December 8, 2011 — Speckle training echocardiography (STE) is the subject of two studies being presented at EUROECHO 2011, Dec. 7-10 in Budapest, Hungary. They compare STE, a recent echocardiography technique, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in quantifying infarct size (IS) after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). MRI is the current gold standard for IS quantification.

December 7, 2011 — At RSNA 2011, Siemens Healthcare is unveiling the Somatom Perspective. It is the first computed tomography (CT) scanner to offer the eMode software solution, which helps determine the best correlation between dose, efficiency and image quality; it can also adjust the required scan parameters automatically.

December 6, 2011 – Findings on coronary CT angiography (CTA), a noninvasive test to assess the coronary arteries for blockages, show different risk scenarios for men and women, according to a study presented today at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

December 5, 2011 – Roche announced that it has signed an agreement under which it will acquire 100 percent of Verum Diagnostica GmbH, based in Munich, Germany. Verum Diagnostica is a leading company in platelet function testing, the fastest-growing field in the coagulation diagnostics market.

December 5, 2011 – New study shows significant increase in quality of life (QoL) among overweight patients following ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), compared to patients with a lower body mass index (BMI) where no substantial improvement was observed. The study, published in the December edition of HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, reveals an association between BMI and a change in QoL between the pre- and postablation periods in a large AF patient cohort. The study also verifies comparable procedural success rates of ablation in both overweight and lean patients.