CT and MR imaging of the pulmonary valve.

With rapid advancements in imaging technology, cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are increasingly being used for anatomic evaluation, functional assessment, and pathologic diagnosis of the pulmonary valve and right ventricle. MR imaging is especially helpful in evaluating postoperative pulmonary valve function and grading of pulmonary regurgitation. On the other hand, CT has the advantage of high-resolution isovolumetric whole-chest coverage and is able to depict anatomic detail of the pulmonary valve, perivalvular structures, and pulmonary artery branches.

In vivo neural stem cell imaging: current modalities and future directions.

Neural stem cells have been proposed as a promising therapy for treating a wide variety of neuropathologies. While several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of neural stem cells, the exact mechanism remains elusive. In order to facilitate research efforts to understand these mechanisms, and before neural stem cell-based therapies can be utilized in a clinical context, we must develop means of monitoring these cells in vivo.

Positron emission tomography imaging of poststroke angiogenesis.

Background And Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) play important roles during neurovascular repair after stroke. In this study, we imaged VEGFR expression with positron emission tomography (PET) to noninvasively analyze poststroke angiogenesis.

Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery were subjected to weekly MRI, (18)F-FDG PET, and (64)Cu-DOTA-VEGF(121) PET scans.

Cell replacement therapy for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), for which no effective treatment strategy is currently available, constitutes one of the most devastating forms of stroke. As a result, developing therapeutic options for ICH is of great interest to the medical community. The 3 potential therapies that have the most promise are cell replacement therapy, enhancing endogenous repair mechanisms, and utilizing various neuroprotective drugs.

Intravascular cell replacement therapy for stroke.

The use of stem cell transplantation to restore neurological function after stroke is being recognized as a potential novel therapy. Before stem cell transplantation can become widely applicable, however, questions remain about the optimal site of delivery and timing of transplantation. In particular, there seems to be increasing evidence that intravascular cell delivery after stroke is a viable alternative to intracerebral transplantation.

Long-term mortality, cause of death, and temporal trends in complications after percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty for calcific aortic stenosis.

We sought to assess survival, predictors of adverse outcomes, and complication rates in a more recent series of adults undergoing percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty (PABV) for symptomatic calcific aortic stenosis. While aortic valve replacement is the treatment of choice for adults with symptomatic calcific aortic stenosis, PABV has been used in selected patients who are not good surgical candidates. Registries of patients who underwent PABV over 15 years ago have shown poor long-term survival and high procedural complication rates.

Randomized study of the safety and clinical utility of rotational vs. standard coronary angiography using a flat-panel detector.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that rotational angiography improves patient safety while maintaining diagnostic accuracy for patients undergoing coronary angiography. Despite advances in angiographic technique, patients remain at risk for complications of coronary angiography, including contrast-induced nephropathy and radiation exposure. Technology has been developed to perform coronary angiography with active rotation of the imaging system that may reduce the quantity of contrast and radiation to which the patient is exposed.