Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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This study aims to investigate the regional changes in the early onset of blindness using the deformation-based morphometry (DBM) method. ⋯ DBM is an effective method for detecting entire brain structural changes in blindness. Visual deprivation actually alters the local structural organization during the early critical periods of neurodevelopment. Volume increases outside the occipital lobe detected with DBM may suggest compensatory adaptations.
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We sought to assess the hypothesis that length and volumes of middle cerebral artery (MCA) thrombus were associated with disappearance of the hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) in acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ HMCAS length >10 mm infrequently disappears with IV tPA suggesting a potential need for ancillary therapy in this group.
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Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF) in the cervical spine are known to cause subarachnoid hemorrhage. Vasospasm after rupture of a DAVF, however, has not previously been reported. ⋯ For patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown origin, differential diagnosis should include DAVF. This patient also presented with vasospasm in the context of ruptured DAVF, a complication previously unreported in the literature. This finding suggests that close monitoring for vasospasm after rupture of DAVF is warranted.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Extending communication for patients with disorders of consciousness.
The difficulty of distinguishing disorders of consciousness from certain disorders of communication leads to the possibility of false diagnosis. Our aim is to communicate with patients with disorders of consciousness through asking them to answer questions with "yes/no" by performing mental imagery tasks using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). ⋯ The results from 2 patients provide independent support of similar work by others with 3 T fMRI, and demonstrate broader clinical utility for these tests at 1.5 T despite lower signal-to-noise ratio. Based on the control results, mental calculation adds a robust imagery task for use in future studies of this kind.
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Multicenter Study
Prevalence of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis in Caucasians: a prospective, multicenter, transcranial Doppler study.
There are limited data available regarding symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (SIA) prevalence in Caucasians. We sought to investigate SIA prevalence among Caucasian patients hospitalized with acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) in a prospective, multicenter Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) study. ⋯ SIA was identified in almost 10% of patients admitted with symptoms of ACI. These preliminary findings support further collaborative initiatives among stroke physicians to increase the yield of SIA detection in Caucasian patients with ACI.