Non-invasive in-utero quantification of vascular reactivity in human placenta.

Objective: Placental vascular reactivity (PlVR) indicates the ability of the placental vasculature to match blood supply to fetal demand. Many pregnancy disorders alter the characteristics of PlVR, resulting in suboptimal oxygen delivery, although current understanding is limited by the lack of non-invasive, repeatable methods to measure PlVR in utero. Our objective was to quantify PlVR by measuring the placental response to transient changes in maternal carbon dioxide (CO) using blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Low-field 0.55 T MRI evaluation of the fetus.

Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important adjunct modality for the evaluation of fetal abnormalities. Recently, low-field MRI systems at 0.55 Tesla have become available which can produce images on par with 1.

Impact of COVID-19 Related Maternal Stress on Fetal Brain Development: A Multimodal MRI Study.

Background: Disruptions in perinatal care and support due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented but significant stressor among pregnant women. Various neurostructural differences have been re-ported among fetuses and infants born during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic counterparts. The relationship between maternal stress due to pandemic related disruptions and fetal brain is yet unexamined.

Impact of COVID-19 related maternal stress on fetal brain development: A Multimodal MRI study.

Background: Disruptions in perinatal care and support due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented but significant stressor among pregnant women. Various neurostructural differences have been re-ported among fetuses and infants born during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic counterparts. The relationship between maternal stress due to pandemic related disruptions and fetal brain is yet unexamined.

Imaging of congenital genitourinary anomalies.

Congenital genitourinary anomalies are among the most frequent types of birth defects in neonates. Some anomalies can be a significant cause of morbidity in infancy, while others remain asymptomatic even until adulthood and can be at times the only manifestation of a complex systemic disease. The spectrum of these anomalies results from the developmental insults that can occur at various embryologic stages, and an understanding of the formation of the genitourinary system is helpful in the evaluation and treatment of a child with a congenital genitourinary anomaly.

Safety issues related to intravenous contrast agent use in magnetic resonance imaging.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have been used to improve image quality of MRI examinations for decades and have an excellent overall safety record. However, there are well-documented risks associated with GBCAs and our understanding and management of these risks continue to evolve. The purpose of this review is to discuss the safety of GBCAs used in MRI in adult and pediatric populations.

Using a dedicated spine radiology technologist is associated with reduced fluoroscopy time, radiation dose, and surgical time in pediatric spinal deformity surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective comparative study OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate fluoroscopy time and radiation exposure during pediatric spine surgery using a dedicated radiology technologist with extensive experience in spine operating rooms. Repetitive use of intraoperative fluoroscopy during posterior spinal fusion (PSF) exposes the patient, surgeon, and staff to radiation.

Methods: Retrospective review was conducted on patients with posterior spinal fusion (PSF) of ≥ 7 levels for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) at a pediatric hospital from 2015 to 2019.

A new MRI tag-based method to non-invasively visualize cerebrospinal fluid flow.

Purpose: Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics can produce a number of significant clinical problems to include hydrocephalus, loculated areas within the ventricles or subarachnoid spaces as well as impairment of normal CSF movement between the cranial and spinal compartments that can result in a cerebellar ectopia and hydrosyringomyelia. Thus, assessing the patency of fluid flow between adjacent CSF compartments non-invasively by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has definite clinical value. Our objective was to demonstrate that a novel tag-based CSF imaging methodology offers improved contrast when compared with a commercially available application.

Sexual Dimorphism and the Origins of Human Spinal Health.

Recent observations indicate that the cross-sectional area (CSA) of vertebral bodies is on average 10% smaller in healthy newborn girls than in newborn boys, a striking difference that increases during infancy and puberty and is greatest by the time of sexual and skeletal maturity. The smaller CSA of female vertebrae is associated with greater spinal flexibility and could represent the human adaptation to fetal load in bipedal posture. Unfortunately, it also imparts a mechanical disadvantage that increases stress within the vertebrae for all physical activities.

Vertebral cross-sectional growth: A predictor of vertebral wedging in the immature skeleton.

The degree of vertebral wedging, a key structural characteristic of spinal curvatures, has recently been found to be negatively related to vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA). The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the relation between vertebral cross-sectional growth and vertebral wedging progression within the immature lumbar spine. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we analyzed the potential association between increases in lumbar vertebral CSA and changes in L5 vertebral wedging in 27 healthy adolescent girls (ages 9-13 years) twice within a two-year period.

Increased Lumbar Lordosis and Smaller Vertebral Cross-Sectional Area Are Associated With Spondylolysis.

Study Design: A cross-sectional comparison of vertebral morphology and lumbar lordosis (LL) in adolescents with and without spondylolysis.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that in addition to LL, vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) is also associated with spondylolysis.

Summary Of Background Data: Recent data indicate that the CSA of the vertebral body is a determinant of LL, which has been shown to be associated with spondylolysis.

Association Between Vertebral Cross-sectional Area and Vertebral Wedging in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Analysis.

A small vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) imparts a mechanical disadvantage that escalates the risk for vertebral fractures in elderly populations. We examined whether a small vertebral CSA is also associated with a greater degree of vertebral wedging in children. Measurements of vertebral CSA, lumbar lordosis (LL) or thoracic scoliosis angle, and vertebral wedging were obtained in 100 healthy adolescents (50 boys and 50 girls) and 25 girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using magnetic resonance imaging.

Biomechanical Modeling of Spine Flexibility and Its Relationship to Spinal Range of Motion and Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design: Cross-sectional.

