scholarly journals Cerebral Diffusion and T2: MRI Predictors of Acute Mountain Sickness during Sustained High-Altitude Hypoxia

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S Hunt ◽  
Rebecca J Theilmann ◽  
Zachary M Smith ◽  
Miriam Scadeng ◽  
David J Dubowitz

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a sensitive indicator of cerebral hypoxia. We investigated if apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and transverse relaxation (T2) predict symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS), or merely indicate the AMS phenotype irrespective of symptoms. Fourteen normal subjects were studied in two groups; unambiguous AMS and no-AMS at 3,800 m altitude (intermediate AMS scores were excluded). T2 relaxation was estimated from a T2 index of T2-weighted signal normalized by cerebrospinal fluid signal. Measurements were made in normoxia and repeated after 2 days sustained hypoxia (AMS group symptomatic and no-AMS group asymptomatic) and after 7 days hypoxia (both groups asymptomatic). Decreased ADC directly predicted AMS symptoms ( P < 0.05). Apparent diffusion coefficient increased in asymptomatic subjects, or as symptoms abated with acclimatization. This pattern was similar in basal ganglia, white matter, and gray matter. Corpus callosum behaved differently; restricted diffusion was absent (or rapidly reversed) in the splenium, and was sustained in the genu. In symptomatic subjects, T2,index decreased after 2 days hypoxia and further decreased after 7 days. In asymptomatic subjects, T2,index initially increased after 2 days, but decreased after 7 days. T2,index changes were not predictive of AMS symptoms. These findings indicate that restricted diffusion, an indicator of diminished cerebral energy status, directly predicts symptoms of AMS in humans at altitude.

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1528-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu Xiaohang ◽  
Zhou Bingni ◽  
Zhou Liangping ◽  
Peng Weijun ◽  
Yang Xiaoqun ◽  
...  

Background Prostate cancer and stromal hyperplasia (SH) in the transition zone (TZ) are difficult to discriminate by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Purpose To investigate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of prostate cancer and SH in the TZ with histogram analysis and the ability of ADC metrics to differentiate between these two tissues. Material and Methods Thirty-three cancer and 29 SH lesions in the TZ of 54 patients undergoing preoperative DWI (b-value 0, 1000 s/mm2) were analyzed. All the lesions on the MR images were localized based on histopathologic correlations. The 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles, and the mean ADC values were calculated for the two tissues and compared. The efficiencies of the 10th, 25th, and 50th ADC percentiles in differentiating the two tissues were compared with that of the mean ADC with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results The 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles and mean ADC values (×10−3 mm2/s) were 0.86 ± 0.15, 0.89 ± 0.16, 0.94 ± 0.16, and 1.03 ± 0.17 in SH and 0.64 ± 0.12, 0.69 ± 0.12, 0.72 ± 0.16, and 0.83 ± 0.15 in TZ cancer, respectively. The parameters were all significantly lower in cancer than SH. The 10th ADC percentile yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.87 for the differentiation of carcinomas from SH, which was higher than the mean ADC (0.80) ( P < 0.05), and the AUCs of the 25th (0.82) and 50th (0.83) percentiles exhibited no differences from those of the mean ADC ( P > 0.05). Conclusion Histogram analysis of ADC values may potentially improve the differentiation of prostate cancer from SH in the TZ.


2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 1294-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ga Eun Park ◽  
Sung Hun Kim ◽  
Eun Jeong Kim ◽  
Bong Joo Kang ◽  
Mi Sun Park

Background Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Recent studies showed that apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values have various association with tumor aggressiveness and prognosis. Purpose To evaluate the value of histogram analysis of ADC values obtained from the whole tumor volume in invasive ductal cancer (IDC) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Material and Methods This retrospective study included 201 patients with confirmed DCIS (n = 37) and IDC (n = 164). The IDC group was divided into two groups based on the presence of a DCIS component: IDC–DCIS (n = 76) and pure IDC (n = 88). All patients underwent preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted images at 3.0 T. Histogram parameters of cumulative ADC values, skewness, and kurtosis were calculated and statistically analyzed. Results The differences between DCIS, IDC–DCIS, and pure IDC were significant in all percentiles of ADC values, in descending order of DCIS, IDC–DCIS, and pure IDC. IDC showed significantly lower ADC values than DCIS, and ADC50 was the best indicator for discriminating IDC from DCIS, with a threshold of 1.185 × 10–3 mm2/s (sensitivity of 82.9%, specificity of 75.7%). However, multivariate analysis of obtained ADC values showed no significant differences between DCIS, IDC–DCIS, and pure IDC ( P > 0.05). Conclusion Volume-based ADC values showed association with heterogeneity of breast cancer. However, there was no additional diagnostic performance in histogram analysis for differentiating between DCIS, IDC–DCIS, and pure IDC.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1369-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Verdonck ◽  
Hana Lahrech ◽  
Gilles Francony ◽  
Olivier Carle ◽  
Régine Farion ◽  
...  

