Neuroradiology

PURPOSE: To investigate the daily fluctuations in brain temperature in healthy individuals using magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) thermometry and to clarify the associations between the brain and body temperatures and sex. METHODS: Thirty-two age-matched healthy male and female volunteers (male = 16, 20-38 years) were recruited between July 2021 and January 2022. Brain MR examinations were performed in the morning and evening phases on the same day to calculate the brain temperatures using DWI thermometry...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: To explore the static and dynamic characteristics of intrinsic brain activity (IBA) in subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) patients with or without cognitive impairment. METHODS: In total, 90 participants were recruited, including 32 SIVD patients with cognitive impairment (SIVD-CI, N = 32), 26 SIVD patients with no cognitive impairment (SIVD-NCI, N = 26), and 32 healthy controls (HC, N = 32) matched for age, gender, and education...

PURPOSE: Intravenous alteplase (IVT) prior to endovascular treatment (EVT) is neither superior nor noninferior to EVT alone in acute ischemic stroke patients. We aim to assess whether the effect of IVT prior to EVT differs according to CT perfusion (CTP)-based imaging parameters. METHODS: In this retrospective post hoc analysis, we included patients from the MR CLEAN-NO IV with available CTP data. CTP data were processed using syngo.via (version VB40). We performed multivariable logistic regression to obtain the effect size estimates (adjusted common odds ratio a[c]OR) on 90-day functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS]) and functional independence (mRS 0-2) for CTP parameters with two-way multiplicative interaction terms between IVT administration and the studied parameters...

PURPOSE: Basilar artery stenosis (BAS) carries high morbidity and mortality, with variable outcomes after endovascular treatments. We systematically reviewed the literature on percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and/or stenting (PTAS) for BAS. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web-of-Science, Scopus, and Cochrane were searched upon the PRISMA guidelines to include prospective/retrospective cohort studies describing PTAS for BAS. Pooled rates of intervention-related complications and outcomes were analyzed with random-effect model meta-analyses...

PURPOSE: The most common neuroimaging manifestations of patients suffering from spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) include subdural fluid collections, enhancement of the pachymeninges, engorgement of venous structures, pituitary hyperemia, sagging of the brainstem, and cerebellar hemosiderosis. However, infrequently patients may present with separate neuroradiological findings which could be easily mistaken for other pathology. METHODS: We describe patients who presented with unique neuroimaging findings who were eventually found to have a spinal CSF leak or venous fistula...

Cholesterol crystals (CCs) in carotid plaques might be an indicator of vulnerability, although they have not been fully investigated and non-invasive methods of assessment have not been established. This study examines the validity of assessing CCs using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) that uses X-rays with different tube voltages for imaging, allowing material discrimination. We retrospectively evaluated patients who had undergone preoperative cervical computed tomography angiography and carotid endarterectomy between December 2019 and July 2020...

PURPOSE: To investigate abnormalities in cortical and subcortical structures of the brain in preschool children with MRI-negative epilepsy. METHODS: Cortical thickness, cortical mean curvature, cortical surface area, cortical volume, and volumes of subcortical structures were measured using Freesurfer software in preschool children with epilepsy and age-matched controls. RESULTS: Findings showed cortical thickening in the left fusiform gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, right suborbital sulcus, and right gyrus rectus, and cortical thinning mainly in the parietal lobe of preschool children with epilepsy compared to controls...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of combined semiquantitative and quantitative assessment of brain atrophy in the diagnostic workup of the behavioural-variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). METHODS: Three neuroradiologists defined brain atrophy grading and identified atrophy pattern suggestive of bvFTD on 3D-T1 brain MRI of 112 subjects using a semiquantitative rating scale (Kipps'). A quantitative atrophy assessment was performed using two different automated software (Quantib® ND and Icometrix®)...

PURPOSE: Endovascular treatment of spinal AVMs is limited by low complete cure rates. Transarterial extensive treatment with liquid embolics carries the risk of clinically relevant ischemic complications. We report two cases of symptomatic spinal AVMs treated by a transvenous approach with retrograde pressure cooker technique. METHODS: In two selected cases, transvenous navigation aimed at retrograde pressure cooker embolization. RESULTS: Retrograde venous navigation was possible with two parallel microcatheters, and the pressure cooker technique with ethylenvinylalcohol-polymer was applicable in both cases...

