Investigation of Whole Spine MRI in the Emergency Department at Two Large Tertiary Care Academic Medical Centers in the United States.

Rationale And Objectives: The impact of emergent whole spine magnetic resonance imaging (WS-MRI) on patient management has not been extensively studied to date. Here, we explore indications, results, and outcomes associated with WS-MRI performed through the emergency departments (EDs) of 2 large tertiary care, academic medical centers in the Northeastern United States. We hypothesize that given a relatively low barrier to entry, coupled with lack of appropriateness guidelines, a sizeable proportion of WS-MRI studies performed emergently do not result in spine findings necessitating inpatient admission for immediate treatment.

Head and Brain Postmortem Computed Tomography-Autopsy Correlation in Hospital Deaths.

The use of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) to support autopsy pathology has increased in recent decades. To some extent, PMCT has also been contemplated as a potential alternative to conventional postmortem examination. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of PMCT to detect specific pathologic findings in the head and brain in natural hospital deaths.

Evaluating Marrow Signal Intensity: Comparison of T1 FLAIR and T1 FSE Images.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is a difference in the appearance of the marrow signal intensity on T1 FLAIR and T1 FSE images, and if so, whether the difference is related to age. T1 FLAIR and T1 FSE sequences, obtained prospectively in 93 patients, were compared after excluding patients older than 75 years, and patients with a history of prior lumbar surgery, or a predisposing medical condition, e.g.

Imaging manifestations of malignant neoplasia mimicking pyogenic osteodiscitis.

Malignant neoplasia involving contiguous vertebrae and the corresponding intervertebral discs is a rare occurrence that has similar imaging manifestations as pyogenic osteodiscitis. The authors describe the imaging manifestations of two cases of malignant neoplasia mimicking pyogenic osteodiscitis. We present a case of an 83-year-old male with metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma and an 82-year-old female with a plasmacytoma, both within the thoracic spine.

Intracranial multifocal dural involvement in multiple myeloma: case report and review of the literature.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable clonal B-cell malignancy with terminally differentiated plasma cells that accounts for 1% of all malignancies in the United States. It may present with tumors consisting of discrete masses of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells in either bone or soft tissues. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement of myeloma is uncommon and is observed in approximately 1% of cases.