Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Spinal nerve root enhancement in pediatric patients is generally nonspecific, and clinical and laboratory correlation is essential. Nerve root enhancement indicates lack of integrity of the blood-nerve barrier. ⋯ Familiarity with the various pathologic entities associated with spinal nerve root enhancement is important for a concise differential diagnosis in the appropriate clinical setting. This will avoid unnecessary additional investigations.
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MRI is a powerful tool for the diagnosis and management for a variety of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles are a novel category of MRI contrast agents that seem to play a crucial role in the imaging of CNS. Due to their physical properties, USPIOs act as blood pool agents. ⋯ The last few years, ferumoxytol has been successfully used to image CNS neoplasms, CNS inflammations and cerebral malformations offering useful information on cellular and molecular level. In addition, ferumoxytol studies focused on the pathophysiology of other CNS disorders like multiple sclerosis and epilepsy are already in progress. Aim of this review article is to provide the potential role of USPIO-enhanced MRI and the latest clinical applications of ferumoxytol agent in CNS imaging.