Determination of cranio-spinal canal compliance distribution by MRI: Methodology and early application in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Purpose: To develop a method for derivation of the cranial-spinal compliance distribution, assess its reliability, and apply to obese female patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Materials And Methods: Phase contrast-based measurements of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows to, from, and between the cranial and spinal canal compartments were used with lumped-parameter modeling to estimate systolic volume and pressure changes from which cranial and spinal compliance indices are obtained. The proposed MRI indices are analogous to pressure volume indices (PVI) currently being measured invasively with infusion-based techniques.

Evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging following neuraxial steroid administration: does epidural injection produce pathologic findings?

Background And Objectives: Infection or hematoma following epidural anesthesia is a rare but potentially devastating complication unless diagnosed early. In order to diagnose spinal cord involvement, the currently recommended imaging test is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Despite this, no previous studies have been performed to define typical MRI findings following uneventful epidural injection.

Sinonasal intestinal-type adenocarcinoma involvement of the paranasal sinuses.

We present a patient with a biopsy-proved sinonasal intestinal-type adenocarcinoma who presented with moderate confusion. He was found to have bifrontal hemorrhages, which to our knowledge has not been previously described in the literature for this entity. Intestinal-type adenocarcinoma should be in the differential diagnosis of aggressive lesions in the base of the skull with intracranial spread from the paranasal sinuses.

Proton MR spectroscopy of gliomatosis cerebri: case report of elevated myoinositol with normal choline levels.

A 69-year-old woman presented with clinical and imaging findings suspicious for gliomatosis cerebri, later confirmed by biopsy (moderately cellular, infiltrating glioma). Single voxel proton MR spectroscopy (TE 20 and TE 135) and spectroscopic imaging (TE 135) performed at admission showed normal choline, decreased N-acetyl, and elevated myo-inositol levels relative to creatine. The primary conclusion is that in suspected cases of gliomatosis cerebri, myo-inositol/creatine and myo-inositol/N-acetyl should be determined because they may provide evidence of tumor, even though choline/creatine is normal.

Detection of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae with MR imaging and contrast-enhanced MR angiography: sensitivity, specificity, and prediction of vertebral level.

Background And Purpose: MR imaging and contrast-enhanced MR angiography have been used to detect evidence of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (AVF); however, the sensitivity and specificity of these techniques have not been shown. The purpose of this study was to establish the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MR imaging alone compared with MR imaging plus MR angiography in determining whether dural AVF are present and to establish the accuracy of MR angiography in predicting fistula level.

Methods: Twenty patients with surgically proven dural AVF (diagnosed with radiographic digital subtraction angiography) and 11 control patients who had normal digital subtraction angiography findings underwent routine MR imaging plus 3D contrast-enhanced MR angiography of the spine.