Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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To date, treatment response to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in brain metastases (BM) can only be determined by MRI evaluation of contrast-enhancing lesions in a long-time follow-up. Sodium MRI has been a subject of immense interest in imaging research as the measure of tissue sodium concentration (TSC) can give valuable quantitative information on cell viability. We aimed to analyze the longitudinal changes of TSC in BM measured with 23 Na MRI before and after SRS for assessment of early local tumor effects. ⋯ Changes in TSC using 23 Na MRI shows the possible capability to detect radiobiological changes in BM after SRS.
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The cognitive decline in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is assumed to be due to a cortical-subcortical disconnection secondary to damage to the cerebral white matter (WM). Using resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) and analysis of the regional homogeneity (ReHo), we examined a group of CADASIL patients and a group of healthy subjects in order to: (1) explore possible differences between the two groups; and (2) to assess, in CADASIL patients, whether any ReHo abnormalities correlate with individual burdens of WM T2 -weighted hyperintensity and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived index of mean diffusivity (MD) of the cerebral WM, an index reflecting microstructural damage in CADASIL. ⋯ This study reveals decreased ReHo of rsfMRI signals in cortical areas involved in inhibition and attention processes, suggesting a potential role for these functional cortical changes in CADASIL.
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To investigate the temporal evolution of venous diameter in chronic active and nonenhancing shrinking multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study including susceptibility-weighted images (SWI). ⋯ Our findings demonstrate venous narrowing in chronic active and nonenhancing shrinking MS lesions. The smaller diameter of intralesional veins during follow up in these lesions may reflect structural, degenerative, and metabolic changes due to chronic inflammation, (perivascular) fibrosis, collagenous thickening, and increased levels of oxygenated hemoglobin.
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Cervical carotid artery (cCA) dolichoectasia (DE) is characterized by elongation, tortuosity, and/or dilatation. The prevalence of cCA DE has been reported 13-31% in population-based and 14-58% in hospital-based studies. The exact mechanisms of this aberrant arterial remodeling are unknown. ⋯ Prospectively, people with cCA DE have a higher risk of vascular events, although it is uncertain if the risk of stroke is also higher in this population. In the absence of alternative stroke etiologies, stroke patients with cCA DE should be considered to have had a cryptogenic stroke and treated with daily antiplatelet therapy. Further population-based studies are needed to clarify whether specific therapies may be implement to reduce the risk of events among people with cCA DE.
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The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is occasionally associated with manifold diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). We sought to present the neuroimaging features of such CNS involvement. In addition, we sought to identify typical neuroimaging patterns that could indicate possible COVID-19-associated neurological manifestations. ⋯ Manifold CNS involvement is increasingly reported in COVID-19 patients. Typical and atypical neuroimaging features have been observed in some disease entities, so that familiarity with these imaging patterns appears reasonable and may assist clinicians in the differential diagnosis of COVID-19 CNS manifestations.