New PET/MR Imaging Technique Could be a Game Changer for Treatment of Crohn's Disease
|
By MedImaging International staff writers Posted on 12 Apr 2023 |
|
Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder, often results in painful bowel constrictions known as intestinal strictures. These strictures commonly cause cramping pain and digestive issues in patients with Crohn's disease and typically require treatment. While drug therapies effectively treat purely inflammatory strictures, surgical intervention is needed for fibrotic narrowing, which involves irreversible tissue changes. However, varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis often coexist, and until recently, there has been a lack of methods to accurately characterize these complications for targeted treatment. Currently, no imaging procedure allows for therapy-relevant differentiation between intestinal wall inflammation and fibrosis. Now, a new imaging technique may enhance the treatment of intestinal strictures.
Interdisciplinary research at the Medical University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) has employed a novel nuclear medicine tracer for the first time in pursuit of more accurate imaging methods. This FAPI tracer specifically binds to the fibroblast activating protein (FAP) of connective tissue cells that cause fibrosis in the affected intestinal wall. By using the new tracer, PET-MRI diagnostic procedures have demonstrated a strong correlation between molecular imaging and the pathological extent of fibrosis. This technique even allows for differentiation between moderate and severe intestinal wall fibrosis, which is essential for making therapy decisions.
"In future, the molecular imaging we have developed could be used to identify those patients who would benefit from surgical intervention at an early stage, thereby sparing them the need for less effective drug therapy for fibroid-stenosis," said co-study leader Michael Bergmann from the Department of Visceral Surgery at MedUni Vienna's Department of General Surgery.
Related Links:
MedUni Vienna
Latest General/Advanced Imaging News
- Bone Density Test Uses Existing CT Images to Predict Fractures
- AI Predicts Cardiac Risk and Mortality from Routine Chest CT Scans
- Radiation Therapy Computed Tomography Solution Boosts Imaging Accuracy
- PET Scans Reveal Hidden Inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
- Artificial Intelligence Evaluates Cardiovascular Risk from CT Scans
- New AI Method Captures Uncertainty in Medical Images
- CT Coronary Angiography Reduces Need for Invasive Tests to Diagnose Coronary Artery Disease
- Novel Blood Test Could Reduce Need for PET Imaging of Patients with Alzheimer’s
- CT-Based Deep Learning Algorithm Accurately Differentiates Benign From Malignant Vertebral Fractures
- Minimally Invasive Procedure Could Help Patients Avoid Thyroid Surgery
- Self-Driving Mobile C-Arm Reduces Imaging Time during Surgery
- AR Application Turns Medical Scans Into Holograms for Assistance in Surgical Planning
- Imaging Technology Provides Ground-Breaking New Approach for Diagnosing and Treating Bowel Cancer
- CT Coronary Calcium Scoring Predicts Heart Attacks and Strokes
- AI Model Detects 90% of Lymphatic Cancer Cases from PET and CT Images
- Breakthrough Technology Revolutionizes Breast Imaging
Channels
Radiography
view channel
Novel Breast Imaging System Proves As Effective As Mammography
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women. It is projected that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime, and one in 42 women who turn 50... Read more
AI Assistance Improves Breast-Cancer Screening by Reducing False Positives
Radiologists typically detect one case of cancer for every 200 mammograms reviewed. However, these evaluations often result in false positives, leading to unnecessary patient recalls for additional testing,... Read more
MRI
view channel
Low-Cost Whole-Body MRI Device Combined with AI Generates High-Quality Results
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has significantly transformed healthcare, providing a noninvasive, radiation-free method for detailed imaging. It is especially promising for the future of medical diagnosis... Read more
World's First Whole-Body Ultra-High Field MRI Officially Comes To Market
The world's first whole-body ultra-high field (UHF) MRI has officially come to market, marking a remarkable advancement in diagnostic radiology. United Imaging (Shanghai, China) has secured clearance from the U.... Read more
Ultrasound
view channel.jpg "Image: CAM figures of testing images (Photo courtesy of SPJ; DOI:10.34133/research.0319)")
Diagnostic System Automatically Analyzes TTE Images to Identify Congenital Heart Disease
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most prevalent congenital anomalies worldwide, presenting substantial health and financial challenges for affected patients. Early detection and treatment of... Read more
Super-Resolution Imaging Technique Could Improve Evaluation of Cardiac Conditions
The heart depends on efficient blood circulation to pump blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen to tissues and removing carbon dioxide and waste. Yet, when heart vessels are damaged, it can disrupt... Read more
First AI-Powered POC Ultrasound Diagnostic Solution Helps Prioritize Cases Based On Severity
Ultrasound scans are essential for identifying and diagnosing various medical conditions, but often, patients must wait weeks or months for results due to a shortage of qualified medical professionals... Read more
Nuclear Medicine
view channel
New PET Biomarker Predicts Success of Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy
Immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), have shown promising clinical results in treating melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and other tumor types. However, the effectiveness of these... Read more![Image: Whole-body maximum-intensity projections over time after [68Ga]Ga-DPI-4452 administration (Photo courtesy of SNMMI)](https://globetechcdn.com/mobile_medicalimaging/images/stories/articles/article_images/2024-05-09/JNM May 2024 Hofman.jpg "Image: Whole-body maximum-intensity projections over time after [68Ga]Ga-DPI-4452 administration (Photo courtesy of SNMMI)"){kind=small}
New PET Agent Rapidly and Accurately Visualizes Lesions in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients
Clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) represents 70-80% of renal cell carcinoma cases. While localized disease can be effectively treated with surgery and ablative therapies, one-third of patients either... Read more
New Imaging Technique Monitors Inflammation Disorders without Radiation Exposure
Imaging inflammation using traditional radiological techniques presents significant challenges, including radiation exposure, poor image quality, high costs, and invasive procedures. Now, new contrast... Read more
New SPECT/CT Technique Could Change Imaging Practices and Increase Patient Access
The development of lead-212 (212Pb)-PSMA–based targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is garnering significant interest in treating patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The imaging of 212Pb,... Read moreImaging IT
view channel
New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible
Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more
Global AI in Medical Diagnostics Market to Be Driven by Demand for Image Recognition in Radiology
The global artificial intelligence (AI) in medical diagnostics market is expanding with early disease detection being one of its key applications and image recognition becoming a compelling consumer proposition... Read more
Industry News
view channel
Hologic Acquires UK-Based Breast Surgical Guidance Company Endomagnetics Ltd.
Hologic, Inc. (Marlborough, MA, USA) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Endomagnetics Ltd. (Cambridge, UK), a privately held developer of breast cancer surgery technologies, for approximately... Read more
Bayer and Google Partner on New AI Product for Radiologists
Medical imaging data comprises around 90% of all healthcare data, and it is a highly complex and rich clinical data modality and serves as a vital tool for diagnosing patients. Each year, billions of medical... Read more
