Familial amyloid polyneuropathy: hypertrophy of ligaments supporting the spinal cord.

We describe characteristic spinal MR findings of two cases of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). Both cases showed leptomeningeal enhancement on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image. In addition, three-dimensional constructive interference in steady-state imaging demonstrated thickening of the ligaments, other connective tissues within the spinal canal, dura matter, and dorsal nerve roots.

Pineal cystic germinoma with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells mimicking MR imaging findings of a pineal cyst.

We report a case of precocious puberty in a 4-year-old boy. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging suggested a pineal cyst with enhancement of the slightly thickened wall and focal wall irregularity. Three-dimensional constructive interference in a steady-state imaging revealed a focal lobulation and a nodule-like area in the lesion.

Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy for head and neck cancers: evaluation of tumor perfusion with intraarterial CT during carotid arteriography.

Purpose: To evaluate drug distribution in carcinomas of the head and neck region with CT during intraarterial contrast-material injection for superselective intraarterial infusion of anti-cancer agents, and to evaluate perfusion in the carcinomas with intraarterial dynamic CT, using a combined CT and angiography system.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-three consecutive patients underwent conventional angiography as well as intraarterial injection CT using a combined CT and angiography system. Contrast material enhancement on intraarterial CT images was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively with the following parameters: enhanced pattern, delineation and extent of tumor, peak CT value, peak time, maximum inclination of wash-in and washout, and transfer index (k) using a Patlak plot method.

Pseudostenosis phenomenon at volume-rendered three-dimensional digital angiography of intracranial arteries: frequency, location, and effect on image evaluation.

Purpose: To assess the frequency, location, and effect on image interpretation of a pseudostenosis phenomenon at volume-rendered three-dimensional (3D) digital angiography for evaluation of intracranial arteries and to determine the physical characteristics of the phenomenon by using a phantom.

Materials And Methods: Results of a total of 68 volume-rendered 3D digital angiographic examinations in 56 patients with intracranial aneurysms were retrospectively evaluated in comparison with results of digital subtraction angiography regarding the appearance of a pseudostenosis phenomenon. The phenomenon was analyzed by two radiologists in consensus with regard to frequency, location, percentage stenosis, and angle between the axis of the vessel with pseudostenosis and the axis of rotational angiography.

Effect of 8-MHz radiofrequency-capacitive regional hyperthermia with strong superficial cooling for unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancer.

A well-known disadvantage of a radiofrequency-capacitive device for deep-seated tumours is preferential heating of the subcutaneous fat tissue. The authors previously developed the hyperthermia with their own external cooling unit and achieved strong superficial cooling, and reported its usefulness for the reduction of the preferential heating. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hyperthermia with strong superficial cooling on the treatment results for unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancers.

[Effect of Cepharanthin in preventing radiation induced normal tissue damage in prostate cancer].

A total of 97 patients with prostate cancer who underwent radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed to analyze the protective efficacy of Cepharanthin for acute or late toxicity to the bladder/urethra and rectum. Cepharanthin administrations were divided into 3 groups: intravenous, oral, and non-administration. Acute urinary toxicity was significantly milder for the intravenous group than for the oral and non-administration groups.

[Effect of Cepharanthin to prevent radiation induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer].

We retrospectively examined the effect of Cepharanthin to prevent radiation xerostomia in 37 cases of head and neck cancer. In the Cepharanthin group, the degree of xerostomia was milder than in the non-Cepharanthin group in spite of higher normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and mean dose (MD) of parotid glands. In the non-Cepharanthin group, the degree of xerostomia was significantly correlated with NTCP and MD of parotid glands.

Preoperative embolization for meningeal tumors: evaluation of vascular supply with angio-CT.

When evaluating vascular supply, a combined angiography and CT (angio-CT) system provides more accurate vascular anatomy than digital subtraction angiography. To the best of our knowledge, however, the application for intracranial tumors has not been described. We herein describe a technique of an angio-CT system for diagnosis of vascular anatomy of the feeding artery for preoperative embolization of meningeal tumors.

Usefulness of source images from three-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography after treatment of cavernous dural arteriovenous fistulas.

Purpose: Source images from three-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography (3D TOF MRA) are useful for the diagnosis of cavernous dural arteriovenous fistulas. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of source images from 3D TOF MRA compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as a follow-up technique for the detection of residual or recurrent fistulas after treatment. We also assessed the effect of embolized materials in the evaluation of MRA.

Intracranial artery dissections: serial evaluation with MR imaging, MR angiography, and source images of MR angiography.

Background And Purpose: To assess chronological change in intracranial artery dissections with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), MR angiography (MRA), and source images of MRA, and to determine whether the source images of MRA provide additional useful information to the combined evaluation of MRI and MRA.

Materials And Methods: Seven consecutive patients with intracranial artery dissections who were diagnosed by clinical history and conventional angiography were followed sequentially with MRI and MRA (mean follow-up duration, 8.8 months).

Clinical usefulness of unsubtracted 3D digital angiography compared with rotational digital angiography in the pretreatment evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

Background And Purpose: Three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is useful as a supplement to 2D DSA in the pretreatment evaluation of intracranial aneurysms. However, the clinical efficacy of 3D digital angiography (DA) that is generated from unsubtracted rotational images has not been established. The purpose of this study was to assess whether 3D DA provides additional useful information to that of rotational DA in the preoperative evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

Abnormal perfusion of the pituitary gland secondary to dural arteriovenous fistulas in the cavernous sinus: dynamic MR findings.

