Nowoczesne techniki rezonansu magnetycznego w obrazowaniu guzów mózgu

  Modern MR imaging with advanced techniques such as diffusion, perfusion and spectroscopy as well as functional imaging have improved the characterization of brain tumors. Conven­tional imaging providing mainly anatomical or structural information. Novelty imaging techniques can reflect structural integrity (diffusion imaging), capillary density (perfusion techniques), and tissue biochemistry (MR spectroscopy). These advanced applications give insight into the microstructure, vascularity and metabolism of brain tumors. These techniques not only aid in the imaging diagnosis and treatment planning of brain tumors, but they also play a role in clinical management and monitoring treatment effect. Contemporary methods of magnetic resonance imaging were described in the article.Współczesne obrazowanie metodą rezonansu magnetycznego wraz z nowoczesnymi technikami MR, takimi jak dyfuzja, perfuzja i spektroskopia, a także obrazowanie funkcjonalne pozwalają na dokładną ocenę guzów mózgu wraz z ich szczegółową charakterystyką. Obrazowanie standardowe MR dostarcza głównie informacji anatomicznych i strukturalnych. Nowoczesne techniki obrazowania odzwierciedlają integralność strukturalną (obrazowanie dyfuzyjne), gęstość włośniczek (techniki perfuzyjne) oraz cechy biochemiczne tkanki (spektroskopia MR). Te zaawansowane sekwencje pozwalają uwidocznić mikrostrukturę, unaczynienie i metabolizm guzów mózgu. Techniki te nie tylko wspomagają diagnozowanie obrazowe i planowanie leczenia guzów mózgu, lecz także odgrywają istotną rolę w prowadzeniu terapii oraz monitorowaniu efektów leczenia. W artykule przedstawiono współcześnie stosowane metody obrazowania MR

Diffusion tensor tractography imaging in pediatric epilepsy – A systematic review

Purpose Recent years brought several experimental and clinical reports applying diffusion tensor tractography imaging (DTI) of the brain in epilepsy. This study was aimed to evaluate current evidence for adding the DTI sequence to the standard diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol in pediatric epilepsy. Material and methods Rapid and qualitative systematic review (RAE, Rapid Evidence Assessment), aggregating relevant studies from the recent 7 years. The PubMed database was hand searched for records containing terms “tractography AND epilepsy.” Only studies referring to children were included; studies were rated using “final quality of evidence.” Results Out of 144 screened records, relevant 101 were aggregated and reviewed. The synthesis was based on 73 studies. Case-control clinical studies were the majority of the material and comprised 43.8% of the material. Low ‘confirmability’ and low ‘applicability’ referred to 18 and 17 articles (29.5% and 27.9%), respectively. The sufficient quality of evidence supported performing DTI in temporal lobe epilepsy, malformations of cortical development and prior to a neurosurgery of epilepsy. Conclusions The qualitative RAE provides an interim estimate of the clinical relevance of quickly developing diagnostic methods. Based on the critical appraisal of current knowledge, adding the DTI sequence to the standard MRI protocol may be clinically beneficial in selected patient groups with childhood temporal lobe epilepsy or as a part of planning for an epilepsy surgery

Badanie rezonansem magnetycznym przeprowadzone bez powikłań u chorego z wszczepionym kardiowerterem-defibrylatorem

The number of patients with cardiac pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronisationtherapy PM systems is increasing. The number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations is also growingand amounts to about 60 million tests per year worldwide. The presence of an ICD is still considered to be an absolute contraindicationto MRI by most experts. We present a patient with an implanted ICD who successfully underwent brain MRIwith use of special precautions

Reliability of diffusion tensor tractography of facial nerve in cerebello-pontine angle tumours

Aim of the study. This study aimed to verify the accuracy of preoperative visualisation of the facial nerve (FN) by magnetic resonance-based (MR) diffusion tensor imaging-fibre tracking (DTI-FT) with neuronavigation system integration in patients with cerebello-pontine angle (CPA) tumours.Clinical rationale for the study. Complete excision with preservation of the FN remains the critical goal of today’s vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery. DTI-FT of the FN with neuronavigation is yet to be fully evaluated, and could make surgery safer.Materials and methods. This was a prospective cohort study in which 38 consecutive patients with a CPA tumour (32 VSs, five meningiomas and one epidermoid cyst) were operated on via the retrosigmoid route from 2013 to 2019. The course of the FN was simulated before surgery using StealthViz and the images were transferred to the Medtronic S7 neuronavigation system. The FN location reconstructed by DTI-FT was verified during the surgery.Results. MR acquisition was inappropriate in three patients (7.9%). DTI-FT correctly predicted the course of the FN in 31 of the 38 patients; the discordance rate was 18.4%. The accuracy of DTI-FT was 81.6% (95% CI: 65.67-92.26), sensitivity 88.57% (95% CI: 73.26-96.80) and positive predictive value was 91.18% (95% CI: 90.17-92.09). The reliability of the neuronavigation-integrated visualisation of the FN did not depend on the tumour size (p = 0.85), but the method was more accurate when the nerve was compact in shape (p = 0.03, area under curve (AUC) 0.87, 95% CI: 0.60-1.00) and in females (p = 0.04, AUC 0.78, 95% CI: 0.56-1.00). Following surgery, 86.5% of the patients presented with useful facial function (House-Brackmann grades I-III). Correct simulation of the FN did not prevent postoperative facial palsy (p = 0.35).Conclusions. The accuracy of DTI-FT of the FN integrated with neuronavigation remains unsatisfactory. This method does not provide any clinical benefit over non-integrated DTI-FT in terms of nerve function preservation.Clinical implications. Due to the low reliability of the predictions, further technical advances in predicting the course of the FN are awaited by clinicians. However, DTI-FT images in the operating theatre would make tumour excision more comfortable for the surgeon

