Dear MRI Insider,
Put your thinking caps on because we've got a mélange of articles on brain MRI in this installment of the Insider. Learn how a little sedative can have a profound effect on brain areas that regulate memory, according to a presentation at the 2007 American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting in San Francisco.
Also, read why researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston plan to use MRI to study infants who survive periventricular hemorrhagic infarction, but then develop significant cognitive or motor abnormalities.
In Alzheimer's disease imaging, functional MRI may help identify patients in the early stages of the disease, according to a report in Radiology. Lastly, delve into the relationship between thalamic volume and cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, as well as why more MS lesions appear after withdrawal from natalizumab, a drug that slows the progression of disability.
Once you've digested all that information, be sure to check out the Insider Exclusive article on setting up a breast MR program. Technologist Bernadette Kaufman, along with a host of other breast MR experts, discuss how it's not enough to site the magnet and flip the switch. The future lies in taking a more universal approach to breast health. Click here for the full story, which is part of our Breast Cancer Awareness Month coverage.
Shifting gears, the effort to solve the mystery of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) forges on with dermatologists identifying a potential molecular mechanism for the disease. Click here to read more. According to another study out of Boston, about 13% of patients with renal failure develop NSF. Check out the details on what the investigators call a "population-based cohort study."
And in breaking legal news, get the latest update on a lawsuit the Illinois attorney general is pursuing against a group of MRI centers that she accuses of running afoul of antikickback laws due to their involvement in time-share leasing arrangements. Get that story by clicking here.
Finally, be sure to come back to the MRI Digital Community later this month and in November for exciting news live from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Los Angeles and, of course, the 2007 RSNA conference in Chicago.
