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Background
To increase the image quality of end-expiratory and end-inspiratory phases of retrospective respiratory self-gated 4D MRI data sets using non-rigid image registration for improved target delineation of moving tumors.
Methods
End-expiratory and end-inspiratory phases of volunteer and patient 4D MRI data sets are used as targets for non-rigid image registration of all other phases using two different registration schemes: In the first, all phases are registered directly (dir-Reg) while next neighbors are successively registered until the target is reached in the second (nn-Reg). Resulting data sets are quantitatively compared using diaphragm and tumor sharpness and the coefficient of variation of regions of interest in the lung, liver, and heart. Qualitative assessment of the patient data regarding noise level, tumor delineation, and overall image quality was performed by blinded reading based on a 4 point Likert scale.
Results
The median coefficient of variation was lower for both registration schemes compared to the target. Median dir-Reg coefficient of variation of all ROIs was 5.6% lower for expiration and 7.0% lower for inspiration compared with nn-Reg. Statistical significant differences between the two schemes were found in all comparisons. Median sharpness in inspiration is lower compared to expiration sharpness in all cases. Registered data sets were rated better compared to the targets in all categories. Over all categories, mean expiration scores were 2.92 +/- 0.18 for the target, 3.19 +/- 0.22 for nn-Reg and 3.56 +/- 0.14 for dir-Reg and mean inspiration scores 2.25 +/- 0.12 for the target, 2.72 +/- 215 0.04 for nn-Reg and 3.78 +/- 0.04 for dir-Reg.
Conclusions
In this work, end-expiratory and inspiratory phases of a 4D MRI data sets are used as targets for non-rigid image registration of all other phases. It is qualitatively and quantitatively shown that image quality of the targets can be significantly enhanced leading to improved target delineation of moving tumors.
Background: Computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography is the diagnostic reference standard in suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Favorable results for dual-energy CT (DECT) images have been reported for this condition. Nowadays, dual-energy data acquisition is feasible with different technical options, including a single-source split-filter approach. Therefore, the aim of this retrospective study was to investigate image quality and radiation dose of thoracic split-filter DECT in comparison to conventional single-energy CT in patients with suspected PE.
Methods: A total of 110 CT pulmonary angiographies were accomplished either as standard single-energy CT with automatic tube voltage selection (ATVS) (n=58), or as split-filter DECT (n=52). Objective [pulmonary artery CT attenuation, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)] and subjective image quality [four-point Likert scale; three readers (R)] were compared among the two study groups. Size-specific dose estimates (SSDE), dose-length-product (DLP) and volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) were assessed for radiation dose analysis.
Results: Split-filter DECT images yielded 67.7% higher SNR (27.0 vs. 16.1; P<0.001) and 61.9% higher CNR (22.5 vs. 13.9; P<0.001) over conventional single-energy images, whereas CT attenuation was significantly lower (344.5 vs. 428.2 HU; P=0.013). Subjective image quality was rated good or excellent in 93.0%/98.3%/77.6% (R1/R2/R3) of the single-energy CT scans, and 84.6%/82.7%/80.8% (R1/R2/R3) of the split-filter DECT scans. SSDE, DLP and CTDIvol were significantly lower for conventional single-energy CT compared to split-filter DECT (all P<0.05), which was associated with 26.7% higher SSDE.
Conclusions: In the diagnostic workup of acute PE, the split-filter allows for dual-energy data acquisition from single-source single-layer CT scanners. The existing opportunity to assess pulmonary “perfusion” based on analysis of iodine distribution maps is associated with higher radiation dose in terms of increased SSDE than conventional single-energy CT with ATVS. Moreover, a proportion of up to 3.8% non-diagnostic examinations in the current reference standard test for PE is not negligible.
We aimed to investigate the image quality of the U-SPECT5/CT E-Class a micro single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system with two large stationary detectors for visualization of rat hearts and bones using clinically available \(^{99m}\)Tc-labelled tracers. Sensitivity, spatial resolution, uniformity and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the small-animal SPECT scanner were investigated in phantom studies using an ultra-high-resolution rat and mouse multi-pinhole collimator (UHR-RM). Point source, hot-rod, and uniform phantoms with \(^{99m}\)Tc-solution were scanned for high-count performance assessment and count levels equal to animal scans, respectively. Reconstruction was performed using the similarity-regulated ordered-subsets expectation maximization (SROSEM) algorithm with Gaussian smoothing. Rats were injected with similar to 100 MBq [\(^{99m}\)TcTc-MIBI or similar to 150 MBq [\(^{99m}\)Tc]Tc-HMDP and received multi-frame micro-SPECT imaging after tracer distribution. Animal scans were reconstructed for three different acquisition times and post-processed with different sized Gaussian filters. Following reconstruction, CNR was calculated and image quality evaluated by three independent readers on a five-point scale from 1="very poor" to 5="very good". Point source sensitivity was 567 cps/MBq and radioactive rods as small as 1.2 mm were resolved with the UHR-RM collimator. Collimator-dependent uniformity was 55.5%. Phantom CNR improved with increasing rod size, filter size and activity concentration. Left ventricle and bone structures were successfully visualized in rat experiments. Image quality was strongly affected by the extent of post-filtering, whereas scan time did not have substantial influence on visual assessment. Good image quality was achieved for resolution range greater than 1.8 mm in bone and 2.8 mm in heart. The recently introduced small animal SPECT system with two stationary detectors and UHR-RM collimator is capable to provide excellent image quality in heart and bone scans in a rat using standardized reconstruction parameters and appropriate post-filtering. However, there are still challenges in achieving maximum system resolution in the sub-millimeter range with in vivo settings under limited injection dose and acquisition time.
Background
Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the ALPL gene that encodes the tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase TNAP (ORPHA 436). Its clinical presentation is highly heterogeneous with a remarkably wide-ranging severity. HPP affects patients of all ages. In children HPP-related musculoskeletal symptoms may mimic rheumatologic conditions and diagnosis is often difficult and delayed. To improve the understanding of HPP in children and in order to shorten the diagnostic time span in the future we studied the natural history of the disease in our large cohort of pediatric patients. This single centre retrospective chart review included longitudinal data from 50 patients with HPP diagnosed and followed at the University Children's Hospital Wuerzburg, Germany over the last 25 years.
Results
The cohort comprises 4 (8%) perinatal, 17 (34%) infantile and 29 (58%) childhood onset HPP patients. Two patients were deceased at the time of data collection. Diagnosis was based on available characteristic clinical symptoms (in 88%), low alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity (in 96%), accumulating substrates of AP (in 58%) and X-ray findings (in 48%). Genetic analysis was performed in 48 patients (31 compound heterozygous, 15 heterozygous, 2 homozygous mutations per patient), allowing investigations on genotype-phenotype correlations. Based on anamnestic data, median age at first clinical symptoms was 3.5 months (min. 0, max. 107), while median time to diagnosis was 13 months (min. 0, max. 103). Common symptoms included: impairment of motor skills (78%), impairment of mineralization (72%), premature loss of teeth (64%), musculoskeletal pain and craniosynostosis (each 64%) and failure to thrive (62%). Up to now 20 patients started medical treatment with Asfotase alfa.
Conclusions
Reported findings support the clinical perception of HPP being a chronic multi-systemic disease with often delayed diagnosis. Our natural history information provides detailed insights into the prevalence of different symptoms, which can help to improve and shorten diagnostics and thereby lead to an optimised medical care, especially with promising therapeutic options such as enzyme-replacement-therapy with Asfotase alfa in mind.
Background
Small-animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems with multi-pinhole collimation and large stationary detectors have advantages compared to systems with moving small detectors. These systems benefit from less labour-intensive maintenance and quality control as fewer prone parts are moving, higher accuracy for focused scans and maintaining high resolution with increased sensitivity due to focused pinholes on the field of view. This study aims to investigate the performance of a novel ultra-high-resolution scanner with two-detector configuration (U-SPECT5-E) and to compare its image quality to a conventional micro-SPECT system with three stationary detectors (U-SPECT\(^+\)).
Methods
The new U-SPECT5-E with two stationary detectors was used for acquiring data with \(^{99m}\)Tc-filled point source, hot-rod and uniformity phantoms to analyse sensitivity, spatial resolution, uniformity and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Three dedicated multi-pinhole mouse collimators with 75 pinholes each and 0.25-, 0.60- and 1.00-mm pinholes for extra ultra-high resolution (XUHR-M), general-purpose (GP-M) and ultra-high sensitivity (UHS-M) imaging were examined. For CNR analysis, four different activity ranges representing low- and high-count settings were investigated for all three collimators. The experiments for the performance assessment were repeated with the same GP-M collimator in the three-detector U-SPECT\(^+\) for comparison.
Results
Peak sensitivity was 237 cps/MBq (XUHR-M), 847 cps/MBq (GP-M), 2054 cps/MBq (UHS-M) for U-SPECT5-E and 1710 cps/MBq (GP-M) for U-SPECT\(^+\). In the visually analysed sections of the reconstructed mini Derenzo phantoms, rods as small as 0.35 mm (XUHR-M), 0.50 mm (GP-M) for the two-detector as well as the three-detector SPECT and 0.75 mm (UHS-M) were resolved. Uniformity for maximum resolution recorded 40.7% (XUHR-M), 29.1% (GP-M, U-SPECT5-E), 16.3% (GP-M, U-SPECT\(^+\)) and 23.0% (UHS-M), respectively. UHS-M reached highest CNR values for low-count images; for rods smaller than 0.45 mm, acceptable CNR was only achieved by XUHR-M. GP-M was superior for imaging rods sized from 0.60 to 1.50 mm for intermediate activity concentrations. U-SPECT5-E and U-SPECT+ both provided comparable CNR.
Conclusions
While uniformity and sensitivity are negatively affected by the absence of a third detector, the investigated U-SPECT5-E system with two stationary detectors delivers excellent spatial resolution and CNR comparable to the performance of an established three-detector-setup.
Background
Elbow imaging is challenging with conventional multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), while cone-beam CT (CBCT) provides superior options. We compared intra-individually CBCT versus MDCT image quality in cadaveric elbows.
Methods
A twin robotic x-ray system with new CBCT mode and a high-resolution clinical MDCT were compared in 16 cadaveric elbows. Both systems were operated with a dedicated low-dose (LD) protocol (equivalent volume CT dose index [CTDI\(_{vol(16 cm)}\)] = 3.3 mGy) and a regular clinical scan dose (RD) protocol (CTDI\(_{vol(16 cm)}\) = 13.8 mGy). Image quality was evaluated by two radiologists (R1 and R2) on a seven-point Likert scale, and estimation of signal intensity in cancellous bone was conducted. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistics were used.
