Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic inflammatory arteriopathy of medium and large-sized arteries, predominantly affecting branches of the external carotid artery. Ischemic stroke has been reported in 2.8-7% of patients diagnosed with GCA. The majority of ischemic strokes may involve the posterior circulation as a result of vertebral and/or, less frequently, of basilar artery vasculitis. ⋯ Specifically, signs of extracranial vertebral artery wall inflammation ("halo" sign) and focal luminar stenoses may be accurately depicted by ultrasounds in high-risk patients or individuals with ischemic stroke attributed to GCA. In this review, we present three cases of GCA and posterior circulation ischemic complications that were initially evaluated with comprehensive neurosonology protocol and were promptly diagnosed with GCA based on the characteristic "halo" sign in the temporal and vertebral arteries. In addition, we discuss the relevant literature concerning the utility of CDS for the early diagnosis of GCA, focusing on the subtype with extracranial arterial involvement, particularly that of the vertebral arteries.
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Hoarseness is a common symptom indicating an abnormal change in the quality of voice and has a lifetime prevalence of around 30%. There are multiple causes of hoarseness, ranging from acute laryngitis, chronic laryngitis, laryngopharyngeal reflux, functional dysphonia due to vocal overuse or abuse, vocal cord paralysis (VCP), to various pathologies and masses in the larynx. A detailed history and thorough physical examination, and in many cases, laryngoscopy by a clinician are the initial steps in its management. ⋯ Typical findings of VCP are ipsilateral dilatation of the pyriform sinus and laryngeal ventricle, thickening and medialization of the ipsilateral aryepiglottic fold, medialization of the arytenoid cartilage and posterior aspect of the true vocal cord (TVC) atrophy of the TVC, and loss of the subglottic arch. The lesions causing the VCP may extend from the medulla, jugular foramen, carotid space, and upper mediastinum. CT neck must cover the aorticopulmonary window when evaluating the left VCP to cover the left recurrent laryngeal nerve's origin.
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Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a noninvasive optical brain-imaging technique that detects changes in hemoglobin concentration in the cerebral cortex. fNIRS devices are safe, silent, portable, robust against motion artifacts, and have good temporal resolution. fNIRS is reliable and trustworthy, as well as an alternative and a complement to other brain-imaging modalities, such as electroencephalography or functional magnetic resonance imaging. Given these advantages, fNIRS has become a well-established tool for neuroscience research, used not only for healthy cortical activity but also as a biomarker during clinical assessment in individuals with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and cancer screening. Owing to its wide applicability, studies on fNIRS have increased exponentially over the last two decades. ⋯ University of Tübingen in Germany has produced the most trending papers since 2000. USA was the most prolific country with the most active institutions, followed by China, Japan, Germany, and South Korea. The results also revealed global trends in emerging areas of research, such as neurodevelopment, aging, and cognitive and emotional assessment.
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To compare and characterize metabolic features of high- and low-grade glioma tumors using 68 Ga-PSMA-617 and 18 F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). ⋯ PET/CT with 68 Ga-PSMA-617 and 18 F-FDG may help distinguish between HGG and LGG, and 68 Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT is superior to18 F-FDG in differentiating HGG and LGG.
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In symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS), borderzone infarct pattern and perfusion mismatch are associated with increased risk of recurrent strokes, which may reflect the shared underlying mechanism of hypoperfusion distal to the intracranial atherosclerosis. Accordingly, we hypothesized a correlation between hypoperfusion volumes and ICAS infarct patterns based on the respective underlying mechanistic subtypes. ⋯ ICAS infarct patterns, in keeping with their respective underlying mechanisms, may correlate with distinct perfusion profiles.