Contrast/Noise ratio on conventional MRI and choline/creatine ratio on proton MRI spectroscopy accurately discriminate low-grade from high-grade cerebral gliomas.

Rationale And Objectives: Histopathology is the gold standard to establish the grade of brain tumors but biopsy and/or surgery are not always possible. The aim of this study is to determine whether histological grade of tumors may be predicted by means of conventional gadolinium-enhanced MRI and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Materials And Methods: In this study, we included 35 consecutive patients with single brain tumors and final histopathological verification: 12 had low-grade glioma, 16 had high-grade glioma, and 7 had single metastasis.

Relationship between low back pain, disability, MR imaging findings and health care provider.

Objective: To determine the association between the self-report of pain and disability and findings on lumbar MR images, and to compare two different health care providers in Spanish patients with low back pain (LBP).

Design: Cross-sectional

Material And Methods: A total of 278 patients, 137 men and 141 women aged 44+/-14 years submitted with low back pain (LBP) were studied. One hundred and nine patients were from the National Health System (NHS) and 169 from private practice.

[Urological works and biography of Dr. Felipe Alcalá Santaella Nuñez (1927-1977). Historical documentary analysis].

Objectives: In the middle of the 20th century, Urology in Valencia was fully consolidated as a surgical speciality since Prof. Molla started it about the end of the 19th century; Dr. Felipe Alcala Santaella Nuñez stands out as the chairman of the Department of Urology of the "Hospital Provincial de Valencia", after his father Dr.

Low-high and high-low biphasic injection forms in computed tomography examinations of the upper abdomen.

Purpose: To analyze the influence of different biphasic and monophasic injection rate protocols in abdominal computed tomography (CT).

Material And Methods: A randomized, consecutive, parallel group study was designed and conducted in 60 patients studied with the same CT helical protocol. Patients were randomly distributed into three groups: (A) monophasic (120 ml at 2.

Evidence of brain damage after high-altitude climbing by means of magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: There are only anecdotal and small reports on brain systematic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in mountain climbers. The purpose of our work is to study the risk of brain lesions in mountain climbers by means of conventional MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Methods: We recruited 35 climbers consecutively (12 were professional and 23 were amateur) in 4 expeditions without supplementary oxygen: 12 professionals and one amateur went up to Mt.

White matter proton MR spectroscopy in children with isolated developmental delay: does it mean delayed myelination?

Rationale And Objectives: Isolated developmental delay (IDD) is a common disorder in preschool and school-age children. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) usually does not disclose abnormalities, but a myelination delay is suspected as causative or associated factor. N-acetyl-aspartate is a surrogate marker of neuronal integrity but also of axonal integrity.

[Intraoperative factors predictive of failure of the ambulatory regimen after laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

Objectives: To determine which intraoperative factors during ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy predict postoperative admission.

Material And Method: Between January 1999 and August 2003, we attempted 410 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Intraoperative variables were analyzed using univariate and multivariate methods.

Relationship between Northwick Park neck pain questionnaire and cervical spine MR imaging findings.

The study was aimed at determining the association between the self-report of pain and disability by means of Northwick neck pain questionnaire (NPQ) and cervical spine MR imaging findings. A random sample of 251 patients, 132 men and 119 women aged 43+/-13 years, submitted with neck pain were investigated. Patients with previous discitis, surgery, neoplasm or hospitalized for cervical spine trauma were excluded.

The contribution of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and echoplanar perfusion-weighted MRI in the initial assessment of brain tumours.

Conventional Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are the cornerstone in the initial evaluation of brain tumours. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the contribution of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Perfusion-weighted MRI to distinguish malignant from benign tumours. We included 55 patients diagnosed with single brain tumour by CT and MRI, and final histopathological verification of the tumour type: 25 were low-grade gliomas, 8 anaplastic gliomas, 11 glioblastomas, and 11 solitary metastases.

Comparative study of cerebral white matter in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Rationale And Objectives: Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders whose pathophysiology is mostly unknown. As far as the symptoms are different and, in some aspects, opposed, we hypothesize that there must be biochemical differences in the brain of the afflicted children. The aim of the study is to analyze comparatively the metabolite concentration of the cerebral white matter in autism, in ADHD, and in a control group of healthy children to test the hypothesis that N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) is decreased in autism and increased in ADHD.

Magnetic resonance myelography evaluation of the lumbar spine end plates and intervertebral disks.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of magnetic resonance (MR) myelography in the evaluation of intervertebral disk and end-plate degenerative changes in the lumbar spine.

Material And Methods: Conventional MR and MR myelography examinations were performed in 150 consecutive patients (69 F and 81 M, mean age 45+/-15 years, range 18 89). Sagittal T1 and T2-weighted TSE images were compared to MR myelography obtained with a multishot-TSE-T2-weighted sequence (4000/250/fat suppression).