Results
The CBCT prototype provided superior subjective image quality compared to MDCT scans (for RD, p ≤ 0.004; for LD, p ≤ 0.001). Image quality was rated very good or excellent in 100% of the cases by both readers for RD CBCT, 100% (R1) and 93.8% (R2) for LD CBCT, 62.6% and 43.8% for RD MDCT, and 0.0% and 0.0% for LD MDCT. Single-measure ICC was 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.91–0.97; p < 0.001). Software-based assessment supported subjective findings with less “undecided” pixels in CBCT than dose-equivalent MDCT (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between LD CBCT and RD MDCT.
Conclusions
In cadaveric elbow studies, the tested cone-beam CT prototype delivered superior image quality compared to high-end multidetector CT and showed a potential for considerable dose reduction.
This longitudinal study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting the interaction between wall shear stress (WSS) and plaque development. 20 ApoE\(^{-/-}\)mice were separated in 12 mice with Western Diet and 8 mice with Chow Diet. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans at 17.6 Tesla and histological analysis were performed after one week, eight and twelve weeks. Allin vivoMR measurements were acquired using a flow sensitive phase contrast method for determining vectorial flow. Histological sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Elastica van Gieson and CD68 staining. Data analysis was performed using Ensight and a Matlab-based "Flow Tool". The body weight of ApoE\(^{-/-}\)mice increased significantly over 12 weeks. WSS values increased in the Western Diet group over the time period; in contrast, in the Chow Diet group the values decreased from the first to the second measurement point. Western Diet mice showed small plaque formations with elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and big plaque formations after 12 weeks; Chow Diet mice showed a few elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and small plaque formations after 12 weeks. Favored by high-fat diet, plaque formation results in higher values of WSS. With wall shear stress being a known predictor for atherosclerotic plaque development, ultra highfield MRI can serve as a tool for studying the causes and beginnings of atherosclerosis.
Background
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a demyelinating CNS disorder. Reactivation of John Cunningham virus leads to oligodendrocyte infection with lysis and consequent axonal loss due to demyelination. Patients usually present with confusion and seizures. Late diagnosis and lack of adequate therapy options persistently result in permanent impairment of brain functions. Due to profound T cell depletion, impairment of T-cell function and potent immunosuppressive factors, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients are at high risk for JCV reactivation. To date, PML is almost universally fatal when occurring after allo-HCT.
Methods
To optimize therapy specificity, we enriched JCV specific T-cells out of the donor T-cell repertoire from the HLA-identical, anti-JCV-antibody positive family stem cell donor by unstimulated peripheral apheresis [1]. For this, we selected T cells responsive to five JCV peptide libraries via the Cytokine Capture System technology. It enables the enrichment of JCV specific T cells via identification of stimulus-induced interferon gamma secretion.
Results
Despite low frequencies of responsive T cells, we succeeded in generating a product containing 20 000 JCV reactive T cells ready for patient infusion. The adoptive cell transfer was performed without complication. Consequently, the clinical course stabilized and the patient slowly went into remission of PML with JCV negative CSF and containment of PML lesion expansion.
Conclusion
We report for the first time feasibility of generating T cells with possible anti-JCV activity from a seropositive family donor, a variation of virus specific T-cell therapies suitable for the post allo transplant setting. We also present the unusual case for successful treatment of PML after allo-HCT via virus specific T-cell therapy.
In summary, the wave-CAIPI k-space trajectory presents an efficient sampling strategy for accelerated MR acquisitions. Using wave-CAIPI in parallel imaging reconstructions leads to a reduced noise level in the reconstructed images, compared to the Cartesian standard trajectory. This effect could be quantified by means of noise and SNR calculations. An SNR gain can be traded for a reduced scan time, i.e., additional undersampling, or for an enhanced image quality, keeping scan time constant.
Acceleration of MR imaging is especially important in dynamic applications, since these examinations are inherently time-consuming. The impact of wave-CAIPI sampling on image quality and its potential for scan time reduction was investigated for two dynamic applications: self-gated dynamic 3D lung MRI during free breathing and cardiac 4D flow MRI.
Dynamic 3D Lung MRI
By employing wave-CAIPI sampling in self-gated, free-breathing dynamic 3D lung MRI for the purpose of radiotherapy treatment planning, the image quality of accelerated scans could be enhanced. Volunteer examinations were used to quantify image quality by means of similarity between accelerated and reference images. To this end, the normalized mutual information and the root-mean-square error were chosen as quantitative image similarity measures.
The wave-CAIPI sampling was shown to exhibit superior quality, especially for short scan times. The values of the normalized mutual information were (10.2 +- 7.3)% higher in the wave-CAIPI case -- the root-mean-square error was (18.9 +- 13.2)% lower on average. SNR calculations suggest an average SNR benefit of around 14% for the wave-CAIPI, compared to Cartesian sampling.
Resolution of the lung in 8 breathing states can be achieved in only 2 minutes. By using the wave-CAIPI k-space trajectory, precise tumor delineation and assessment of respiration-induced displacement is facilitated.
Cardiac 4D Flow MRI
In 4D flow MRI, acceleration of the image acquisition is essential to incorporate the corresponding scan protocols into clinical routine. In this work, a retrospective 6-fold acceleration of the image acquisition was realized. Cartesian and wave-CAIPI 4D flow examinations of healthy volunteers were used to quantify uncertainties in flow parameters for the respective sampling schemes.
By employing wave-CAIPI sampling, the estimated errors in flow parameters in 6-fold accelerated scans could be reduced by up to 55%. Noise calculations showed that the noise level in 6-fold accelerated 4D flow acquisitions with wave-CAIPI is 43% lower, compared to Cartesian sampling. Comparisons between Cartesian and wave-CAIPI 4D flow examinations with a prospective acceleration factor R=2 revealed small, but partly statistically significant discrepancies. Differences between 2-fold and 6-fold accelerated wave-CAIPI scans are comparable to the differences between Cartesian and wave-CAIPI examinations at R=2.
Wave-CAIPI 4D flow acquisitions of the aorta could be performed with an average, simulated scan time of under 4 minutes, with reduced uncertainties in flow parameters. Important visualizations of hemodynamic flow patterns in the aorta were only slightly affected by undersampling in the wave-CAIPI case, whereas for Cartesian sampling, considerable discrepancies were observed.
Es wurden Perfusionsmessungen mittels MRT an Infarktpatienten im Akutstadium und im Langzeitverlauf durchgeführt und quantitativ mittels einem Sektormodell ausgewertet. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass sich die Perfusionswerte im Infarktareal und gesunden Myokard nicht signifikant unterschieden und dass sich diese auch im Jahresverlauf nicht signifikant änderten. Es ergab sich auch keine signifikante Korrelation zwischen der Größe des Infarkareales und den gemessenen Perfusionswerten.
Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war herauszufinden, ob der iFlow-Algorithmus als zusätzlicher Parameter zu Evaluierung des technischen Erfolgs einer Revaskularisation einer Nierenarterienstenose eingesetzt werden kann. Hierfür haben wir die „mean time to peak“ in Sekunden in den farbcodierten Bildern gemessen, um den Effekt einer Stentimplantation auf den Blutfluss zu eruieren. Im Verlauf haben wir dann getestet, ob unsere Ergebnisse den klinischen Verlauf unserer Patienten wiederspiegeln, um feststellen zu können, ob die syngo iFlow-Software den Erfolg der endovaskulären Therapie voraussagen kann.
The introduction of new therapeutic agents has revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma. The approval of adjuvant anti‐programmed death‐1 monotherapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab, and dabrafenib plus trametinib has recently set a new landmark in the treatment of stage III melanoma. Now, clinical trials have shown that immune checkpoint blockade can be performed in a neoadjuvant setting, an approach established as a standard therapeutic approach for other tumour entities such as breast cancer. Recent studies suggest that a pathological response achieved by neoadjuvant immunotherapy is associated with long‐term tumour control and that short neoadjuvant application of checkpoint inhibitors may be superior to adjuvant therapy. Most recently, neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab in stage III melanoma was reported. With two courses of dose‐optimized ipilimumab (1 mg kg−1) combined with nivolumab (3 mg kg−1), pathological responses were observed in 77% of patients, while only 20% of patients experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse events. However, the neoadjuvant trials employing combined immune checkpoint blockade conducted so far have excluded patients with in transit metastases, a common finding in stage III melanoma. Here we report four patients with in transit metastases or an advanced primary tumour who have been treated with neoadjuvant ipilimumab plus nivolumab according to the OpACIN‐neo trial scheme (arm B). All patients achieved radiological disease control and a pathological response. None of the patients has relapsed so far.
Objective:
Over the past decade, myocardial triglyceride content has become an accepted biomarker for chronic metabolic and cardiac disease. The purpose of this study was to use proton (hydrogen 1)-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (\(^{1}\)H-MRS) at 3Tesla (3 T) field strength to assess potential gender-related differences in myocardial triglyceride content in healthy individuals.
Methods:
Cardiac MR imaging was performed to enable accurate voxel placement and obtain functional and morphological information. Double triggered (i.e., ECG and respiratory motion gating) \(^{1}\)H-MRS was used to quantify myocardial triglyceride levels for each gender. Two-sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for statistical analyses.
Results:
In total, 40 healthy volunteers (22 male, 18 female; aged >18 years and age matched) were included in the study. Median myocardial triglyceride content was 0.28% (interquartile range [IQR] 0.17–0.42%) in male and 0.24% (IQR 0.14–0.45%) in female participants, and no statistically significant difference was observed between the genders. Furthermore, no gender-specific difference in ejection fraction was observed, although on average, male participants presented with a higher mean ± SD left ventricular mass (136.3 ± 25.2 g) than female participants (103.9 ± 16.1 g).
Conclusions:
The study showed that \(^{1}\)H-MRS is a capable, noninvasive tool for acquisition of myocardial triglyceride metabolites. Myocardial triglyceride concentration was shown to be unrelated to gender in this group of healthy volunteers.
Die akute Extremitätenischämie ist ein klinischer Notfall, der in Abhängigkeit der Dauer und der Ausprägung klinischer Symptome interventionell und chirurgisch behandelt werden kann. Ziel dieser Studie war es, den klinischen und technischen Erfolg der primären interventionellen Therapie der akuten Extremitätenischämie zu untersuchen und die Bedeutung der Anwendung und Kombination primär nicht-thrombolytischer Verfahren zu eruieren. Als zusätzliche Zielparameter wurden die Mortalitätsrate, die Komplikationsrate, das amputationsfreie Überleben sowie das reischämiefreie Intervall evaluiert.
