Programmatic challenges in obtaining and confirming the pneumococcal vaccination status of cochlear implant recipients.

Background: Bacterial meningitis represents a substantial concern for individuals with cochlear implants (CIs).

Methods: Chart review and direct patient and family correspondence to ascertain vaccination status.

Intervention: Information dissemination via brochure and electronic media, ongoing reminders of the importance of vaccination when confirmation of vaccination was not received.

Magnetic resonance imaging at 1.5 T after cochlear implantation.

Objective: To assess the safety of 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with cochlear implants (CIs) with internal magnets.

Study Design: Retrospective review of CI patients who underwent an MRI at Johns Hopkins.

Transient ischemic attacks before ischemic stroke: preconditioning the human brain? A multicenter magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background And Purpose: We investigated whether transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) before stroke can induce tolerance by raising the threshold of tissue vulnerability in the human brain.

Methods: Sixty-five patients with first-ever ischemic territorial stroke received diffusion- and perfusion-weighted MRI within 12 hours of symptom onset. Epidemiological and clinical data, lesion volumes in T2, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps and perfusion maps, and cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume values were compared between patients with and without a prodromal TIA.