Technology Assessments

New type of brochoscopy: ENB

ENB (Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy) or EMN bronchoscopy is a type of bronchoscopy that uses electromagnetic guidance to project catheters into and through bronchial passages. Using a virtual, three-dimensional (3D) bronchial map from a recent CT scan and disposable catheters, it makes it possible toget to preselected spaces and to take biopsies or plan radiation.  FDA cleared it in 2004 through the 510(k) process. Studies suggest a higher success

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MRI for back pain

Back pain is very common.  It widely acknowledged that there should be definitive standar5ds on when and how frequently MRI scans should be performed to assess back pain. The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Pain Society (APS) have issued a comprehensive joint clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain, which is published in the October 2, 2007 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. For patients

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MRI in the Diagnosis and Followup of Multiple Sclerosis

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), because it is an inflammatory, demyelinating condition of the central nervous system (CNS) that MRI can visualize. Therefore, the activity of the disease can be quantified and tracked over time, with treatment. White matter tracts are affected, including those of the upper brain, lower brain, and spinal cord. MS lesions, known as plaques,

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OVA-1 Testing in Ovarian Cancer

OVA1 test is FDA cleared for women who meet the following criteria: (i) over age 18, (ii) ovarian mass present for which surgery is planned, and (iii) not yet referred to an oncologist. It is an aid to assess the likelihood that ovarian cancer is present when a physician is not sure. The test should not be used without a prior independent prior clinical/radiological evaluation and is not intended to be a screening test or to determine whether a patient

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