high as 3mm resolutionin X,Y,Z.

Product page: inSPira HD...

Press release: NeuroLogica Corporation Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance for inSPira HD: portable high resolution SPECT...

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Wednesday, June 3, 2009

5-Minute Nuclear Medicine Scanner Now Live

GE has announced that it has installed its Discovery 530c cadmium zinc telluride based nuclear cardiac scanners at four hospitals in the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Italy. The devices are able to perform a scan within five minutes time frame that takes about twenty minutes on contemporary machines, leading to more patients having access to the scanner and a more comfortable time while inside.

More about the technology inside the Discovery NM 530c:

This revolutionary imaging system has been installed at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, United States, Ottawa Heart Institute in Ottawa, Canada, University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland and Gabriele Monasterio Foundation, CNR, in Pisa, Italy.
Alcyone Technology brings together a breakthrough design based on combining CZT detectors, focused pin-hole collimation, stationary data acquisition and 3D reconstruction, to improve workflow, dose management, and overall image quality.

CZT detectors directly convert gamma rays into digital signals, eliminating the need for photomultiplier tubes, but maintaining high stopping power to deliver improved energy, spatial and temporal resolution.

With conventional nuclear cardiac imaging, a patient must hold their arms above their head for two scans that take between 15-20 minutes each. Alcyone's focused multi-pinhole collimation has been strategically positioned to view cardiac anatomy and pathology with greater clarity and speed, resulting in scan times as short as 3 minutes. Unlike conventional nuclear imaging, all views are acquired simultaneously during a fully stationary SPECT acquisition, eliminating equipment movement during the scan.

Press release: GE HEALTHCARE INSTALLS NEXT EVOLUTION IN NUCLEAR CARDIOLOGY SCANNERS GLOBALLY

Flashback: GE Unveils Five Minute Nuclear Cardiac Scanner...

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Monday, March 30, 2009

GE Unveils Five Minute Nuclear Cardiac Scanner

GE Healthcare is unveiling a new nuclear cardiology platform featuring high sensitivity detectors that cut down patient scan time from about twenty minutes to five. The new technology will be built into GE's Discovery 530c and 570c nuclear medicine machines.

From the press release:

GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company, announced the launch of Alcyone Technology, a nuclear cardiology platform combining cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors, focused pin-hole collimation, 3D reconstruction, and stationary data acquisition, to improve workflow, dose management, and overall image quality.
The new Alcyone technology will be available on both the Discovery NM 530c and the Discovery NM/CT 570c. Alcyone's heightened sensitivity and zero equipment motion improves both image quality and energy resolution, enabling the potential for new clinical applications including 3D dynamic acquisitions and simultaneous dual isotope imaging.

With conventional nuclear cardiac imaging, a patient must hold their arms above their head for two scans that take between 15-20 minutes each. With the Discovery NM 530c, the scanning time is reduced to 3-5 minutes for each scan. This reduction in time can be less painful, and possibly reduce any patient movement due to the pain or uncomfortable positioning, causing artifacts in the scan. A shorter, more comfortable scan has the opportunity to improve image quality, allowing clinicians to be more confident in their diagnosis.

The Discovery NM/CT 570c has the ability to perform a complete cardiac scan in less than five minutes including myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA), and calcium scoring (CaSC). The Discovery NM/CT 570c also shortens acquisition times, improves dose management, and enables more convenient patient scheduling in comparison to separate, conventional SPECT and CT exams.

Building a growth framework for nuclear cardiology departments to evolve with changing patient needs, GE Healthcare also provides a practical upgrade pathway from Ventri, the dedicated conventional nuclear cardiology camera. With the launch of Alycone technology, clinicians now have the option of upgradeability to the Discovery NM530c and Discovery NM/CT 570c systems.

