AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2009
Diffusion tensor imaging study of the cortical origin and course of the corticospinal tract in healthy children.
Several studies have questioned the traditional belief that the corticospinal tract (CST) arises exclusively from the precentral gyrus and passes through the anterior half of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) in humans; however, no direct evidence existed from structural imaging, and developmental aspects of CST origin have not been clarified. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography to test the hypotheses that CST can originate from both pre- and postcentral gyri and is located posteriorly in the PLIC, and we also determined how age, sex, or handedness affected these locations. ⋯ The CST most frequently originates from both pre- and postcentral gyri, especially in older children, and is typically centered approximately two thirds of the distance from the anterior margin of the PLIC and occupies about a quarter of its anteroposterior length. In young children, the CST can often be seen originating exclusively from the precentral gyrus by DTI.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2009
Controlled Clinical TrialImprovement of clinical language localization with an overt semantic and syntactic language functional MR imaging paradigm.
Functional MR imaging (fMRI) is a promising but, in some aspects, still debated noninvasive tool for functional language mapping. We developed a clinical fMRI overt language design at the sentential level to optimize sensitivity for language-related areas of the brain. To evaluate applicability and sensitivity, we investigated a consecutive series of presurgical patients with epilepsy with minimal morphologic brain abnormalities. ⋯ We developed a clinical language fMRI design that integrates various relevant aspects of everyday language demands and provides robust localization of core language areas.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2009
CT angiography source images predict final infarct extent in patients with basilar artery occlusion.
The posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) is a 10-point grading system to quantify ischemic changes in the posterior circulation. We analyzed whether pc-ASPECTS on CT angiography (CTA) source images (CTASI) predicted the final infarct extent and hemorrhagic transformation (HT) rate in patients with basilar artery occlusion. ⋯ The extent of hypoattenuation on CTASI predicts the final infarct extent in patients with basilar artery occlusion.
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It is important to try to clarify the methodology of vertebroplasty such as amount of cement needed, how many needles to use and the significance of cement extravasation. This prospective study evaluated the potential of vertebroplasty to increase the likelihood of an adjacent vertebral compression fracture (VCF) 1 year or less after vertebroplasty, the correlation between the cement volumes injected and pain relief, and the consequences of cement extravasation. ⋯ The incidence of an adjacent VCF 1 year or less after vertebroplasty was comparable with that expected for untreated osteoporotic VCFs. Neither the volume of cement injected nor extravasation of cement into the intravertebral disk affected the likelihood of subsequent adjacent VCFs. Cement volume did not correlate with pain relief.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Nov 2009
Case ReportsSpinal epidural lubricant grease collection mimicking traumatic spinal epidural hematoma.
We report an unusual case of a patient with an epidural fluid collection with signal characteristics mimicking an epidural hematoma. The patient presented with myelopathy caused by thoracic spinal cord compression after a traumatic injury to the chest and back. The injury was caused by high-pressure injection of industrial-grade lubricant grease. This case demonstrates that cord compression can be caused by exogenous material in the setting of trauma that can mimic an acute epidural hematoma.