Background: Extracerebral fluid collections in infancy are a common diagnostic problem, because by noninvasive imaging studies (including cranial ultrasonography, CT and NMR), no definite differentiation between two distinct pathological conditions can be found until today: An enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces in children with macrocephaly is a frequent observation of mostly unknown etiology but is known to be associated with a good prognosis. If surgery is necessary in these patients, ventricular shunting is required. On the other hand subdural effusions are often of traumatic origin and require frequently neurosurgical intervention (subdural shunting). Most reports on extracerebral fluid collections in infancy have not differentiated between both pathological conditions and therefore reveal confusing results. Recent studies using magnetic resonance imaging have shown that vascular flow phenomena in the arachnoid space can be used to a reliable diagnosis, whereas previous noninvasive neuroimaging attempts including high resolution computerized tomography (CT) have been useless.
Patients And Methods: We investigated a cohort of 20 patients aged 4 mths to 30 mths (mean 10.5 +/- 6.6 months) 16 with the history of macrocephaly and normal neurological development and 4 patients after head trauma and symptoms of an elevated intracranial pressure.
Results: In all 16 patients with the clinical diagnosis of benign subarachnoid space enlargement colour coded Doppler sonography detected archnoid vessels within the fluid collection, furthermore high resolution ultrasound demonstrated the dural border of of the arachnoidea as an echogenic membrane, an observation useful as a further sign of the subarachnoid location of the fluid collection. In the 4 patients with subdural hematoma the fluid collection showed an increased echogenity, no vascular structures and no surrounding border.
Conclusion: Out of these observations we conclude that high resolution ultrasound and colour-Doppler sonography are able to reliably differentiate between a subdural and a subarachnoid fluid collection. An NMR investigation with its higher risks (sedation, anesthesia) focused on this target only seems therefore to be not necessary in these patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-2008-1044003 | DOI Listing |
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Alzheimer Center Limburg, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Importance: Baseline cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and APOE ε4 allele copy number are important risk factors for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) receiving therapies to lower amyloid-β plaque levels.
Objective: To provide prevalence estimates of any, no more than 4, or fewer than 2 CMBs in association with amyloid status, APOE ε4 copy number, and age.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study used data included in the Amyloid Biomarker Study data pooling initiative (January 1, 2012, to the present [data collection is ongoing]).
JAMA Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden.
Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Vet Sci
January 2025
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, Linnaeus Veterinary Limited, Winchester, United Kingdom.
Infectious meningoencephalitides represent an important differential diagnosis for meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) in dogs. Treatment of the latter requires immunosuppression, but laboratory test results for infectious agents may take several days to return. This study investigated whether the presence of masticatory muscle changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head can be used to distinguish dogs with neosporosis from those with MUO at the time of diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Pediatr
January 2025
Henan Provincial Institute of Medical Genetics, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Objective: Our study aimed to collect fetuses with recurrent 1q21.1 deletion or duplication syndrome for systematic clinical phenotype analysis to further delineate the intrauterine phenotype features of the two reciprocal syndromes.
Methods: Prenatal samples, including amniotic fluid and chorionic villus samples, were obtained by amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling at our center, respectively.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Background And Objective: Neurobrucellosis is a rare neurological disorder characterized by diverse clinical manifestations. Although several relevant cases were reported, our understanding of this disorder is limited. In this study, we presented the clinical and imaging characteristics of four cases of neurobrucellosis.
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