AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2015
ReviewCurrent Applications of MRI-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy in the Treatment of Brain Neoplasms and Epilepsy: A Radiologic and Neurosurgical Overview.
Minimally invasive stereotactic tumor ablation is a viable option for the treatment of benign and malignant intracranial lesions. Although surgical excision constitutes first-line therapy for various brain pathologies, it can cause irreversible neurologic deficits. ⋯ MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy is currently used as a minimally invasive treatment for brain metastases, radiation necrosis, glioma, and epilepsy. This article will discuss the principles, suggested indications, complications, and imaging characteristics of MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy as they pertain to the treatment of brain pathology.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2015
White Matter Development is Potentially Influenced in Adolescents with Vertically Transmitted HIV Infections: A Tract-Based Spatial Statistics Study.
Convergent evidence indicates that HIV is associated with abnormal WM microstructure in adults. However, little is known about whether HIV affects WM development in adolescents. In this study, we used DTI to investigate the integrity of WM microstructure in adolescents with vertically transmitted HIV infections. ⋯ These findings suggest that early HIV infections may affect WM development, especially in the frontal WM, corpus callosum, and corona radiata in adolescents, which may be associated with hypomyelination and demyelination. Moreover, WM integrity may serve as a potential new treatment target.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2015
Combined Selective Cerebral Hypothermia and Mechanical Artery Recanalization in Acute Ischemic Stroke: In Vitro Study of Cooling Performance.
Therapeutic hypothermia represents a promising neuroprotective treatment for patients with ischemic stroke. Selective, intracarotid blood cooling may initiate rapid and early brain hypothermia, reduce systemic effects, and allow combined endovascular mechanical thrombectomy. For this approach, a balloon cooling catheter system was designed and studied in vitro to optimize its cooling performance. ⋯ The feasibility of intracarotid blood cooling using a new catheter system was demonstrated in vitro. A serial 4-balloon array led to an optimized cooling capacity approaching optimum target temperatures of mild therapeutic hypothermia. To determine the therapeutic efficacy of combined selective therapeutic hypothermia and mechanical thrombectomy, further in vivo studies by using a model of temporary ischemia with large-vessel occlusion and recanalization are required.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2015
Ultra-High-Field MRI Visualization of Cortical Multiple Sclerosis Lesions with T2 and T2*: A Postmortem MRI and Histopathology Study.
At 7T MR imaging, T2*-weighted gradient echo has been shown to provide high-resolution anatomic images of gray matter lesions. However, few studies have verified T2*WI lesions histopathologically or compared them with more standard techniques at ultra-high-field strength. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity of T2WI and T2*WI sequences for detecting cortical GM lesions in MS. ⋯ There is no strong advantage of the T2*WI sequence compared with a conventional T2WI sequence in the detection of cortical lesions at 7T. Retrospectively, a high percentage of lesions could be detected with both sequences. However, many lesions are still missed prospectively. This could possibly be minimized with better a priori observer training.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2015
Identification of the Corticobulbar Tracts of the Tongue and Face Using Deterministic and Probabilistic DTI Fiber Tracking in Patients with Brain Tumor.
The corticobulbar tract of the face and tongue, a critical white matter tract connecting the primary motor cortex and the pons, is rarely detected by deterministic DTI fiber tractography. Detection becomes even more difficult in the presence of a tumor. The purpose of this study was to compare identification of the corticobulbar tract by using deterministic and probabilistic tractography in patients with brain tumor. ⋯ Probabilistic tractography successfully reconstructs the face- and tongue-associated corticobulbar tracts from the lateral primary motor cortex to the pons in both hemispheres.