Press release: GE HEALTHCARE DEBUTS ALCYONE TECHNOLOGY; NEXT GENERATION IN NUCLEAR CARDIOLOGY

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Friday, February 13, 2009

Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), a New Imaging Modality, Proving Itself in Detecting Breast Cancer

A multicenter clinical trial comparing the sensitivity of traditional breast CA detection technologies (MRI, sonography, and mammography) versus the new one, called the Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI), has yielded exciting findings. As we have reported before, the technology, being commercialized by Dilon Technologies (Newport News, VA), relies on a pharmaceutical tracing agent that emits gamma radiation after it is injected and taken up by all cells of the body. BCGI is thought to work by detecting the increased metabolic activity of cancerous cells as compared to surrounding tissues. The company says that its diagnostic modality is independent of tissue density and can discover very early stage cancers, hence the firm is hoping that one day BCGI will become a standard adjunctive molecular breast imaging technique to mammography. The result of the latest trial show that company's Dilon 6800 Gamma Camera and the diagnostic system seem to be as good as the other modalities for detecting small tumors within breasts.

Here are the results and conclusions, taken from the study abstract:

RESULTS. Twenty-six women ranging in age from 46 to 82 years (mean age, 62.8 years) with a total of 28 biopsy-proven invasive lobular carcinomas were included in the study group. Mammograms were negative in six of 28 (21%), yielding a sensitivity of 79%. In the 25 patients who underwent sonography, 17 had focal hypoechoic areas, yielding a sensitivity of 68%. In the 12 patients who underwent MRI, the sensitivity was 83%. BSGI had a sensitivity of 93%. There was no statistically significant difference in the sensitivity of BSGI, MRI, sonography, or mammography, although there was a nonsignificant trend toward improved detection with BSGI.

CONCLUSION. BSGI has the highest sensitivity for the detection of invasive lobular carcinoma with a sensitivity of 93%, whereas mammography, sonography, and MRI showed sensitivities of 79%, 68%, and 83%, respectively. BSGI is an effective technique that should be used to evaluate patients with suspected cancer and has a promising role in the diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma.

Considering how sales of Dilon's equipment are already going (see press release below), the future for BSGI looks pretty bright.

Abstract: Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Detection with Mammography, Sonography, MRI, and Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging

Press release: Dilon Technologies Leads Molecular Breast Imaging Expansion

Flashback: Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) Goes to RSNA

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

NEC Showcases New Medical Monitors

NEC is releasing a new line of medical monitors at RSNA this week in Chicago, featuring an impressive 12-bit grayscale and DICOM calibration.

From the press release:

NEC's new UA-SFT LCD module technology offers high brightness without compromising contrast or viewing angles, making the image quality outstanding for color or grayscale images. Select units include built-in front sensors for stability, as well as remote assurance of DICOM conformance.

NEC's new offerings to the MultiSync MD Series include the 21-inch, 2-megapixel MD212MC and the 21-inch, 3-megapixel MD213MC color displays - both with front sensors; and the 21-inch, 3-megapixel MD213MG grayscale display with front sensor.

The MD212MC and MD213MC color displays follow in the footsteps of the highly successful line of medical grayscales from NEC, and join the 30-inch, 4-megapixel MD304MC color display with backlight sensor announced earlier this year.

Common features of the monitors:

DICOM calibration and the X-Light ProTM sensor system for maintaining a consistent image

12-bit lookup table (LUT) for detailed images and grayscale

ColorCompTM, which reduces LCD uniformity errors and compensates for differences in color/grayscale and luminance

Front or backlight sensors

Full medical certifications

5-year limited warranty with overnight exchange service

Also, NEC has announced that it received FDA certification for its 5-megapixel 20-inch monitor:

"The FDA digital mammography approval is a clear demonstration of NEC's commitment to the medical industry," said Stan Swiderski, Product Manager of medical and professional displays for NEC Display Solutions. "The MD205MG provides diagnostic professionals with the advanced tools they need to accurately diagnose and consistently review detailed images."

The 5-megapixel monitor is part of the MultiSync MD Series, a family of medical-grade LCDs designed specifically for radiology, Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), MRI, CT and 3D applications.

With a 2560 x 2048 native resolution, the MD205MG display features advanced in-plane switching (IPS) LCD technology, which offers powerful details of medical images and a possible 3,061 shades of gray. It also includes a backlight sensor, DICOM calibration and a contrast ratio of 600:1.

In addition, GammaCompTM MD software, supplied with the MD monitor system, supports different sensors for calibration. These include both external colorimeters for direct measurement at the surface and spot luminance meters for distance measurement.

The 5-megapixel display also is Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant, containing fully disposable plastics, no hazardous materials such as hex-chrome, cadmium, PBDE and PBB, and limited amounts of mercury and lead.

