June 1, 2016

6116IPRconference175Texas Children’s Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. George Bisset described Texas Children’s radiology team as the “shining star” at the 7th International Pediatric Radiology (IPR) Conjoint Meeting and Exhibition which was held in Chicago from May 10 to May 15.

“As a testament to our team’s hard work, we had 24 podium presentations and our scientific abstracts comprised one-fifth of the 120 research abstracts coming from the U.S.,” Bisset said. “This was quite an accomplishment, but on top of that, our team won two of the top three radiology research awards.”

Dr. Jacquelyn Garcia received the John Kirkpatrick Young Investigator Award for her paper, “Fetal lung volumes by MRI: Normal weekly values from 18 weeks through 28 weeks gestation.”

Her project, which was mentored by Drs. Amy Mehollin-Ray and Christopher Cassady of Texas Children’s and Dr. Mariana Meyers of Children’s Hospital of Colorado, combined extensive data from two large fetal centers to provide more robust normal fetal lung volume values for use in prognostication and parental counseling earlier in pregnancy.

Dr. Ketan Ghaghada received the Caffey Award for Best Basic Science Research Paper for his work entitled ‘In vivo Profiling of Folate Receptor Expression in Rat Placenta Using MR Molecular Imaging.’

In his study, Ghaghada and his colleagues presented the first demonstration of non-invasive imaging of placental vascular receptors. Vascular receptors in the placenta play a central role during pregnancy by facilitating the active transport of a variety of nutrients, proteins and macromolecules from the mother to the fetus. Alterations in the expression of placental receptors has been linked to pregnancy-related complications and impairment of fetal growth.

Their research work is a result of an ongoing collaborative effort led by Dr. Ananth Annapragada of the Translational Imaging Group (TIGr) at Texas Children’s Department of Pediatric Radiology and Dr. Chandrasekhar Yallampali of the Baylor College of Medicine Department of OB/GYN.

The IPR Meeting combined all of the major pediatric radiology societies around the world, which means there was a lot more competition to achieve top research honors. The conference featured world-renowned speakers, sunrise workshops, keynote lectures with scientific sessions and posters highlighting scientific research. The conference also included a separate radiographer’s program with content specifically targeted for pediatric radiology technologists and radiographers.

April 12, 2016

41316MEGScanner640Texas Children’s is the fourth pediatric hospital in Texas to offer magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive brain imaging technology that assists neurosurgeons in developing more precise surgical plans for patients with epilepsy and other seizure disorders, ultimately enhancing their long-term outcomes.

The MEG scanner records very tiny magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain to identify the sources of normal and abnormal brain function with millimeter precision. Unlike X-ray and CT scans, MEG does not emit radiation. Instead, it works like a very sensitive microphone that records magnetic fields emitted by brain cells instead of sound.

“MEG is an invaluable tool in evaluating epilepsy patients for potentially curative brain surgery,” said Texas Children’s neurologist Dr. Michael Quach. “Prior to MEG, the only technology capable of localizing brain activity with such high temporal and spatial resolution was intracranial EEG monitoring, which requires exposing the surface of the brain with surgery in order to implant EEG electrodes. With MEG technology, we can achieve similar localization without the need for open brain surgery.”

When patients come in for a MEG scan, the MEG technician places electrodes onto the patient’s scalp before positioning the patient’s head into the scanner where the machine collects information from 306 sensors simultaneously every millisecond. The MEG images are superimposed on the MRI to correlate where the magnetic activities of brain function occur in relation to the patient’s brain structures.

When MEG and MRI are analyzed together, physicians can identify the sensory regions of the brain – like speech, touch, vision and motor function – and can localize the sources of seizures and other abnormal brain activity. With this combined information, surgical procedures can be planned more precisely to remove abnormal brain tissue while minimizing damage to parts of the brain that function normally.

“One of the great things about MEG is it gives pediatric patients a chance to qualify for epileptic surgery,” said MEG technician Michael LaRose. “With this increased data, our neurologists and neurosurgeons have a better chance of coming up with a surgical plan that may help these children with seizures.”

