Imaging Research and Clinical Trials

• Cook IVC Filter Study
  Principal Investigator: Richard Van Allan, MD
  IRB#: 34301
  Status: Follow Up
  
  Summary: The objectives of this study are to further evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Cook’s commercially available IVC filters in patients in need of temporary or permanent IVC filter placement for the prevention of pulmonary embolism.
  
  The Cook Inferior Vena Cava Filter (IVC) Study was initiated by the manufacturer of Cook IVC filters to address FDA concerns about all currently marketed filters. We were invited by Cook Medical, Inc to participate in a study to assess device safety. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center places more filters than any other facility in the nation, with an outstanding record for safety, and we were recently acknowledged as the top-enrolling site for this study. CSMC is routinely sought out for research participation due to the expertise of our Imaging team, in this case, our Interventional Imaging investigators. Patients at risk for blood clots going to their lungs are referred to us for placement of a temporary IVC filter as part of their standard care. We follow patients in the study for symptoms and changes on imaging in assessment of filter safety and efficacy.
  

• Proof Of Concept Plus Phase Ii Study Of 99mTc-RhAnnexin V-128 Radionuclide Imaging In Patients With Clinical Suspicion Or Confirmed Diasnosis Of SpondyloarthritiS (sPa)
  Principal Investigator: Alan D. Waxman, M.D.
  IRB#:045359
  Status: Open
  
  Summary: 99mTc-labelled Annexin has demonstrated the ability to image abnormalities in a variety of diseases with a strong inflammatory component including rheumatoid arthritis, prosthetic joint infection, myocarditis, acute heart transplant rejection. This study aims for early diagnosis and assessment of response to therapy in patients with sPa, compared with MRI which is among the modalities currently used to assess sPa.
  

• Resting State Functional Brain MRI (Rsf-MRI) Findings In Chronic Spinal Pain Patients With Longitudinal Follow Up Compared To Normal Controls: Investigator Initiated Pilot Study
  Principal Investigator: M. Marcel Maya, M.D.
  IRB#: 047310
  Status: Open
  
  Summary: Chronic spinal pain is a major health care issue with major individual and societal costs. Further insight into pain mechanisms will help in developing appropriate management strategies. RSF-MRI offers the promise of noninvasive and objective assessment of neurobiological underpinnings of spinal pain. RSF-MRI also affords means of longitudinal followup and response to various treatment strategies.
  
  A limited number of participants in the CSMC Pre-Operative Pain Management Program prior to spinal surgery will have three RSf-MRI scans at baseline, following completion of the Pain Management Program and post-operatively to assess the brain in chronic spinal pain patients and determine if finding were reversed following the pain treatment and surgery. An additional limited cohort of healthy volunteers will provide age- and gender- matched normal controls.

• Functional MRI (FMRI) In Patients With Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Leak Related Headaches
  Principal Investigator: M. Marcel Maya, M.D.
  IRB#: 042446
  Status: Open
  
  Summary: CSF leak related headaches can be debilitating; using resting functional MRI, this study assesses if there are changes at baseline and post standard of care treatment, if changes are reversible and if they are related and correlate with effect of treatment. This study will facilitate understanding of changes in the brain resting state connectivity in subjects with this condition and will allow investigators to monitor effects of treatment which is sometimes difficult, It could give physicians objective data about treatment response.
  

• Locate PET/CT Study In Prostate Cancer (F18-Fluciclovine)
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 44516
  Status: Completed

• Evaluation of Hippocampal pH in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Normal Patients Using Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST)
  Principal Investigator: Franklin G. Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 42107
  Status: Completed

• Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Disorders of Consciousness: Detecting Neural Activity in the Unresponsive Patient
  Principal Investigator: Franklin G. Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 39341
  Status: Completed

• A Prospective Study to Screen for and Examination of Lyme Disease using SPECT
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 38049
  Status: Active

• Retrospective Review of Mammograms to Assess the Number of Views Necessary for Optimal Imaging while Reducing Radiation Exposure and Optimizing Efficiency of Throughput
  Principal Investigators: Richard Sukov, M.D./Steven Frankel, M.D.
  IRB#: 051838
  Status: In Development

