AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Sep 2009
Added value and diagnostic performance of intratumoral susceptibility signals in the differential diagnosis of solitary enhancing brain lesions: preliminary study.
It has been reported that high-resolution susceptibility-weighted imaging (HR-SWI) is a promising tool for assessing brain tumor characterization noninvasively. The purpose of this study was to determine the added value and diagnostic performance of HR-SWI for differentiating solitary enhancing brain lesions (SELs) by assessing intratumoral susceptibility signals (ITSSs). ⋯ The use of ITSSs on HR-SWIs significantly improves the accuracy for the differential diagnosis of SELs compared with the use of conventional MR imaging alone.
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Lack of cerebral circulation is an important confirmatory test for brain death (BD). Conventional angiography remains the standard imaging method, but CT angiography (CTA) is emerging as an alternative. France accepts BD diagnoses relying on a score based on lack of opacification of 7 intracerebral vessels in CTA images. The purpose of this study was to validate the efficiency of this score and to evaluate the sensitivity of a novel 4-point CTA score in confirming BD. ⋯ Lack of opacification in the cortical segments of the MCAs and internal veins in CTA is efficient and reliable for confirming BD.
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Sep 2009
Motion of the cerebellar tonsils in the foramen magnum during the cardiac cycle.
Tonsil motion was measured with cine MR imaging in patients clinically suspected of having Chiari I malformation. Cardiac-gated sagittal 2D fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (2D FIESTA) was performed in 11 patients with a Chiari I malformation and in 6 subjects without tonsil ectopia. Tonsil motion was measured through the cardiac cycle with a pixel-shift program designed for that purpose. ⋯ In patients with Chiari I and subjects with normal cerebellar tonsils, 2D FIESTA showed small-amplitude tonsil movement in cephalad and caudad directions during the cardiac cycle. The average total magnitude of motion was 0.43 mm in subjects with normal tonsils (controls) and 0.57 mm in patients with Chiari malformations, 33% greater than that in controls. Tonsil motion was 0.61 mm in the patients with syringomyelia and 0.50 mm in those without it (22% difference).
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AJNR Am J Neuroradiol · Sep 2009
Clinical TrialEndovascular strategies for vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms.
Dissecting vertebrobasilar aneurysms are challenging to treat, and standard treatment modalities remain controversial. We retrospectively evaluated our experience using endovascular techniques to treat these aneurysms. ⋯ Endovascular procedures for treatment of unruptured symptomatic dissecting aneurysms resulted in favorable outcomes. Ruptured vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms are associated with a high risk of periprocedural complications. Risks can be managed by using appropriate endovascular techniques according to aneurysm location, configuration, and relationship with the PICA.