Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a recently developed high resolution 3-dimensional gradient-echo pulse sequence that accentuates the magnetic susceptibility of blood, calcium, and nonheme iron. The clinical applications of SWI in pediatric neuroimaging have significantly expanded recently. Potential pitfalls related to blood oxygenation, blood flow, magnetic field strength, and misinterpretation of localization as well as possible mimickers may be misleading and affect the correct interpretation of SWI images. Familiarity with these potential diagnostic pitfalls is important to prevent misdiagnosis and will further enhance the ability of SWI in becoming a robust and reliable technique.
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The diagnosis of Chiari malformation type I (CMI) relies on MRI identification of a tonsillar descent (TD) through the foramen magnum, reflecting the overcrowding of an underdeveloped posterior cranial fossa (PCF). However, TD occurs in some patients with normal-sized PCF and, conversely, some patients with borderline or no TD have small PCF. We thus sought to identify a set of prototypic PCF measures for the diagnosis of CMI. ⋯ The addition of simple morphometric measurements in the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected CMI may facilitate radiological diagnosis. Moreover, identification of the subset of CMI that arise from basichondrocranium underdevelopment is important for both, selection of the most appropriate therapeutic approach as well as proper CMI categorization in research studies.
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Clinical Trial
Early changes in brain FDG metabolism during anticancer therapy in patients with pharyngeal cancer.
The current study aimed to evaluate whether therapy-related changes occurred in brain metabolism at an earlier stage during the course of anticancer therapy. ⋯ The current study revealed that unappreciable changes in brain metabolism can occur during the early course of anticancer therapy, and persist even after therapy has terminated. Although the exact mechanism remains unclear, these changes may be related to the systemic effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy as well as subclinical cancer-related depressive or adjustment mood disorder.
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Our aim is to implement a simple, rapid, and reliable method using computed tomography perfusion imaging and clinical judgment to target patients for reperfusion therapy in the hyper-acute stroke setting. We introduce a novel formula (1-infarct volume [CBV]/penumbra volume [MTT] × 100%) to quantify mismatch percentage. ⋯ The ABC/2 method of volume estimation on CT perfusion is a reliable and efficient approach to determine infarct and penumbra volumes. The 1-CBV/MTT × 100% formula produces a mismatch percentage assisting providers in communicating the proportion of salvageable brain and guides therapy in the setting of patients with unclear time of onset with potentially salvageable tissue who can undergo mechanical retrieval or intraarterial thrombolytics.
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Over the last two decades (123) I-FP-CIT-SPECT, has been used to discriminate neurodegenerative Parkinsonian syndrome from other diseases. BasGan is a freely available software that assists (123) I-FP-CIT-SPECT evaluation by estimating semiquantitative values for each basal nucleus and compares the results to a database of healthy subjects. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the accuracy of qualitative analysis and of semiquantitative, BasGan-assisted evaluations of (123) I-FP-CIT-SPECT; (2) to compare the accuracy of both methods when applied to "doubtful" cases; (3) to appreciate the reproducibility of the BasGan-assisted evaluations. ⋯ BasGan-assisted evaluations of (123) I-FP-CIT-SPECT were very useful, particularly in "doubtful" cases. Multicenter studies are mandatory before routine use of BasGan.