• Retrospective Review of the Use of Microwave Ablation in the Treatment of Patients with Both Metastatic Disease to the Lungs and Primary Lung Cancer
  Principal Investigator: Peter Julien, M.D.
  IRB#: 051612
  Status: Open

• Predicting Meniscal Tear Reparability Using 3 Tesla MRI
  Principal Investigator: Joseph Giaconi, M.D. 3
  IRB#: 050675
  Status: Open

• Radioactive Seed Localization vs Wire Localization in Biopsy-Proven Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Review
  Principal Investigator: Steven Frankel, MD
  IRB#: 04545
  Status: Open

• Radioactive Iodine Therapy and the Risk of Leukemia
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 41664
  Status: Open

• The Value of the V/Q Scan in the Detection of Airway Disease and Hypoxia
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 43895
  Status: Open

• Gastroparesis in Lung Transplant Patients
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 39590
  Status: Open

• Imaging in Hepatorenal Patients
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 29428
  Status: Open

• Lyme Disease screening using SPECT
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 36123
  Status: Open

• A Comparison of Various PET Reading Techniques in the Diagnosis of Dementia
  Principal Investigator: Alan Waxman, MD
  IRB#: 16784
  Status: Open

• Medical Record Review for MRI Technique Comparison: Linear (Optimark) vs. Macrolytic (Gadovist) Gadolinium-based agents
  Principal Investigator: Franklin Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 42369
  Status: Results Published

• NeuroQuant to Compare Regional Brain Volumes and FDG-PET: An Investigator Initiated Pilot
  Principal Investigator: Franklin Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 42678
  Status: Open

• Functional Brain Connectivity and Hippocampal Size Correlation in Patients with Reported Memory Loss
  Principal Investigator: Franklin Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 03782
  Status: Open

• Imaging for Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth
  Principal Investigator: Richard Sukov, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 43654
  Status: Open

• GI Imaging in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome--A Retrospective Review with Added Prospective Arm for Comparison
  Principal Investigator: Richard Sukov, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 43653
  Status: Open

• Imaging Appearance of Sleeve Gastrectomy and its Complications
  Principal Investigator: Richard Sukov, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 36043
  Status: Open

• Treatment Protocol of TheraSphere® For Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
  Principal Investigator: Marc L. Friedman, M.D
  IRB#: 22286
  Status: Active
  
  Disease: Unresectable Hepatocellular (Liver) Cancer
  Summary: Therasphere® is microscopic glass beads embedded with Yttrium-90, a form of high-energy radiation used to treat cancers, in this case, liver cancer that cannot be surgically removed. It is also used as neoadjuvant therapy to shrink the liver tumor before liver surgery or transplant. (An HDE study.)
  

• Use of Codman Enterprise Vascular Reconstruction Device (VRD) and Delivery System (DS) in Brain Aneurysms
  Principal Investigator: Franklin G. Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 12671
  Status: Active
  
  Disease: Brain Aneurysm
  
  Summary: This device allows the safe placement of metal coils into a brain aneurysm to help close it. A stent--a tubular metallic mesh--is then permanently placed inside the blood vessel to hold the coils in the aneurysm and keep the blood vessel open. (An HDE study.)

• Use of the Neuroform Stent Systems® for Treatment of Wide Neck, Intracranial, Saccular Aneurysms
  Principal Investigator: Franklin G. Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 04085
  Status: Active
  
  Disease: Wide Neck Intracranial Saccular Aneurysms
  
  Summary: The Neuroform 3 Microdelivery Stent System and NeuroformEZ® Stent System are intended to treat patients who have a wide neck intracranial (inside the brain) saccular aneurysm which cannot be treated surgically. (An HDE study.)

• Wingspan Stent System With Gateway PTA Balloon Catheter
  Principal Investigator: Franklin G. Moser, MD, FACR
  IRB#: 10705
  Status: Active
  
  Disease: Blockage of Arteries in the Brain
  
  Summary: The purpose of this is to offer the use of the Wingspan® Stent and Gateway Balloon Catheter device for treatment of patients with neurovascular disease, including recurrent stroke due to blockage of brain vessels which doesn’t respond to medical therapy. (An HDE study.)

The S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center provides a full range of advanced imaging, both radiology and cardiology, as well as interventional radiology and interventional tumor (oncology) treatments to the greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, Encino, Mid-Cities, Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, Studio City, Toluca Lake and West Hollywood.