Archive for June, 2010
SPECT/CT Imaging Detects Renal-transplant Issues
June 14th, 2010 | 
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Recent study reveals that, the use of physiological and structural images taken from SPECT/CT hybrid imaging can help better diagnose and treat renal-transplant related issues.
Kidney transplant could mean a blessing with no dialysis for more than 15,000 Americans every year. However,complications post surgery are also a common issue. The traditional physican use of two-dimensional planar imaging to evaluate post-renal transplant complications included urinary leak, infection and transplant non-viability or kidney failure.
The study presented at SNM’s 57th Annual Meeting by the Cleveland Clinic. SPECT and CT imaging techniques were compiled to produce a detailed picture of the process of renal functions. The research results showed that three-dimensional SPECT/CT hybrid imaging is best-suited for similar and other disease states. Engaging SPECT/CT imaging may even prevent further imaging studies or invasive biopsies. Thus, avoiding delayed patient care.
About 12 renal transplant cases were involved in the study. Out of those, 10 patients were suspected of urinary leak, one with kidney failure and the other was suspected of experiencing a transplant-associated infections. All patients underwent scan post conventional planar imaging, with non-circular SPECT imaging and low dose non-contrast CT imaging using a hybrid SPECT/CT system. The SPECT/CT usage with Tc99m-MAG3, which is an imaging agent taken up by the kidneys and utilized for detection of renal function, assisted physicians positively diagnose urinary leaks for 70% of the patients when fused imaging exposed fluid outside The anatomical confines of the patients’ urinary system. Similar agent molecular imaging technique also succeeded in recognising kidney failures. The patient injected with In-111 labeled WBC, an agent that helps image leukocyte activity associated with the body’s immune response helped detect infection.
According to Shashi Khandekar, administrator of the nuclear medicine department, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. “SPECT and CT fused images provide both functional and anatomical information about the kidney, which provides better diagnostic capability and greater confidence to our physicians.”
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Privacy & Security Tiger Team
The Office of the National Coordinator(ONC) for HIT is introducing subcommittee under the guidance of HIT Policy Committee to reform the scope of privacy and security issues.
The next few months will witness members from the HIT Policy and Standards Committee and National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics will work together in a new Privacy & Security Tiger Team to meet the need of HITECH and many new organizations created under that law. This workgroup is chaired by Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer, and Sam Karp, co-Chair, California Healthcare Foundation. The Tiger Team is expected to conclude its work by late fall 2010.
The Member List:
The workgroup plans to meet on june’10th and 11th.The ONC website contain information on P&S Tiger Team Member List,dates and schedules.Webconference, Audio, Telephone or
Computer and the iPhone, will cover all public participation.
ObamaCare Trial In Greece Creates Havoc
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has clarified that, before rescue, its compulsory for the Greek government to privatize transportation,energy and health care for cost control.
The IMF has also identified that, greater government interference in health care does not actually help in financial savings or better health care.
The current government spending in Greece is deficient and budgeting is creating a havoc in the state with riots and bloodshed. The employer based system allows no innovation under the stringent guidelines of Greek Ministry of Social Health and Cohesion. The government sanctioned insurers with transperent rates and advantages are the only options for the employers to choose from. Thus, making it a more privatized and tightly controlled ObamaCare insurance policy.
About 50% of the employed Greek physicians are employed by the government. The rest of them are into private practices paid directly by the social insurance fund. These physicians are prohibited to balence their bills,that, apparently lead them to fend for ways to increase their incomes levels. Illegal payment demands are made regularly for patient checkups. The waiting list of patients are also high since, the availability of physicians and providers are less in a bid to keep the costs low. Patient care, such as blood tests or appointments are regularly delayed by months majorly due to money laundering through illegal medical practices. Those who can afford to pay more may get treated sooner and better.
The Greek Medical practice is beyond regulations and control by the government.Worse still, is the protection of inefficient processes by a centralized system that lets it grow with the rise of costs with more paperwork. The productivity slacks with the rise of bureaucracy. Hence, an expanding workforce will not necessarily help in better medical care but higher expenditures, unnecessary rules and further frustration.
The National Health Service with government hospitals and employed physicians covers the poor in Greece, while, Medicaid covers the same in US by trying to involve the private medical practices to include their policies into their practices.However, due to low pay-backs, the doctors decline or leave these plans leaving the registered insurance to head to emergency for urgent care.This eventually leads to heavy expenses and inefficient options.
Almost similarly, prior to government involvment in the US, the medical practitioners were more than happy to initiate care for the poor at free clinics that were mostly operated by hospitals.The bureaucracy involved back then was less.
The current situation thus, demands to recall setting up of these helpful clinics by the Obama Adminstration.This will help build a personal responsibility sense, a healthy charity system and better medical and monetary support for those in need. It’s about time,Obama administration show how much they really care with its greater involvement in the health business.
Higher Bowel Cancer Diagnosed In England
The first national screening programme in Wales came out with the diagnosis of 2.5% higher cases of bowel cancer than it was earlier perceived according to the Western Mail.
Considered as the 3rd most prevalent form of cancer in Wales, Bowel cancer influences approximately 2,000 lives, killing a 1000 every year in the area. The diagnosis rate of bowel cancer is found greater than the English average. This has placed Wales together with other parts of England that are ignored the most.
It is believed by the experts that, the higher rate of detection tests that, turned positive, was also in accordance with the increased cases of colorectal cancer in Wales. However, those who are being detected at an early stage, also has the possibility of being treated better.
The screening test can search for hidden blood in faeces, signalling a higher chance of bowel cancer.Never the less, the test does not confirm any diagnosis of cancer if blood is eventually detected in the screening test. Though, people are still sent for further tests, the blood found in the screening may also be the evidence of inoffensive polyps or other benign conditions, including piles.
60% of those who underwent the bowel cancer screening test were between the age group of 60 to 69. These numbers are being collected for the bowel cancer screening programme that was launched in Wales in October 2008.
According to Dr. Hilary Fielder, director of the screening division of Public Health Wales, the predicted percentage of the total number of people screened positive, were 2.1%. This evaluation was based on the first bowel screening programme in England. He also said, “Early figures show that this positive rate is slightly higher at 2.59%. We have also detected a higher than expected rate of disease at colonoscopy so the tests are proving extremely effective at predicting people who have pre-cancerous small growths and cancer. One of the reasons for the higher than expected positive rate is that Wales has more bowel disease, shown also in higher colorectal cancer rates than England. The English bowel screening pilot programme also used a slightly different age range that could affect the positivity rate.”
The Llandough Hospital ,the main centre for colonoscopy referred to people with subsequent bowel cancer screening in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, has come up with more clinics to in the area to fit in the requirements for greater number of patient tests compared to the current aged group screened i.e between 60 to 69 in 2 years. Plans of including everyone between the age group of 50-74 by 2015 in the programme are doing the rounds It is proved finally that, the chances of death from bowel cancer can reduce by 15% with periodic bowel screening.
Dr Fielder added: “I am pleased that the take-up of bowel screening has been so high and I encourage all those invited to take part in this important screening programme.“Bowel cancer is the third biggest killer of men and women in Wales.“Screening aims to detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms. “This is when treatment is more likely to be effective. “It is also an effective way of preventing the development of cancer in many people.”