Diagnostic Impact of Subcutaneous Edema in Gouty Feet Detected by Dual-Energy Computed Tomography and Ultrasound.

: The objective of our study was to evaluate the association and frequency of subcutaneous lymphedema in patients with gout primarily affecting the feet. : In 79 patients with acute gout, ultrasound (US) and dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) were performed to assess the presence of subcutaneous edema and extra- and intra-articular gouty deposits. In addition, the diagnostic utility of two post-processing DECT protocols were evaluated, comprising different minimum attenuation thresholds of 150 HU (DECT 150 protocol) and 120 HU (DECT 120 protocol), with the same maximum attenuation threshold (500 HU) and constant kilovoltage setting of tubes A and B at 80 and 140 kVp.

Dynamic fluctuations in brain iron content during migraine attacks: insights from relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging.

Background: There is evidence that iron metabolism may play a role in the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of migraine. Studies using (=1/ ) relaxometry, a common MRI-based iron mapping technique, have reported increased values in various brain structures of migraineurs, indicating iron accumulation compared to healthy controls.

Purpose: To investigate whether there are short-term changes in during a migraine attack.

Cervical Artery Tortuosity Is Associated With Dissection Occurrence and Late Recurrence: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: The pathogenesis of spontaneous cervical artery dissection remains unclear, and no established predictors of recurrence exist. Our goal was to investigate the potential association between cervical artery tortuosity, a characteristic of patients with connective tissue disorder, and spontaneous cervical artery dissection.

Methods: The ReSect study (Risk Factors for Recurrent Cervical Artery Dissection) is an observational study that invited all spontaneous cervical artery dissection patients treated at the Innsbruck University Hospital between 1996 and 2018 for clinical and radiological follow-up.

Combined cognitive assessment and automated MRI volumetry improves the diagnostic accuracy of detecting MCI due to Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) confers a high annual risk of 10-15 % of conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. MRI atrophy patterns derived from automated ROI analysis, particularly hippocampal subfield volumes, were reported to be useful in diagnosing early clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to combine automated ROI MRI morphometry of hippocampal subfield volumes and cortical thickness estimates using FreeSurfer 6.

Superb microvascular ultrasound is a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool to assess a ventriculoperitoneal shunt system function: a feasibility study.

The objective of this pilot study was to assess the reliability of superb microvascular ultrasound (SMI) for the measurement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow within VPS systems as an indirect sign for shunt dysfunction. Asymptomatic hydrocephalus patients, with a VPS system implanted between 2017 and 2021, were prospectively enrolled in the study. Using SMI, the CSF flow within the proximal and distal catheters were analysed.

Aneurysmal Wall Enhancement of Non-Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms after Endovascular Treatment Correlates with Higher Aneurysm Reperfusion Rates, but Only in Large Aneurysms.

Introduction: Aneurysmal wall enhancement (AWE) of non-ruptured sacular intracranial aneurysms (IA) after endovascular treatment (ET) is a frequently observed imaging finding using AWE-sequences in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). So far, its value remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effect of AWE on aneurysm reperfusion rates in a longitudinal cohort.

Cost-effectiveness of endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke with established large infarct in Germany: a decision tree and Markov model.

Background: Recent studies, including the TENSION trial, support the use of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke with large infarct (Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) 3-5).

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of EVT compared with best medical care (BMC) alone in this population from a German healthcare payer perspective.

Methods: A short-term decision tree and a long-term Markov model (lifetime horizon) were used to compare healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) between EVT and BMC.

Beyond the Slopes and Highways: Endovascular Repair of Blunt Traumatic Aortic Injuries after Skiing versus Motor Vehicle Accidents.

Blunt traumatic aortic injury (BTAI) is a potentially fatal condition, typically resulting from high-velocity trauma. To date, little is known about this type of injury among skiers, who form the largest patient cohort with aortic injuries in the alpine region of Tyrol, Austria. This retrospective, single-center study at the University Hospital of Innsbruck analyzed patients who underwent endovascular treatment for blunt traumatic aortic injury from 2005 to 2023.

Could Phosphorous MR Spectroscopy Help Predict the Severity of Vasospasm? A Pilot Study.