Aging and Hypertension – Independent or Intertwined White Matter Impairing Factors? Insights From the Quantitative Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Aging disrupts white matter integrity, and so does continuous elevated blood pressure that accompanies hypertension (HTN). Yet, our understanding of the interrelationship between these factors is still limited. The study aimed at evaluating patterns of changes in diffusion parameters (as assessed by quantitative diffusion fiber tracking – qDTI) following both aging, and hypertension, as well as the nature of their linkage. 146 participants took part in the study: the control group (N = 61) and the patients with hypertension (N = 85), and were divided into three age subgroups (25–47, 48–56, 57–71 years). qDTI was used to calculate the values of fractional anisotropy, mean, radial and axial diffusivity in 20 main tracts of the brain. The effects of factors (aging and hypertension) on diffusion parameters of tracts were tested with a two-way ANOVA. In the right hemisphere there was no clear effect of the HTN, nor an interaction between the factors, though some age-related effects were observed. Contrary, in the left hemisphere both aging and hypertension contributed to the white matter decline, following a functional pattern. In the projection pathways and the fornix, HTN and aging played part independent of each other, whereas in association fibers and the corpus callosum if the hypertension effect was significant, an interaction was observed. HTN patients manifested faster decline of diffusion parameters but also reached a plateau earlier, with highest between-group differences noted in the middle-aged subgroup. Healthy and hypertensive participants have different brain aging patterns. The HTN is associated with acceleration of white matter integrity decline, observed mainly in association fibers of the left hemisphere

10Kin1day: A Bottom-Up Neuroimaging Initiative.

We organized 10Kin1day, a pop-up scientific event with the goal to bring together neuroimaging groups from around the world to jointly analyze 10,000+ existing MRI connectivity datasets during a 3-day workshop. In this report, we describe the motivation and principles of 10Kin1day, together with a public release of 8,000+ MRI connectome maps of the human brain

Personality in Patients With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

The last few years have seen an increase in the awareness of a specific heart disease referred to as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The evidence from the literature demonstrates that psychological variables (especially personality traits) can have a significant impact on the manifestations of different heart diseases. Little is known, however, about the psychological characteristics of takotsubo patients. The primary purpose of this research was to extract the specific personality traits of patients with takotsubo syndrome. Our research covered 76 participants divided into three groups: the clinical group—patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (n = 30); Comparison Group 1—individuals with acute myocardial infarction group (n = 21); and Comparison Group 2—heart-healthy persons (n = 25). The study included psychological tests and an MRI examination. The psychological methods used in the research were the NEO Personality Inventory, the Type D Scale, and the assessment of the occurrence of stressful life events. Most takotsubo patients reported stressful life events before the occurrence of takotsubo symptoms. In our studies, it was not typical for takotsubo to be associated type D personality. Takotsubo patients have experienced negative emotions but do not suppress their emotions and participate socially without emotional inhibitions. Moreover, patients are open to experience, have average self-control, and tend to be dutiful and dependable. It is possible that these personality traits could facilitate the healing process

A Comprehensive Analysis of Deep Neural-Based Cerebral Microbleeds Detection System

Machine learning-based systems are gaining interest in the field of medicine, mostly in medical imaging and diagnosis. In this paper, we address the problem of automatic cerebral microbleeds (CMB) detection in magnetic resonance images. It is challenging due to difficulty in distinguishing a true CMB from its mimics, however, if successfully solved, it would streamline the radiologists work. To deal with this complex three-dimensional problem, we propose a machine learning approach based on a 2D Faster RCNN network. We aimed to achieve a reliable system, i.e., with balanced sensitivity and precision. Therefore, we have researched and analysed, among others, impact of the way the training data are provided to the system, their pre-processing, the choice of model and its structure, and also the ways of regularisation. Furthermore, we also carefully analysed the network predictions and proposed an algorithm for its post-processing. The proposed approach enabled for obtaining high precision (89.74%), sensitivity (92.62%), and F1 score (90.84%). The paper presents the main challenges connected with automatic cerebral microbleeds detection, its deep analysis and developed system. The conducted research may significantly contribute to automatic medical diagnosis

Evaluation of Subcortical Structure Volumes in Patients with Non-Specific Digestive Diseases

(1) Background: To evaluate volume of subcortical structures such as hippocampus, globus pallidus, putamen, thalamus, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate in patients with non-specific digestive diseases (functional dyspepsia—FD, irritable bowel syndrome—IBS) and non-specific inflammatory bowel diseases—IBD (colitis ulcerosa and Crohn’s disease) in comparison to healthy control group (CON). (2) Material: The analysis included data obtained from 57 patients (FD-18, IBS-20, IBD-19) and 19 persons in control group. Both groups underwent examination in a 3T scanner (Achieva TX Philips Healthcare). (3) Results: Significant differences between the IBD group and Control group in volume of left thalamus and IBD group vs Control group in volume of right thalamus. (4) Conclusions: The brain-gut axis hypothesis explains connection between biological behavior, emotions and cognitive functions in patients with gastrointestinal disease. We found that there is a difference between volume of thalamus in IBD patients in comparison to both IBS and control group and it occurred to be smaller. Excess inflammation can be linked with psychological disorders like depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties and/or fatigue. Therefore, there is a need for using treatment both for depressive symptoms and IBD to reduce the causes and effects of inflammation