PURPOSE: This study compares the performance of a 4-min multi-echo in steady-state acquisition (MENSA) with a 6-min fast spin echo with variable flip angle (CUBE) protocol for the assessment of lumbosacral plexus nerve root lesions. METHODS: Seventy-two subjects underwent MENSA and CUBE sequences on a 3.0-T MRI scanner. Two musculoskeletal radiologists independently assessed the images for quality and diagnostic capability. A qualitative assessment scoring system for image quality and quantitative nerve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and iliac vein and muscle contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) was applied...

PURPOSE: Various neuroimaging methods exist to assess the collateral circulation in stroke patients but much of the evidence is based on computed tomography. Our aim was to review the evidence for using magnetic resonance imaging for collateral status evaluation pre-thrombectomy and assess the impact of these methods on functional independence. METHODS: We systematically reviewed EMBASE and MEDLINE for studies that evaluated baseline collaterals using MRI pre-thrombectomy and conducted a meta-analysis to express the relationship between good collaterals (defined variably as the presence [good] vs absence [poor] or quality [ordinal scores binarized as good-moderate vs poor] of collaterals) and functional independence (modified Rankin score mRS≤2) at 90 days...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE: The etiological features of stroke in young adults are different from those in older adults. We aimed to investigate the impact of high-resolution vessel wall imaging (HRVWI) on etiologic diagnosis in young adults with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: A total of 253 young adults (aged 18-45 years) who consecutively underwent HRVWI for clarifying stroke etiology were retrospectively recruited. Two experienced neurologists classified stroke etiology for each patient using Trial of Org 10,172 in Acute Stroke Treatment categories with and without the inclusion of HRVWI diagnosis...

The sellar region represents a complex anatomical area, composed of multiple structures of different embryological derivation, including the skull base and the pituitary gland, along with vascular, nervous, and meningeal structures. Masses arising in this region include benign and malignant lesions arising from the pituitary gland itself, but also from vestigial embryological residues or surrounding tissues, that may require different therapeutic approaches. While assessing sellar region masses, the combination of clinical presentation and imaging features is fundamental to define hypotheses about their nature...

PURPOSE: We performed a retrospective qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the sutural changes during the physiological growth to define the age-related ossification stages of major and minor skull sutures or synchondroses. METHODS: A total of 390 healthy subjects, examined for cranio-facial trauma and whose CT scans turned out to be normal, were clustered into homogenous age-matched groups ranged from birth to 90 years. High-resolution CT was used to assess the degree of sutural closure according to a 3-grade scoring system, the sutural pattern, the width, and the density of the gap calculated as the average of two or three ROIs along each suture/synchondrosis...

PURPOSE: Traditionally, in the work-up of patients for spontaneous intracranial hypotension, T1 post-contrast imaging is performed in order to assess for pachymeningeal enhancement. The aim of this study is to assess whether pachymeningeal hyperintensity can be identified on a non-contrast FLAIR sequence in these patients as a surrogate sign for pachymeningeal enhancement. METHODS: The patient cohort was identified from a prospectively maintained database of patients with a clinical diagnosis of intracranial hypotension...

PURPOSE: The anatomical proximity of the styloid process (SP) to the ipsilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) has been recently recognized as a possible risk factor for carotid artery dissection (CAD). We aimed to verify this hypothesis by comparing the minimum distance between SP and ICA in young adult patients (< 55 years) with and without CAD. METHODS: Thirty-one CAD patients (cases) were compared with 41 sex-matched patients without dissection, group one of control (G1), and with 16 sex-matched patients with vertebral artery dissection (VAD), group two of control (G2)...

PURPOSE: The Checklist for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging (CLAIM) is a recently released guideline designed for the optimal reporting methodology of artificial intelligence (AI) studies. Gliomas are the most common form of primary malignant brain tumour and numerous outcomes derived from AI algorithms such as grading, survival, treatment-related effects and molecular status have been reported. The aim of the study is to evaluate the AI reporting methodology for outcomes relating to gliomas in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the CLAIM criteria...

PURPOSE: Comparison of the performance of high-resolution susceptibility weighted imaging with standard MR sequences and MR venography to identify cortical vein clots. METHODS: A retrospective review of 51 consecutive cases of cerebral venous thrombosis and 27 controls was performed with independent analysis of all MR sequences. Reference standard was obtained with consensus in a separate session by reviewing all MR sequences together. RESULTS: Cortical vein clots were observed in 30 cases including 9 males and 21 females in the age range of 1 month to 70 years (Mean 34...