Sentinelle Medical and Siemens AG Collaborating on Solutions for Interventional Prostate MRI

TORONTO, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ - Sentinelle Medical Inc., a leading manufacturer of breast MRI coils and software, and Siemens Healthcare today announced at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago, that they are collaborating on the development of a suite of innovative solutions for Interventional Prostate MRI.

According to the American Cancer Society, Prostate cancer will affect close to 200,000 men and cause 27,000 deaths this year (2009) in the US. Current screening technologies are limited in their ability to reliably detect prostate cancer. Prostate MRI shows significant promise to address these challenges. However, initial offerings offer limited signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) coverage for the prostate, and current interventional solutions lack the ability to combine with internal imaging coils.

Sentinelle and Siemens are working together to develop solutions that will address the challenges clinicians currently face in the use of MRI for imaging, intervention and treatment of prostate cancer. These solutions will address image quality, ease and accuracy of intervention, patient experience and workflow efficiency - all critical elements in the widespread adoption of prostate MRI. Sentinelle will be demonstrating Works-In-Progress for Prostate interventional MRI coils at RSNA 2009 (Booth 5800, Hall A).

"Prostate imaging provides unique challenges for imaging and intervention. Siemens and Sentinelle are dedicated to delivering solutions that can be easily integrated into the clinicians workflow, and positively impact patient outcomes," said Cameron Piron, Sentinelle's President and CEO. "With our combined focus, we are confident that we can address these challenges and enable greater access to this important technology."

source: PR Newswire

Interventional Radiology Procedure May Help Increase Chances of Long-Term Survival in Patients With Severe Liver Cancer

In patients with unresectable (unable to be removed by surgery) liver cancer, an interventional radiology procedure called triple-drug transcatheter arterial chemoemobolization (TACE) followed by a liver transplant may significantly increase a patient’s chance of long-term survival, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Liver cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths worldwide annually. During triple-drug TACE, anti-cancer drugs are injected directly into the blood vessel feeding a cancerous tumor. An embolic agent is placed inside the blood vessels that supply blood to the tumor, in effect trapping the chemotherapy in the tumor.

The study, performed at the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles, included 124 patients with unresectable liver cancer. Twenty-eight patients underwent triple-drug TACE followed by a liver transplantation; 96 patients underwent triple-drug TACE only. “In our study, patients who underwent triple-drug TACE followed by liver transplantation showed the longest survival,” said Antoinette S. Gomes, M.D., lead author of the study. The median survival in the transplant recipient group was 112.80 months. In the no-transplant group, the median survival was 15.75 months.

source: ARRS

Study Finds Interventional Radiology Treatment for Pulmonary Embolism Saves Lives

Researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology have revealed that catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis—an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs—saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism.

"Modern catheter-directed therapy for acute pulmonary embolism saves lives, and we need to raise awareness about its safety and effectiveness not only among the general public but also within the medical community. It's a matter of life and death," said William Kuo, M.D., an interventional radiologist who is assistant professor and fellowship director of vascular and interventional radiology in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, Calif. "In our study, we conclude that modern catheter-directed therapy is a relatively safe and effective treatment for acute massive pulmonary embolism and should be considered as a first-line treatment option," he added.

source: MedIndia

When seconds count: Interventional radiology treatment for pulmonary embolism saves lives

FAIRFAX, Va.—Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis—an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs—saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

"Modern catheter-directed therapy for acute pulmonary embolism saves lives, and we need to raise awareness about its safety and effectiveness not only among the general public but also within the medical community. It's a matter of life and death," said William Kuo, M.D., an interventional radiologist who is assistant professor and fellowship director of vascular and interventional radiology in the Department of Radiology at Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, Calif. "In our study, we conclude that modern catheter-directed therapy is a relatively safe and effective treatment for acute massive pulmonary embolism and should be considered as a first-line treatment option," he added.

Pulmonary embolism occurs when one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked from blood clots that break free and travel there. These clots most often begin as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots within the deep leg veins. When the clots break free, circulate and become trapped in the lungs, they can block the oxygen supply, cause heart failure and result in death. About 600,000 cases of acute pulmonary embolism are diagnosed each year in the United States, and an estimated 300,000 patients die, noted Kuo. "If initiated early, minimally invasive catheter-directed therapy could save many of those lives," added the lead author of the study, "Catheter-directed Therapy for the Treatment of Massive Pulmonary Embolism: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Modern Techniques."

source: Society of Interventional Radiology

Society Of Interventional Radiology Hosts Oncology Therapies Webinar, Offers Resources

Registration is now open for the Society of Interventional Radiology's "Image-guided Interventional Oncology (IO) Therapies" Webinar, which will provide the latest updates on percutaneous and transcatheter treatment of liver tumors, kidney tumor ablation and lung tumor ablation. SIR is a national organization of physicians, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving public health through pioneering advances in image-guided therapy.

The Webinar, which will include a question-and-answer session, will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. (Eastern) on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The program's coordinator is Debra A. Gervais, M.D., associate director, Division of Abdominal Imaging and Intervention, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Instructors include Kamran Ahrar, M.D., associate professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Joseph P. Erinjeri, M.D., Ph.D., assistant attending radiologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and assistant professor of radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, both in New York, N.Y.; and Kenneth J. Kolbeck, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Dotter Interventional Institute, Portland, Ore.

source: Society of Interventional Radiology