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From: NIH news releases and news items [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of NIH OLIB (NIH/OD)
Sent: September 26, 2011 10:57
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Subject: IMAGING OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY PATIENTS SWIFTER AND SAFER WITH
NEW TECHNOLOGY AT NIH
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
NIH Clinical Center (CC) <http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/>
For Immediate Release: Monday, September 26, 2011
CONTACT: Maggie McGuire, 301-594-5789, <e-mail:[log in to unmask]>
IMAGING OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY PATIENTS SWIFTER AND SAFER WITH NEW
TECHNOLOGY AT NIH
Researchers have a new weapon in their arsenal to diagnose and treat
traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among
military service members and civilians. The National Institutes of Health
Clinical Center began imaging patients last week on a first-of-its-kind,
whole-body simultaneous positron emission topography (PET) and magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) device. The Biograph mMR offers a more complete
picture of abnormal metabolic activity in a shorter time frame than separate
MRI and PET scans, two tests many patients undergo.
The purchase of the Biograph mMR was made possible through the Center for
Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM), a Department of
Defense-funded collaboration between the NIH and the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences. The CNRM carries out research in TBI and
PTSD that would benefit servicemen and women at Walter Reed National Navy
Medical Center, near the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md. Researchers at the NIH
Clinical Center will also use the Biograph mMR in studies with patients with
other brain disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
"This scanner combines the two most powerful imaging tools," said David
Bluemke, M.D., Ph.D., director of NIH Clinical Center Radiology and Imaging
Sciences. "The MRI points us to abnormalities in the body, and the PET tells
us the metabolic activity of that abnormality, be it a damaged part of the
brain or a tumor. This will be a major change for many patients."
The new device makes patient care swifter and safer. The faster turnaround
time and more comprehensive results will help diagnose patients at an
earlier stage of disease, leading to better outcomes, Bluemke said.
Additionally, traditional PET scanners combine computed tomography imaging,
which uses radiation, while the MRI and PET technology of the new Biograph
mMR does not. The risk of exposure to low doses of medical radiation from
diagnostic medical-imaging tests is not known, but very high radiation doses
have the potential to cause cancer.
The CNRM works to develop innovative approaches to diagnosis and intervene
for the prevention of long-term consequences resulting from TBI. Under the
CNRM Diagnostics and Imaging Program, researchers characterize each
patient's injury to optimize diagnosis and inform the plan of treatment from
among the available options.
"A major challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of both military and
civilian brain injury patients is the lack of sufficient tools to evaluate
the type and extent of injury in a given patient," said Regina C. Armstrong,
Ph.D., director of the CNRM. "We expect the NIH investigators have the
expertise to take maximal advantage of this technology by designing novel
neuroimaging protocols and molecular probes that can significantly improve
how TBI research is performed."
For more information on CNRM research, visit
<http://BrainInjuryResearch.usuhs.mil>.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR NEUROSCIENCE AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE (CNRM): The CNRM
is a Federal medical research program that has transformed collaborative
interactions between the USU, the NIH, and WRNMMC. Congress established CNRM
in 2008 to bring together the expertise of physicians and scientists at
these institutions in the National Capital area to develop innovative
approaches to brain injury diagnosis and recovery. The mission of the CNRM
is to address the current needs of the medical community to better diagnose
and intervene for the prevention of the long term consequences resulting
from TBI, particularly in the context experienced by service members in
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and
Operation New Dawn (OND).
ABOUT THE UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES (USU): The
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is the nation's federal
health sciences university. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed
officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who are
being educated to deal with wartime casualties, emerging infectious
diseases, disasters, and other public health emergencies. The vast majority
of the university's more than 4,500 physician and 500 advanced practice
nursing alumni are supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere,
offering their leadership and expertise. For more information, visit
<www.usuhs.mil>.
ABOUT THE NIH CLINICAL CENTER: The NIH Clinical Center is the 240 bed
clinical research hospital for the National Institutes of Health. Through
clinical research, clinician-investigators translate laboratory discoveries
into better treatments, therapies and interventions to improve the nation's
health. For more information, visit <http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov>.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical
research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal
agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical
research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.
##
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