Im Rahmen unserer Studie wurden 165 Patienten (89 männlich: 53,9%, 76 weiblich: 46,1%, Altersmittelwert: 77,5 Jahre, STABW ± 13,1 Jahre) und 167 Extremitäten (links n = 84, rechts n = 83) retrospektiv untersucht. Während der stationären Aufnahme wurden das Verschlussalter ermittelt (perakut bis chronisch), die Art des Verschlusses (komplett vs. inkomplett), die Lokalisation und Genese des Verschlusses sowie die Risikofaktoren der Patienten. Der technische Erfolg wurde radiologisch mithilfe des TIMI-Scores erhoben, der klinische Erfolg wurde während des stationären Aufenthalts und im Rahmen des Follow-ups beurteilt.
Die Mehrheit der Verschlüsse (60,5 %, n = 101) war weniger als 7 Tage alt und präsentierte sich klinisch als eine inkomplette Ischämie (n = 147, 88%). Die Okklusion reichte in 63,5 % nicht über das POP II Segment hinaus. Ursächlich war bei n = 107 der 167 Extremitäten (64,1 %) ein „akut auf chronischer“ Verschluss bei vorbestehender pAVK, in n = 41 Fällen eine Thrombembolie (24,6 %) und in n = 19 Extremitäten eine arterielle Thrombose (11,4 %).
Bei allen behandelten Extremitäten handelte es sich um einen primären Eingriff, der mittels perkutaner mechanischer Rotationsthrombektomie durchgeführt wurde. Dieser wurde bei n = 152 Verschlüssen (91 %) mit anderen (nicht thrombolytischen) interventionellen Verfahren kombiniert. Dabei wurden n = 66 Verschlüsse (39,5 %) mit einer mehrfachen Kombination aus PTA, Stent und/oder konventioneller PAT behandelt. Bei weiteren n = 43 Interventionen (25,7 %) reichte eine alleinige zusätzliche Stentimplantation aus, bzw. bei n = 33 Okklusionen (19,8 %) eine alleinige zusätzliche PTA. Lediglich in n = 15 Fällen (9 %) wurde die PMT ohne additive endovaskuläre Verfahren durchgeführt.
Wir konnten in 92,2 % der Fälle (n = 154 Eingriffen) einen primären technischen und auch klinischen Erfolg beobachten. Insgesamt lag die reischämie-/reinterventionsfreie Rate nach 30 Tagen bei 86,2 %. Die reischämie-/reinterventionsfreie Rate betrug nach 6, 12, 24 und 36 Monaten jeweils 75,6%, 69,7%, 67,1% und respektive 64,4%. Die Amputationsrate betrug nach 30 Tagen 6,3 %, nach 6 Monaten 9 % und nach einem Jahr 11,2 %. Insgesamt verstarben n = 76 von den initial 165 Patienten (46,1 %) innerhalb des Nachbeobachtungs-zeitraums von 31,8 Monaten (STABW ± 24 Monate). Nach 30 Tagen lag das Gesamtüberleben bei 91 %, nach 6 Monaten bei 83,8 % und nach einem Jahr bei 77,2 %. Drei Patienten verstarben innerhalb der ersten 24 Stunden nach dem Eingriff, was entweder auf die Intervention oder die Kontrastmittel- und Volumenbelastung zurückzuführen war und als F-Komplikation zu werten ist.
In 4,2 % der Fälle (n = 7) konnte die akute Extremitätenischämie nicht suffizient endovaskulär behandelt werden. Bei n = 6 Eingriffen (3,6 %) kam es zu Minorkomplikationen und in n = 8 weiteren Fällen zu Majorkomplikationen. Darunter waren die häufigsten Komplikationen das Kompartmentsyndrom (n = 4, 2,4 %) und die distale Embolisation (n = 4, 2,4 %) ohne anschließende Möglichkeit der erfolgreichen Thrombusbergung. Alle anderen n = 146 Eingriffe (87,4 %) verliefen komplikationslos.
Patienten mit chronischen Lungenerkrankungen leiden unter schwerwiegender Symptomatik und bedürfen regelmäßiger Verlaufskontrollen der Therapie. Dabei sollte zum Schutz der Patienten sowohl auf kanzerogene, ionisierende Strahlung verzichtet als auch der Einsatz potenziell nebenwirkungsreicher Kontrastmittel vermieden werden. Die pulmonale Blutflussgeschwindigkeit im Parenchym stellt einen quantitativen, bildgebenden Biomarker dar, mit dessen Hilfe die Dynamik des Krankheitsgeschehens untersucht werden kann. In dieser Arbeit wurde eine neue Auswertungsmethode vorgestellt, die mit Hilfe kontrastmittelfreier Magnetresonanztomographie die Blutflussgeschwindigkeit im Lungenparenchym quantifizieren kann. Die auf diese Weise bestimmten Ergebnisse entsprechen den Angaben zur Lungenperfusion, wie sie in der Literatur zu finden sind.
Purpose:
The gradient system transfer function (GSTF) characterizes the frequency transfer behavior of a dynamic gradient system and can be used to correct non‐Cartesian k‐space trajectories. This study analyzes the impact of the gradient coil temperature of a 3T scanner on the GSTF.
Methods:
GSTF self‐ and B\(_0\)‐cross‐terms were acquired for a 3T Siemens scanner (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) using a phantom‐based measurement technique. The GSTF terms were measured for various temperature states up to 45°C. The gradient coil temperatures were measured continuously utilizing 12 temperature sensors which are integrated by the vendor. Different modeling approaches were applied and compared.
Results:
The self‐terms depend linearly on temperature, whereas the B0‐cross‐term does not. Effects induced by thermal variation are negligible for the phase response. The self‐terms are best represented by a linear model including the three gradient coil sensors that showed the maximum temperature dependence for the three axes. The use of time derivatives of the temperature did not lead to an improvement of the model. The B\(_0\)‐cross‐terms can be modeled by a convolution model which considers coil‐specific heat transportation.
Conclusion:
The temperature dependency of the GSTF was analyzed for a 3T Siemens scanner. The self‐ and B0‐cross‐terms can be modeled using a linear and convolution modeling approach based on the three main temperature sensor elements.
Durch die Anlage einer perkutanen transhepatischen Cholangiodrainage (PTCD), im Rahmen benigner und maligner biliärer Obstruktionen, wird eine Kommunikation zwischen Hautoberfläche, Peritoneum und dem biliären System geschaffen. Insbesondere nach Entfernung der PTCD besteht das Risiko einer Galleleckage, einer Blutung, einer biliokutanen Fistel oder einer lokalen Peritonitis, mit durchaus schwerwiegenden Konsequenzen. Die Embolisation dieses Stichkanals nach Entfernung der Drainage mittels Gelatineschwamm (Gelfoam) stellt eine einfache und effektive Lösung dar diese Komplikationen zu reduzieren und zu verhindern. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Effektivität der Stichkanalembolisation mittels Gelatineschwamm nach PTCD retrospektiv zu evaluieren.
Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a promising new tomographic modality for fast as well as three-dimensional visualization of magnetic material. For anatomical or structural information an additional imaging modality such as computed tomography (CT) is required. In this paper, the first hybrid MPI-CT scanner for multimodal imaging providing simultaneous data acquisition is presented.
Objectives
To investigate the feasibility, diagnostic image quality and radiation dose of 3\(^{rd}\) generation dual-source computed tomography (CT) using a tin-filtered 100 kV protocol in patients with suspected acute inflammatory sinus disease.
Methods
We retrospectively evaluated 109 consecutive patients who underwent CT (Siemens SOMATOM Force, Erlangen, Germany) of the paranasal sinus with a new tin-filtered scanprotocol (Sn100 kV; tube current 35 mAs) using iterative reconstruction. Two readers independently assessed subjective image quality using a five-point Likert scale (1 = excellent, 5 = non-diagnostic). Inter-observer agreement was calculated and expressed as percentage of agreement. Noise was determined for calculation of signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). Effective radiation dose (ED) was calculated from the dose-length-product (DLP).
Results
All examinations showed diagnostic image quality regarding evaluation of inflammatory sinus disease. On average, subjective general image quality was rated moderate (= 3) with a percentage of agreement between the observers of 81%. The mean image noise was 14.3 HU. The calculated median SNR was 6.0 for intraorbital fat, and 3.6 for the vitreous body, respectively. The median DLP was 2.1 mGy*cm, resulting in a median ED of 0.012 mSv.
Conclusions
Taking the study limitations into account, ultra-low-dose tin-filtered CT of the paranasal sinus at a tube voltage of 100 kV utilizing an iterative reconstruction algorithm provides for reliable exclusion of suspected acute inflammatory sinus disease in 100% of the cases.
Background
T1 mapping sequences such as MOLLI, ShMOLLI and SASHA make use of different technical approaches, bearing strengths and weaknesses. It is well known that obtained T1 relaxation times differ between the sequence techniques as well as between different hardware. Yet, T1 quantification is a promising tool for myocardial tissue characterization, disregarding the absence of established reference values. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of native and post-contrast T1 mapping methods as well as ECV maps and its diagnostic benefits in a clinical environment when scanning patients with various cardiac diseases at 3 T.
Methods
Native and post-contrast T1 mapping data acquired on a 3 T full-body scanner using the three pulse sequences 5(3)3 MOLLI, ShMOLLI and SASHA in 19 patients with clinical indication for contrast enhanced MRI were compared. We analyzed global and segmental T1 relaxation times as well as respective extracellular volumes and compared the emerged differences between the used pulse sequences.
Results
T1 times acquired with MOLLI and ShMOLLI exhibited systematic T1 deviation compared to SASHA. Myocardial MOLLI T1 times were 19% lower and ShMOLLI T1 times 25% lower compared to SASHA. Native blood T1 times from MOLLI were 13% lower than SASHA, while post-contrast MOLLI T1-times were only 5% lower. ECV values exhibited comparably biased estimation with MOLLI and ShMOLLI compared to SASHA in good agreement with results reported in literature. Pathology-suspect segments were clearly differentiated from remote myocardium with all three sequences.
Conclusion
Myocardial T1 mapping yields systematically biased pre- and post-contrast T1 times depending on the applied pulse sequence. Additionally calculating ECV attenuates this bias, making MOLLI, ShMOLLI and SASHA better comparable. Therefore, myocardial T1 mapping is a powerful clinical tool for classification of soft tissue abnormalities in spite of the absence of established reference values.
