Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Comparative Study
Ultrafast Brain MRI: Clinical Deployment and Comparison to Conventional Brain MRI at 3T.
To compare an ultrafast brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol to the conventional protocol in motion-prone inpatient clinical settings. ⋯ The ultrafast protocol achieved at least comparable image quality and high diagnostic concordance compared to the conventional protocol. This fast protocol can be a viable option to replace the conventional protocol in motion-prone inpatient clinical settings.
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A pseudoatrophy effect, mostly affecting white matter, can be observed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) early on natalizumab therapy. We aimed to investigate whether a similar pattern could be found after interferon-beta treatment onset. ⋯ Concurrent inflammation has an impact on brain volume measurements (especially white matter) during the first year of interferon-beta therapy, and should be taken into account when interpreting early brain volume changes on therapy.
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Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a serious complication of the use of iodinated contrast agents. This problem is particularly acute in interventional neurology and interventional cardiology, probably due to the intra-arterial route of injection, high contrast volumes, and preexisting risk factors of these patients. In an attempt to develop a contrast agent that is less damaging to the kidneys, we have studied the effects of adding a small amount of the substituted cyclodextrin, sulfobutyl-ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBECD), to iohexol in rodent models of renal toxicity. ⋯ We have shown that the addition of a small amount of SBECD (one molecule of SBECD per 40 iohexol molecules) significantly protects rodent kidneys from CI-AKI. Further development of this new formulation of iodinated contrast is warranted.
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Review Meta Analysis
White Matter Diffusion Abnormalities in Carotid Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Abnormalities in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) values can be used to assess microstructural damage to white matter tracts and could represent a quantitative marker of chronic ischemia and thereby potentially serve as a stroke risk factor or a measure of existing subclinical ischemic disease burden. We performed a systematic review and 3 separate meta-analyses to evaluate the association between unilateral carotid steno-occlusion and ipsilateral ADC, FA, or MD abnormality. ⋯ Carotid artery disease is associated with significant ADC and FA value changes, suggesting that carotid disease is associated with quantifiable white matter microstructural damage.
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Isolated central facial palsy (I-CFP) is attributed to a lacunar syndrome affecting the corona radiata region or pons. We examined our acute stroke registry for patients presenting with I-CFP and localized their symptoms to a vascular lesion. ⋯ Contrary to current teaching of lesion localization for an I-CFP, our study revealed the majority of acute patients presenting with this symptom had evidence of flow-limiting thromboembolic MCA disease rather than a lacunar lesion. Our findings underscore the essential role of comprehensive vascular imaging in patients presenting with I-CFP, which is commonly associated with acute flow-limiting thromboembolic MCA disease.