Press releases: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS INTRODUCES A NEW LINE OF HIGH-BRIGHTNESS COLOR AND GRAYSCALE DISPLAYS FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ...; NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS RECEIVES FDA 510(K) APPROVAL OF 5-MEGAPIXEL GRAYSCALE MONITOR FOR USE IN DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY APPLICATIONS ...

Product brochure: MD304MC...

Product page: MD205MG ...

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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Smart Algorithms Reduce Radiation Exposure in SPECT

Digirad Corporation out of Poway, California has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market the nSPEED® image reconstruction software for use on the company's SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) systems.

From the nSPEED brochure:

nSPEED models the depth-dependent point response function in an iterative reconstruction algorithm (OSEM), thus enabling depth-dependent resolution recovery and improving chamber contrast in cardiac SPECT images. nSPEED has been shown to significantly improve the resolution of SPECT images as compared to standard reconstruction methods. These improvements enable the reduction of acquisition time or patient dose while maintaining image quality as compared to conventional reconstruction methods that do not use depth-dependent resolution recovery.

More details from the press release:

For example, with nSPEED, Digirad Cardius solid-state dedicated cardiac systems can now perform cardiac SPECT imaging procedures in as little as three minutes or with one-half the required pharmaceutical dosages. Supporting 510(k) documentation submitted to the FDA was based on data obtained from a 448-patient, 10-center evaluation using Digirad's single, dual and triple-head Cardius cameras.
Digirad Chief Executive Mark Casner stated: "Our nSPEED software represents a new benchmark for performing nuclear SPECT studies that meet the new standards recently issued by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. In addition, with nSPEED which is an advanced 3D-OSEM reconstruction program, the acquisition times for, and count densities of, cardiac SPECT images represent a 50 percent improvement over specifications in prior ASNC guidelines."

On June 18, 2008, the American Society for Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) issued new technology-standards for SPECT image acquisition and processing. This standard stated, "For new software methods specifically designed for reduced acquisition times and/or lower count density images, cardiac count density should be in accordance with that specified in or implicit to the method's 510(k) FDA approval."

Press release: Digirad Corporation Receives FDA 510(K) Clearance for nSPEED® Reconstruction Software for Improved Image Quality in Less Time with Less Radiation

Product brochure: nSPEED... (.pdf)

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

ProTom Proton Therapy Technology Gets a Boost

Proton therapy systems are exceedingly difficult to develop. While currently dominated by European and Japanese manufacturers, like the Belgian company IBA, German ACCEL Instruments, and Hitachi of Japan, US proton therapy developers are making great strides. Enter ProTom International, a Texas-based company, which just announced collaborative agreement with MIT's Bates Linear Accelerator Center "for the testing and calibration of an advanced proton synchrotron technology for cancer treatment."

The company believes that its system will be a "next generation" proton therapy device, based on the following technology:

ProTom International holds the U.S. exclusive rights for a proton therapy technology system developed at the Lebedev Physics Institute. This new disruptive technology will allow community based health care providers the opportunity to add proton therapy in their continuum of cancer treatment options.
Over twenty years has been dedicated to the development of the proton therapy system by some of the world's leading physicists, engineers, programmers and machinists. Currently, twenty-four patents have been filed reflecting the advancements of this system. The combination of unique features of this proton therapy system makes it the Next Generation in Proton Therapy.

True pencil beam treatment scanning, resulting in three dimensional Intensity Modulation Proton Therapy (IMPT). This breakthrough eliminates the need for customized collimators and compensators and improves patient throughput.

Compact design without sacrificing intensity (energy) or dose rate
- Fully variable beam energy of 30-330 MeV ± 0.15%
- Synchrotron external ring diameter of less than 16 feet, with total weight approximately 15 tons

Reduced capital and operating costs

To read more about the company's proprietary proton therapy technology go here...

Press release: PROTON THERAPY COLLABORATION BETWEEN MIT AND PROTOM...

MIT press release: Bates researchers eye proton therapy for cancer...

