Research In Brief

A study involving 12,631 breast exams found a 40% increase in the detection of invasive cancers and a 27% increase in the detection of all cancers (invasive and in situ cancers combined) when interpretations were based on mammography plus tomosynthesis (three-dimensional mammography) compared to two-dimensional mammography alone, according to results published online Jan. 7 in the journal Radiology. The analysis by Per Skaane, University of Oslo, et al., concluded that "the use of mammography plus tomosynthesis in a screening environment resulted in a significantly higher cancer detection rate and enabled the detection of more invasive cancers." The study used Hologic Inc.'s Selenia Dimensions 3-D digital mammography system, which received FDA approval in 2011. (See Also see "Cleveland Clinic’s ‘Top 10’ Picks For 2013 Include Eight Device-Related Innovations" - Medtech Insight, 5 November, 2012..)

Researchers at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati have begun Abbott Vascular Devices’ ABSORB III randomized trial of the company’s drug-eluting Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold(BVS), a coronary stent made of polylactide,...