One of the main causes of the dismal prognosis in patients who survive the initial bleeding after aneurysmal subarachnoidal hemorrhage is the delayed cerebral ischaemia caused by vasospasm. Studies suggest that cerebral magnesium and pH may potentially play a role in the pathophysiology of this adverse event. Using phosphorous magnetic resonance spectrocopy (31P-MRS), we calculated the cerebral magnesium (Mg) and pH levels in 13 patients who suffered from aSAH.

Impact of Vaccination Status on Outcome of Patients With COVID-19 and Acute Ischemic Stroke Undergoing Mechanical Thrombectomy.

Background: Data on impact of COVID-19 vaccination and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and acute ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy are scarce. Addressing this subject, we report our multicenter experience.

Methods And Results: This was a retrospective analysis of patients with COVID-19 and known vaccination status treated with mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke at 20 tertiary care centers between January 2020 and January 2023.

Mitral annular disjunction in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients-a retrospective cardiac MRI study.

Background: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD), defined as defective attachment of the mitral annulus to the ventricular myocardium, has recently been linked to malignant arrhythmias. However, its role and prognostic significance in patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) remain unknown. This retrospective analysis aimed to describe the prevalence and significance of MAD by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients.

Performance evaluation of machine-assisted interpretation of Gram stains from positive blood cultures.

Manual microscopy of Gram stains from positive blood cultures (PBCs) is crucial for diagnosing bloodstream infections but remains labor intensive, time consuming, and subjective. This study aimed to evaluate a scan and analysis system that combines fully automated digital microscopy with deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to assist the interpretation of Gram stains from PBCs for routine laboratory use. The CNN was trained to classify images of Gram stains based on staining and morphology into seven different classes: background/false-positive, Gram-positive cocci in clusters (GPCCL), Gram-positive cocci in pairs (GPCP), Gram-positive cocci in chains (GPCC), rod-shaped bacilli (RSB), yeasts, and polymicrobial specimens.

A Blinded Evaluation of Brain Morphometry for Differential Diagnosis of Atypical Parkinsonism.

Background: Advanced imaging techniques have been studied for differential diagnosis between PD, MSA, and PSP.

Objectives: This study aims to validate the utility of individual voxel-based morphometry techniques for atypical parkinsonism in a blinded fashion.

Methods: Forty-eight healthy controls (HC) T1-WI were used to develop a referential dataset and fit a general linear model after segmentation into gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) compartments.

Relationship between Brain Function and Microstructural Brain Maturation in Preterm Infants.

Introduction: Preterm infants are at risk for impairment in brain maturation at term equivalent age (TEA). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, quantitatively reflecting microstructural brain development of white matter regions with parameters such as fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) assesses electrocortical activity and brain function.

Endovascular thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke with established large infarct: multicentre, open-label, randomised trial.

Background: Recent evidence suggests a beneficial effect of endovascular thrombectomy in acute ischaemic stroke with large infarct; however, previous trials have relied on multimodal brain imaging, whereas non-contrast CT is mostly used in clinical practice.

Methods: In a prospective multicentre, open-label, randomised trial, patients with acute ischaemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation and a large established infarct indicated by an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomographic Score (ASPECTS) of 3-5 were randomly assigned using a central, web-based system (using a 1:1 ratio) to receive either endovascular thrombectomy with medical treatment or medical treatment (ie, standard of care) alone up to 12 h from stroke onset. The study was conducted in 40 hospitals in Europe and one site in Canada.

Microstructural Brain Development and Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Very Preterm Infants of Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: There are data linking gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome in the offspring. We investigated the effect of GDM on microstructural brain development and neurodevelopmental outcome of very preterm infants.

Materials And Methods: Preterm infants <32 gestational weeks of mothers with GDM obtained cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including diffusion-tensor imaging at term-equivalent age.

The Effect of Postnatal Cytomegalovirus Infection on (Micro)structural Cerebral Development in Very Preterm Infants at Term-Equivalent Age.

Introduction: There are some data indicating a negative impact of postnatal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on long-term neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm infants. So far, there is only little knowledge about a cerebral imaging correlate of these neurodevelopmental alterations induced by postnatal CMV infection in preterm infants. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of postnatal CMV infection on the incidence of brain injury and on microstructural brain maturation in very preterm infants at term-equivalent age.

Noninvasive CSF shunt patency evaluation by superb microvascular imaging.

Occlusion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt system is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients suffering from hydrocephalus. However, there is no imaging established as standard approach in this acute setting. In the present study, we evaluate the use of superb microvascular imaging for investigation of the patency of ventriculoperitoneal shunt systems.