The next generation of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents will herald an age when PET will eclipse single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as the “go to” modality for molecular imaging. It will do so by enabling personalized medicine through precision diagnostics, the ability to be delivered cost-effectively in a manner with less radiation to patients, by leveraging hardware advances already being commercialized, and by taking advantage of the extra throughput capacity present in the U.S. installed base of PET/CT scanners.

The first patient tests of a new leadless pacemaker show that the device can deliver the same life-saving therapy as a traditional single-chamber pacemaker without potential lead-related complications. The findings are part of the LEADLESS trial and were released at Heart Rhythm 2013, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 34th Annual Scientific Sessions.

The development of 3-D transesophageal echo (TEE) just a few years ago has enabled a new generation of interventional procedures to be performed, which otherwise would have been extremely difficult or impossible. With live 3-D TEE, physicians can see cardiac structures and function, as well as real-time displays of the beating heart, from new perspectives.