Tuesday, Nov. 30: News From the 96th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago

CHICAGO, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Screening Tool May Better Identify Heart Disease in African Americans

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina say they may have an explanation as to why African Americans, despite having lower amounts of coronary artery calcification, are at increased risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular events, compared with Caucasians. The researchers studied 301 patients who underwent calcium scoring and coronary CT angiography (cCTA). The cCTA revealed that African American patients had a significantly higher prevalence of non-calcified plaque (64 percent, versus 41 percent), which is not detected by calcium scoring. The results suggest that low-dose cCTA may be a more appropriate screening tool than calcium scoring for African Americans.

People With Sleep Apnea at Higher Risk for Aggressive Heart Disease

People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder associated with obesity, have more non-calcified plaque in their coronary arteries, putting them at increased risk for developing an aggressive form of atherosclerosis, according to a study from the Medical University of South Carolina. In the study, 49 obese patients with OSA and 46 obese patients without the disorder underwent coronary CT angiography (cCTA). The imaging revealed that the patients with OSA had a significantly higher prevalence of non-calcified and mixed plaque than the control group. Non-calcified plaque is more vulnerable to rupturing and causing a blood clot, which could lead to a heart attack or other cardiovascular event.

Researchers Use Patient's Own Blood to Treat Hamstring Injury

Researchers from Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London say they have found an effective treatment for microtears in the hamstring: injections of the patient's own blood and a steroid along with "dry-needling," in which repeated needle punctures cause controlled internal bleeding to promote healing in the injured area. Hamstring tendinopathy is a common sports injury that is difficult to heal and often sidelines athletes for long periods, if not permanently. In the study, 42 patients with suspected hamstring microtears were randomly separated into groups that received different therapy combinations. Patients who received both their own blood and a steroid along with dry-needling experienced the most significant reduction in pain levels and the most sustained functional improvement one year following treatment.

Belly Fat Puts Women at Risk for Osteoporosis

For years, it was believed that excess body fat protected against bone loss. But a new study from Massachusetts General Hospital says that women with too much belly fat may be putting their bones at risk. Not all body fat is the same. Subcutaneous fat lies just below the skin, and visceral fat is located deep under the muscle tissue in the abdominal cavity. The researchers evaluated the abdominal subcutaneous, visceral and total fat, as well as bone marrow fat and bone mineral density, in 50 premenopausal, overweight women. Imaging results revealed that women with more visceral fat had increased bone marrow fat and decreased bone mineral density, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosis.

Acupuncture Changes Brain's Perception and Processing of Pain

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers from University Hospital of Essen and University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany have found that acupuncture reduces activation in several brain areas involved in the perception and processing of pain. In the study, 18 healthy volunteers underwent fMRI with and without acupuncture, while an electrical pain stimulus was attached to the left ankle. The results showed that acupuncture affected the incoming pain signal to the brain and also sparked a placebo-like analgesic response in the brain.

Wednesday news conferences focus on radiation exposure and cancer risk from CT exams, using medical imaging to identify drug couriers, brain damage in athletes and screening mammography's impact on mastectomy rates.

FOR PHONE INTERVIEWS, PRESS RELEASES, B-ROLL OR OTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: RSNA Newsroom – 312-949-3233; after Dec. 2, 2010 call 630-590-7762.

SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)