Intramedullary Dermoid Cyst- A Rare Case Report

A 35 years old male came with complaints of low back ache radiating to right lower limb and is associated with tingling numbness and thin stream of urine since 1 year. Radiograph lumbo-scaral spine came out to be normal and thus MRI lumbo-sacral spine was done which revealed an intramedullary spinal tumour. Subsequent CT scan was done for the patient. Considering the tumour characteristics, diagnosis of intramedullary dermoid was made

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

High diagnostic value of gradient echo sequence in isolated cortical vein thrombosis

Isolated cortical vein thrombosis is quite less common than dural venous sinus thrombosis. Its diagnosis is difficult and needs high index of suspicion clinically and on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A 38-year-old man presented with the history of three episodes of generalized seizures and weakness and sensory loss in the both upper limbs with headache. MRI brain with magnetic resonance venography (MRV) was performed. MRI brain showed hemorrhagic infarcts in bilateral frontoparietal region. Gradient echo sequence showed hypo-intense signal within thrombosed cortical veins. MRV showed paucity of cortical veins in involved areas suggestive of cortical vein thrombosis

Isolated right pulmonary artery agenesis with aplasia of right upper lobe and with anomalous arterial supply from celiac axis, anomalous venous drainage

Pulmonary artery agenesis is the complete absence of the right or left pulmonary artery. This lesion is commonly associated with other cardiac anomalies and is usually diagnosed incidentally. Unilateral absence of pulmonary artery with lung hypoplasia is very rare. Ipsilateral hypoplastic or absent central pulmonary artery in these patients will have a systemic arterial supply to peripheral pulmonary arteries of the affected lung from the descending thoracic or upper abdominal aorta. These findings are usually characterized as pulmonary veno lobar syndrome or scimitar syndrome when associated with ipsilateral total or partial anomalous pulmonary venous return from the lower lobe which drains into the inferior vena cava or less commonly to the hepatic, azygous, or portal vein, or into the right atrium and lung agenesis/hypoplasia

Role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of articular cartilage in painful knee joint

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the role of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with atraumatic knee pain. Background and Objectives: Knee pain is one of the most common problems faced by people from time immemorial. There is a wide range of disease ranging from traumatic to degenerative causing knee pain in which articular cartilage is involved. Over the past 15 years, MRI has become the premier, first-line imaging study that should be performed in the evaluation of the painful knee in particular in tears of menisci, cruciate and collateral ligaments, osteochondral abnormalities (chondromalacia, osteoarthritis and osteochondral defects), synovial cysts and bone bruises. MRI, by virtue of its superior soft-tissue contrast, lack of ionizing radiation and multiplanar capabilities, is superior to more conventional techniques for the evaluation of articular cartilage. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out on 150 patients in the Department of Radio-diagnosis, Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune over a period of 2 years from June 2011 to May 2013. Patients having fracture or dislocations of the knee joint were also excluded from the study. Detailed clinical history, physical and systemic examination findings of all patients were noted in addition to the laboratory investigations. All patients were subjected to radiograph of knee anterior-posterior and lateral view. MRI was performed with Siemens 1.5 Tesla MAGNETOM Avanto machine. Results: In our study of 150 patients with knee pain, articular cartilage defect was found in 90 patients (60%). Out of 90 patients with articular cartilage defect, 30 patients (20%) had full thickness cartilage defects. Subchondral marrow edema was seen beneath 30 patients (20%) with articular cartilage defects. 32 patients (21.1%) had a complex or macerated meniscal tear. Complete anterior cruciate ligament tear was found in seven patients. Joint effusions were detected in 70% (105) of the knees. Large Baker cysts were observed in 6.1% of the knees. Conclusion: In conclusion, individual with acute or chronic knee pain without any definite history of trauma should be subjected to MRI study of the knee provided radiographs are non-informative or non-diagnostic. The study not only outlines the tendons, ligament and cartilage status, but also demonstrates subtle underlying bony pathologies causative for patient complaints

Role of high-frequency linear probe in ultrasound diagnosis of biliary atresia

Cause of cholestatic jaundice in early infancy continues to be a diagnostic dilemma, with biliary atresia being the most common cause. Increasing age is a negative prognostic factor for biliary atresia. Hence, early diagnosis of the same has immense prognostic significance. Ultrasound (US) plays a major role in the evaluation of infants with cholestatic jaundice and in the differentiation of biliary atresia from neonatal hepatitis, which are the two major causes of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia in neonates and infants. Our study concerns a 2-month-old male infant with signs and symptoms of jaundice, as correlated with liver biochemistry. US revealed features of biliary atresia that later got confirmed on biopsy. The present study summarizes the manifestations of biliary atresia on US, emphasizing the importance of a high-frequency transducer and the clinical diagnostic value of US for biliary atresia, in order to provide evidence for its early diagnosis

Data mining in radiology

Data mining facilitates the study of radiology data in various dimensions. It converts large patient image and text datasets into useful information that helps in improving patient care and provides informative reports. Data mining technology analyzes data within the Radiology Information System and Hospital Information System using specialized software which assesses relationships and agreement in available information. By using similar data analysis tools, radiologists can make informed decisions and predict the future outcome of a particular imaging finding. Data, information and knowledge are the components of data mining. Classes, Clusters, Associations, Sequential patterns, Classification, Prediction and Decision tree are the various types of data mining. Data mining has the potential to make delivery of health care affordable and ensure that the best imaging practices are followed. It is a tool for academic research. Data mining is considered to be ethically neutral, however concerns regarding privacy and legality exists which need to be addressed to ensure success of data mining