 |
|
Faster, more precise MRI for the medical world
September 24, 2004Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revolutionised the medical world two decades ago, providing doctors with an unparalleled view inside the human body. Now, MRI-MARCB has taken MRI to a new level with a system that enhances image quality, reduces scan time and improves diagnosis.
Currently in use in several hospitals around the world, the MRI-MARCB system overcomes one of the principal problems in producing MR images of the brain and heart: movement.
"Though MRI is an excellent non-intrusive imaging modality with excellent soft tissue contrast it is susceptible to motion because it can take several seconds or even minutes to acquire an image," explains Kay Nehrke at Philips Medical Systems in Germany, coordinator of this IST-programme funded project. "During that time the patient's heart is beating and they're breathing - it's like taking a photo of a moving object. If the photo takes one second the image will appear blurry. If you follow the object with the camera, however, you'll get a clear image and that is what we've done in a sense."
The project partners used two different but complimentary techniques to overcome the motion problem. In the case of heart scans a software system was developed to create a mathematical model of the pattern of movement caused by breathing and heart beat. That information is then used to compensate for the motion effects in the resulting MR image. For brain scans, where even the slightest movement of a patient's head could cause images to be unusable, a camera system was employed alongside the software to track and compensate for motion.
"Without compensation images can be filled with artefacts, making it hard to tell whether you are looking at a clogged artery or just a poor image," Nehrke says.
With the MRI-MARCB system image quality is greatly improved resulting in more precise diagnosis, while at the same time reducing the time it takes to perform an MRI scan.
"Trials at 10 hospitals with around 200 patients showed a 30 per cent reduction in scan time because of the compensation for movement," Nehrke notes. "As we all know time is money so this offers important cost savings for hospitals, while patients feel more comfortable because they do not have to worry so much about not moving or even breathing."
According to the project coordinator, the software can be easily integrated into existing MRI platforms, and the camera system is "relatively inexpensive given the advantages it provides."
MRI-MARCB is currently being used at hospitals in Germany, Denmark, Japan and the United States, with the project partners planning further commercialisation activities and development in the future.
IST Results
The project partners used two different but complimentary techniques to overcome the motion problem. In the case of heart scans a software system was developed to create a mathematical model of the pattern of movement caused by breathing and heart beat. That information is then used to compensate for the motion effects in the resulting MR image. For brain scans, where even the slightest movement of a patient's head could cause images to be unusable, a camera system was employed alongside the software to track and compensate for motion.
"Without compensation images can be filled with artefacts, making it hard to tell whether you are looking at a clogged artery or just a poor image," Nehrke says.
With the MRI-MARCB system image quality is greatly improved resulting in more precise diagnosis, while at the same time reducing the time it takes to perform an MRI scan.
"Trials at 10 hospitals with around 200 patients showed a 30 per cent reduction in scan time because of the compensation for movement," Nehrke notes. "As we all know time is money so this offers important cost savings for hospitals, while patients feel more comfortable because they do not have to worry so much about not moving or even breathing."
According to the project coordinator, the software can be easily integrated into existing MRI platforms, and the camera system is "relatively inexpensive given the advantages it provides."
MRI-MARCB is currently being used at hospitals in Germany, Denmark, Japan and the United States, with the project partners planning further commercialisation activities and development in the future.
IST Results
Aging Current Events and Aging News RSSPossible Link Studied Between Childhood Abuse and Early Cellular Aging
Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University.
An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice
Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.
New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people.
Saliva proteins change as women age
In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age.
Scientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease?
Residential design for persons with neurological disability
IOS Press announces the November 2009 publication of a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An International Journal devoted to residential design for persons with neurodisability.
Berkeley Lab Lends Expertise to India to Promote Energy Efficiency
ndia may rank only a distant fourth in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, behind China, the United States and Russia, but its rapid economic growth rate coupled with aging and inefficient energy infrastructure suggest dire environmental consequences if "business as usual" continues.
New neuroimaging analysis technique identifies impact of Alzheimer's disease gene in healthy brains
Brain imaging can offer a window into risk for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). A study conducted at the University of Kansas School of Medicine demonstrated that genetic risk is expressed in the brains of even those who are healthy, but carry some risk for AD.
Researchers find potential treatment for Huntington's disease
Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), the University of British Columbia's Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics and the University of California, San Diego have found that normal synaptic activity in nerve cells (the electrical activity in the brain that allows nerve cells to communicate with one another) protects the brain from the misfolded proteins associated with Huntington's disease.
Neuroimaging provides insights into new treatment options for Alzheimer's disease
With about 35 million people around the world suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the year 2010 and an expectation that these numbers will double every twenty years with approximately 115 million cases by 2050, pressure on healthcare systems worldwide will be intense.
More Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles
 |
Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development by George E. Vaillant (Author) Now in paperback, the acclaimed bestseller that reveals the scientific secrets to ensuring that our golden years are truly golden. Based on the longest and most complete study of adult development in the world, AGING WELL draws from the individual histories of 824 men and women from a variety of backgrounds to illustrate the most important factors involved in reaching and enjoying a happy, healthy old age. |
 |
Rules for Aging: A Wry and Witty Guide to Life by Roger Rosenblatt (Author) Acclaimed and beloved prize-winning essayist Roger Rosenblatt has commented on most of the trends and events of our time. His columns in Time magazine and his commentaries on PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer have made him a household word and a trusted friend of millions. With a wry sense of humor and inimitable wit, Rosenblatt offers here guidelines for aging that are both easy to understand and, more importantly, easy to implement. More and more in the news today, we are hearing about phenomenal advances in the "fight against aging." But what Rosenblatt suggests to combat age is far more valuable than any scientific breakthrough-he breaks down the hardest part of aging, the mental anguish of growing older with fifty-four gems of funny, brilliant, wise, indispensable advice.... |
 |
Aging: Concepts and Controversies by Harry R. Moody (Author) Presenting current research in an innovative format, Aging: Concepts and Controversies encourages students to become involved and take an informed stand on the major aging issues that we face as a society. Leading author and active expert in gerontology Rick Moody provides thorough explanation of the issues in the Concepts sections and current research in the Controversy sections, demonstrating the close link between concepts and controversies in the broad areas of aging: health care, socioeconomic trends, and the life course. Thoroughly revised throughout, this Sixth Edition updates developments in each sub-specialty including nine new readings, new international... |
 |
Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Well-Being by Andrew Weil M.D. (Author) In each of his widely acclaimed, best-selling books, Dr. Andrew Weil has been an authoritative and companionable guide through a uniquely effective combination of traditional and nontraditional approaches to health and healthy living. Now he gives us a book about aging that is unlike any other. Drawing on the new science of biogerontology (the biology of aging) as well as on the secrets of healthy longevity — diet, activity and attitude — Dr. Weil explains that there are a myriad of things we can do to keep our bodies and minds in good working order through all phases of life. Hugely informative, practical, and uplifting, Healthy Aging is infused with the engaging candor and common sense that have made Dr. Weil our most trusted source on healthy living. With detailed... |
 |
Aging: The Fulfillment of Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Author), Walter J. Gaffney (Author) The author shares his moving and inspirational thoughts on what aging can mean to all of us. It is a warm, caring book that shows us how to make the later years a source of hope rather than a time of loneliness. B & W photographs throughout. |
 |
Aging With Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives by David Snowdon (Author) In 1986 Dr. David Snowdon, one of the world’s leading experts on Alzheimer’s disease, embarked on a revolutionary scientific study that would forever change the way we view aging—and ultimately living. Dubbed the “Nun Study” because it involves a unique population of 678 Catholic sisters, this remarkable long-term research project has made headlines worldwide with its provocative discoveries. Yet Aging with Grace is more than a groundbreaking health and science book. It is the inspiring human story of these remarkable women—ranging in age from 74 to 106—whose dedication to serving others may help all of us live longer and healthier lives. Totally accessible, with fascinating portraits of the nuns and the scientists who study them, Aging with Grace also offers a... |
 |
Annual Editions: Aging 09/10 by Harold Cox (Author) Annual Editions is a series of over 65 volumes, each designed to provide convenient, inexpensive access to a wide range of current articles from some of the most respected magazines, newspapers, and journals published today. Annual Editions are updated on a regular basis through a continuous monitoring of over 300 periodical sources. The articles selected are authored by prominent scholars, researchers, and commentators writing for a general audience. The Annual Editions volumes have a number of common organizational features designed to make them particularly useful in the classroom: a general introduction; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; and a brief overview for each section. Each volume also offers an online... |
 |
Open Road - America Looks at Aging Starring: Michele Norris Directed By: Nina Gilden Seavey Also With: Erich Roland (Cinematographer), Jeff Steinberg (Composer), Mickey Green (Editor), Ian Rummer (Editor) THE OPEN ROAD: AMERICA LOOKS AT AGING, a new documentary premiering on PBS in July 2005, examines the personal and social impact of the impending retirement of America's 77 million Baby Boomers. Through insightful stories of individuals confronting the obstacles and pursuing opportunities presented by the "third stage" of life, THE OPEN ROAD probes the important social, economic, and cultural issues at stake. It is a film that will make people think, talk, and plan for the road that lies ahead. It is a key part of a nation-wide dialogue that will include town meetings in 9 select cities, locally-sponsored discussion groups throughout the U.S., articles written on retirement authored by veteran journalists, and the creation of a model communities program. Coupled with this intensive... |
 |
The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being by Sherwin B. Nuland (Author) In his landmark book How We Die, Sherwin B. Nuland profoundly altered our perception of the end of life. Now in The Art of Aging, Dr. Nuland steps back to explore the impact of aging on our minds and bodies, strivings and relationships. Melding a scientist’s passion for truth with a humanist’s understanding of the heart and soul, Nuland has created a wise, frank, and inspiring book about the ultimate stage of life’s journey. The onset of aging can be so gradual that we are often surprised to find that one day it is fully upon us. The changes to the senses, appearance, reflexes, physical endurance, and sexual appetites are undeniable–and rarely welcome–and yet, as Nuland shows, getting older has its surprising blessings. Age concentrates not only the mind, but the body’s... |
 |
The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully by Joan Chittister (Author) Not only accepting but celebrating getting old, this inspirational and illuminating work looks at the many facets of the aging process, from purposes and challenges to struggles and surprises. Central throughout is a call to cherish the blessing of aging as a natural part of life that is active, productive, and deeply rewarding. Perhaps the most important dimension revealed lies in the awareness that there is a purpose to aging and intention built into every stage of life. Chittister reflects on many key issues, including the temptation towards isolation, the need to stay involved, the importance of health and well-being, what happens when old relationships end or shift, the fear of tomorrow, and the mystery of forever. Readers are encouraged to surmount their fears of getting older... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |