Neuroimaging clinics of North America
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2017
ReviewAdvanced MR Imaging in Pediatric Brain Tumors, Clinical Applications.
Advanced MR imaging techniques, such as spectroscopy, perfusion, diffusion, and functional imaging, have improved the diagnosis of brain tumors in children and also play an important role in defining surgical as well as therapeutic responses in these patients. In addition to the anatomic or structural information gained with conventional MR imaging sequences, advanced MR imaging techniques also provide physiologic information about tumor morphology, metabolism, and hemodynamics. This article reviews the physiology, techniques, and clinical applications of diffusion-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging, MR spectroscopy, perfusion MR imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and functional MR imaging in the setting of neuro-oncology.
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2017
ReviewTumor and Tumorlike Masses in Pediatric Patients that Involve Multiple Spaces.
There are several tumors and tumorlike masses involving multiple spaces in the pediatric brain. Accurate diagnosis of tumors and distinguishing them from tumorlike masses is an important aspect in the diagnostic workup and plays a key role for management and prognosis. Neuroimaging plays an important role in (1) identification of a brain mass, (2) determining its location, (3) demonstrating involvement of a single space versus multiple spaces, and (4) distinguishing a tumor from tumorlike masses.
-
Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in childhood. The most common posterior fossa tumors in children are medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma, ependymoma, and brainstem glioma. ⋯ Moreover, information obtained from advanced MR imaging techniques increase diagnostic confidence and help distinguish between different histologic tumor types. Here we discuss the most common posterior fossa tumors in children, including typical imaging findings on CT, cMR imaging, and advanced MR imaging studies.
-
The breadth of tumors that can arise in the supratentorial brain in children is extensive. With the exception of those that result in seizures and the highly malignant histologies, supratentorial tumors may come to medical attention later compared with infratentorial tumors, as they are less commonly associated with ventricular obstruction. This article presents an overview of the neuroimaging characteristics of these entities, with particular attention to relevant features that may aid in narrowing the differential diagnosis, including correlation with demographics and clinical presentation.
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Feb 2017
ReviewNeuroimaging of Peptide-based Vaccine Therapy in Pediatric Brain Tumors: Initial Experience.
The potential benefits of peptide-based immunotherapy for pediatric brain tumors are under investigation. Treatment-related heterogeneity has resulted in radiographic challenges, including pseudoprogression. ⋯ Advanced neuroimaging techniques, including diffusion magnetic resonance (MR), perfusion MR, and MR spectroscopy, may add value in the assessment of treatment-related heterogeneity. Observations suggest that recent delineation of specific response criteria for immunotherapy of adult brain tumors is likely relevant to the pediatric population and further validation in multicenter pediatric brain tumor peptide-based vaccine studies is warranted.