Association between intracranial vessel calcifications, structural brain damage, and cognitive impairment after minor strokes: a prospective study.

Background: Vascular calcifications are a hallmark of atherosclerosis, and in the coronary arteries are routinely used as a prognostic marker. Calcifications of intracranial vessels (ICC) are frequently observed on non-contrast CT (NCCT) and their effect on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) remains unclear. Our aim was to explore the association of ICC with prospective long-term cognitive function and advanced MRI-measures in a large prospective cohort of cognitively intact mild stroke survivors.

Assessment of carotid artery ultrasonography in the presence of an acoustic shadow artifact.

Background: B-mode and Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) are the methods of choice for screening and determining the degree of Carotid artery stenosis. The evaluation of stenosis with calcification may be hampered by a common CDUS artifact known as acoustic shadow (AS). Our objective was to assess the change in reliability of CDUS readings in the presence of an AS artifact.

Spinal Cord Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Purpose: Spinal cord atrophy (SCA) is an important emerging outcome measure in multiple sclerosis (MS); however, there is limited consensus on the magnitude and rate of atrophy. The objective of this study was to synthesize the available data on measures of SCA in MS.

Methods: Using published guidelines, relevant literature databases were searched between 1977 and 2017 for case-control or cohort studies reporting a quantitative measure of SCA in MS patients.