Flashbacks: The Physics of Proton Therapy; In the Works: Compact, Low-cost Proton Therapy System; Activate the Proton Beam

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Philips BrightView XCT

Philips is expanding its portfolio of nuclear medicine products by introducing a new system called BrightView XCT that should enable "low patient dose levels, high-resolution localization and high-quality attenuation correction with the potential for fewer artifacts and shorter exam times." The system integrates Philips BrightView SPECT "in a co-planar design with advanced flat-detector X-ray CT technology to acquire low dose, high resolution CT images and to improve registration confidence," according to the company.

This is the first time a flat panel X-ray detector will be used for CT imaging in nuclear medicine. This system, along with the new GEMINI TF Big Bore and new NM Application Portfolio on the Extended Brilliance Workspace, is currently on display at the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) annual meeting.

The BrightView XCT features technological advances that can enable low patient dose levels, high-resolution localization and high-quality attenuation correction with the potential for fewer artifacts and shorter exam times. This offers clinical advantages particularly in cardiology studies, the top procedure in nuclear medicine. In addition, the co-planar SPECT and CT capabilities limit, and in some cases eliminate, the need to move the table between scans. Reduced movement can help improve patient comfort and allow for more confidence in image registration, the process of comparing, matching and superimposing the SPECT and CT images on one another for analysis. The BrightView XCT is also the only scalable SPECT and SPECT/CT system that fits into a 12'x15.5' room and does not require special certification for nuclear medicine technicians.

Press release: New Philips systems deliver first-of-their-kind integrated solutions for nuclear medicine and radiation oncology ...

Product page: BrightView SPECT ...

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Philips GEMINI TF Big Bore PET/CT Tomograph

Philips is introducing a larger bore model of its new GEMINI TF positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) system, that we have reported on earlier.

With a full 85 cm bore for PET and CT scans, the new system allows for positioning flexibility and has a rigid table design to meet the accuracy requirements for treatment planning. The GEMINI TF Big Bore allows clinicians to image patients in the same position they are treated, expanding PET/CT capabilities beyond diagnosis, staging and follow-up to include therapy planning. The system combines Philips' GEMINI TF time-of-flight PET imaging technologies with its Brilliance Big Bore CT localization to consolidate radiation oncology procedures, increase potential for greater accuracy and improve scheduling. It is the first system that offers tools and protocols to easily integrate PET functional images into radiation oncology, helping to consolidate procedures while maintaining premium image quality.

Press release: New GEMINI TF Big Bore provides the accuracy needed for radiation oncology ...

Flashback: GEMINI TF from Philips

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Intego PET Infusion System Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance

Medrad's Intego automated fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Infusion System for Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) procedures has been given FDA clearance yesterday. It is the first automated FDG delivery system available in the US, and has some pretty impressive features that aim to increase safety, precision, and convenience for technicians, doctors, and patients.

Here is more from the press release:

The Intego System automatically extracts a patient dose from a multi-dose vial and delivers it directly to the patient, virtually eliminating manual dose preparation and handling, and the corresponding radiation exposure to the technologist. With the Intego System’s dose-on-demand capability, the prescribed dose can be delivered when the patient and technologist are ready, enabling technologists to easily and efficiently respond to schedule changes, patient delays, and add-on patients. Innovative features, including real-time dose availability information, an integrated ionization chamber, and an optional weight-based dose calculation, allow the healthcare provider to more precisely customize each patient’s dose. Safety features include a tungsten multi-dose vial shield, a fully lead-lined mobile cart, and an automated saline flush to remove residual FDG from the line after each infusion.

Product Page: Intego PET Infusion System...

Read the press release...

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PET Scanner With Semiconductor Detectors Shows Clinical Promise

Japanese researchers have been doing early clinical trials on new PET scanner technology from Hitachi, a system based on novel semiconductor detectors that are proving to be more sensitive at picking up gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radiotracers injected into the body.

From the Society of Nuclear Imaging statement:

Semiconductor-based detectors could improve PET imaging capabilities because the smaller, thinner semiconductors are easier to adjust and arrange than conventional scanners. The new technology allows for even higher spatial resolution and less "noise," or irrelevant images. The prototype semiconductor brain scanner also employs a depth of interaction (DOI) detection system, which reduces errors at the periphery of the field of view.
Researchers evaluated the physical performance of the prototype scanner and studied the technology's clinical significance in patients suffering from partial epilepsy and nasopharyngeal cancer—a relatively rare form of cancer that develops at the top of the throat, behind the nose. The results indicate that the PET scanner is feasible for clinical use and has good potential for providing the higher spatial resolution and quantitative imaging required in nuclear medicine. This device, which has been installed in Hokkaido University Hospital, is a result of successful collaboration with staff from the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.

