Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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The aim of this study was to describe in detail the characteristics and accreditation compliance of laboratories in the United States applying for Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) transcranial Doppler (TCD) accreditation. ⋯ The results suggest that there are significant differences between IAC applicant laboratories and laboratories represented by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) claims data. In addition, accurate study reporting, physician training, and ongoing quality improvement activities may not be optimized in laboratories applying for accreditation. With the information learned from this study, educational strategies by professional organizations, including the IAC, can be tailored to help improve TCD practice.
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The corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a clinical diagnosis that comprises a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases manifesting in movement disorder and cognitive impairment. While diagnosis is based upon clinical criteria, there have been a number of molecular imaging studies, albeit in rather small cohorts. Therefore, we investigated the pattern of cerebral glucose metabolism, as well as dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in a large and clinically well-defined cohort. ⋯ We replicated and refined earlier findings of impaired glucose metabolism and nigrostriatal degeneration in CBS, highlighting asymmetric cortical and subcortical hypometabolism, symmetrically reduced metabolism in the thalamus, and only a slightly asymmetric reduction in DAT, while D2/3 receptors seem to be mainly preserved. These results provide systematic evidence for the usefulness of FDG PET and dopaminergic SPECT imaging to characterize CBS.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in brain cortical thickness of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without episodic memory impairment and healthy controls. ⋯ Different memory-related cortical regions thinning were found in the episodic memory deficit group when individually compared to the groups of patients without memory impairment and healthy controls.
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Neurosurgery makes use of preoperative imaging to visualize pathology, inform surgical planning, and evaluate the safety of selected approaches. The utility of preoperative imaging for neuronavigation, however, is diminished by the well-characterized phenomenon of brain shift, in which the brain deforms intraoperatively as a result of craniotomy, swelling, gravity, tumor resection, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, and many other factors. As such, there is a need for updated intraoperative information that accurately reflects intraoperative conditions. ⋯ We begin by evaluating these ultrasound technologies and their relative advantages and disadvantages. We then review three specific applications of these ultrasound technologies to brain tumor resection: (1) intraoperative navigation, (2) assessment of extent of resection, and (3) brain shift monitoring and compensation. We conclude by identifying opportunities for future directions in the development of ultrasound technologies.
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The use of telecommunications technology to provide the healthcare services, telemedicine, has been in use since the 1860s. The use of technology has ranged from providing medical care to far-off places during wartimes to monitoring physiological measurements of astronauts in space. Since the 1990s, reports have been published on diagnoses of neurological diseases with the use of video links. ⋯ A standard protocol can be followed to decide a vascular modality of choice, considering advantages and disadvantages of each imaging modality. Telestroke solves the problems of distance and of shortage of neurologists. Neuroimaging plays a vital role in the delivery of telestroke, and the telestroke doctor should be comfortable with making a decision on selecting an appropriate vascular imaging modality.