Dural enhancement with primary calvarial lesions.

The purpose of this study was to relate the pathological and imaging features of dural enhancement and meningeal sign ("dural tail") on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images from patients with primary calvarial lesions as well to assess the accuracy of MR imaging in predicting dural invasion. Thirty-two calvarial tumors studied with contrast-enhanced MR imaging and histopathological examination of the dural specimens were reviewed. Sixteen patients presented dural enhancement, eight with tumor invasion.

Etiological and therapeutical observations in a case of belly dancer's dyskinesia.

We report on the case of a woman with belly dancer's syndrome. This case presented two peculiarities: (1) the condition was induced by the chronic use of clebopride, and (2) abdominal dyskinesias showed a dramatic response to the application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

Quality of life (GIQLI) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy usefulness in patients with gallbladder dysfunction or chronic non-lithiasic biliary pain (chronic acalculous cholecystitis).

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, clinical features and role of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in patients with chronic acalculous cholecystitis (CAC) in comparison with a control group of patients who underwent cholecystectomy for chronic calculous cholecystitis (CCC).

Material And Methods: Prospective evaluation of 34 patients with CAC in contrast with 297 patients with CCC.

Outcome Measures: Clinical presentation, quality of life using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI), usefulness derived from the therapeutic procedure as measured in quality of life units by GIQLI, and clinical efficacy at one year of follow-up.

Recent failures of new potential symptomatic treatments for Parkinson's disease: causes and solutions.

One major goal of current research in Parkinson's disease (PD) is the discovery of novel agents to improve symptomatic management. The object of these new treatments should be to provide effective symptom control throughout the course of the disease without the development of side effects such as motor and psychiatric complications. Results of several clinical trials of new treatment options reported in the past 2 years have shown negative or unsatisfactory results.

Effects of gabapentin on the motor response to levodopa: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in patients with complicated Parkinson disease.

Background: Motor fluctuations and dyskinesias affect many parkinsonian patients chronically treated with levodopa. Imbalance between gabaergic direct and indirect striatopallidal pathways may originate them. Manipulating GABA neurotransmission may be effective in the treatment of these patients.

The multiple monoblock toe-to-hand transfer in digital reconstruction. a report of ten cases.

Ten hands with multiple traumatic finger amputations or congenital agenesis underwent reconstruction by monoblock transfer of multiple toes. Eight patients underwent monoblock transfer of the great and second toes, one patient received the great toe and the metatarsophalangeal joint from the second toe with the same vascular pedicle, and another patient the great, second and third toes as a block. Only part of the great toe was ever taken, while the second toe was totally or partially taken.

[Hypothesis: Parkinson's disease, reward deficiency syndrome and addictive effects of levodopa].

Since Parkinson's disease (PD) patients could suffer from a reward deficiency syndrome, they are particularly prone to develop addictive behaviours. Dopamine is involved in reward processing and in addiction. Pulsatile administration of antiparkinsonian drugs may lead to the development of dyskinesias and addictive behaviours.

Pharmacological and PET studies in patient's with Parkinson's disease and a short duration-motor response: implications in the pathophysiology of motor complications.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and levodopa-induced motor complications experience a short-duration response (SDR) to levodopa which can be considered the basis of motor fluctuations. The SDR is characterized by reduced response duration, increased magnitude of the response and reduced latency to the peak effect. A short latency and a high magnitude are the most salient pharmacological features of the SDR.

MR-myelography as an adjunct to the MR examination of the degenerative spine.

Our objective was to analyse the usefulness of single-slice MR-myelography images as a complementary test to conventional MR of the spine in patients with clinically suspected degenerative spine disease. A prospective analysis of 1022 consecutive patients studied with conventional MR and MR-myelography (four acquisitions: one coronal plane, one sagittal plane, and two oblique lateral, right and left planes) examinations was performed. Conventional MR and MR-myelography studies were classified as positive when morphological or structural alterations were noted.

Conversion from dopamine agonists to pramipexole. An open-label trial in 227 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

Background: Pramipexole is a nonergoline dopamine agonist with D2 and preferential D3 dopamine receptor activity. This selective activity may result in clinically different effects. Small clinical trials indicate that overnight switching from one agonist to another can be performed safely.

[Diagnosis of calvarial lesions. Feature selection by neural network and logistic regression].

Objectives: To establish the minimun set of features needed in the diagnosis of calvarial lesions using computed tomography (CT) and to assess the accuracy of logistic regression (LR) and artificial neural networks (NN) for their diagnosis.

Material And Methods: 167 patients with calvarial lesions as the only known disease were enrolled. The clinical and CT data were used for LR and NN models.