Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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To determine the interrelationships between MRI-defined lesion and atrophy measures of spinal cord involvement and brain involvement and their relationships to disability in a small cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). ⋯ In this preliminary study of mildly disabled, treated MS patients, cervical spinal cord atrophy most strongly correlates with physical disability in MS when accounting for a wide range of other CNS measures of lesions and atrophy, including thoracic or whole spinal cord volume, and cerebral gray, white or whole brain volume. The weak relationship between spinal cord and brain lesions and atrophy may suggest that they progress rather independently in patients with MS.
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The best therapeutic approach in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) remains unclear. We report the results of a combined treatment approach with intravenous (IV) abciximab and intraarterial (IA) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in these patients. ⋯ Combined treatment with IV abciximab and IA tPA yielded a high recanalization rate in patients with BAO. However, functional outcomes were poor, potentially due to late initiation of treatment. Early treatment might improve functional outcome.
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Infarct volume is used as a surrogate outcome measure in clinical trials of therapies for acute ischemic stroke. ABC/2 is a fast volumetric method, but its accuracy remains to be determined. We aimed to study the accuracy and reproducibility of ABC/2 in determining acute infarct volume with diffusion-weighted imaging. ⋯ ABC/2 is volumetric method with clinical value but it consistently overestimates the real infarct volume.
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Patients with symptomatic intracranial neuropathology such as atherosclerotic occlusive disease or unruptured aneurysms face high risks for morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance angiography of the circle of Willis is an important tool used to detect and diagnose intracranial neuropathology; however, recent changes to the Medicare local coverage determinations for this procedure threaten to compromise the physician's ability to deliver this current standard of care. Physicians can assume an important role in advocating for this lifesaving procedure on behalf of this vulnerable patient population.
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We used L-[1-(11) C]leucine (LEU) positron emission tomography (PET) to measure amino acid uptake in children with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS), and to relate amino acid uptake measures with glucose metabolism. ⋯ Increased amino acid uptake in the angioma region and also in less affected frontal regions may provide a marker of pathological mechanisms contributing to chronic brain damage in children with SWS.