Intraoperative MR imaging improves surgical vision, reduces re-operation risk in treating epilepsy, tumors, other neurological disorders MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - IMRIS Inc. (NASDAQ: IMRS; TSX: IM) ("IMRIS" or the "Company") today announced that a craniotomy recently performed on a five-year-old boy with epilepsy was the 500th neurosurgical case at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, using its intraoperative MRI (iMRI) system. Cook Children's was the second children's hospital in the U.S. and fourth hospital worldwide with an IMRIS system that features a high-field MRI which moves between surgical and diagnostic rooms using ceiling-mounted rails. "Using the intraoperative MRI allows us to clearly differentiate the tissue targeted for removal whether resecting for tumor or epilepsy," said Dr. John Honeycutt, Medical Director of the Cook Children's Department of Neurosurgery, who conducted the milestone operation. "With this enhanced vision, we can remove it more completely while avoiding critical structures and minimize returns to the operating room for repeat procedures." The IMRIS VISIUS Surgical Theatre with iMRI allows neurosurgeons to take high-quality MR images during surgery to see the area of the brain they are operating on in exquisite detail, see tumor size and shape, and distinguish between healthy and … Continue reading →

Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network: An Overview The Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (AS-ATN) is a ground-breaking network of hospitals, physicians, researchers, and families at 17 locations across N... By: AutismSpeaksVids … Continue reading →

August8,2013 Autism: a neurological disorder that affects one in 110 children. The Center for Disease Control calls it "an urgent public health concern" but there is hope for these kids through what's called Applied Behavioral Analysis. It's not a quick fix, though, and insurance companies across the country are resisting plans to help affected families. The fight to get more kids who are diagnosed health benefits continues in WV and throughout the country. Tina Hinebaugh is a Registered Nurse at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. She has autistic twins. She was struggling to get her children the services they need when an act was passed through the states legislature to reform autism insurance (SB 218). And I thought, Great! Ill get this paid for. And then Sharon Holbert told me that the hospital isnt covering it, Tina remembers. I thought, Thats insane, but when I called them I found out that there were exempt from this law. And even a year later when the cleanup bill passed and the law was more viable, theyre still exempt from it. What was passed basically only applies to West Virginia public employees and businesses that have 25 or more employees, who qualify for … Continue reading →

Public release date: 8-Aug-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jane E. Rubinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 212-843-8287 Autism Speaks NEW YORK, N.Y. (August 7, 2013) Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced that the estate of Charles Meixner has donated $3 million to support Autism Speaks' Translational Research Initiative in the hopes of accelerating the discovery of treatments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An initial distribution of $1.75 million from the gift will fund Autism Speaks' translational postdoctoral fellowships, which invests in rising talent within the autism research community. The fellowship program will be renamed the Meixner Translational Postdoctoral Fellowships. Charles Meixner and his wife, Maria Teresa (ne Albear), were personally and profoundly affected by ASD when at age 5 their daughter Caroline was diagnosed with what was then termed profound 'infantile schizophrenia'. "Little was known about the disorder at that time and even less was available with respect to intervention and treatment. This severely curtailed their daughters' chances to live an independent and fulfilling life," said Hector de Marchena, executor and family spokesperson. "For this reason, Uncle Charles made clear his desire to bequeath this gift to the Autism Speaks Translational Research Initiative. It is … Continue reading →

As a mom with autistic children, Bea Judah has the misfortune of living in Kansas. Treating autism is pricey, maybe as much as $40,000 to $60,000 a year. But living in Kansas means the Judahs, like thousands of others, are on their own. Parents with health insurance are learning that coverage is not always available or adequate for treating autism, a developmental brain disorder that affects a persons ability to communicate and interact with others. Judah was one of those parents. After their oldest daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old, the Judahs were given a list of places where she could get treatment. The catch: None of the treatments were covered by insurance. What were we supposed to do? Judah asked. We couldnt afford any of that. The Judahs are at the center of a debate thats unfolding in Kansas and across the country as more states pass laws requiring insurance coverage for autism treatment. Kansas is among 17 states that dont broadly mandate autism treatment coverage, although Kansas did agree to a test program in 2010. Missouri passed a law requiring autism coverage in 2010. The Legislature has tried unsuccessfully in recent years to require … Continue reading →

Stroke Awareness Week 9-15 September 2013 The Stroke Foundation is trying to reach as many people as possible with the FAST stroke recognition message. At least one third of New Zealanders cant recognise even one sign of stroke. Only about 1 in 10 people can recognise three correct signs of stroke. We need to change that to make sure that as many people as possible with stroke reach hospital in time to be assessed and receive potentially lifesaving treatment. We would like to help you create a feature for Stroke Awareness Week to bring home the scale and significance of stroke in our communities. We can help find stroke survivors willing to talk to you about their experience and specialists who can explain how to recognise a stroke and how to reduce your risk of stroke. Stroke is New Zealand's third biggest killer, and one of the highest consumers of hospital beds, services and community support in the country, yet it receives a fraction of the profile and support given to other medical conditions. We need to bring the FAST message to the people of New Zealand to reduce this burden. If there is anything we can do to help … Continue reading →

Austin, TX (PRWEB) August 08, 2013 Vindico Medical Education is pleased to announce a series of continuing medical education (CME) meetings about the management of acute ischemic stroke that will launch in August 2013. The CME meeting series titled, Challenges and Opportunities in the Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke: Key Points for the Emergency Physician, is designed for emergency physicians and other health care professionals involved in the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke. The stroke education program is a series of interactive, case-based, small-group, CME meetings conducted at various locations across the United States. Health care professionals are able to request a meeting at a convenient date and location to meet their individual needs. During this CME meeting series, leading emergency medicine physicians and neurologists will review the latest advances in the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke, as well as the technological advances in telemedicine. The meeting series will incorporate a case-based approach to present the most current data on the following topics: Upon successful completion of the CME activity, participants should be able to: To request or register for a complimentary CME meeting in your area, or for any questions, please contact … Continue reading →

Stroke patients from across Shropshire and Mid Wales have been getting better treatment since one of the countys specialist centres was forced to temporarily close, according to medics. Bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said the improvement was an unintended consequence of the stroke unit at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital closing over the summer because of a shortage of consultants. All patients showing symptoms of a stroke have been taken directly to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford since the start of June, regardless of which is their closest hospital. Dr Edwin Borman, medical director of SaTH, told health watchdogs that medics were now reluctant to go back to providing care at both hospitals. He said: Its great to know we have improved care. We would love to make sure thats a sustainable service for all our patients in the future. Its a really important lesson for us and one we didnt anticipate. Now we have improved care we would like to maintain it and would like to move as quickly as possible to making that our preferred method of working. He added: This was not an intended consequence, but we had to conclude that by unifying … Continue reading →