Press release from the Society of Nuclear Imaging: First Semiconductor-Based PET Scanner Demonstrates Strong Potential to Aid in Early Diagnosis of Disease ...

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Monday, March 31, 2008

SIRTeX to Trial Radiation Spheres for Liver Cancer

Australian company SIRTeX has received FDA approval to begin trials of their injectable, beta radiating microspheres thought to directly target intrahepatic tumor sites.

From the product brochure:

SIR-Spheres microspheres consist of biocompatible microspheres containing yttrium-90 with a size between 20 and 60 microns in diameter. Yttrium-90 is a high-energy pure betaemitting isotope with no primary gamma emission. The maximum energy of the beta particles is 2.27MeV with a mean of 0.93MeV. The maximum range of emissions in tissue is 11mm with a mean of 2.5mm. The half-life is 64.1 hours. In therapeutic use, requiring the isotope to decay to infinity, 94% of the radiation is delivered in 11 days. The average number of particles implanted is 30 – 60 x 106. SIR-Spheres microspheres are a permanent implant.
SIR-Spheres microspheres are implanted into a hepatic tumor by injection into either the common hepatic artery or the right or left hepatic artery via the chemotherapy catheter port. The SIRSpheres microspheres distribute non-uniformly in the liver, primarily due to the unique physiological characteristics of the hepatic arterial flow, the tumor to normal liver ratio of the tissue vascularity, and the size of the tumor. The tumor usually gets higher density per unit distribution of SIR-Spheres microspheres than the normal liver. The density of SIR-Spheres microspheres in the tumor can be as high as 5 to 6 times of the normal liver tissue. Once SIR-Spheres microspheres are implanted into the liver, they are not metabolized or excreted and they stay permanently in the liver.

Each device is for single patient use.

SIRTeX USA website...

Press release: Sirtex receives US FDA approval for FAST clinical trial (.pdf)

Product page: Product Package Insert (PDF)

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Nanovector Trojan Horses (NTH): Drug That May Prevent Radiation Injury

The DoD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is commissioning a nine-month study by Rice University chemists and investigators at the Texas Medical Center to "determine whether a new drug based on carbon nanotubes can help prevent people from dying of acute radiation injury following radiation exposure."

The drug, based on carbon nanotubes and two common food preservatives, has already shown huge promise in reducing the effects of radiation exposure:

The new study was commissioned after preliminary tests found the drug was greater than 5,000 times more effective at reducing the effects of acute radiation injury than the most effective drugs currently available...
NTH is made at Rice's Chemistry Department and Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory in the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. The drug is based on single-walled carbon nanotubes, hollow cylinders of pure carbon that are about as wide as a strand of DNA. To form NTH, Rice scientists coat nanotubes with two common food preservatives -- the antioxidant compounds butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) -- and derivatives of those compounds.

"The same properties that make BHA and BHT good food preservatives, namely their ability to scavenge free radicals, also make them good candidates for mitigating the biological affects that are induced through the initial ionizing radiation event," Tour said.

In preliminary tests at M.D. Anderson in July 2007, mice showed enhanced protection when exposed to lethal doses of ionizing radiation when they were given first-generation NTH drugs prior to exposure.

"Our preliminary results are remarkable, and that's why DARPA awarded us this grant with a very compressed timeline for delivery: nine months, which is almost unheard of for an academic study of this type," Tour said. "They are very interested in finding out whether this will work in a post-exposure delivery, and they don't want to waste any time."

Feds fund study of drug that may prevent radiation injury ...

