New Breast Scanning Technology Might Beat Standard Mammography

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• March 14, 2023
• Full Page

Newer scanning technology may spot more breast cancers and lower the rate of dreaded false positives, a large, new study shows.

Now available in a growing number of health care facilities, tomosynthesis uses low-dose X-rays and computer reconstructions to create 3D ...

MRI Might Boost Cancer Detection for Women With Dense Breasts

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 6, 2023
• Full Page

Nearly half of women have dense breast tissue, which can be a double whammy on their odds for breast cancer.

Not only are dense breasts a risk factor for cancer, but this glandular and fibrous connective tissue make it harder to detect cancers on a mammogram, the usual m...

Better Imaging Allows More Women to Opt for Breast-Conserving Surgery

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 9, 2022
• Full Page

Mastectomy has long been the standard of care for certain breast cancer patients, but it still may be more extensive than many women need, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that many women who have two or even three breast tumors may be able to have breast-conservi...

Kidney Stones Can Be Excruciating. New Treatment Blasts Them Away, No Anesthesia Needed

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• October 12, 2022
• Full Page

A new ultrasound treatment for kidney stones might provide pain-free relief while the patient is awake, researchers say.

Kidney stones are often excruc...

U.S. Hospitals Are Facing Shortage of Dye Needed for Life-Saving Scans

• By Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• May 19, 2022
• Full Page

U.S. hospitals are running low on contrast dye injected into patients undergoing enhanced X-rays, CT scans and MRIs.

The fluid, which makes the routine but potentially life-saving scans r...

Why Emphysema May Often Be Missed in Black Men

• By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
• May 16, 2022
• Full Page

Emphysema is missed more often in Black Americans than in white Americans, and now researchers report they have figured out why.

The investigators found that many Black men who were considered to have normal results after race-specific interpretations of a common lung fu...

Even T. Rex Had Bone Trouble

• Robert Preidt
• December 1, 2021
• Full Page

They once ruled the planet, but even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex could suffer from bone disease, new research shows.

Scientists used imaging to examine the lower left jaw of a fossilized T. rex skeleton discovered in Montana in 2010. The skeleton, which is about 68 mill...

FDA Approves Imaging Drug That Can Help Surgeons Spot Ovarian Cancers

• Robert Preidt
• November 29, 2021
• Full Page

Early detection of ovarian cancer helps boost a woman's survival, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new imaging drug that can help spot tumors during surgery.

The drug, Cytalux (pafolacianine), is meant to improve a surgeon's ability to detec...

Placebo Effect Plays Big Role in Antidepressant's Impact on Anxiety: Study

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• November 10, 2021
• Full Page

Illustrating the power of the mind to heal itself, new research suggests that the placebo effect could help drive antidepressants' effects against anxiety disorders.

The placebo effect refers to an increase in the success of a treatment when a patient expects a benefit.<...

Researchers Find Better Way to Fight Breast Cancer That Has Spread to Brain

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2021
• Full Page

Researchers may have found a noninvasive way to temporarily open the brain's borders to allow tumor-fighting medication inside.

By necessity, the brain is shielded by a layer of specialized cells called the blood-brain barrier. Its job is to allow needed substances in --...

Shape, Size of Brain Arteries May Predict Stroke Risk

• Steven Reinberg
• October 4, 2021
• Full Page

The size and shape of the blood vessels in your brain may help predict your risk of an often-fatal type of stroke, called an aneurysm, a new study finds.

An aneurysm is a bulge in an artery wall.

"A subarachnoid hemorrhage is the most dangerous type of stroke and o...

Tracking Key Protein Helps Predict Outcomes in TBI Patients

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 30, 2021
• Full Page

When people suffer a severe head injury, it's hard to predict how they will fare in the long run. But a new study suggests that something fairly simple -- measuring a protein in the blood -- could help.

The protein, called neurofilament light (NfL), is a component of t...

Can a Computer Program Help Docs Spot Breast Cancer?

• Cara Murez
• September 24, 2021
• Full Page

An artificial intelligence tool could help radiologists spot breast cancer on ultrasound images and reduce the need for extra testing, new research suggests.

"Our study demonstrates how artificial intelligence can help radiologists reading breast ultrasound exams to reve...

New Insights Into How Eating Disorders Alter the Brain

• Robert Preidt
• July 1, 2021
• Full Page

Behaviors associated with eating disorders can make real changes to the brain, new research shows. The findings could help explain why these serious disorders are often chronic -- and may also point the way to new treatments.

Eating disorders -- such as anorexia nervosa...