Background
Skeletal muscle function dysfunction has been reported in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Studies so far showed inconclusive data whether reduced exercise capacity is related to intrinsic muscle dysfunction in CF.
Methods
Twenty patients with CF and 23 age-matched controls completed an incremental cardiopulmonary cycling test. Further, a Wingate anaerobic test to assess muscle power was performed. In addition, all participants completed an incremental knee-extension test with 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess muscle metabolism (inorganic phosphate (Pi) and phosphocreatinine (PCr) as well as intracellular pH). In the MRI, muscle cross-sectional area of the M. quadriceps (qCSA) was also measured. A subgroup of 15 participants (5 CF, 10 control) additionally completed a continuous high-intensity, high-frequency knee-extension exercise task during 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess muscle metabolism.
Results
Patients with CF showed a reduced exercise capacity in the incremental cardiopulmonary cycling test (VO2peak: CF 77.8 ± 16.2%predicted (36.5 ± 7.4 ml/qCSA/min), control 100.6 ± 18.8%predicted (49.1 ± 11.4 ml/qCSA/min); p < 0.001), and deficits in anaerobic capacity reflected by the Wingate test (peak power: CF 537 ± 180 W, control 727 ± 186 W; mean power: CF 378 ± 127 W, control 486 ± 126 W; power drop CF 12 ± 5 W, control 8 ± 4 W. all: p < 0.001). In the knee-extension task, patients with CF achieved a significantly lower workload (p < 0.05). However, in a linear model analysing maximal work load of the incremental knee-extension task and results of the Wingate test, respectively, only muscle size and height, but not disease status (CF or not) contributed to explaining variance. In line with this finding, no differences were found in muscle metabolism reflected by intracellular pH and the ratio of Pi/PCr at submaximal stages and peak exercise measured through MRI spectroscopy.
Conclusions
The lower absolute muscle power in patients with CF compared to controls is exclusively explained by the reduced muscle size in this study. No evidence was found for an intrinsic skeletal muscle dysfunction due to primary alterations of muscle metabolism.
Spin echo based cardiac diffusion imaging at 7T: An ex vivo study of the porcine heart at 7T and 3T
(2019)
Purpose of this work was to assess feasibility of cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) at 7 T in a set of healthy, unfixed, porcine hearts using various parallel imaging acceleration factors and to compare SNR and derived cDTI metrics to a reference measured at 3 T. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 7T and 3T whole body systems using a spin echo diffusion encoding sequence with echo planar imaging readout. Five reference (b = 0 s/mm\(^2\)) images and 30 diffusion directions (b = 700 s/mm\(^2\)) were acquired at both 7 T and 3 T using a GRAPPA acceleration factor R = 1. Scans at 7 T were repeated using R = 2, R = 3, and R = 4. SNR evaluation was based on 30 reference (b = 0 s/mm\(^2\)) images of 30 slices of the left ventricle and cardiac DTI metrics were compared within AHA segmentation. The number of hearts scanned at 7 T and 3 T was n = 11. No statistically significant differences were found for evaluated helix angle, secondary eigenvector angle, fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient at the different field strengths, given sufficiently high SNR and geometrically undistorted images. R≥3 was needed to reduce susceptibility induced geometric distortions to an acceptable amount. On average SNR in myocardium of the left ventricle was increased from 29±3 to 44±6 in the reference image (b = 0 s/mm\(^2\)) when switching from 3 T to 7 T. Our study demonstrates that high resolution, ex vivo cDTI is feasible at 7 T using commercial hardware.
Der allgemeinradiologische Ultraschall leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag in der Routinediagnostik der akuten Appendizitis bei Kindern und Erwachsenen. Die Zusammenschau aller verfügbaren diagnostischen Befunde sollte zur Entscheidung für oder gegen eine Operation herangezogen werden. Die sonographische Untersuchung kann dazu beitragen, die Negativ Appendektomierate zu senken.
Background
The aim of this 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) follow-up study was to investigate longitudinal changes in aortic hemodynamics in adolescent patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS).
Methods
4D flow CMR for the assessment of in-vivo 3D blood flow with full coverage of the thoracic aorta was performed twice (baseline scan t1/follow-up scan t2) in 19 adolescent MFS patients (age at t1: 12.7 ± 3.6 years, t2: 16.2 ± 4.3 years) with a mean follow-up duration of 3.5 ± 1.2 years. Ten healthy volunteers (24 ± 3.8 years) served as a control group. Data analysis included aortic blood flow visualization by color-coded 3D pathlines, and grading of flow patterns (helices/vortices) on a 3-point scale (none, moderate, severe; blinded reading, 2 observers). Regional aortic peak systolic velocities and systolic 3D wall shear stress (WSS) along the entire aortic wall were quantified. Z-Scores of the aortic root and proximal descending aorta (DAo) were assessed.
Results
Regional systolic WSS was stable over the follow-up duration, except for a significant decrease in the proximal inner DAo segment (p = 0.02) between t1 and t2. MFS patients revealed significant lower mean systolic WSS in the proximal inner DAo compared with volunteers (0.78 ± 0.15 N/m\(^{2}\)) at baseline t1 (0.60 ± 0.18 N/m\(^{2}\); p = 0.01) and follow-up t2 (0.55 ± 0.16 N/m\(^{2}\); p = 0.001). There were significant relationships (p < 0.01) between the segmental WSS in the proximal inner DAo, DAo Z-scores (r = −0.64) and helix/vortex pattern grading (r = −0.55) at both t1 and t2. The interobserver agreement for secondary flow patterns assessment was excellent (Cohen’s k = 0.71).
Conclusions
MFS patients have lower segmental WSS in the inner proximal DAo segment which correlates with increased localized aberrant vortex/helix flow patterns and an enlarged diameter at one of the most critical sites for aortic dissection. General aortic hemodynamics are stable but these subtle localized DAo changes are already present at young age and tend to be more pronounced in the course of time.
Das DIPG ist eine für die Kindheit recht spezifische Neoplasie und geht aufgrund seiner Lage im Hirnstamm mit diffusen Ausbreitungsmuster, sowie fehlendem Therapieansprechen mit einer sehr schlechten Prognose einher. 90% der betroffenen Kinder versterben innerhalb der ersten beiden Jahre nach Diagnosestellung.
Ziel dieser Arbeit war es herauszufinden ob es bildgebende oder epidemiologische Merkmale gibt, die einen Einfluss auf die Überlebenszeiten zeigen und somit als prognostische Marker genutzt werden können.
Die Daten der 253 Studienteilnehmer mit neudiagnostizierten DIPG stammen aus der HIT-HGG-2007-Studie, sowie den 4 Vorgängerstudien HIT-GBM-A-D über einen Untersuchungszeitraum von 1998 - 2012.
Alle Erst-MRTs und alle 3-monatige follow-up-Untersuchungen wurden statistisch ausgewertet und mit Hilfe von Kaplan-Meier-Kurven Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeiten für das OS und EFS bestimmt, sowie anschließendem Gruppenvergleich im Log- Rank-Test.
Als prognostisch günstig erwiesen sich ein Erkrankungsalter bei Diagnosestellung unter 3 Jahren, sowie eine Therapie nach SKK-Schema. Auch eine fehlende Kontrastmittelaufnahme bei Diagnosestellung und eine große Tumorfläche zeigten bessere Überlebenszeiten.
Dagegen hatten weder das Geschlecht, noch die Histologie, noch eine max. Flächen- oder Volumenreduktion Einfluss auf die Überlebenszeiten der betroffenen Kinder.
Serotonergic modulation of 'waiting impulsivity' is mediated by the impulsivity phenotype in humans
(2016)
In rodents, the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) has been established as a reliable measure of waiting impulsivity being defined as the ability to regulate a response in anticipation of reinforcement. Key brain structures are the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and prefrontal regions (for example, pre- and infralimbic cortex), which are, together with other transmitters, modulated by serotonin. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined 103 healthy males while performing the 5-CSRTT measuring brain activation in humans by means of a paradigm that has been widely applied in rodents. Subjects were genotyped for the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2; G-703T; rs4570625) variant, an enzyme specific for brain serotonin synthesis. We addressed neural activation patterns of waiting impulsivity and the interaction between the NAcc and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) using dynamic causal modeling. Genetic influence was examined via interaction analyses between the TPH2 genotype (GG homozygotes vs T allele carriers) and the degree of impulsivity as measured by the 5-CSRTT. We found that the driving input of the vmPFC was reduced in highly impulsive T allele carriers (reflecting a reduced top-down control) in combination with an enhanced response in the NAcc after correct target processing (reflecting an augmented response to monetary reward). Taken together, we found a high overlap of our findings with reports from animal studies in regard to the underlying cognitive processes, the brain regions associated with waiting impulsivity and the neural interplay between the NAcc and vmPFC. Therefore, we conclude that the 5-CSRTT is a promising tool for translational studies.
In dieser Arbeit wurde die Dual-Echo-Sequenz zur Quantifizierung der Myokardperfusion als Alternative zur Präbolus-Technik vorgestellt. Es wurde die Arterial Input Function auf zwei verschiedene Weisen (KonFaktor- und IndivFaktor- Methode) ermittelt und die daraus errechneten myokardialen Perfusionswerte mit denen der Präbolus-Technik verglichen.
In dieser Studie konnte keine eindeutige Übereinstimmung der Werte aus der Präbolus- Technik mit den Werten aus der KonFaktor- beziehungsweise IndivFaktor-Methode nachgewiesen werden. Folglich gilt es die Möglichkeiten der Dual-Echo-Sequenz weiterhin zu untersuchen. Für weitere Studien sollten vor allem die technischen Mängel bei der Bildakquisition analysiert werden.
Bei Patienten mit Morbus Fabry spielt die kardiale MRT eine wesentliche Rolle für die Diagnostik, die Prognose und das Therapiemonitoring. Als Verfahren der Wahl zur Beurteilung einer fokalen myokardialen Fibrose hat sich das Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) etabliert. Eine diffuse myokardiale Fibrosierung kann mittels LGE-Technik nicht suffizient abgebildet werden, da keine ausreichenden Unterschiede in der Signalintensität bestehen.
Daher könnte das sog. post-KM T1-Mapping eine interessante Alternative sein. Bei diesem Verfahren lassen die T1-Relaxationszeiten Rückschlüsse auf diffuse fibrotische Veränderungen des Myokards zu.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden 43 Fabry-Patienten (20 LGE-positiv und 23 LGE-negativ) im MRT untersucht. Hierzu wurde eine modifizierte Look-Locker Inversion-Recovery (MOLLI)-Sequenz zur Messung der T1-Maps verwendet.
