Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
-
Comparative Study
Cognitive impairment and its relation to imaging measures in multiple sclerosis: a study using a computerized battery.
Cognitive impairment (CI) is an important component of multiple sclerosis (MS) disability. A complex biological interplay between white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) disease likely sustains CI. This study aims to address this issue by exploring the association between the extent of normal WM and GM disease and CI. ⋯ Both NAWM and NAGM volumes are related to CI in MS. The results highlight once again the urgent need to develop pharmacological strategies protecting patients from widespread neurodegeneration as possible preventive strategies of CI development.
-
Comparative Study
Vertebral artery ostial stenosis: prevalence by digital subtraction angiography, MR angiography, and CT angiography.
(1) To determine the prevalence of vertebral arterial ostial stenosis (VOS) as determined by the "gold standard" of digital subtraction angiography (DSA). (2) To learn the correlation between vertebral ostial stenosis and study indication. (3) To determine the ability of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE MRA) and computed tomographic angiography (CTA) to reflect the true prevalence of vertebral ostial stenosis as determined by DSA. ⋯ The prevalence of VOS as determined by DSA is low and increases with patient age and correlates with factors such as anterior infarct (18.4%), posterior infarct (33.3%), carotid atherosclerosis (30.8%), and vertebrobasilar insufficiency (33%). Patients being evaluated for reasons less closely correlated with atherosclerotic disease, such as arteriovenous malformation (AVM) or hemorrhage showed a lower prevalence of VA stenosis (brain aneurysm or AVM 5/121, 4.1%, brain hemorrhage 5/153, 3.3%). Routine clinical MRA significantly overestimates VOS prevalence, and findings suggest that CTA underestimates the degree and prevalence of VOS.
-
Time window for thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke can be based on chronological or physiological (imaging) data. Both of these approaches have their unique strengths and weaknesses. ⋯ Therefore, careful evaluation of strategies using image-based identification of patients who might benefit from thrombolysis is needed. Patients undergoing thrombolysis on delayed arrival appear to be the most logical group in whom image-based strategies should be evaluated.
-
The aim of our study was to evaluate flat detector computed tomography angiography with peripheral intravenous contrast material application (FD-CTA) for visualization of cerebral arteries in comparison with intravenous multidetector computed tomography angiography (CTA) and intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (DSA). ⋯ The results suggest that the cerebral arteries can be visualized by FD-CTA in high resolution, in many vessel segments comparable to DSA.
-
We detail a procedure for generating a set of templates for the hippocampal region in magnetic resonance (MR) images, representative of the clinical conditions of the population under investigation. ⋯ This study describes a simple and easily reproducible procedure to generate templates for the hippocampal region. It can be generalized and applied to other brain regions, which may be relevant for neuroimaging studies.