In this retrospective study, synthetic T2-weighted, FLAIR, double inversion recovery, and phase-sensitive inversion recovery images were produced in 12 patients with MS after quantification of T1 and T2 values and proton density. Double inversion recovery images were optimized for each patient by adjusting the TI. The number of visible plaques was determined by a radiologist for a set of these 4 types of synthetic MR images and a set of conventional T1-weighted inversion recovery, T2-weighted, and FLAIR images. Conventional 3D double inversion recovery and other available images were used as the criterion standard. Synthetic MR imaging enabled detection of more MS plaques than conventional MR imaging in a comparable acquisition time (approximately 7 minutes). The contrast for MS plaques on synthetic double inversion recovery images was better than on conventional double inversion recovery images.
Abstract
An example of DIR optimization. A DIR image with a second TI of 460 ms (A) (as determined according to the equations in the main text) shows better delineation of MS plaques than a DIR image with a second TI of 360 ms (B) or 560 ms (C).
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Synthetic MR imaging enables the creation of various contrast-weighted images including double inversion recovery and phase-sensitive inversion recovery from a single MR imaging quantification scan. Here, we assessed whether synthetic MR imaging is suitable for detecting MS plaques.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Quantitative and conventional MR imaging data on 12 patients with MS were retrospectively analyzed. Synthetic T2-weighted, FLAIR, double inversion recovery, and phase-sensitive inversion recovery images were produced after quantification of T1 and T2 values and proton density. Double inversion recovery images were optimized for each patient by adjusting the TI. The number of visible plaques was determined by a radiologist for a set of these 4 types of synthetic MR
The purpose of this study was to use DCE MR imaging to quantify the contrast permeability of intracranial atherosclerotic disease plaques in 10 symptomatic patients and to compare these parameters against existing markers of plaque volatility using black-blood MR imaging pulse sequences. Ktrans and fractional plasma volume (Vp) measurements were higher in plaques versus healthy white matter and similar or less than values in the choroid plexus. Only Ktrans correlated significantly with time from symptom onset. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging parameters were not found to correlate significantly with intraplaque enhancement or hyperintensity. The authors suggest that Ktrans may be an independent imaging biomarker of acute and symptom-associated pathologic changes in intracranial atherosclerotic disease plaques.
Ninety-two consecutive patients with a known (n = 24) or suspected arteriovenous shunting (n = 68) underwent DSA and brain MR imaging, including arterial spin-labeling/SWI and conventional angiographic MR imaging. DSA showed arteriovenous shunting in 63 of the 92 patients. Interobserver agreement was excellent. In 5 patients, arterial spin-labeling/SWI correctly detected arteriovenous shunting, while the conventional angiographic MR imaging did not. The authors conclude that the combined use of arterial spin-labeling and SWI may be an alternative to contrast-enhanced MRA for the detection of intracranial arteriovenous shunting.
Abstract
A 60-year-old patient with a right paracentral AVM. ASL raw data (A) demonstrates a strong hypersignal at the anterior part of the right paracentral region (A, arrow). The slight venous hypersignal related to AVS was initially missed by the blinded readers by using SWI alone (B, arrowhead) but was correctly identified by using ASL and SWI combined (C, ASL/SWI merged image, arrow). Findings of time-resolved 4D contrast-enhanced MRA (D) were considered negative by the blinded readers. DSA reveals a small pial AVM in the right paracentral region (E, arrow).
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Arterial spin-labeling and susceptibility-weighted imaging are 2 MR imaging techniques that do not require gadolinium. The study aimed to assess the accuracy of arterial spin-labeling and SWI combined for detecting intracranial arteriovenous shunting in comparison with conventional MR imaging.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ninety-two consecutive patients with a known (n = 24) or suspected arteriovenous shunting (n = 68) underwent digital subtraction angiography and brain MR imaging, including arterial spin-labeling/SWI and conventional angiographic MR imaging (3D TOF, 4D time-resolved, and 3D contrast-enhanced MRA). Arterial spin-labeling/SWI and conventional MR imaging were reviewed separately in a randomized order by 2 blinded radiologists who judged the presence or absence of arteriovenous shunting. The accuracy of arterial spin-labeling/SWI for the detection of
Nineteen patients with schizophrenia and 11 matched healthy controls underwent MR imaging and multivoxel point-resolved 1H-MRS at 3T to obtain their hippocampal gray matter absolute NAA, Cr, and Cho concentrations. Patients’ average hippocampal GM Cr concentrations were 19% higher than those of controls. NAA and Cho showed no differences. The authors conclude that the findings suggest the hippocampal volume deficit in schizophrenia is not due to net loss of neurons, which is in agreement with histopathology studies but not with prior 1H-MR spectroscopy reports. Elevated Cr would be consistent with hippocampal hypermetabolism.
Both dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion with bookend T1-calibration and pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling have been used recently for CBF quantification in relapsing-remitting MS. The authors compared pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling CBF with the bookend technique in a prospective cohort of 19 healthy controls, 19 subjects with relapsing-remitting MS without cognitive impairment, and 20 subjects with relapsing-remitting MS with cognitive impairment. Voxelwise paired t tests revealed no significant CBF differences between techniques after normalization of global meanintensities. They conclude that there is agreement between pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling and bookend technique CBF measurements in healthy controls and patients with relapsing-remitting MS.