Ziel war es, durch das T1-Mapping Risikopatienten (u.a. LGE-negative Patienten) früher als bisher zu identifizieren und damit zeitnah einer entsprechenden Therapie zuzuführen.
Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass LGE-positive Fabry-Patienten eine fortgeschrittenere diffuse Myokardfibrose im visuell gesunden Myokard aufweisen als LGE-negative Patienten. Eine Unterscheidung anhand der T1-Zeiten zwischen LGE-negativen Patienten und gesunden Probanden war nicht möglich. Somit kann das T1-Mapping nicht als diagnostische Methode zur Früherkennung einer diffusen Myokardfibrose bei Fabry-Patienten eingesetzt werden.
Des Weiteren konnte gezeigt werden, dass die T1-Zeit im linksventrikulären Myokard bei Fabry-Patienten mit eingeschränkter Nierenfunktion kürzer war als bei Patienten mit normaler Nierenfunktion, unabhängig vom Vorliegen einer fokalen Fibrose. Hingegen konnte im linksventrikulären Blut bei abnehmender glomerulärer Filtrationsrate (GFR) keine kürzere T1-Zeit festgestellt werden als bei normaler GFR.
Außerdem waren die T1-Relaxationszeiten bei LGE-negativen, weiblichen Fabry-Patienten kürzer als bei männlichen Patienten ohne LGE. Eine abschließende Erklärung konnte hierfür nicht gefunden werden.
T1-Mapping wird bislang noch nicht in der Routinediagnostik bei Morbus Fabry eingesetzt. Allerdings steigt dessen Bedeutung im Rahmen von Studien. Weitere Forschungsbemühungen sind notwendig, um geeignete Referenzwerte festzulegen und den Einfluss weiterer Faktoren auf die Fibrosierung des Myokards besser einschätzen zu können.
Background:
Vascular damage in polytrauma patients is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Therefore, specific clinical implications of vascular damage with fractures in major trauma patients are reassessed.
Methods:
This comprehensive nine-year retrospective single center cohort study analyzed demography, laboratory, treatment and outcome data from 3689 patients, 64 patients with fracture-associated vascular injuries were identified and were compared to a control group.
Results:
Vascular damage occurred in 7% of patients with upper and lower limb and pelvic fractures admitted to the trauma room. Overall survival was 80% in pelvic fracture and 97% in extremity fracture patients and comparable to non-vascular trauma patients. Additional arterial damage required substantial fluid administration and was visible as significantly anemia and disturbed coagulation tests upon admission. Open procedures were done in over 80% of peripheral extremity vascular damage. Endovascular procedures were predominant (87%) in pelvic injury.
Conclusion:
Vascular damage is associated with high mortality rates especially in combination with pelvic fractures. Initial anemia, disturbed coagulation tests and the need for extensive pre-clinical fluid substitution were observed in the cohort with vascular damage. Therefore, fast diagnosis and early interventional and surgical procedures are necessary to optimize patient-specific outcome.
Background:
The amount of fatty degeneration (FD) has major impact on the clinical result and cuff integrity after rotator cuff repair. A quantitative analysis with magnet resonance imaging (MRI) spectroscopy was employed to analyze possible correlation of FD with tendon retraction, tendon thickness and patients’ characteristics in full thickness supraspinatus tears.
Methods:
Forty-two patients with full-thickness supraspinatus tears underwent shoulder MRI including an experimental spectroscopic sequence allowing quantification of the fat fraction in the supraspinatus muscle belly. The amount of fatty degeneration was correlated with tendon retraction, tendon thickness, patients’ age, gender, smoker status, symptom duration and body mass index (BMI). Patients were divided in to three groups of retraction (A) 0-10 mm (n=), (B) 11-20 mm (n=) and (C) < 21 mm (n=) and the means of FD for each group were calculated.
Results:
Tendon retraction (R = 0.6) and symptom duration (R = 0.6) correlated positively, whereas tendon thickness correlated negatively (R = − 0.6) with the amount of FD. The fat fraction increased significantly with tendon retraction: Group (A) showed a mean fat mount of 3.7% (±4%), group (B) of 16.7% (±8.2%) and group (C) of 37.5% (±19%). BMI, age and smoker-status only showed weak to moderate correlation with the amount of FD in this cohort.
Conclusion:
MRI spectroscopy revealed significantly higher amount of fat with increasing grade of retraction, symptom duration and decreased tendon thickness. Thus, these parameters may indirectly be associated with the severity of tendon disease.
Background:
Minimally invasive pedicle screw fixation has less approach-related morbidity than open screw placement and is allegedly less traumatizing on paravertebral muscles, as there is no requirement to mobilize and retract the adjacent muscle portion. The approach-related long-term effects to the morphology of the paravertebral muscles are unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the long-term amount of fatty degeneration of the multifidus muscle in patients treated with a classical open or a minimally invasive approach.
Methods:
Fourteen Patients meeting inclusion criteria were selected. In all patients a singular fracture of the thoracolumbar spine with a two-level posterior instrumentation was treated, either using an open approach or a minimally invasive approach. All patients underwent quantitative MRI spectroscopy for quantification of the fatty degeneration in the multifidus muscle as a long-term proof for muscle loss after minimum 4-year follow-up. Clinical outcome was assessed using Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire, SF-36 and VA-scale for pain.
Results:
The minimally invasive approach group failed to show less muscle degeneration in comparison to the open group. Total amount of fatty degeneration was 14.22% in the MIS group and 12.60% in the open group (p = 0.64). In accordance to MRI quantitative results there was no difference in the clinical outcome after a mean follow up of 5.9 years (±1.8).
Conclusion:
As short-term advantages of minimal invasive screw placement have been widely demonstrated, no advantage of the MIS, displaying a significant difference in the amount of fatty degeneration and resulting in a better clinical outcome could be found. Besides the well-known short-term advantage of minimally invasive pedicle screw placement, a long-term advantage, such as less muscle degeneration and thus superior clinical results, compared to the open approach could not be shown.
Background:
Ketogenic diets (KDs) or short-term fasting are popular trends amongst supportive approaches for cancer patients. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) is the main physiological ketone body, whose concentration can reach plasma levels of 2–6 mM during KDs or fasting. The impact of 3-OHB on the biology of tumor cells described so far is contradictory. Therefore, we investigated the effect of a physiological concentration of 3 mM 3-OHB on metabolism, proliferation, and viability of breast cancer (BC) cells in vitro.
Methods:
Seven different human BC cell lines (BT20, BT474, HBL100, MCF-7, MDA-MB 231, MDA-MB 468, and T47D) were cultured in medium with 5 mM glucose in the presence of 3 mM 3-OHB at mild hypoxia (5% oxygen) or normoxia (21% oxygen). Metabolic profiling was performed by quantification of the turnover of glucose, lactate, and 3-OHB and by Seahorse metabolic flux analysis. Expression of key enzymes of ketolysis as well as the main monocarboxylic acid transporter MCT2 and the glucose-transporter GLUT1 was analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The effect of 3-OHB on short- and long-term cell proliferation as well as chemo- and radiosensitivity were also analyzed.
Results:
3-OHB significantly changed the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in BT20 cells resulting in a more oxidative energetic phenotype. MCF-7 and MDA-MB 468 cells had increased ECAR only in response to 3-OHB, while the other three cell types remained uninfluenced. All cells expressed MCT2 and GLUT1, thus being able to uptake the metabolites. The consumption of 3-OHB was not strongly linked to mRNA overexpression of key enzymes of ketolysis and did not correlate with lactate production and glucose consumption. Neither 3-OHB nor acetoacetate did interfere with proliferation. Further, 3-OHB incubation did not modify the response of the tested BC cell lines to chemotherapy or radiation.
Conclusions:
We found that a physiological level of 3-OHB can change the energetic profile of some BC cell lines. However, 3-OHB failed to influence different biologic processes in these cells, e.g., cell proliferation and the response to common breast cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thus, we have no evidence that 3-OHB generally influences the biology of breast cancer cells in vitro.
We describe the case of a 71-year-old Caucasian female with primary disseminated non-small cell cancer of the lung, presented for palliative radiotherapy of metastatic spread to the 9th and 11th thoracic vertebrae without intramedullary growth. Palliative radiotherapy with daily fractions of 3 Gy and a cumulative dose of 36 Gy to thoracic vertebrae 8-12 was performed. The patient received concomitantly 250 mg gefitinib daily. After a latent period of 16 months, the patient developed symptoms of myelitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) did not reveal any bony or intraspinal tumor progression, but spinal cord signal alteration. No response to steroids was achieved. The neurological symptoms were progressive in August 2013 with the right leg being completely plegic. The left leg was incompletely paralyzed. Deep and superficial sensitivity was also diminished bilaterally. The patient was completely urinary and anally incontinent. Contrary to the clinical findings, a follow-up MRI (July 2013) showed amelioration of the former signal alterations in the spinal cord. The diagnosis of paraneoplastic myelopathy was refuted by a negative test for autologous antibodies. At the last clinical visit in May 2014, the neurological symptoms were stable. The last tumor-specific treatment the patient is receiving is erlotinib 125 mg/d.
We reviewed the literature and found no reported cases of radiation myelopathy after the treatment in such a setting. The calculated probability of such complication after radiotherapy alone is statistically measurable at the level of 0.02%. We suppose that gefitinib could also play a role in the development of this rare complication.
Aims
To survey the perceived indications for magnetic resonance imaging of the small bowel (MRE) by experts, when MR enteroclysis (MREc) or MR enterography (MREg) may be chosen, and to determine how the approach to MRE is modified when general anaesthesia (GA) is required.
Materials and methods
Selected opinion leaders in MRE completed a questionnaire that included clinical indications (MREg or MREc), specifics regarding administration of enteral contrast, and how the technique is altered to accommodate GA.
Results
Fourteen responded. Only the diagnosis and follow-up of Crohn’s disease were considered by over 80 % as a valid MRE indication. The remaining indications ranged between 35.7 % for diagnosis of caeliac disease and unknown sources of gastrointestinal bleeding to 78.6 % for motility disorders. The majority chose MREg over MREc for all indications (from 100 % for follow-up of caeliac disease to 57.7 % for tumour diagnosis). Fifty per cent of responders had needed to consider MRE under GA. The most commonly recommended procedural change was MRI without enteral distention. Three had experience with intubation under GA (MREc modification).