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Friday, October 19, 2007

Symbia E Series SPECT Imager

This new spiffy gamma camera from Siemens AG is designed for a variety of clinical applications, including oncology, cardiology, neurology, and general imaging:

The new Symbia E is based on the success of Siemens' Symbia family of imagers. Based on state-of-the-art Symbia SPECT·CT technology and award-winning design, Symbia E leverages the strength of the industry's leading gamma camera, the e.cam. There are more than 4,000 e.cams installed in more than 120 countries, proving that the system is an industry icon. Siemens has redesigned the e.cam structure with an improved chassis and improved electronics. The Symbia E boasts features that will allow providers to work with increased confidence because of the system's improved image quality and increased reliability; these will lead to an accelerated workflow. The system is also versatile and it can be upgraded as a facility's workload grows.
Siemens has taken the best detector technology that the Symbia family of SPECT and SPECT·CT imagers has to offer and made it available on Symbia E. A new generation of HD detector first introduced with the Symbia TruePoint SPECT·CT imager, with best in class performance and reliability is also included in the new Symbia E scanner. Using these new detectors, where Siemens achieved an 85 per cent reduction in wiring and a 75 per cent reduction in components, and Siemens' own crystal material, the reliability of this new system is significantly increased. Symbia E also imports the clinically validated c.clear attenuation correction, which was developed on the Siemens c.cam dedicated cardiac scanner. So Symbia E users will take advantage of high-end cardiac scanning features.

To ensure the highest customer satisfaction and system uptime, the Symbia E is equipped with Siemens' Remote Services capabilities. The Siemens Remote Services program enables Siemens to check the system status through full remote access and remote diagnostics. This level of proactive monitoring and trending of key performance indicators will allow Siemens to service and update the system before small problems turn into big downtime. The end result is that Symbia E users will experience interruption-free imaging while having the support of a network of nearly 1,000 trained field engineers.

The Symbia E offers features to accelerate the clinical workflow in acquisition, processing and reviewing with syngo workflow solutions such as an integrated physician worklist and it provides imaging in half the time for cardiology and oncology patients, when using cardio·Flash and onco·Flash reconstruction software packages. Users will realize time savings from the system's integrated, simultaneous Quality Control component. With the Symbia E, facilities will be able to see a wide range of patients from pediatrics to bariatrics and can also be equipped with special positioning pallets for mammography. It also sports a tilting detector for optimized planar imaging.

Press release: Siemens Unveils New Technology for Nuclear Medicine's Hardest Working Gamma Camera ...

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Monday, June 18, 2007

In the Works: Compact, Low-cost Proton Therapy System

It looks like proton therapy will be developed into a compact device, after a technology transfer agreement between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and TomoTherapy Inc., a Madison, Wisconsin company, was announced just a few days ago.

From the Lawrence Livermore NL press office:

"This technology has grown out of work to develop compact, high-current accelerators as flash X-ray radiography sources for nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship," said George Caporaso, the lead scientist on the project at Lawrence Livermore. "We are excited about applying this new technology to the field of cancer treatment, to make proton therapy widely available as a treatment option."

"We have taken proton therapy and achieved major advances toward what we were told was impossible - to scale it down to a size and price that will bring it in reach of every major cancer center," said Ralph deVere White, director of UC Davis Cancer Center and associate dean for cancer programs. "Our research partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has fulfilled the mission for which it was created: to deliver translational research in order to advance health care."

Conventional radiation therapy kills cancer cells using high-energy X-rays. These X-rays deliver energy to all the tissues they travel through, from the point they enter the body, until they leave it. Doctors therefore have to limit the dose delivered to the tumor to minimize damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Unlike high-energy X-rays, proton beams deposit almost all of their energy on their target, with a low amount of radiation deposited in tissues from the surface of the skin to the front of tumor, and almost no "exit dose" beyond the tumor. This property enables doctors to hit tumors with higher, potentially more effective radiation doses than is possible with gamma radiation...

The compact system is expected to fit in standard radiation treatment suites and to cost less than $20 million. The compact system will be mounted on a gantry that rotates about the patient.

Caporaso's team overcame the size obstacle by using dielectric wall accelerator technology developed through defense research. The Livermore scientists have demonstrated in principle that this technology will enable proton particles to be accelerated to an energy of at least 200 million electron volts within a light-weight, novel, insulator-based structure about 6.5 feet long. It also won't use any bending magnets, and will be able to change the protons' energy and intensity between each burst that occurs many times per second.

Currently available proton therapy machines use cyclotrons or synchrotrons nearly 10 feet in diameter and weighing up to several hundred tons. This equipment includes the enormous gantry and bending magnets necessary to focus and direct the beams onto patients.