Brain Study Suggests Autism Develops Differently in Girls Than Boys

• Robert Preidt
• April 22, 2021
• Full Page

Autism appears to develop differently in girls and boys, so the findings of research conducted mainly with boys might not apply to girls, a new study suggests.

Autism spectrum disorder is four times more common in boys, which may help explain why there's far less researc...

Too Much Red Meat Might Harm Your Heart

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• April 20, 2021
• Full Page

If you've ever scoffed at warnings that too much red or processed meat is bad for the heart while oily fish is good for you, there's now some visual evidence to support that advice.

British researchers used heart imaging to see how these foods affected volunteers' heart ...

New First Look at the Tiniest Babies' Lungs

• Robert Preidt
• March 8, 2021
• Full Page

Researchers who recorded the most detailed images ever made of newborns' lungs as they took their first breaths say the breakthrough could improve treatment of breathing problems in babies.

"Respiratory problems are the most common reason we need to treat babies in inten...

Underarm Lump After COVID Shot Is Likely Lymph Swelling, Not Breast Cancer, Experts Say

• Cara Murez
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

That swollen lymph node under your arm could be a temporary side effect of a COVID-19 shot and not a sign of serious health problems.

Radiologists from Massachusetts General Hospital noticed an increase in patients with swollen underarm lymph nodes as they were doing rou...

Modern Medicine Unwraps Mystery of Ancient Mummy's Death

• Cara Murez
• February 25, 2021
• Full Page

Modern technology has unraveled an ancient mystery about the death of an Egyptian king.

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the mummified remains of Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II, the Brave, revealed new details about his head injuries not previously found in examinations since...

Each Day Sober Slowly Helps Alcoholics' Brains Recover

• Robert Preidt
• September 2, 2020
• Full Page

A new brain scan study shows why the "one day at a time" approach works for recovering alcoholics.

"For people with AUD [alcohol use disorder], the brain takes a long time to normalize, and each day is going to be a struggle," explained senior study author Rajita Sin...

Many Thyroid Cancer Ultrasound Scans Unnecessary

• Steven Reinberg
• August 25, 2020
• Full Page

As many as one-third of doctors may be sending patients for a thyroid ultrasound for reasons not supported by guidelines, a new study finds.

The use of ultrasound to detect thyroid cancer has led to a large increase in thyroid cancer cases, but many of these cancers...

Brain's Iron Stores May Be Key to Alzheimer's

• Amy Norton
• June 30, 2020
• Full Page

The progression of Alzheimer's disease may accelerate as iron deposits build up in the brain, a new study finds, hinting at a possible role for the mineral in mental decline.

Using MRI scans of 200 older adults with and without Alzheimer's, researchers found that tho...

Placenta's Hidden Mysteries Revealed in MRI Study

• Robert Preidt
• May 29, 2020
• Full Page

MRI imaging has uncovered key differences in blood flow to the placenta in pregnant women who are healthy and those with preeclampsia.

That could help explain why babies born to mothers with preeclampsia -- dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy -- are oft...

Key Areas of the Brain Triggered in Recent Heart Attack Survivors

• Robert Preidt
• May 5, 2020
• Full Page

People who've recently had a heart attack show increased activity in the area of the brain involved in stress and emotions. And this is associated with elevated inflammation in arteries, a small, preliminary study finds.

"The results of this study advance our underst...

Cuddling Brings Two Minds Together, MRI Study Reveals

• Dennis Thompson
• May 4, 2020
• Full Page

Love to cuddle up? It might bring a 'mind meld,' too, new research shows.

People in close physical contact appear to have synchronized brain patterns, a revolutionary new MRI technique has revealed.

A functional MRI scan of two people cuddling under a blank...

Long Periods in Space Alter Astronauts' Brains

• Robert Preidt
• April 14, 2020
• Full Page

Long periods of time in space may cause brain volume increases in astronauts, new research shows.

Extended periods in space have long been known to cause vision problems. And more than half of International Space Station crew members have reported vision changes.

Brain Plaques Signal Alzheimer's Even Before Other Symptoms Emerge: Study

• Robert Preidt
• April 13, 2020
• Full Page

Even before symptoms develop, the brains of people with early Alzheimer's disease have high levels of amyloid protein plaques, a new study reveals.

Those levels in older adults with no dementia symptoms are associated with a family history of disease, lower scores on...

AI May Not Be Better Than Experts at Reading Medical Scans

• Robert Preidt
• March 27, 2020
• Full Page

A new study casts doubt on claims that artificial intelligence (AI) equals or surpasses the ability of human experts to interpret medical images.

Many previous studies were of poor quality and may have exaggerated the benefits of AI, which could pose a risk to the sa...