Conclusion
Views were variable. Requests for MRE under GA are not uncommon. Presently most opinion leaders suggest standard abdominal MRI when GA is required.
Two sons of a consanguineous marriage developed biventricular cardiomyopathy. One boy died of severe heart failure at the age of 6 years, the other was transplanted because of severe heart failure at the age of 10 years. In addition, focal palmoplantar keratoderma and woolly hair were apparent in both boys. As similar phenotypes have been described in Naxos disease and Carvajal syndrome, respectively, the genes for plakoglobin (JUP) and desmoplakin (DSP) were screened for mutations using direct genomic sequencing. A novel homozygous 2 bp deletion was identified in an alternatively spliced region of DSP. The deletion 5208_5209delAG led to a frameshift downstream of amino acid 1,736 with a premature truncation of the predominant cardiac isoform DSP-1. This novel homozygous truncating mutation in the isoform-1 specific region of the DSP C-terminus caused Carvajal syndrome comprising severe early-onset heart failure with features of non-compaction cardiomyopathy, woolly hair and an acantholytic form of palmoplantar keratoderma in our patient. Congenital hair abnormality and manifestation of the cutaneous phenotype in toddler age can help to identify children at risk for cardiac death.
Background
In spite of several research studies help to describe the heart in Fabry disease (FD), the cardiomyopathy is not entirely understood. In addition, the impact of blood pressure and alterations in geometry have not been systematically evaluated.
Methods
In 74 FD patients (mean age 36±12 years; 45 females) the extent of myocardial fibrosis and its progression were quantified using cardiac magnetic-resonance-imaging with late enhancement technique (LE). Results were compared to standard echocardiography complemented by 2D-speckle-tracking, 3D-sphericity-index (SI) and standardized blood pressure measurement. At baseline, no patient received enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). After 51±24 months, a follow-up examination was performed.
Results
Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was higher in patients with vs. without LE: 123±17 mmHg vs. 115±13 mmHg; P = 0.04. A positive correlation was found between SI and the amount of LE-positive myocardium (r = 0.51; P<0.001) indicating an association of higher SI in more advanced stages of the cardiomyopathy. SI at baseline was positively associated with the increase of LE-positive myocardium during follow-up. The highest SBP (125±19 mmHg) and also the highest SI (0.32±0.05) was found in the subgroup with a rapidly increasing LE (ie, ≥0.2% per year; n = 16; P = 0.04). Multivariate logistic regression analysis including SI, SBP, EF, left ventricular volumes, wall thickness and NT-proBNP adjusted for age and sex showed SI as the most powerful parameter to detect rapid progression of LE (AUC = 0.785; P<0.05).
Conclusions
LV geometry as assessed by the sphericity index is altered in relation to the stage of the Fabry cardiomyopathy. Although patients with FD are not hypertensive, the SBP has a clear impact on the progression of the cardiomyopathy.
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass auch in dieser Studie die MRT bewiesen hat, dass sie eine Diagnostik ist, die aufgrund ihrer vielen Vorteile (röntgenstrahlenfrei, schmerzfrei, hochauflösende Diagnostik) der konventionellen Mammographie überlegen ist. Im Vergleich mit anderen diagnostischen Möglichkeiten, weist die MRT die höchsten Sensitivitäten auf. Viele falsch positive Befunde könnten so vermieden werden und unnötige Biopsien umgangen werden.
Die MRT zeigte in dieser Studie eine Sensitivität von 78%, für reine DCIS 76%.
Die in der präoperativen MR-Diagnostik gemessenen Größen korrelierten statistisch signifikant mit der histologisch bestimmten Größe für alle Gruppen (reines DCIS, begleitendes DCIS, mikroinvasives DCIS) zusammen genommen (c=0,378; p<0,01) sowie für reine DCIS (c=0,403; p<0,05). Desweiteren korrelierten die Größen statistisch signifikant für high-grade DCIS (c=0,493; p<0,05) und für Nekrosen positive DCIS (c=0,556; p<0,01). Hier ließen sich die Tumorgrößen verlässlich vorhersagen.
In der Auswertung der Signalintensitäts-Zeit-Kurven zeigten sich signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen hinsichtlich der initialen (p<0,05) und postinitialen Phase (p<0,01). So lässt sich anhand der KM-Kinetik eine Aussage über die Malignität treffen. Ein reines DCIS zeigte typischerweise eine initiale Phase mit einem KM-Anstieg von 50-100% oder >100%, gefolgt von einer Plateau-Phase. Ein invasives Carcinom begleitendes DCIS zeichnete sich durch einen raschen Anstieg >100% gefolgt von einem „wash-out“ und einem inhomogenen, unbegrenzten Anreicherungsverhalten aus. Mikrovinvasive DCIS zeigten ähnlich den reinen DCIS einen initialen Anstieg von 50-100% sowie eine folgende Plateau-Phase.
Keinen statistisch signifikanten Einfluss hatte die präoperative Größenbestimmung auf das operativen Verfahren (BET vs. Ablatio). Trotz der präoperativen MRT waren zu 29,6 % Nachresektionen - davon ca. die Hälfte (14,1%) als sekundäre Ablatio - nötig.
Mit der MRT ließen sich grundsätzlich verlässliche präoperative Vorhersagen hinsichtlich Größe und Malignität treffen. Signalintensitäts-Zeit-Kurven und höhere Feldstärken, wie die 3T-MRT, könnten sehr hilfreich sein und die Sensitivität und Spezifität verbessern. Warum trotz allem noch so viele Nachresektionen nötig sind, gilt es in folgenden Studien zu untersuchen.
Durch Weiterentwicklungen der MR-Technologie hat die diffusionsgewichtete MRT in der Bildgebung des Abdomens zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Einige wenige Studien zeigten bereits vielversprechende Ergebnisse für den Einsatz der DWI in der Diagnostik und Verlaufsbeurteilung des Morbus Crohn.
Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, zu untersuchen, ob die DWI zur Detektion entzündlicher Darmwandläsionen und extraluminaler Komplikationen bei pädiatrischen Patienten mit Morbus Crohn ebenso geeignet ist wie die kontrastmittelverstärkte MRT.
Hierzu wurden retrospektiv die klinischen und MR-tomographischen Daten von 48 Kindern, Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen mit Morbus Crohn sowie von 42 Kontrollpatienten ausgewertet, bei denen im Zeitraum zwischen Juli 2008 und Mai 2013 eine MRT-Untersuchung durchgeführt wurde. Aktuelle Befunde einer Ileokoloskopie waren als Referenz bei 60% der Morbus Crohn Patienten und bei etwa einem Drittel der Patienten der Kontrollgruppe vorhanden.
Das Bestehen eines Morbus Crohn konnte bei 47 der insgesamt 48 Patienten anhand der diffusionsgewichteten Sequenzen und in 46 Fällen mittels der kontrastverstärkten T1w-Aufnahmen korrekt nachgewiesen werden. Extramurale Komplikationen wie Abszesse oder Fisteln konnten sowohl mittels DWI als auch durch die KM-MRT detektiert werden. Da die DWI weder eine intravenöse Kontrastmittelapplikation noch Atemanhaltetechniken erfordert, ist sie gerade bei pädiatrischen Patienten ein geeignetes Bildgebungsverfahren. Wegen der relativ geringen Ortsauflösung der diffusionsgewichteten Sequenzen sollte jedoch zusätzlich eine Standardsequenz, wie die T2-gewichtete HASTE-Sequenz, akquiriert werden.
Nach den Ergebnissen dieser Studie ist die diffusionsgewichtete MRT zur Beurteilung der entzündlichen Veränderungen des Morbus Crohn sehr gut geeignet und besitzt das Potenzial, nicht nur ergänzend, sondern als Alternative zur KM-MRT zum Einsatz zu kommen.
BACKGROUND. Prostate cancer (PCa) remains a major health concern in men of the Western World. However, we still lack effective diagnostic tools a) for an effective screening with both high sensitivity and specificity, b) to guide biopsies and avoid histology sampling errors and c) to predict tumor aggressiveness in order to avoid overtreatment. Therefore, a more reliable, highly cancer-specific and ideally in vivo approach is needed. The present study has been designed in order to further develop and test the method of "metabolomic imaging" using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 7T to address those challenges.
METHODS. Thirty whole prostates with biopsy-proven PCa were in vitro analyzed with a 7T human MR scanner. A voxel grid containing the spectral information was overlaid with the MR image of the middle transverse cross-sectional plane of each case. Subsequent histopathological evaluation of the prostate specimen followed. After the spectral output was processed, all voxels were compared with a metabolomic PCa profile, which had been established within a preliminary study, in order to create a metabolomic map indicating MRS cancer-suspicious regions. Those regions were compared with the histologically identified tumor lesions regarding location.
RESULTS. Sixty-one percent of the histological cancer lesions were detected by metabolomic imaging. Among the cases with PCa on the examined slice, 75% were identified as cancerous. None of the tested features significantly differed between detected and undetected cancer lesions. A defined "Malignancy Index" (MI) significantly differentiated between MRS-suspicious lesions corresponding with a histological cancer lesion and benign lesions (p = 0.006) with an overall accuracy of 70%. The MI furthermore showed a positive correlation with the Gleason grade (p = 0.021).
CONCLUSION. A new approach within PCa diagnostics was developed with spectral analysis including the whole measureable metabolome - referred to as "metabolomics" - rather than focusing on single metabolites. The MI facilitates precise tumor detection and may additionally serve as a marker for tumor aggressiveness. Metabolomic imaging might contribute to a highly cancer-specific in vivo diagnostic protocol for PCa.
Organ manifestations and long-term outcome of Fabry disease in patients with the GLA haplotype D313Y
(2016)
Objectives: The severity of Fabry disease is dependent on the type of mutation in the α-galactosidase A (AgalA) encoding gene (GLA). This study focused on the impact of the GLA haplotype D313Y on long-term organ involvement and function.
Setting and participants: In this monocentric study, all participants presenting with the D313Y haplotype between 2001 and 2015 were comprehensively clinically investigated at baseline and during a 4-year follow-up if available. Five females and one male were included.
Primary and secondary outcome measures: Cardiac, nephrological, neurological, laboratory and quality of life data.
