Doctors can now tell how effective a surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy will be based on how much FDG is taken up by the cervical spinal cord, according to research published online August 5 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

In cases of acute lung injury, pulmonary blood flow (PBF) provides potentially critical information about lung aeration. An FDG PET method of compartmental modeling may quantify PBF by estimating regional fraction of blood, a breath of fresh air for pulmonary imaging, according to a study published August 1 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

In an effort to hike up radiochemotherapy dose and improve lung cancer survival, oncologists have been looking for higher-precision alternatives to F-18 FDG PET, which experiences issues with tumor shrinkage and alterations in uptake during treatment. However, emerging F-18 labeled alternatives fluorothymidine (FLT) and fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) show relatively low interobserver agreement when characterizing tumor volumes and require special standardization, according to a French multi-center study published August 5 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Mental disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression have some common genetic variants that account for significant risk of crossover disease, according to research published August 11 in Nature Genetics.

The Minneapolis-based outpatient imaging center network Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI) has expanded its regional presence in Massachusetts with the acquisition of The MRI Centers of New England

The CMS final rule on 2014 Medicare rates for the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) cuts advanced imaging reimbursement through changing the cost-to-charge ratios for CT and MR services

For older people showing signs of cognitive impairment, doctors could one day prescribe a daily dose of chocolate. New research shows regular cocoa consumption in the elderly led to significantly better neuronal metabolic function and blood flow, and subsequently improved cognition, according to a study published August 7 in Neurology.

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has not been able to gain traction for a majority of solid tumor types, but new evidence could put Cu-64 labeled DOTA-cetuximab in line for difficult-to-treat colorectal tumors with specific genetic mutations, according to a study published July 19 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.