Background And Purpose: If venous congestion is the primary cause of pituitary gland enlargement in cases of dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), other abnormal pituitary findings may be detectable on MR images. We sought to investigate the perfusion abnormality of the pituitary gland secondary to dural AVFs in the cavernous sinus and to clarify its clinical importance.

Methods: Nine consecutive patients (all female; age range, 50-77 years) with dural AVFs in the cavernous sinus underwent prospective MR examinations, including dynamic studies, before and after therapy.

[Clinical evaluation of gastric diverticulum on indirect radiograph for gastric mass survey].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical conditions of gastric diverticulum. Fifty-four patients with gastric diverticulum (20 men and 34 women among 34,314 patients who underwent medical check-ups) were evaluated on indirect radiographs, for an incidence of 0.16% among the total number of examined cases, a rate lower than that of previous reports.

Methylmercury poisoning in common marmosets--MRI findings and peripheral nerve lesions.

Common marmosets were used as model animals for methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning. Six marmosets were given MeHg of 5 ppm Hg in drinking water. The animals were divided into 3 groups of 2 each.

Normal structures in the intracranial dural sinuses: delineation with 3D contrast-enhanced magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo imaging sequence.

Background And Purpose: The potential pitfalls in the diagnosis of dural sinus thrombosis include the presence of arachnoid granulations, intrasinus fibrotic bands (so-called septa), and hypoplasia or aplasia of the dural sinuses. The purpose of this study was to assess the appearance, distribution, and prevalence of arachnoid granulations and septa in the dural sinuses by using a high resolution 3D contrast-enhanced magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE) imaging sequence.

Methods: Conventional MR images and contrast-enhanced MPRAGE images of 100 consecutive patients who had no abnormalities of the dural sinuses were retrospectively reviewed.

Comparison of 2D and 3D digital subtraction angiography in evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

Background And Purpose: Although digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is considered the criterion standard for depiction of intracranial aneurysms, it is often difficult to determine the relationship of overlapping vessels to aneurysms when using 2D DSA. We compared 2D and 3D DSA in evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

Methods: Thirty-six consecutive patients with cerebral aneurysms underwent 2D and 3D DSA.

Cerebral gliomas: prospective comparison of multivoxel 2D chemical-shift imaging proton MR spectroscopy, echoplanar perfusion and diffusion-weighted MRI.

Developments in MRI have made it possible to use diffusion-weighted MRI, perfusion MRI and proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) to study lesions in the brain. We evaluated whether these techniques provide useful, complementary information for grading gliomas, in comparison with conventional MRI. We studied 17 patients with histologically verified gliomas, adding multivoxel proton MRS, echoplanar diffusion and perfusion MRI the a routine MRI examination.

Central nervous system lesions in adult T-cell leukaemia: MRI and pathology.

Adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL) is a T-cell lymphoid neoplasm caused by human T-cell leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I). Radiological findings in central nervous system (CNS) involvement have not been well characterised. We reviewed the MRI of 18 patients with ATL who developed new neurological symptoms or signs, and pathology specimens from a 53-year-old woman who died of ATL.

MRI of intracranial germ-cell tumours.

Our aim was to review the MRI appearances of primary intracranial germ-cell tumours (GCT). We reviewed the MRI studies of 32 patients: 19 with germinomas, five with teratomas, one with an embryonal carcinoma, five with mixed and two with malignant nongerminomatous GCT. Eleven were in the pineal region, 12 suprasellar, five in the both sites, two in the basal ganglia and two in the corpus callosum.

Basilar artery aneurysm treated with coil embolization via persistent primitive trigeminal artery.

A saccular aneurysm of the right basilar-superior cerebellar artery associated with a persistent primitive trigeminal artery (PPTA) was successfully treated by endovascular occlusion with Guglielmi detachable coils. Since both vertebral arteries and the basilar artery proximal to the junction with the PPTA were hypoplastic, a microcatheter was advanced via the PPTA. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing the treatment of the aneurysm through the PPTA.

Prospective evaluation of suspected stenoocclusive disease of the intracranial artery: combined MR angiography and CT angiography compared with digital subtraction angiography.

Background And Purpose: MR angiography is primarily and increasingly used to assess intracranial arterial stenoocclusion. However, MR angiography can cause overestimation of stenosis. Although CT angiography is accurate, it has limitations.

Comparison between EPI and HASTE for ultra-fast MR imaging of the human brain.

Our purpose was to evaluate and compare the performance of ultra-fast single-shot T2-weighted sequences: echo-planar imaging (EPI) versus half-Fourier single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) and to assess the usefulness of their combined reading. Comparative experiments on a phantom as well as a prospective clinical study in 47 patients were done. Axial images acquired with the following methods were compared: (a) HASTE; (b) segmented HASTE (s-HASTE); (c) single-shot spin-echo EPI (SE-EPI); and (d) gradient-echo EPI (GREEPI).

MRI of pineal region tumors.

The pineal region is a heterogeneous area that includes the pineal gland and several parapineal structures. Pineal region masses include germ cell tumors (GCTs), pineal parenchymal cell tumors, glioma, meningioma, metastases, and non-neoplastic masses such as pineal cysts, lipoma, epidermoid, vascular malformations. Although MRI has allowed an improvement in distinguishing true pineal masses from parapineal masses impinging into the region of the gland, it is still difficult to differentiate the pineal GCTs from pineal parenchymal tumors with only images, and the clinical informations such as age, sex, and the tumor markers are very important.