January 21, 2010 – The Federal Patent Court in Munich, Germany upheld the validity of Edward Lifesciences' patent for transcatheter valve technology and dismissed invalidity claims by competitor CoreValve.

January 20, 2010 - Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Treatments for the disease have changed markedly over the last decade as a result of guidelines issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 1999, which stated that chemoradiotherapy should be considered as an alternative to radiotherapy.

January 20, 2010 - First Coast Oncology in Jacksonville, Fla., employs a technique for whole breast irradiation that is designed to target and deliver a boost dose accurately and reliably to the lumpectomy cavity margin.

January 20, 2010 - Fairfield Memorial Hospital and Piedmont Family Practice at York, a clinic, are the latest facilities in South Carolina to install a new PACS for its rural facilities in the region.

Janaury 20, 2010 - The Democrats were going to need all 60 votes from its caucus in the Senate for the reconciled healthcare reform bill to pass, but the election of Republican Scott Brown to fill the seat of the late Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has, according to the American College of Radiology (ACR), "complicated the next steps in the process to enact healthcare reform."

January 20, 2010 - Doppler ultrasound is a well established technique used to diagnose problems during pregnancy, and it may prove especially useful in high-risk pregnancies to monitor a fetus' health may reduce caesarean sections and the number of babies who die, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review.

January 20, 2010 - The IHE 2010 North America Connectathon demonstrated the efficacy of electronic health record system connectivity and interoperable exchange of patient health data with standards-based systems.

PageWriter Trim III Cardiograph by Philips Healthcare.

January 20, 2010 - Nearly $1 million of medical equipment and supplies donated by a leading medical manufacturer is being shipped today to Haitia for a team of Caritas Christi clinicians headed to Sacre Coeur Hospital, in Milot, Haiti, north of Port-au-Prince, to use to treat victims of the recent earthquake.

ABLAVAR is a contrast agent approved for use with a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) indication to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) and suspected peripheral vascular disease.

It demonstrated statistically greater sensitivity (detecting disease when present) compared with non-contrast MRA[ii]. These studies, which supported the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of ABLAVAR, show that MRA images using ABLAVAR provided diagnostic accuracy comparable to conventional X-ray angiography,[iii],[iv] an invasive procedure which involves insertion of a catheter into the arteries in the upper thigh (groin area) or arm[v].

Lantheus Medical Imaging's ABLAVAR is designed to provide distinct advantages over X-ray angiography, high resolution images comparable to conventional X-ray angiography to offer radiologists enhanced visualization of patients’ arteries. ABLAVAR is given in a single, low dose injection, and does not require catheter insertion into a patient’s arteries, and does not expose patients to ionizing radiation.

The introduction of the MRA imaging agent extends Lantheus Medical's product portfolio in the radiology and peripheral vascular disease markets and adds to its diagnostic imaging agents for MRI, SPECT, PET and echocardiography imaging modalities.

ABLAVAR is approved in 37 countries outside the United States and has been used in nearly 90,000 patients to date. Indications:

The introduction of the MRA imaging agent extends Lantheus Medical's product portfolio in the radiology and peripheral vascular disease markets and adds to its diagnostic imaging agents for MRI, SPECT, PET and echocardiography imaging modalities.

ABLAVAR is approved in 37 countries outside the United States and has been used in nearly 90,000 patients to date.

MRA indication to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease.

Contraindications: History of a prior allergic reaction to a gadolinium-based contrast agent.

WARNING: NEPHROGENIC SYSTEMIC FIBROSIS (NSF)

Gadolinium-based contrast agents increase the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with:

- acute or chronic severe renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73m2), or acute renal insufficiency of any severity due to the hepato-renal syndrome or in the perioperative liver transplantation period. In these patients, avoid use of gadolinium-based contrast agents unless the diagnostic information is essential and not available with non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). NSF may result in fatal or debilitating systemic fibrosis affecting the skin, muscle, and internal organs. Screen all patients for renal dysfunction by obtaining a history and/or laboratory tests. When administering a gadolinium-based contrast agent, do not exceed the recommended dose and allow a sufficient period of time for elimination of the agent from the body prior to any re-administration.

The balloon material of the REEF HP PTA Balloon Catheter was created for use in peripheral high-pressure dilatation procedures. It can treat a range of peripheral lesions, including dialysis patients whose arteriovenous shunts often create fibrous and hard-to-dilate lesions.

The REEF HP balloon is made from Flexitec XF, an extremely durable material with a large working pressure range of up to 22 atm. The low compliant balloon offers a uniform dilatation force and strong shape retention to dilate resistive lesions with greater stability and success. Its low-profile design enables consistent delivery and ease of crossability. The balloon is available in a wide range of sizes, from diameters of 4-8 mm and lengths of 20-80 mm.

The balloon received FDA 510(k) clearance in January 2010.

For more information: www.invatec.com

A new contrast-imaging agent for use with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), ABLAVAR (gadofosveset trisodium), is indicated to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) in adults with known or suspected peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

In phase 3 clinical studies, ABLAVAR demonstrated statistically greater sensitivity (detecting disease when present) compared with non-contrast MRA. These studies, which supported the FDA approval of ABLAVAR, show that MRA images using ABLAVAR provided diagnostic accuracy comparable to conventional X-ray angiography. The advantages over X-ray angiography include a low dose injection, it does not require catheter insertion into a patient’s arteries, and does not expose patients to ionizing radiation.

The imaging agent was cleared by the FDA in 2009 and was launched on the U.S. market in January 2010.

For more information: www.ablavar.com, www.lantheus.com

The recently cleared NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System for the detection of non-lethal arrhythmias incorporates comprehensive algorithms and patient-activation functionality into the inconspicuous PiiX, wearable remote monitor.

The PiiX wearable monitor wirelessly transmits ECG events.

Designed with a specific focus on ambulatory arrhythmia monitoring, the system has a low profile form factor, advanced algorithms and multisensor capabilities of the PiiX wearable platform. This enables continuous monitoring for a broad set of arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, as well as patient falls that may be associated with arrhythmias. Patients can also trigger the collection of an electrocardiogram (ECG), on-demand, upon experiencing symptoms.

All ECGs are promptly transmitted to the Corventis Monitoring Center via the wireless-enabled zLink, for review and response by cardiographic technicians. Physicians receive prompt notification of urgent events as well as actionable information in the form of episode reports, daily reports and end of use reports via fax, e-mail and/or the secure Web site.

Corventis Inc. said its monitoring center is approved by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as an independent diagnostic testing facility (IDTF). Corventis also received approval to bill for services provided to patients with Medicare and several commercial insurers.

The FDA cleared the telemetry system in January 2010.

For more information: www.corventis.com

January 20, 2010 – LDL is not the only "bad cholesterol" according to a new study. A lipoprotein in the bloodstream called Lp(a) can also be labeled "bad cholesterol," according to the study Genetic Variants Associated with Lp(a) Lipoprotein Level and Coronary Disease, recently published in the New England Journal Of Medicine.

January 19, 2010 - There has been much controversy surrounding vertebroplasty, a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists under imaging guidance, stabilizes collapsed vertebra with the injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine.