International survey on diagnostic reference levels based on clinical indications in plain radiography.

Purpose: To collect and analyze radiation dose-related data as part of international cooperation; to define diagnostic reference levels (DRL) for 24 X-ray projections in plain radiography (DX) considering anatomical region, clinical task, and procedural technique; and to harmonize the exposure practice across country borders.

Methods: A multicenter study was performed in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland in 2022-23 to provide dose-related data. Healthcare facilities were asked to provide processed data from their dose management systems.

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.

Do Surgical Intervention Type and Baseline Condylar Position Affect Spatial Dimension Changes of the Temporomandibular Joint in the Surgical Correction of Skeletal Class II Deformities?

Background: One of the key features of orthognathic surgery is altering temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condylar positions.

Purpose: This multivariate study aimed to identify surgical interventions and patient factors significantly associated with changes in TMJ spatial dimensions after the surgical correction of skeletal Class II deformities.

Study Design, Setting, Sample: This is a retrospective cohort study including patients who had undergone an isolated bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSO) or a bimaxillary osteotomy (BMO) for mandibular advancement and a control sample of patients treated with the removal of odontogenic cysts in the mandibular posterior region.

Rhinoresistometry as a Cost-Efficient and Time-Saving Alternative to Acoustic Rhinometry for Longitudinal Assessment of Nasal Patency in Orthognathic Surgery.

Rhinoresistometry (RRM) is implemented along with active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR) and can evaluate nasal dimensions [hydraulic diameter (HD)]. As acoustic rhinometry (AR) is time-consuming, the authors investigated if RRM can be an efficient alternative to AR in nasal dimension assessment in orthognathic surgery. In patients undergoing maxillary advancement and impaction (cases) and removal of maxillary cysts (controls), the authors evaluated RRM and AR, before and 1 year after surgery.

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.

The long-term effect of maxillary advancement and impaction on subjective and objective nasal patency: A retrospective case-control study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the change of nasal patency after maxillary advancement and impaction (MAX) in subjects with skeletal class III malocclusion (cases) and after removal of maxillary cysts in close proximity to the nasal floor in subjects that served as controls. NOSE score, volume derived by computed tomography (VOL), and acoustic rhinometry and rhinomanometry were retrospectively evaluated, before and one year after surgery. The movement of specific landmarks was also measured.

Modeling the effect of bilateral sagittal split osteotomy on posterior, superior and medial space dimensions of the temporomandibular joint: a retrospective controlled cohort study.

Background: To model the effect of isolated bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) on changes in posterior (PSD), superior (SSD), and medial space dimensions (MSD) of the temporomandibular joint.

Methods: Using a retrospective cohort study design, pre- and postoperative (immediately after surgery; 1 year follow-up) cone-beam computed tomography measurements of 36 patients who had undergone BSSO for mandibular advancement were compared with a control group of 25 subjects from whom a mandibular odontogenic cyst was removed under general anesthesia. Generalized estimation equation (GEE) models were used to examine the independent effects of study group, preoperative condylar position, and time points on PSD, SSD, and MSD adjusting for covariates (age, sex, and mandibular advancement).

Identification and characterization of patients being exposed to computed-tomography associated radiation-doses above 100 mSv in a real-life setting.

Rationale And Objectives: Patients receiving high cumulative effective doses (CED) from recurrent computed tomography (CT) in a real-life setting are not well identified. Evaluation of causes and patient characteristics may help to define individuals potentially at risk of radiation-induced secondary malignancies.

Materials And Methods: Patients who received a CED > 100 mSv from CT scans during October 2012 and April 2020 at a tertiary university center were identified with the help of a radiological radiation dose monitoring system.

Retrospective Investigation of Cranial Volume and Cephalic Index in Patients with Nonsyndromic Sagittal Synostosis Operated by Total Vault Remodeling.

Background: Premature fusion of cranial sutures affects skull development and leads to head deformity. Intracranial pressure increase and brain growth restriction can occur in untreated craniosynostosis. Operative treatment aims to achieve an immediate and long-lasting correction of skull shape that is close to the average and to prevent or release possible increased intracranial pressure by increasing the intracranial volume (ICV) or normalizing the ICV if it is already below the standards.

Repetitive T1 Imaging Influences Gray Matter Volume Estimations in Structural Brain Imaging.

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a widely used tool for studying structural patterns of brain plasticity, brain development and disease. The source of the T-signal changes is not understood. Most of these changes are discussed to represent loss or possibly gain of brain gray matter and recent publications speculate also about non-structural changes affecting T-signal.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Thermometry at 3 Tesla: Importance of Calibration Measurements.

To demonstrate the importance of calibration measurements in 3 Tesla proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (H-MRS) thermometry for human brain temperature estimation for routine clinical applications. proton MR spectroscopy to obtain calibration constants of the water-chemical shift was conducted at 3 Tesla with a temperature-controlled phantom, containing a pH-buffered aqueous solution of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), methylene protons of Cr (Cr2), dimethyl silapentane sulfonic acid (DSS), and sodium formate (NaFor). Estimations of absolute human brain temperature were performed utilizing the correlation of temperature to the water-chemical shift for the resonances of NAA, Cr, and Cr2.

Behavioural and neural responses to aversive visceral stimuli in women with primary dysmenorrhoea.

Background: Chronic pelvic pain, in particular dysmenorrhoea, is a significant yet unresolved healthcare problem in gynaecology. As interoceptive sensitivity and underlying neural mechanisms remain incompletely understood, this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study assessed behavioural and neural responses to visceral stimuli in primary dysmenorrhoea (PMD).

Methods: Women with PMD (N = 19) without psychological comorbidity and healthy women (N = 20) were compared with respect to visceral sensory and pain thresholds, and to neural responses to individually calibrated mildly painful and painful rectal distensions implemented during scanning.

The involvement of NK1 and Y2 receptor in the development of laser-induced CNVs in C57Bl/6N mice.

Purpose: to explore whether the NK1 and Y2 receptors are involved in the pathogenesis of laser-induced CNV (choroidal neovascularization) in C57Bl/6N mice.

Methods: CNV was induced by laser damage of Bruch's membrane and the CNV volume was determined by OCT and/or flatmount preparation. First, the development of the CNV volume over time was evaluated.

Asymmetric pedicle subtractionosteotomy (aPSO) guided by a 3D-printed model to correct a combined fixed sagittal and coronal imbalance.

Surgical correction of fixed thoracolumbar deformity is usually achieved by estimating the preoperatively planned correction angles during surgery and is therefore prone to inaccuracy. This is particularly problematic in biplanar deformities. To overcome these difficulties, 3D model for planning, preparation, and simulation of an asymmetric pedicle subtraction osteotomy (aPSO) was printed and used to realign coronal and sagittal balance in case of rigid degenerative kyphoscoliosis.

Reconstruction of large cranial defects with poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) using a rapid prototyping model and a new technique for intraoperative implant modeling.

Background: Reconstruction of large cranial defects after craniectomy can be accomplished by free-hand poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) or industrially manufactured implants. The free-hand technique often does not achieve satisfactory cosmetic results but is inexpensive. In an attempt to combine the accuracy of specifically manufactured implants with low cost of PMMA.

Neural Correlates of the Appraisal of Attachment Scenes in Healthy Controls and Social Cognition-An fMRI Study.

The human attachment system is activated in situations of danger such as potential separation, threats of loss of a significant other and potential insecurity on the availability of the attachment figure. To date, however, a precise characterization of the neural correlates of the attachment system in healthy individuals is lacking. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aims at characterizing the distinctive neural substrates activated by the exposure to attachment vs.

Custom implant design for large cranial defects.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to introduce a computer-aided design (CAD) tool that enables the design of large skull defect (>100 [Formula: see text]) implants. Functional and aesthetically correct custom implants are extremely important for patients with large cranial defects. For these cases, preoperative fabrication of implants is recommended to avoid problems of donor site morbidity, sufficiency of donor material and quality.

Between- and within-site variability of fMRI localizations.

This study provides first data about the spatial variability of fMRI sensorimotor localizations when investigating the same subjects at different fMRI sites. Results are comparable to a previous patient study. We found a median between-site variability of about 6 mm independent of task (motor or sensory) and experimental standardization (high or low).

[Dose management in radiology: Review of the technological status].

Background: The Euratom directive 2013/59 ("EU directive for radiation protection") has to be implemented into national law by spring 2018 and requires a complete recording of patient dosages and relevant parameters. Additionally, a medical physics expert has to be consulted for each radiological examination above a defined threshold.

Objectives: A complete recording of the dosage administered from all modalities and optimization of the radiological procedures should result in a reduction of the total dosage.

Variability of clinical functional MR imaging results: a multicenter study.

Purpose: To investigate intersite variability of clinical functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, including influence of task standardization on variability and use of various parameters to inform the clinician whether the reliability of a given functional localization is high or low.

Materials And Methods: Local ethics committees approved the study; all participants gave written informed consent. Eight women and seven men (mean age, 40 years) were prospectively investigated at three experienced functional MR sites with 1.

Does caffeine modulate verbal working memory processes? An fMRI study.

To assess the effect of caffeine on the functional MRI signal during a 2-back verbal working memory task, we examined blood oxygenation level-dependent regional brain activity in 15 healthy right-handed males. The subjects, all moderate caffeine consumers, underwent two scanning sessions on a 1.5-T MR-Scanner separated by a 24- to 48-h interval.

Neural substrates for episodic encoding and recognition of unfamiliar faces.

Functional MRI was used to investigate brain activation in healthy volunteers during encoding of unfamiliar faces as well as during correct recognition of newly learned faces (CR) compared to correct identification of distractor faces (CF), missed alarms (not recognizing previously presented faces, MA), and false alarms (incorrectly recognizing newly presented faces, FA). Encoding was associated with frontal, occipital/fusiform, thalamic, and cerebellar activation. CR produced activation in frontal and cerebellar regions, whereas CF activated frontal and occipitotemporal regions as well as the thalamus.

The neural regions sustaining episodic encoding and recognition of objects.

In this functional MRI experiment, encoding of objects was associated with activation in left ventrolateral prefrontal/insular and right dorsolateral prefrontal and fusiform regions as well as in the left putamen. By contrast, correct recognition of previously learned objects (R judgments) produced activation in left superior frontal, bilateral inferior frontal, and right cerebellar regions, whereas correct rejection of distractor objects (N judgments) was associated with activation in bilateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, in right parietal and cerebellar regions, in the left putamen, and in the right caudate nucleus. The R minus N comparison showed activation in the left lateral prefrontal cortex and in bilateral cingulate cortices and precunei, while the N minus R comparison did not reveal any positive signal change.