Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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To determine if axial T2-weighted imaging can serve as screening tool for pediatric brain imaging. ⋯ Axial T2 screening can detect pediatric brain abnormalities with high sensitivity and specificity and can possibly replace CT as screening tool if the reading physician is aware of possible limitations/pitfalls. The level of experience influences sensitivity and specificity. Adding diffusion-weighted imaging and susceptibility-weighted imaging to a 3-dimensional T2-weighted sequence would most likely further increase sensitivity and specificity.
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Treatment-related changes (TRC) often imitate tumor progression in glioblastomas. Increased regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) can differentiate tumor progression from TRC after the standardized first-line radiochemotherapy, but information about diagnostic accuracy of rCBV for patients without any clinical selection criteria is limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate if rCBV can differentiate between TRC and tumor progression irrespective of preceding therapies and number of tumor progressions. ⋯ The rCBVmax differentiates tumor progression from TRC in unselected recurrent glioblastomas, but it is not predictive for the OS.
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Morphologic features of computed tomography (CT) scans of the brain can be used to estimate intracranial pressure (ICP) via an image-processing algorithm. Clinically, such estimations can be used to prognosticate outcomes and avoid placement of invasive intracranial monitors in certain patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Features on a CT scan that may correlate with measurements of low ICP are sought. ⋯ This method permits a noninvasive means of identifying patients who are low risk for having elevated ICP; by following Brain Trauma Foundation guidelines strictly such a patient may be subjected to an unnecessary, invasive procedure. This work is a promising pilot study that will need to be analyzed for a larger population.
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Changes in hardware or image-processing settings are a common issue for large multicenter studies. To pool MRI data acquired under these changed conditions, it is necessary to demonstrate that the changes do not affect MRI-based measurements. In these circumstances, classical inference testing is inappropriate because it is designed to detect differences, not prove similarity. ⋯ Power analysis of simulated and automated hippocampal volume data demonstrated that the equivalence margin affects the number of subjects required for well-powered equivalence tests. We have presented a statistical method for determining if morphometric measures obtained under variable conditions can be pooled. The equivalence testing technique is applicable for analyses in which experimental conditions vary over the course of the study.
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Atherosclerosis and osteoporosis are two major public health problems. It is still uncertain whether an abnormal carotid ultrasonography, either increased intima-media thickness (IMT) or plaque thickness, is associated with osteoporosis in acute ischemic stroke patients. To investigate the possible relationships between osteoporosis and carotid atherosclerosis, we evaluated the correlation between carotid IMT/plaque thickness and bone mineral density (BMD) in acute ischemic stroke patients. ⋯ This study showed that carotid IMT/plaque thickness was inversely related to the BMD in female but not in male patients with acute ischemic stroke.