Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Today, it seems prudent to reconsider how ultrasound technology can be used for providing intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring that will result in better patient outcomes and decreased length and cost of hospitalization. An extensive and rapidly growing literature suggests that the essential hemodynamic information provided by transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography neuromonitoring (TCDNM) would provide effective monitoring modality for improving outcomes after different types of vascular, neurosurgical, orthopedic, cardiovascular, and cardiothoracic surgeries and some endovascular interventional or diagnostic procedures, like cardiac catheterization or cerebral angiography. ⋯ The American Society of Neurophysiologic Monitoring and American Society of Neuroimaging Guidelines Committees formed a joint task force and developed updated guidelines to assist in the use of TCDNM in the surgical and intensive care settings. Specifically, these guidelines define (1) the objectives of TCD monitoring; (2) the responsibilities and behaviors of the neurosonographer during monitoring; (3) instrumentation and acquisition parameters; (4) safety considerations; (5) contemporary rationale for TCDNM; (6) TCDNM perspectives; and (7) major recommendations.
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Ataxia is one of the most common pediatric movement disorders and can be caused by a large number of congenital and acquired diseases affecting the cerebellum or the vestibular or sensory system. It is mainly characterized by gait abnormalities, dysmetria, intention tremor, dysdiadochokinesia, dysarthria, and nystagmus. In young children, ataxia may manifest as the inability or refusal to walk. ⋯ We will discuss and summarize the neuroimaging findings of either the most common or the most important causes of CA in childhood or present causes of pediatric CA with pathognomonic findings on MRI. The various pediatric CAs will be categorized and presented according to (a) the cause of ataxia (acquired/disruptive vs. inherited/genetic) and (b) the temporal evolution of symptoms (acute/subacute, chronic, progressive, nonprogressive, and recurrent). In addition, several illustrative cases with their key imaging findings will be presented.
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The optic nerve is surrounded by the extension of meningeal coverings of the brain. When the pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid increases, it causes a distention of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), which allows the use of this measurement by ultrasonography (US) as a noninvasive surrogate of elevated intracranial pressure. However, ONSD measurements in the literature have exhibited significant heterogeneity, suggesting a need for consensus on ONSD image acquisition and measurement. We aim to establish a consensus for an ONSD US Quality Criteria Checklist (ONSD US QCC). ⋯ This review and Delphi protocol aim to establish ONSD US QCC. A broad consensus from this process may reduce the variability of ONSD measurements in future studies, which would ultimately translate into improved ONSD clinical applications. This protocol was reviewed and endorsed by the German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine.
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The optic nerve is surrounded by the extension of meningeal coverings of the brain. When the pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid increases, it causes a distention of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), which allows the use of this measurement by ultrasonography (US) as a noninvasive surrogate of elevated intracranial pressure. However, ONSD measurements in the literature have exhibited significant heterogeneity, suggesting a need for consensus on ONSD image acquisition and measurement. We aim to establish a consensus for an ONSD US Quality Criteria Checklist (ONSD US QCC). ⋯ This review and Delphi protocol aim to establish ONSD US QCC. A broad consensus from this process may reduce the variability of ONSD measurements in future studies, which would ultimately translate into improved ONSD clinical applications. This protocol was reviewed and endorsed by the German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine.
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Objective diagnosis and prognosis in major depressive disorder (MDD) remains a challenge due to the absence of biomarkers based on physiological parameters or medical tests. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify functional magnetic resonance imaging-based biomarkers of depression that either objectively differentiate patients with depression from healthy subjects, predict personalized treatment outcome, or characterize biological subtypes of depression. While there are some findings of consistent functional biomarkers, there is still lack of robust data acquisition and analysis methodology. ⋯ Novel acquisition techniques, such as multiband and multiecho imaging, and neural network-based cleaning approaches can enhance the signal quality in limbic and frontal regions. More comprehensive analyses, such as directed or dynamic functional features or the identification of biological depression subtypes, can improve objective diagnosis or treatment outcome prediction and mitigate the heterogeneity of MDD. Overall, these improvements in functional MRI imaging techniques, processing, and analysis could advance the search for biomarkers and ultimately aid patients with MDD and their treatment course.