Minorities Less Likely to Get Recommended Lung Cancer Imaging

• Robert Preidt
• March 17, 2020
• Full Page

Black and Hispanic Americans are less likely than whites to receive recommended lung cancer imaging, a new study claims.

PET-CT imaging is recommended because it provides doctors the best possible picture of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which helps determine t...

Imaging Scans May Lead to Shorter TB Treatment

• Robert Preidt
• February 27, 2020
• Full Page

A new monitoring approach could help improve treatment of patients with tuberculosis (TB), researchers say.

TB is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. Treatment involves multiple pills or injection drugs daily for at least six months. Successful tr...

Scientists Spot Early Markers of Coronavirus in Lungs of Patients

• Robert Preidt
• February 27, 2020
• Full Page

U.S. researchers report they have spotted early, subtle signs in the lungs that point to coronavirus infection.

This could help doctors diagnose patients in the early stages of the disease, when it may not be obvious on lung scans, according to the Mount Sinai Health...

Targeted Ultrasound Destroys Cancer Without Harming Healthy Cells: Study

• Robert Preidt
• January 10, 2020
• Full Page

The research is still in its early stages, but scientists say they've developed a low-intensity ultrasound technique that kills cancer cells without damaging healthy cells.

Focused ultrasound is already used to destroy tumors, with most approaches using either high-i...

Study Might Point Alzheimer's Research in Whole New Direction

• Dennis Thompson
• January 2, 2020
• Full Page

A new brain scanning technique is shaking up what researchers thought they knew about Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers now say they can predict with reasonable accuracy which brain regions will wither and atrophy in Alzheimer's by identifying the places where tau pro...

Breast Density Alerts Might Not Be Helping Women

• Serena Gordon
• December 31, 2019
• Full Page

Having dense breast tissue raises a woman's odds for breast cancer, so many states require providers to notify women if a mammogram finds they have dense breast tissue.

But a new study suggests that the notifications may be having little impact in alerting women to t...

Could Brain Scans Spot Children's Mood, Attention Problems Early?

• Serena Gordon
• December 26, 2019
• Full Page

Children's mental health issues are hard to predict until they're causing problems, but researchers may have found a way to use brain scans to spot which kids are at risk for depression, anxiety and attention problems.

"We're facing a tremendous epidemic with teen a...

Ultrasound May Ease Common Form of Hand Tremor

• Amy Norton
• November 20, 2019
• Full Page

A treatment that delivers ultrasound waves to the brain may bring lasting relief to some people with debilitating hand tremors, a new study finds.

The study involved 76 patients with essential tremor -- a neurological condition that most often causes trembling in the...

Could AI Beat Radiologists at Spotting Bleeds in the Brain?

• Dennis Thompson
• October 24, 2019
• Full Page

Computer-driven artificial intelligence (AI) can help protect human brains from the damage wrought by stroke, a new report suggests.

A computer program trained to look for bleeding in the brain outperformed two of four certified radiologists, finding abnormalities in...

More CT, MRI Scans Being Used, Despite Calls to Cut Back

• Robert Preidt
• September 3, 2019
• Full Page

Despite efforts from medical groups to cut down on the overuse of CT scans and MRIs for safety reasons, their use has instead increased, a new study shows.

"Medical imaging is an important part of health care and contributes to accurate disease diagnosis and treatmen...

Study Points to Harms From MRI 'Dye' in Early Pregnancy

• Robert Preidt
• August 20, 2019
• Full Page

A concerning number of U.S. women are exposed to the MRI contrast agent gadolinium early in pregnancy, a new study reveals.

In many cases, this exposure occurs before women know they're pregnant.

The researchers said their findings underscore the need for e...

Pregnant Women Exposed to More Risky CT Scans

• Robert Preidt
• July 24, 2019
• Full Page

Use of risky CT scans during pregnancy has risen significantly in North America in the past two decades, a new study finds.

"It's important to quantify exposure to ionizing radiation because it can cause cancer and birth defects, and should be kept to a minimum, espe...

Newer Lung Cancer Screening Saves More Lives

• Robert Preidt
• July 15, 2019
• Full Page

A newer form of lung cancer screening may mean fewer deaths from the disease, a new study contends.

Using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) instead of X-rays helped reduce lung cancer deaths in current and former smokers, the study authors said.

"Lung ca...

Treatment Advances Making Pancreatic Cancer a Less Deadly Disease

• Dennis Thompson
• April 2, 2019
• Full Page

Advances in chemotherapy and cancer monitoring can dramatically extend the lives of almost one-third of pancreatic cancer patients with tumors previously considered inoperable, researchers report.

It's good news for patients with a particularly deadly form of cancer...