Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Case Reports
Localization of clinical syndromes using DWI: two examples of the "capsular" warning syndrome.
The capsular warning syndrome (CWS) is a subtype of transient ischemic attack characterized by its recurrent nature, absence of cortical signs, and high probability of early capsular stroke. Currently, standard imaging techniques have identified only internal capsule lesions in this entity. The authors present 2 cases with an otherwise typical CWS in whom a brainstem stroke was detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). DWI's ability to differentiate between acute and chronic infarcts may assist in more accurate localization of clinical syndromes.
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An unusual case of a 62-year-old man with focal seizures, tinnitus, and progressive left hemiparesis due to an extensive subdural plasma cell granuloma is presented. Five-year clinical and radiologic follow-up demonstrating the chronic yet progressive nature of this granuloma is presented. This is the first report of focal calcification seen in an intracranial plasma cell granuloma. The imaging, neuropathologic, and clinical characteristics of this rare lesion are reviewed.
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Two patients with clinically probable or possible limbic encephalitis (LE) are reported, both cases with typical findings in clinical symptoms (severe neuropsychological deficits and complex partial seizures) and in routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (hyperintense mesiotemporal lesions). Underlying malignancy was identified (rectal carcinoma) in one case but could not be detected in the other patient. ⋯ The authors' findings support FDG-PET coregistered to 3D MRI as a potentially valuable additional tool in the imaging diagnostics of LE. Results are discussed with respect to the clinical symptoms and previously reported imaging findings in the disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Temporal changes in brain volume and cognition in a randomized treatment trial of vascular dementia.
To measure changes in brain and ischemic volume over time by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as part of a randomized treatment trial of vascular dementia. ⋯ In summary, ventricular volume correlated well with cognitive measures in patients with vascular dementia and was a more sensitive marker for change during the study year than the clinical scales used in this study. This study also points out the practical limitations of brain imaging as a surrogate measure of clinical outcome in multicenter randomized treatment trials of brain disease.
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Over the past decade, a number of new kinetic modeling techniques have been developed for PET and SPECT ligands. This article will review commonly used modeling solutions for reversible positron-emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) radioligands, with an emphasis on noninvasive methods. ⋯ These parameters will be defined, and their relationship to analogous parameters in pharmacology will be discussed. Then the major approaches are presented under the categories of graphical or mathematical as well as invasive or noninvasive.