In addition to overcoming size and cost obstacles, the compact system will improve on existing full-scale systems by including the capability to vary the energy, intensity and "spot" size of the proton beam. Radiation will be produced in rapid pulses, creating small "spots" of dose throughout the tumor. Currently only one proton facility in the world, the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, is able to deliver this intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). IMPT is generally considered the best way to destroy tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Press release: First compact proton therapy machine for cancer treatment enters development ...

Press release: TomoTherapy Inc. and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to Develop Proton Therapy System ...

Flashbacks: Activate the Proton Beam ; The Physics of Proton Therapy; In the Works: Proton Treatment from MIT

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Friday, June 1, 2007

Improved Radiation Detectors Developed by DoE

Tovarisch Aleksey Bolotnikov (pictured), a physicist now working for Uncle Sam at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, developed a new radiation sensor that can function at normal temperatures, which is apparently a major improvement:

The improved sensors, for which the Laboratory has filed a U.S. provisional patent application, can be used at room temperature, which makes them more practical and cost-effective than existing detectors with similar performance, which must be operated at very cold temperatures using expensive liquid nitrogen. They can also more accurately detect the X-rays and gamma rays emitted by radiological sources such as dirty bombs and other illicit materials.
"Improving the performance of radiation detectors could improve the efficiency and accuracy of cargo screening at U.S. ports," said Brookhaven physicist Aleksey Bolotnikov, one of the inventors.

Radiation detectors work by detecting electrons and "holes" -- vacancies left by liberated electrons -- when ionizing radiation or high-energy particles strike the detector crystal. When the free electrons and holes flow toward electrodes (an anode and a cathode) at either end of the detector, they generate a signal that can be measured and recorded.

In an ideal detector, all of the electrons and holes created by the ionization process would arrive at the electrodes. But in reality, holes travel a very short distance before getting trapped by defects in the crystal. Also, because the electrostatic field inside the detector causes some of the electrons to drift, not all of them arrive at the anode. These losses lead to a subsequent inaccuracy in radiation measurements.

The Brookhaven-designed sensors improve on this situation by combining methods to shield the detector and focus the electrons toward the anode. In addition, the electrodes at each end of the detector give information about how many electrons/holes get trapped. This "correction factor" can then be used to reconstruct the number of electrons/holes originally created by incident gamma rays or high-energy particles.

"Together, these techniques enhance the energy resolution and efficiency of these detectors. In practical terms it means that the improved devices will be able to detect more minute quantities of radiation, detect radioactive materials more quickly or from greater distances, better identify the source of the radiation, and distinguish illicit sources of concern from common naturally occurring radioactive materials," Bolotnikov said.

Press release: New Method for Making Improved Radiation Detectors ...

Press release: NNSA Improves Technology for Radiation Detectors ...

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Fast Field-Cycled MRI

The University of Aberdeen researchers are developing a new generation magnetic resonance imaging technology called Field-Cycling MRI:

The new scanner will make visible features not currently seen in conventional MRI. This improved sensitivity and specificity should lead to a better understanding of key diseases, result in more rapid and accurate diagnosis, and eventually pave the way for new treatments.
Professor Lurie, Chair in Biomedical Physics, University of Aberdeen, said: "We are tremendously excited about the potential for this scanner which uses new technology called Fast Field-Cycling MRI.

"We believe it has the potential to gain new insight into processes that give rise to disease, involving the complex interactions of atoms, molecules and cells in the body. Fast Field-Cycling MRI promises to be even more sensitive than conventional MRI at picking up these disease processes.

"This technology breaks the first rule of conventional MRI which is that the magnetic field is held constant while the image is being obtained.

"What we will do with our new scanner is to switch the magnetic field rapidly while the image is being obtained. In this way, we will be able to record information about how molecules behave at a whole range of magnetic fields.

"It is a bit like having at our disposal a hundred or more MRI scanners, each one operating at a different magnetic field - but all in the one scanner. The big advantage is that the new scanner will produce images of the body that will tell clinicians important information about disease processes at a much earlier stage.

"One area of research that will benefit in particular is the role of proteins in diseases. The malformation and malfunctioning of proteins is at the core of many diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Aberdeen University's Institute of Medical Sciences has world-leading research teams in all of these areas, and the lead scientists are closely involved with the new MRI research.

