AJR. American journal of roentgenology
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The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the susceptibility-weighted imaging signal characteristics of the normal pediatric brain and those of a variety of pediatric brain pathologic abnormalities. ⋯ Its high susceptibility for blood products, iron depositions, and calcifications makes susceptibility-weighted imaging an important additional sequence for the diagnostic workup of pediatric brain pathologic abnormalities. Compared with conventional MRI sequences, susceptibility-weighted imaging may show lesions in better detail or with higher sensitivity. Familiarity with the pediatric susceptibility-weighted imaging signal variance is essential to prevent misdiagnosis.
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The femoral nerve is subject to a variety of diseases that may affect the nerve anywhere from the nerve roots to the distal branches. High-resolution 3-T MR neurography (MRN) is being increasingly used for peripheral nerve evaluation because it complements information gained from electrodiagnostic testing. ⋯ There are scattered case reports describing femoral nerve diseases using MRI. This article comprehensively reviews different pathologic abnormalities involving the femoral nerve and illustrates their MRN features with case examples.
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AJR Am J Roentgenol · Oct 2011
ReviewBone marrow edema patterns in the ankle and hindfoot: distinguishing MRI features.
Many disorders produce similar or overlapping patterns of bone marrow edema in the ankle. Bone marrow edema may present in a few hindfoot bones simultaneously or in a single bone. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to provide guidelines based on clinical history and specific MRI patterns and locations to accurately identify the cause of ankle bone marrow edema. We will first focus on bone marrow edema in general disease categories involving multiple bones, such as reactive processes, trauma, neuroarthropathy, and arthritides. A discussion of bone marrow edema in individual bones of the ankle and hindfoot including the tibia, fibula, talus, and calcaneus will follow. Helpful hints for arriving at the correct diagnosis will be provided in each section. ⋯ After review of this article, radiologists should be able to use their knowledge of clinical history and specific MRI patterns and locations to accurately distinguish between the various causes of bone marrow edema in the ankle and hindfoot.
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MR neurography (MRN) has increasingly been used in clinical practice for the evaluation of peripheral nerve disease. This article reviews the historic perspective of MRN, the current imaging trends of this modality, and the future directions and applications that have shown potential for improved imaging and diagnostic capabilities. ⋯ MRN has come a long way in the past 2 decades. Excellent depiction of 3D nerve anatomy and pathology is currently possible. Further technical developments in diffusion-based nerve and muscle imaging, whole-body MRN, and nerve-specific MR contrast agents will likely play a major role in advancing this novel field and understanding peripheral neuromuscular diseases in the years to come.
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Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma (EPSCC) is a rare, aggressive neoplasm arising from virtually any organ. Numerous oncologic studies have addressed prognostic indicators and survival rates in EPSCC, however relatively little has been published regarding the imaging features and metastatic patterns of these uncommon tumors. This article provides a pictorial review of EPSCC in multiple organs, emphasizing the imaging appearance at presentation and the radiologic patterns of recurrence/metastasis. ⋯ Although the appearance of EPSCC is often nonspecific, the typical presentation is large aggressive tumors that, similar to small cell carcinoma in the lung, often respond well to local therapy but tend to recur relentlessly at distant sites.