The neuroimaging features of Rathke's cleft cysts in children with endocrine-related diseases

PURPOSEWe aimed to evaluate the frequency and neuroimaging features of Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) in children examined for endocrine-related diseases and to determine changes in the neuroimaging features of RCCs during the follow-up of children. We hypothesize that RCCs are being more commonly diagnosed in children with endocrine-related diseases and most of the RCCs show neither fluid intensity nor intensity due to high protein content on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).METHODSAfter approval by the local ethics committee, the medical records and contrast-enhanced pituitary MRI of 833 children (boys/girls, 338/495; mean age±SD, 9.4±3.7 years) were retrospectively reviewed between January 2016 and January 2019. The size, location, signal intensities, and postcontrast enhancement pattern of RCCs were assessed by a pediatric radiologist. Same imaging features were also independently reviewed by another radiologist to determine the interobserver agreement by using the kappa statistics (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).RESULTSRCC was evident on MRI in 13.5% of the patients (boys/girls, 39/74; mean age±SD, 9.8±3.9 years). The mean size of RCCs was 5.5 mm (range, 3.1–8.5 mm). An RCC frequency higher than expected was found in patients with central precocious puberty, diabetes insipidus, and hypersecretion of prolactin (P = 0.007). The mean size of RCCs did not show significant differences among the clinical indications for MRI (P ≥ 0.461). All RCCs showed abnormal signal on T2-weighted image and most (89%) showed neither fluid intensity nor intensity due to high protein content (i.e., isointense on T1-weighted imaging and hypointense on T2-weighted imaging compared with the normal anterior pituitary gland). Eighty-four patients with RCCs (74%) had follow-up MRI and the mean follow-up was 1.5 years. In follow-ups, five RCCs disappeared; the mean size of 10 RCCs increased and that of 6 RCCs decreased. These size changes were not statistically significant (P = 0.376). No signal intensity changes of RCCs were seen during the follow-up, except for 4 RCCs, whose protein content increased over time and T1 signals increased on imaging. Interobserver agreements were almost perfect for the MRI findings of RCCs (κ and ICC range, 0.81–1, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONRCCs were not uncommon in patients examined for endocrine-related diseases, and nearly 1 in 10 patients had an RCC. The size and signal intensities of RCCs may change over time and the evolution of RCCs is unpredictable. Most RCCs showed neither fluid intensity nor intensity due to high protein content on MRI, and all RCCs had an abnormal signal on T2-weighted imaging, thus eliminating the need to administer a contrast agent at follow-up imaging of the patients

Prognostic and Clinical Role of Contrast Enhancement on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Bell’s Palsy

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of the magnetic resonance imaging in Bell’s palsy patients.Methods:Patients who were diagnosed and treated with Bell’s palsy between October 2013 and March 2016 retrospectively selected. House–Brackmann grades, pre- and post-treatment pure tone audiograms, stapedial reflexes were analyzed and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with gadolinium-based contrast agents were evaluated. Contrast-enhanced segments of the facial nerve were determined. MRI findings were compared statistically with pre- and post-treatment grade, recurrence rate of Bell’s palsy, MRI scanning timing, presence of stapes reflexes and posttreatment recovery data.Results:No significant correlation was observed between pretreatment House–Brackmann grades and enhancement (p>0.05). Similarly, there was no significant correlation between clinical recovery and enhancement (p>0.05). Also, no significant correlation was observed between MRI scanning time, the recurrence rate of Bell’s palsy and MRI findings (p>0.05). None of the MRIs showed neoplastic contrast enhancement.Conclusion:The routine use of the contrast-enhanced temporal MRI is not recommended in the diagnosis and monitoring of Bell’s palsy patients, because the contrast enhancement pattern of the facial nerve has no effect on the prognosis of Bell’s palsy. MRI should be used in cases that do not heal despite treatment, for the differential diagnosis of facial nerve tumors and in patients who are candidates for surgical decompression

Computed tomography assessment of pancreatic steatosis in association with anthropometric measurements: A retrospective cohort study

Aim: Pancreatic steatosis is the fat accumulation in the pancreatic parenchyma. It is suggested that pancreatic fat infiltration may play an important role in the prognosis of diseases such as diabetes, malignancy and pancreatitis, leading to some inflammatory processes and fibrosis, and may even play an etiological role in the progress of pancreas-related diseases. However, a limited number of studies on pancreatic steatosis are available in the literature.The aim of this study was to investigate the relation of pancreatic steatosis with age, sex, hepatic steatosis, subcutaneous fat tissue and visceral fat tissue thickness.Methods: Hundred patients without a history of previously known pancreas disease or diabetes mellitus were included in the study. All patients had gone under abdominal tomography scan for a suspected kidney stone. Pancreas density, visceral and subcutaneous fat tissue thickness were reviewed retrospectively. The presence of coexisting hepatosteatosis was investigated.Results: Pancreatic steatosis was detected in 54% of 100 cases examined.  There were no significant difference between the pancreatic steatosis and normal pancreas groups in terms of gender and subcutaneous fat tissue thickness (p=0.115 and p=0.511, respectively). Pancreatic steatosis increased significantly with increasing age and visceral fat tissue thickness (p=0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The incidence of hepatic steatosis was 42% in patients with pancreatic steatosis. Conclusion: According to our results, pancreatic steatosis increases with age and increased visceral fat tissue thickness. Thus, elderly patients with increased visceral fat tissue must be investigated for pancreatic steatosis

Cervico-medullary compression ratio: A novel radiological parameter correlating with clinical severity in Chiari type 1 malformation

WOS: 000450134600021PubMed ID: 30236638Objectives: Chiari malformation type 1 (CM-1) is associated with cough headache, intracranial hypertension, cerebellar and spinal cord symptoms/signs. Herniated cerebellar tonsil length (HCTL) is widely used radiological parameter to determine the severity of CM-1, but with limited utility due to its weak correlation with some clinico-radiological findings. In this study, we aimed to evaluate a novel, practical parameter (cervico-medullary compression ratio; "CMCR") for its relationship with clinico-radiological findings in CM-1. Patients and methods: Thirty-five adult patients (17 F, 18 M) with CM-1 were included in this retrospective study. Head CT and craniospinal MR images were assessed. CMCR was calculated as the ratio of herniated cerebellar tonsil surface area to foramen magnum surface area, and HCTL was measured. These two parameters were correlated with clinical and radiological findings. Results: The mean CMCR was 0.60 +/- 0.15 and mean HCTL was 8.91 +/- 3.4 mm with no significant difference between gender and age groups for both parameters. For cough headache (0.64 +/- 0.14 vs 0.52 +/- 0.15, p = 0.043) and syringomyelia (0.67 +/- 0.11 vs 0.56 +/- 0.16, p = 0.039), only CMCR; for intracranial hypertension (CMCR: 0.64 +/- 0.14 vs 0.55 +/- 0.16, p = 0.049; HCTL: 9.66 +/- 3.59 mm vs 7.79 +/- 3.03 mm; p = 0.045) and cerebellar symptoms (CMCR: 0.65 +/- 0.14 vs 0.54 +/- 0.16, p = 0.048; HCTL: 10.4 +/- 3.5 mm vs 7.4 +/- 2.8 mm, p = 0.041), both CMCR and HTCL were significantly different between patients with and without respective findings. However, neither CMCR nor HTCL was different between patients with and without spinal cord symptoms and hydrocephalus. Conclusion: CMCR is a superior numerical parameter than HCTL for the assessment of clinical severity in CM-1 cases and needs further validation with larger studies