The MEG procedure usually lasts about an hour and a half but the amount of time it takes to complete the scan varies for each patient. Since the MEG lab opened last November, Texas Children’s has performed 25 MEG procedures.

Since very few hospitals in Houston are equipped with this advanced imaging technology, Texas Children’s also offers this service to Baylor College of Medicine physicians who treat adult patients.

January 19, 2016

12016EOS640Texas Children’s is the first pediatric hospital in the southwest United States to offer the EOS Imaging System, a state-of-the-art X-ray machine that provides three-dimensional, full body views of a patient’s bone structure while significantly reducing their exposure to radiation.

Unlike a traditional X-ray that captures one small area of the body, EOS provides a life-size picture of the child’s full skeleton in a weight-bearing standing or sitting position to capture natural posture and joint orientation, which is critical for physicians to diagnose orthopedic conditions precisely.

“In the past, if we were taking an X-ray of a child undergoing spine surgery, we had to take several images and piece them together,” said Texas Children’s Associate Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. Lane Donnelly. “This EOS technology allows us to observe every detail of the spine and the interaction between the joints and the rest of the musculoskeletal system in a 3-D view, enabling our orthopedic surgeons to make more accurate diagnoses and more informed treatment and surgical decisions.”

The EOS is used primarily to assess pediatric patients with spine, hip and leg disorders including scoliosis and leg length deformities. Unlike a conventional radiograph, this new technology is equipped with faster imaging capabilities. Clinic through put is enhanced by the EOS as the total exam cycle with EOS is under four minutes for the most complex spine exams compared to 15 to 20 minutes with conventional radiographs.

One of the machine’s enhanced safety features includes low radiation doses. The EOS uses nine times less radiation than a conventional radiography X-ray and up to 20 times less than a computed tomography (CT) scan. Because of the low radiation dose, EOS imaging is beneficial for orthopedic patients with scoliosis and other spinal deformities who require frequent imaging to monitor disease progression.

“EOS promotes a safer and more precise approach to pediatric care,” said Texas Children’s Division Chief of Orthopedic Surgery Dr. John Dormans. “We are always keeping our finger on the pulse to ensure we deliver the safest and most advanced care to our patients. This technology is certainly a big step in that direction.”

To learn more about this Nobel Prize-winning technology, watch this video of Drs. Dormans and Donnelly showcasing the high-tech features of the EOS Imaging System.

March 3, 2015

3415donnelly175

The Edward B. Singleton Department of Pediatric Radiology welcomes new Associate Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. Lane Donnelly.

Donnelly comes to Texas Children’s from Nemours Children’s Hospital where he served as the vice president of the Nemours health system as well as chief medical officer and physician-in-chief at Nemours Children’s Hospital for the last four years.

Prior to Nemours, Donnelly was radiologist-in-chief at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Frederic N. Silverman Chair of Pediatric Radiology from 2002- 2011. During that time he achieved recognition as a well-respected, world-renown leader in pediatric radiology.

Donnelly is a nationally-recognized physician and scholar with accomplishments in research, multidisciplinary care, teaching, patient safety and quality improvement. He has authored more than 200 publications and is the sole author of the best sold textbook in Pediatric Radiology. He is currently a trustee of the American Board of Radiology, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Pediatric Radiology. In recent years Donnelly has turned his attention to quality and safety issues. In this arena he has also received honors for research in quality and safety, including the Singleton-Taybi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Education from the Society for Pediatric Radiology.

Throughout his stellar career, Dr. Donnelly has established collaborations with leading children’s hospitals and provided a leadership role at the state and national levels to enhance care for children. At Texas Children’s Hospital, Donnelly will utilize these skills to lead quality improvement in the hospital-based practices, including anesthesiology, pathology and radiology.

Donnelly received his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, followed by medical school at the University of Cincinnati. He completed his radiology residency and fellowship in pediatric radiology at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, respectively.