Diagnostics and Allied Health

24 May 2006

NICE guidance on High dose rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer

The National Institute for Health and Clinical excellence has published High dose rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer The guidance concludes that current evidence on the safety and efficacy of high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy in combination with external-beam radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer appears adequate to support the use of this procedure provided that the normal arrangements are in place for consent, audit and clinical governance

12 May 2006

BMA - Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions

The British Medical Association has published Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions: A guide for healthcare professionals The report calls on health professionals to inform regulators every time an unwanted reaction to a drug is suspected.
BBC News Report

12 May 2006

HFEA - Authority decision on PGD

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority has issued a Statement on use of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) for inherited cancer susceptibility The HFEA issues licences permitting fertility clinics to use the embryo screening technique, called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), where a cell from a three-day old embryo is tested. Ten clinics are currently allowed to use PGD to test for inherited conditions where carrying a faulty gene guarantees the resulting child will have the illness. Now IVF clinics will be able to offer tests to couples with a family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and a type of colon cancer.
BBC News Report

27 April 2006

Society of Interventional Radiology Position Statement on Catheter-directed Intrathrombus Thrombolysis

The Society of Interventional Radiology has issued a Position Statement on Treatment of Acute Iliofemoral Deep Vein Thrombosis with Use of Adjunctive Catheter-directed Intrathrombus Thrombolysis The Society considers the use of catheter-directed intrathrombus thrombolysis (CDT) as an adjunct to anticoagulant therapy to represent an acceptable initial treatment strategy for carefully selected patients with acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The SIR defines acute iliofemoral DVT as complete or partial thrombosis of any part of the iliac vein and/or the common femoral vein with or without associated femoropopliteal DVT, in which symptoms have been present for 14 days or less or for which imaging studies indicate that venous thrombosis has occurred within the past 14 days.
Journal of Vascular anf Interventional Radiology 2006 Vol.17 pp.613-6

26 April 2006

NICE Guidance on Percutaneous radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

The National Institute for Health and Clinical excellence has published Percutaneous radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation It concludes that current evidence on the safety and efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation appears adequate to support the use of this procedure in appropriately selected patients but it should only be performed in specialist units and with arrangements for cardiac surgical support in the event of complications.

21 April 2006

HTA - Evaluation of molecular techniques in prediction and diagnosis of cytomegalovirus disease in immunocompromised patients

A new Health Technology Assessment - Evaluation of molecular techniques in prediction and diagnosis of cytomegalovirus disease in immunocompromised patients is available. The study findings offer some evidence that a cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening regime is more cost-effective than diagnostic testing alone and identifies the optimum test for CMV screening as an in-house molecular test.

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