Results: AgalA enzyme activity in leucocytes (0.3±0.9 nmol/min/mg protein (mean±SD)) and serum lyso-Gb3 (0.6±0.3 ng/mL at baseline) were in normal range in all patients. Cardiac morphology and function were normal (left-ventricular (LV) ejection fraction 66±8%; interventricular septum 7.7±1.4 mm; LV posterior wall 7.5±1.4 mm; normalised LV mass in MRI 52±9 g/m2; LV global longitudinal strain −21.6±1.9%) and there were no signs of myocardial fibrosis in cardiac MRI. Cardiospecific biomarkers were also in normal range. Renal function was not impaired (estimated glomerular filtration rate MDRD 103±15 mL/min; serum-creatinine 0.75±0.07 mg/dL; cystatin-c 0.71±0.12 mg/L). One female patient (also carrying a Factor V Leiden mutation) had a transitory ischaemic attack. One patient showed white matter lesions in brain MRI, but none had Fabry-associated pain attacks, pain crises, evoked pain or permanent pain. Health-related quality of life analysis revealed a reduction in individual well-being. At long-term follow-up after 4 years, no significant change was seen in any parameter.
Conclusions: The results of the current study suggest that the D313Y genotype does not lead to severe organ manifestations as seen in genotypes known to be causal for classical FD."
Zielsetzung:
Wie genau kann die Computertomographie die einzelnen Stadien der Sigmadivertikulitis abbilden? Inwieweit ist eine Übereinstimmung befunderabhängig?
Material und Methoden:
Grundlage dieser Arbeit waren die Daten von 91 Patienten (43 Männer und 48 Frauen, Durchschnittalter: 60,4 Jahre), die im Zeitraum August 2008 bis Mai 2010 aufgrund einer Sigmadivertikulitis operiert wurden. Das prätherapeutisch mittels Computertomographie (Hansen und Stock-Klassifikation)diagnostizierte Stadium wurde mit dem histopathologisch bestimmten Stadium auf eine Übereinstimmung hin verglichen. Zudem wurden alle CT-Bilder von einem zweiten Radiologen nachbefundet und auf eine Übereinstimmung mit dem Befund des Erstbefunders verglichen.
Ergebnisse:
Die Sensitivität für das phlegmonöse Stadium (H&S IIA) lag bei 83,3%, für das Stadium der gedeckten Perforation (H&S IIB) bei 71,4% und 72,7% für das chronisch-rezidivierende Stadium (H&S III). Die Spezifität lag bei 83,5% für Stadium IIA, 81,0% für Stadium IIB und 92,7% für Stadium III. Die Sensitivität und Spezifität für Stadium IIC (freie Perforation) lag bei 100%. Bei zehn Patienten kam es seitens der Computertomographie zu einer Unterschätzung des Entzündungsausmaßes: hier wurde anhand der CT ein histopathologisch verifiziertes Stadium IIB als Stadium IIA klassifiziert. Der Kappa-Wert der Zwischenbeobachter-Korrelation lag bei 0,598.
Zusammenfassung:
Die Computertomographie ist insgesamt ein zuverlässiges radiologisches Verfahren in der Diagnostik der einzelnen Divertikulitis-Stadien, zeigt aber, insbesondere in der Diagnostik des Stadiums IIB Defizite im Sinne einer Unterschätzung des Entzündungsausmaßes. Auch die moderate Zwischenbeobachter-Übereinstimmung hebt mögliche Defizite der CT im Staging der Sigmadivertikulitis hervor.
Das Pankreaskarzinom stellt mit seiner schlechten Prognose und der Schwierigkeit, es in frühem Stadium zu erkennen, eine große Herausforderung für die Medizin dar. Es gibt zahlreiche diagnostische Möglichkeiten für die Detektion und das Staging dieses Malignoms. Hierfür hat sich als Mittel der ersten Wahl in den letzten Jahren die MD-Computertomographie bewährt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Treffsicherheit der Computertomographie für die Detektion als auch für die Einstufung der präoperativen Resektabilität zu bestimmen und herauszufinden, wo Fehlerquellen in der Bildbefundung liegen, um diese in Zukunft verbessern bzw. vermeiden zu können. Hierfür wurden 83 Patienten mit primärem Verdacht auf ein Pankreaskarzinom in die Studie einbezogen und die präoperativ erstellen Bilder retrospektiv befundet. Dabei ergaben sich Werte für die Sensitivität der Tumordetektion von 94 % und für die Spezifität von 43,75 %. Die Sensitivität zur Einschätzung der Resektabiliät eines Pankreaskarzinoms mit Hilfe des CTs in dieser Studie beträgt 64 % und die Spezifität 97,30 %. Die Ergebnisse an der Universität Würzburg sind damit vergleichbar mit den Ergebnissen anderer Untersuchungen an anderen Zentren.
Trotz der hohen Bildqualität der Multidetektorcomputertomographie war es schwierig, eine chronische Pankreatitis von einem Karzinom zu unterscheiden. Besonders wichtig, vor allem in Zusammenarbeit mit der Visceralchirurgie, ist es, präoperativ festzulegen, ob der Tumor noch resektabel ist, um unnötig aufwändige Operationen zu vermeiden und Patienten mit resektablem Tumor die Chance auf eine potentiell kurative Therapie nicht zu verwehren. Ein in der Bildgebung primär irresektabel eingestufter Befund war mit fast 100 % auch tatsächlich irresektabel. Dagegen stellten sich 20 % der initital als resektabel eingestuften Befunde intraoperativ als irresektabel dar. Als Hauptursachen der falsch eingestuften Befunde fanden sich in dieser Studie Probleme in der Detektion eines arteriellen Gefäßbefalls, kleiner Lebermetastasen oder einer Peritonealkarzinose. Zu ähnlichen Ergebnissen kommen auch andere Autoren. Auch in Zukunft wird trotz weiterer technischer Fortschritte in der Schnittbildgebung eine sichere Unterscheidung wahrscheinlich nicht immer möglich sein. Folglich gilt es im präoperativen Staging des Pankreaskarzinoms, größtmögliche Sorgfalt walten zu lassen. Dies beinhaltet, so genau wie möglich, auf Hinweise zur Unterscheidung einer chronischen Pankreatitis, eines Karzinoms und der erwähnten Irresektabilitätskriterien zu achten. So wird im Rahmen, der durch technische Möglichkeiten gegebenen Treffsicherheit, ein Maximum an Genauigkeit sichergestellt.
Background:
Fatty Degeneration (FD) of the rotator cuff muscles influences functional and anatomical outcome after rotator cuff repair. The MRI based estimation of fatty degeneration is the gold standard. There is some evidence that Ultrasound elastography (EUS) can detect local differences of tissue stiffness in muscles and tendons. Shear-wave elastography (SWE) was evaluated to determine the extent to which shear wave velocity was associated with measures of fatty degeneration. MRI-spectroscopic fat measurement was used as a reference to quantify the amount of fat in the muscle belly.
Methods:
Forty-two patients underwent SWE of the supraspinatus muscles at its thickest diameter. After ultrasound evaluation an MRI-spectroscopic fat measurement of the supraspinatus muscle was performed using the SPLASH-technique. A gel filled capsule was used to locate the measured area in the MRI. The values of shear wave velocity (SWV) measured with SWE and spectroscopic fat measurement were correlated statistically using Pearson’s correlation test.
Results:
Correlation of the fat amount measured with MRI-spectroscopy and the SWV measured with SWE was ρ =0.82. Spectroscopic measured fat ratio of the supraspinatus muscle ranged from 0% to 77.41% and SWV from 1.59 m/s to 5.32 m/s. In 4 patients no sufficient SWE could be performed, these individuals showed a larger diameter of the overlying soft tissue. SWV measured with SWE showed a good correlation with MRI spectroscopic fat amount of the supraspinatus muscle.
Conclusion:
These preliminary data suggest that SWE may be a sufficient tool in detecting and estimating the amount of fatty degeneration in the supraspinatus muscle in real time. Large overlying soft tissue may be a limitation in performing sufficient EUS.
Background:
Contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance angiography (CE-CMRA) is the established imaging modality for patients with Marfan syndrome requiring life-long annual aortic imaging before and after aortic root replacement. Contrast-free CMRA techniques avoiding side-effects of contrast media are highly desirable for serial imaging but have not been evaluated in the postoperative setup of Marfan patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of non-contrast balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) magnetic resonance imaging for aortic monitoring of postoperative patients with Marfan syndrome.
Methods:
Sixty-four adult Marfan patients after aortic root replacement were prospectively included. Fourteen patients (22%) had a residual aortic dissection after surgical treatment of type A dissection. bSSFP imaging and CE-CMRA were performed at 1.5 Tesla. Two radiologists evaluated the images regarding image quality (1 = poor, 4 = excellent), artifacts (1 = severe, 4 = none) and aortic pathologies. Readers measured the aortic diameters at defined levels in both techniques. Statistics included observer agreement for image scoring and diameter measurements and ROC analyses for comparison of the diagnostic performance of bSSFP and CE-CMRA.
Results:
Both readers observed no significant differences in image quality between bSSFP and CE-CMRA and found a median image quality score of 4 for both techniques (all p > .05). No significant differences were found regarding the frequency of image artifacts in both sequences (all p > .05). Sensitivity and specificity for detection of aortic dissections was 100% for both readers and techniques. Compared to bSSFP imaging, CE-CMRA resulted in higher diameters (mean bias, 0.9 mm; p < .05). The inter-observer biases of diameter measurements were not significantly different (all p > .05), except for the distal graft anastomosis (p = .001). Using both techniques, the readers correctly identified a graft suture dehiscence with aneurysm formation requiring surgery.
Conclusion:
Unenhanced bSSFP CMR imaging allows for riskless aortic monitoring with high diagnostic accuracy in Marfan patients after aortic root surgery.
Background:
Diffusion-weighted MRI has been proposed as a new technique for imaging synovitis without intravenous contrast application. We investigated diagnostic utility of multi-shot readout-segmented diffusion-weighted MRI (multi-shot DWI) for synovial imaging of the knee joint in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Methods:
Thirty-two consecutive patients with confirmed or suspected JIA (21 girls, median age 13 years) underwent routine 1.5 T MRI with contrast-enhanced T1w imaging (contrast-enhanced MRI) and with multi-shot DWI (RESOLVE, b-values 0–50 and 800 s/mm\(^2\)). Contrast-enhanced MRI, representing the diagnostic standard, and diffusion-weighted images at b = 800 s/mm\(^2\) were separately rated by three independent blinded readers at different levels of expertise for the presence and the degree of synovitis on a modified 5-item Likert scale along with the level of subjective diagnostic confidence.