Thirty-seven patients who had undergone both high-resolution MR imaging and DSA for intracranial artery disease were evaluated. The degree of stenosis and the minimal luminal diameter were independently measured by 2 observers on both DSA and high-resolution MR imaging, and the results were compared. The 2 observers independently diagnosed intracranial artery diseases on DSA and high-resolution MR imaging. High-resolution MR imaging showed moderate-to-excellent agreement and significant correlations with DSA on the degree of stenosis and minimal luminal diameter. The authors conclude that high-resolution MR imaging may be an imaging method comparable with DSA for the characterization and diagnosis of various intracranial artery diseases.
Abstract
Measurements of the degree of stenosis and minimal luminal diameter in both DSA and HR-MR. The degree of stenosis is 73.9% on HR-MR (normal luminal diameter, 3.18 mm; minimal luminal diameter, 0.83 mm) and 72.7% on DSA (normal luminal diameter, 2.86 mm; minimal luminal diameter, 0.78 mm).
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
High-resolution MR imaging has recently been introduced as a promising diagnostic modality in intracranial artery disease. Our aim was to compare high-resolution MR imaging with digital subtraction angiography for the characterization and diagnosis of various intracranial artery diseases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-seven patients who had undergone both high-resolution MR imaging and DSA for intracranial artery disease were enrolled in our study (August 2011 to April 2014). The time interval between the high-resolution MR imaging and DSA was within 1 month. The degree of stenosis and the minimal luminal diameter were independently measured by 2 observers in both DSA and high-resolution MR imaging, and the results were compared. Two observers independently diagnosed intracranial artery diseases on DSA and high-resolution MR imaging. The time interval between the diagnoses on DSA and high-resolution MR imaging was 2 weeks. Interobserver diagnostic agreement for each technique and intermodality
The authors explored regions of diffusion restriction following bevacizumab therapy in patients with glioblastoma by 1) analyzing tissue samples from patients at postmortem to pathologically confirm tumor cellularity or coagulative necrosis and 2) assessing the patient populationto determine the effect that these lesions have on overall survival. The postmortem examinations were performed on 6 patients with recurrent glioblastoma on bevacizumab with progressively growing regions of diffusion restriction. ADC values were extracted from regions of both hypercellular tumor and necrosis. They conclude that progressive diffusion-restricted lesions were pathologically confirmed to be coagulative necrosis surrounded by viable tumor and associated with decreased overall survival.
The authors set out to determine the agreement between collateral flow assessment on CTA and DSA and their respective associations with clinical outcome. They used patient data that was randomized in MR CLEAN with middle cerebral artery occlusion and both baseline CTA images and complete DSA runs. Collateral flow on CTA and DSA was graded 0 (absent) to 3 (good).Of 45 patients with evaluable imaging data, collateral flow was graded on CTA as 0, 1, 2, 3 for 3, 10, 20, and 12 patients, respectively, and on DSA for 12, 17, 10, and 6 patients, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio for favorable outcome on mRS was 2.27 and 1.29 for CTA and DSA, respectively. The relationship between the dichotomized collateral score and mRS 0–2 was significant for CTA, but not for DSA. They conclude that the commonly applied collateral flow assessment on CTA and DSA showed large differences and that these techniques are not interchangeable. CTA was significantly associated with mRS at 90 days, whereas DSA was not.
Sixty patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent presurgical brain MR imaging and clinical evaluation before and 1 year after shunt surgery. The authors assessed the MR imaging features including Evans index, high-convexity tightness, Sylvian fissure dilation, callosal angle, focal enlargement of the cortical sulci, bumps in the lateral ventricular roof, and deep white matter and periventricular hyperintensities. Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that presurgical high-convexity tightness alone predicted the improvement of the clinical symptoms 1 year after surgery.
Abstract
Visual rating scales for neuroimaging features in iNPH. A, High-convexity tightness: 0, dilated; 1, normal; 2, mildly tight; 3, severely tight. B, Sylvian fissure dilation: 0, narrowed; 1, normal; 2, mildly dilated; 3, severely dilated. C, Focal dilation of the sulci (indicated by the arrows). D, Bumps in the lateral ventricular roof (indicated by the arrows). E, Callosal angle.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Although neuroimaging plays an important role in the diagnosis of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, its predictive value for response to shunt surgery has not been established. The purpose of the current study was to identify neuroimaging markers that predict the shunt response of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sixty patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent presurgical brain MR imaging and clinical evaluation before and 1 year after shunt surgery. The assessed MR imaging features included the Evans index, high-convexity tightness, Sylvian fissure dilation, callosal angle, focal enlargement of the cortical sulci, bumps in the lateral ventricular roof, and deep white matter and periventricular hyperintensities. The idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus grading scale total score was used as a primary clinical outcome measure. We used measures for individual symptoms (ie, the idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus grading scale subdomain scores, such as gait, cognitive, and urinary scores), the Timed Up and Go test, and the
