Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Imaging specialists have a new weapon in their arsenal for diagnosing prostate cancer after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week approved a PET radiopharmaceutical from Blue Earth Diagnostics.
Called Axumin, the agent is intended for use in men who are suspected of having recurrent prostate cancer, based on elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after primary treatment.
In particular, Axumin is designed for use in men with very low PSA levels whose cancer recurrence might not be detected with other imaging tools. Learn more about Axumin by clicking here.
In another PET study, researchers from Europe used FDG-PET to predict which patients with severe brain injuries might regain consciousness. That story is available by clicking here, or visit our Molecular Imaging Community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
US fusion for liver biopsies
Meanwhile, researchers from Ohio have demonstrated the usefulness of a technique that merges ultrasound with MRI or CT to guide biopsies.
The technology matches previously acquired MRI or CT scans with live ultrasound to give radiologists the benefits of real-time ultrasound -- such as no ionizing radiation -- with the resolution of MRI and CT. The researchers found that the technique had similar diagnostic yield to CT-guided biopsy, but the ultrasound-guided procedures could be performed in about half the time.
Get the rest of the story by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Community at ultrasound.auntminnie.com.
MRI of schizophrenia
Finally, be sure to check out our MRI Community for a new study that sheds light on schizophrenia and the brain. Researchers using MRI discovered that the brains of individuals with the disorder actually have the capability to reorganize and fight the disease. Learn more by clicking here, or go to the MRI Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