Results:
Fourteen (44%) patients had active synovitis and joint effusion, nine (28%) patients showed mild synovial enhancement not qualifying for arthritis and another nine (28%) patients had no synovial signal alterations on contrast-enhanced imaging. Ratings by the 1st reader on contrast-enhanced MRI and on DWI showed substantial agreement (κ = 0.74). Inter-observer-agreement was high for diagnosing, or ruling out, active arthritis of the knee joint on contrast-enhanced MRI and on DWI, showing full agreement between 1st and 2nd reader and disagreement in one case (3%) between 1st and 3rd reader. In contrast, ratings in cases of absent vs. little synovial inflammation were markedly inconsistent on DWI. Diagnostic confidence was lower on DWI, compared to contrast-enhanced imaging.
Conclusion:
Multi-shot DWI of the knee joint is feasible in routine imaging and reliably diagnoses, or rules out, active arthritis of the knee joint in paediatric patients without the need of gadolinium-based i.v. contrast injection. Possibly due to “T2w shine-through” artifacts, DWI does not reliably differentiate non-inflamed joints from knee joints with mild synovial irritation.
Background:
Clinical reasoning in Neurology is based on general associations which help to deduce the site of the lesion. However, even “golden principles” may occasionally be deceptive. Here, we describe the case of subacute flaccid tetraparesis due to motor cortical lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first report to include an impressive illustration of nearly symmetric motor cortical involvement of encephalitis on brain MRI.
Case presentation:
A 51 year old immunocompromized man developed a high-grade pure motor flaccid tetraparesis over few days. Based on clinical presentation, critical illness polyneuromyopathy was suspected. However, brain MRI revealed symmetrical hyperintensities strictly limited to the subcortical precentral gyrus. An encephalitis, possibly due to CMV infection, turned out to be the most likely cause.
Conclusion:
While recognition of basic clinical patterns is indispensable in neurological reasoning, awareness of central conditions mimicking peripheral nervous disease may be crucial to detect unsuspected, potentially treatable conditions.
Ziel der Arbeit
Die vorliegende Arbeit spiegelt Erfahrungen bezüglich des Einsatzes von Cutting Balloon Kathetern in stenosierten Hämodialyseshunts im Institut für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie der Universitätsklinik Würzburg wider. Ziel war vor allem die Erfassung der technischen und klinischen Erfolgsrate sowie die Untersuchung der primären Offenheitsraten unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten und der Komplikationsrate.
Patienten, Material, Methoden
Zwischen Mai 2006 und Oktober 2010 wurden 44 Interventionen an chronisch niereninsuffizienten Patienten mit stenosierten Dialyseshunts mittels Cutting Balloon Kathetern durchgeführt. Diese wurden retrospektiv ausgewertet.
26 Patienten waren männlich, 18 weiblich. Das Durchschnittsalter zum Zeitpunkt der PTA betrug 66,2 Jahre (±13,3 Jahre). 38 der 44 Patienten erreichten das Follow Up von 450 Tagen.
Bei den Interventionen kamen neben den Peripheral Cutting Balloons® (Boston Scientific Corporation, Natick, MA, USA) (n=45) auch konventionelle Ballonkatheter (n=77) und Hochdruckballonkatheter (n=2) zum Einsatz.
Betrachtet wurden der technische, klinische und hämodynamische Erfolg, die primären Offenheitsraten nach 30, 60 und 180 Tagen unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten sowie die Komplikationsrate.
Ergebnisse
In neun Fällen konnte durch die DSA der Nachweis von mehr als einer Stenose ausgemacht werden. Insgesamt wurden 62 Stenosen diagnostiziert, wovon 52 mittels Cutting Balloons behandelt wurden. Die Stenosen, welche mittels Cutting Balloons behandelt wurden, wiesen im Mittel eine Länge von 2,6 cm (±2,1 cm) auf.
Der technische Erfolg lag bei 100%. Die klinische Erfolgsrate lag bei 92,9%. Hämodynamischer Erfolg konnte in 65,9% der Fälle erzielt werden.
Die primäre Offenheitsrate betrug im Mittel 178,2 Tage (±22,8). Sie betrug nach 30 Tagen 88,6%, nach 90 Tagen 68,2% und nach 180 Tagen 36,4%.
Bei den Patienten mit autologen Shunts betrug die primäre Offenheitsrate im Mittel 215,0 Tage (±27,3). Sie betrug in diesem Patientenkollektiv nach 30 Tagen 90,9%, nach 90 Tagen 78,8% und nach 180 Tagen 48,5%.
Bei den Patienten mit alloplastischen Shunts lag die primäre Offenheitsrate im Schnitt bei 67,8 Tagen (±12,0). Sie betrug hier nach 30 Tagen 81,8%, nach 90 Tagen 36,4% und nach 180 Tagen 0%.
Der Unterschied der primären Offenheitsraten war für autologe vs. alloplastische Shunts statistisch signifikant (p=0,002).
Die primäre Offenheitsrate betrug im Mittel bei Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus 248,5 Tage (±42,2). Sie betrug in diesem Patientenkollektiv nach 30 Tagen 88,2%, nach 90 Tagen 76,5% und nach 180 Tagen 52,9%.
Bei Patienten ohne Diabetes mellitus lag die primäre Offenheitsrate im Schnitt bei 133,9 Tagen (±22,7). Sie betrug hier nach 30 Tagen 85,2%, nach 90 Tagen 63,0% und nach 180 Tagen 25,9%.
Der Unterschied der primären Offenheitsraten war bei Diabetikern vs. Nicht-Diabetikern statistisch nicht signifikant.
Die primäre Offenheitsrate betrug im Mittel bei den Patienten mit Dyslipoproteinämie 153,6 Tage (±36,9). Sie betrug in diesem Patientenkollektiv nach 30 Tagen 78,9%, nach 90 Tagen 47,4% und nach 180 Tagen 31,6%.
Bei den Patienten ohne Dyslipoproteinämie lag die primäre Offenheitsrate im Schnitt bei 196,9 Tagen (±28,8). Sie betrug hier nach 30 Tagen 96,0%, nach 90 Tagen 84,0% und nach 180 Tagen 40,0%.
Der Unterschied der primären Offenheitsraten war bei Patienten mit vs. Patienten ohne Dyslipoproteinämie statistisch signifikant (p=0,009).
90,9% der Interventionen (n=40) verliefen komplikationslos. In 9,1% der Fälle (n=4) traten Komplikationen auf, die gemäß den SIR Reporting Standards (62) zu den Minor-Komplikationen zählen.
Fazit
Die PTA mittels Cutting Balloon Katheter stellt bei hohem technischem und klinischem Erfolg sowie niedriger Komplikationsrate eine effektive Behandlungsmethode stenosierter Hämodialyseshunts dar. Weitere Studien werden benötigt, um im Hinblick auf die Kosten-Nutzen-Relation eindeutige Indikationsstellungen für den Einsatz des Cutting Balloons in dysfunktionellen Hämodialyseshunts zu etablieren.
Hintergrund
Kardiale Magnetresonanztomographie (CMR) kann für den Nachweis und die Bestimmung von Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE), mikrovaskulärer Obstruktion (MO) und intramyokardialer Einblutung (IMH) genutzt werden. Die Studie hat zum Ziel, den prognostischen Nutzen dieser drei MRT-Parameter bei der Entwicklung linksventrikulären Remodelings nach Myokardinfarkt (MI) zu evaluieren.
Methoden
Das Studienkollektiv umfasste 55 Patienten (Alter: 56±11 Jahre; Geschlecht: 53 m/2 w), welche nach dem Erstereignis eines Myokardinfarkts durch primäre Koronarintervention therapiert wurden. CMR mit Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE), First Pass Perfusion (FPP) und T2 gewichteter (T2w) Turbospinecho-Sequenz wurde 72 Stunden und ein Jahr nach MI durchgeführt. Linksventrikuläres Remodeling wird dabei als Anstieg des enddiastolischen Volumens um ≥ 20% und/oder einem Abfall der Ejektionsfraktion um > 10% definiert.
Ergebnisse
Late Gadolinium Enhancement ist eine effektive Methode, um die Infarktgröße zu bestimmen. Dabei zeigten 77,70 % der Patienten mit linksventrikulärem Remodeling eine Infarktgröße die 20 % der linksventrikulären Masse überschritt. Als ein Teilaspekt der vorliegenden Studie wurden die Patienten in drei Gruppen anhand der Ergebnisse ihrer Koronarintervention unterteilt (RIVA: n= 26; RCA: n= 20; RCX: n = 8). In der Jahresuntersuchung wiesen Patienten mit Vorderwandinfarkt eine niedrigere Ejektionsfraktion, einen signifikanten Anstieg des enddiastolischen Volumens und eine größere Infarktgröße als Probanden mit anderen Infarktlokalisationen auf. Ungefähr die Hälfte aller Remodelingpatienten erlitt einen Verschluss der RIVA.
Mikrovaskuläre Obstruktion kann sowohl in der LGE Sequenz, als auch in der First Pass Perfusion nachgewiesen werden. In dieser Studie zeigt sich, dass die Größe der MO in der LGE Sequenz 80 % kleiner als in der FPP ausfiel. Dennoch besitzt die Anwesenheit der MO in der LGE Sequenz den größeren prognostischen Wert, da hier vor allem die ausgeprägten Areale der mikrovaskulären Obstruktion zur Darstellung kommen und Patienten mit diesen gefährdeter sind, ventrikuläres Remodeling zu entwickeln. Patienten mit MO (= MO (+)) (FPP: n= 42; LGE: n=27) besaßen eine kleinere Ejektionsfraktion (20 %), ein größeres enddiastolisches Volumen (24 %) und größere Infarktareale (170 %) in der Jahreskontrolle als Patienten ohne MO (= MO (-))
Intramyokardiale Einblutung wurde bei 29 Patienten (= IMH (+)) beobachtet, welche eine niedrige Ejektionsfraktion (17 %), ein höheres enddiastolisches Volumen (19 %) und eine größere Infarktgröße (180 %) als Patienten ohne IMH (= IMH (-)) nach einem Jahr aufwiesen. IMH fand sich in 72,15% der Patienten mit linksventrikulärem Remodeling.
Zusammenfassung
Late Gadolinium Enhancement, mikrovaskuläre Obstruktion und intramyokardiale Einblutung können zur Vorhersage linksventrikulären Remodelings bei Patienten nach Myokardinfarkt verwendet werden. In der vorliegenden Studie waren der Nachweis von MO in der LGE Sequenz und die Anwesenheit von IMH in der T2-Bildgebung die aussagekräftigsten prognostischen Faktoren.