Objective: To examine the relationships between spine morphology, spine flexibility, and idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: Girls have a higher incidence of clinically significant scoliosis than boys, along with smaller vertebrae and greater flexibility.

Association between vertebral cross-sectional area and lumbar lordosis angle in adolescents.

Lumbar lordosis (LL) is more prominent in women than in men, but the mechanisms responsible for this discrepancy are poorly defined. A recent study indicates that newborn girls have smaller vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) when compared to boys-a difference that persists throughout life and is independent of body size. We determined the relations between vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) and LL angle and whether sex differences in lumbar lordosis are related to sex differences in vertebral CSA.

Vertebral cross-sectional area: an orphan phenotype with potential implications for female spinal health.

A high priority in imaging-based research is the identification of the structural basis that confers greater risk for spinal disorders. New evidence indicates that factors related to sex influence the fetal development of the axial skeleton. Girls are born with smaller vertebral cross-sectional area compared to boys-a sexual dimorphism that is present throughout life and independent of body size.

Abdominal Actinomycosis in Children: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Abdominal actinomycosis is an uncommon pediatric infection that often manifests with a tumor-like lesion. We describe a previously healthy 11-year-old girl who presented with right lower quadrant abdominal pain and drainage. Computed tomography scan showed an abdominal wall mass.

Small vertebral cross-sectional area and tall intervertebral disc in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: When compared to boys, girls have smaller vertebral cross-sectional area, which conveys a greater spinal flexibility, and a higher prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that small vertebral cross-sectional area and tall intervertebral disc height are structural characteristics of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Materials And Methods: Using multiplanar imaging techniques, measures of vertebral cross-sectional area, vertebral height and intervertebral disc height in the lumbar spine were obtained in 35 pairs of girls and 11 pairs of boys with and without adolescent idiopathic scoliosis of the thoracic spine matched for age, height and weight.

Changes in Brown Adipose Tissue and Muscle Development during Infancy.

Objective: To examine the relationship between brown adipose tissue (BAT) and muscle development, two tissues that derive from a common cell lineage, during the first 6 months of postnatal life.

Study Design: Thirty healthy term infants (15 males and females) underwent whole-body magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Measurements of BAT in the supraclavicular area as well as measures of trunk musculature and subcutaneous adiposity were obtained at birth and at 6 months of age.

Radiographic depiction of intra-abdominal fat in newborns: a marker of infants born to diabetic mothers.

Objective: To examine whether the presence of intra-abdominal fat (IAF) in newborns is diagnostic of infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs), and determine whether IAF is merely the consequence of increased body size.

Study Design: Abdominal radiographs of 277 neonates >34 weeks gestational age (147 male and 130 female) were reviewed to determine the presence of IAF. Unpaired t-test and regression analyses were used to examine the influence of gestational age, birth weight, birth length and maternal diabetes on the prevalence and thickness of IAF.

Sexual Dimorphism in Newborn Vertebrae and Its Potential Implications.

Objective: To examine whether the sex-related differences in vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) found in children and at the timing of peak bone mass-a major determinant of osteoporosis and future fracture risk-are also present at birth.

Study Design: Vertebral CSA, vertebral height, and intervertebral disc height were measured using magnetic resonance imaging in 70 healthy full-term newborns (35 males and 35 females). The length and CSA of the humerus, musculature, and adiposity were measured as well.

Effectiveness of diffusion tensor imaging in assessing disease severity in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: preliminary study.

Background: There is currently a lack of suitable objective endpoints to measure disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Emerging research suggests that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has potential as an outcome measure for the evaluation of skeletal muscle injury.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of DTI as quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of disease severity in DMD.

Repeatability of chemical-shift-encoded water-fat MRI and diffusion-tensor imaging in lower extremity muscles in children.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the repeatability of water-fat MRI and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) as quantitative biomarkers of pediatric lower extremity skeletal muscle.

Subjects And Methods: MRI at 3 T of a randomly selected thigh and lower leg of seven healthy children was studied using water-fat separation and DTI techniques. Muscle-fat fraction, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and fractional anisotropy (FA) values were calculated.

Brown adipose tissue in the buccal fat pad during infancy.

Background: The buccal fat pad (BFP) is an encapsulated mass of adipose tissue thought to enhance the sucking capabilities of the masticatory muscles during infancy. To date, no conclusive evidence has been provided as to the composition of the BFP in early postnatal life.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the BFP of neonates and infants is primarily composed of white adipose tissue (WAT) or brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Heterogeneity of muscle fat infiltration in children with spina bifida.

Children with spina bifida have well recognized functional deficits of muscle, but little is known about the associated changes in muscle anatomy and composition. This study used water-fat magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure fat infiltration in the lower extremity muscles of 11 children with myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. MRI measurements of muscle fat fraction (FF) were compared against manual muscle test (MMT) scores for muscle strength.

On the relevance of brown adipose tissue in children.

The visualization of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in pediatric patients undergoing positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examinations is dependent on multiple physiologic and technical factors, such as age, sexual maturity, fat accumulation, disease status, medications, plasma glucose concentration, radiotracer dosage, acquisition parameters, and season and temperature during examinations. Evidence also suggests that children with metabolically active BAT have significantly greater muscle volume than those without visualized BAT, and that in both boys and girls, the amount of BAT increases during puberty. Hence, concurrent with the gains in skeletal muscle during infancy and puberty, all infants and adolescents have large amounts of BAT.