"A clearer vision of the protein changes that occur in such disorders could lead not only to a better understanding of the disease process itself, but to more rapid and accurate diagnosis and eventually new treatments."

Press release: Pioneering Aberdeen again leads world with MRI...

Field-cycled MRI project page...

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Thursday, February 8, 2007

Radiation Rx Planning Algorithm

Teaching machines to learn? [insert joke about machines becoming self-aware and taking over the world] Being on the serious side, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a "machine learning" algorithm which can correctly determine appropriate radiation therapy in as little as 10 minutes.

A new computer-based technique could eliminate hours of manual adjustment associated with a popular cancer treatment. In a paper published in the Feb. 7 issue of Physics in Medicine and Biology, researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute describe an approach that has the potential to automatically determine acceptable radiation plans in a matter of minutes, without compromising the quality of treatment.
"Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) has exploded in popularity, but the technique can require hours of manual tuning to determine an effective radiation treatment for a given patient," said Richard Radke, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer. Radke is leading a team of engineers and medical physicists to develop a "machine learning" algorithm that could cut hours from the process.

A subfield of artificial intelligence, machine learning is based on the development of algorithms that allow computers to learn relationships in large datasets from examples. Radke and his coworkers have tested their algorithm on 10 prostate cancer patients. They found that for 70 percent of the cases, the algorithm automatically determined an appropriate radiation therapy plan in about 10 minutes...

IMRT adds nuance and flexibility to radiation therapy, increasing the likelihood of treating a tumor without endangering surrounding healthy tissue. Each IMRT beam is composed of thousands of tiny "beamlets" that can be individually modulated to deliver the right level of radiation precisely where it is needed.

But the semi-automatic process of developing a treatment plan can be extremely time-consuming - up to about four hours for prostate cancer and up to an entire day for more complicated cancers in the head and neck, according to Radke.

A radiation planner must perform a CT scan, analyze the image to determine the exact locations of the tumor and healthy tissues, and define the radiation levels that each area should receive. Then the planner must give weight to various constraints set by a doctor, such as allowing no more than a certain level of radiation to hit a nearby organ, while assuring that the tumor receives enough to kill the cancerous cells.

This is currently achieved by manually determining the settings of up to 20 different parameters, or "knobs," deriving the corresponding radiation plan, and then repeating the process if the plan does not meet the clinical constraints. "Our goal is to automate this knob-turning process, saving the planner's time by removing decisions that don't require their expert intuition," said Radke.

The researchers first performed a sensitivity analysis, which showed that many of the parameters could be eliminated completely because they had little effect on the outcome of the treatment. They then showed that an automatic search over the smaller set of sensitive parameters could theoretically lead to clinically acceptable plans.

The procedure was put to the test by developing radiation plans for 10 patients with prostate cancer. In all 10 cases the process took between five and 10 minutes, Radke said. Four cases would have been immediately acceptable in the clinic; three needed only minor "tweaking" by an expert to achieve an acceptable radiation plan; and three would have demanded more attention from a radiation planner.

Full story @ Rensselaer. . .

Abstract . . .

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Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Panorama 1.0T R/T Simulator from Philips

At the ongoing annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Philadelphia, Philips is introducing its new MR simulator:

The introduction of the Panorama 1.0T with R/T option--the first high field open MR simulator--builds on Philips experience in developing the first commercially available MR simulator, the Panorama 0.23T R/T.
This option of the Panorama 1.0T is dedicated for radiation oncology and has received FDA clearance. The R/T option includes an external laser positioning system, an oncology tabletop with indexing, geometric distortion correction software and specialized imaging protocols.

The open gantry of Panorama 1.0T allows for patient scanning in treatment position with immobilization devices or supine inclined for breast imaging. Precise patient alignment is achieved with a flat and rigid oncology table top modeled after the LINAC table and a set of MR-compatible immobilization devices.

The Panorama 1.0T is the only high field open MR system featuring high performance whole body diagnostic imaging capabilities. Diffusion Weighted whole body Imaging with Background body signal Suppression (DWIBS) is a new whole body imaging technique unique to Philips systems and represents a breakthrough for identifying the presence of lesions without exposing the patient to radiation or radioactive isotopes.

Product page for Panorama 1.0T...

Press release...

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