Erythropoietin (Epo) is gaining interest in various neurological insults as a possible neuroprotective agent. We determined the effects of recombinant human Epo (rhEpo, 5000 IU per kg bw) on brain edema induced in rats by traumatic brain injury (TBI; impact-acceleration model; rhEpo administration 30 mins after injury). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a gravimetric technique were applied. In the MRI experiments, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and the tissue T1 relaxation time were measured hourly in the neocortex and caudoputamen, during a 6 h time span after TBI. In the gravimetric experiments, brain water content (BWC) was determined in these two regions, 6 h after TBI. Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements showed that rhEpo decreased brain edema early and durably. Gravimetric measurements showed that rhEpo decreased BWC at H6 in the neocortex as well as in the caudoputamen. No significant differences in ADC, in T1, or in BWC were found between rhEpo treated-TBI rats and sham-operated rats. Our findings show that post-traumatic administration of rhEpo can significantly reduce the development of brain edema in a model of diffuse TBI. Further studies should be conducted to identify the biochemical mechanisms involved in these immediate effects and to assess the use of rhEpo as a possible therapy for post-traumatic brain edema.


Author(s):  
H Taheri ◽  
M B Tavakoli

Background: aimed to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of two different cerebellar pediatric tumors, including ependymoma and medulloblastoma which have shown similar clinical images in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods.Material and Methods: Thirty six pediatric patients who were suspected to have the mentioned tumors according to their CT image findings were included in this study. The patients were subjected to conventional MRI protocols followed by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and ADC values of the tumors were calculated automatically using MRI scanner software.Results: The mean (± SD) ADC value for ependymoma (1.2± 0.06 ×10-3 mm2/s) was significantly higher than medulloblastoma (0.87 ± 0.02 ×10-3 mm2/s) (p = 0.041). Moreover, the maximum ADC value of ependymoma was considerably different in comparison with medulloblastoma (1.4 ×10-3 mm2/s and 0.96×10-3 mm2/s, respectively; p = 0.035) Furthermore, the minimum ADC value of ependymoma was higher compared to medulloblastoma (1.0 ×10-3 mm2/s and 0.61×10-3 mm2/s, respectively), but it was not significant (p = 0.067).Conclusion: Evaluation of ADC values for ependymoma and medulloblastoma is a reliable method to differentiate these two malignancies. This is due to different ADC values reflected during the evaluation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 1053-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan D. Bander ◽  
Samuel H. Jones ◽  
Ilhami Kovanlikaya ◽  
Theodore H. Schwartz

OBJECT Brain retraction systems are frequently required to achieve surgical exposure of deep-seated brain lesions. Spatula-based systems can be associated with injury to the cortex and deep white matter, particularly adjacent to the sharp edges, which can result in uneven pressure on the parenchyma over the course of a long operation. The use of tubular retractor systems has been proposed as a method to overcome these limitations. There have been no studies assessing the degree of brain injury associated with the use of tubular retractors. METHODS Twenty patients were retrospectively identified at Weill Cornell Medical College who underwent resection of deep-seated brain lesions between 2005 and 2014 with the aid of a METRx tubular retractor system. Using the Brainlab software, pre- and postoperative images were analyzed to assess volume, depth, extent of resection, and change in postoperative MR FLAIR hyperintensity and restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). RESULTS The mean preoperative tumor volume was 16.25 ± 17.6 cm3. Gross-total resection was achieved in 75%, near-total resection in 10%, and subtotal resection in 15% of patients. There was a small but not statistically significant increase in average FLAIR hyperintensity volume by 3.25 ± 10.51 cm3 (p = 0.16). The average postoperative volume of DWI high signal area with restricted diffusion on apparent diffusion coefficient maps was 8.35 ± 3.05 cm3. Assuming that the volume of restricted diffusion on DWI around tumor was 0 preoperatively, this represented a statistically significant increase on DWI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Although tubular retractors do not appear to significantly increase FLAIR signal in the brain, DWI intensity around the retractors can be identified. These data indicate that although tubular retractors may minimize damage to surrounding tissues, they still cause cytotoxic edema and cellular damage. Objective comparison against other retraction methods, as compared by 3D volumetric analysis or similar methods, will be important in determining the true advantage of tubular retractor systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 416-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myles T. Taffel ◽  
Lyndon Luk ◽  
Justin M. Ream ◽  
Andrew B. Rosenkrantz

Purpose To evaluate whole-lesion 3D-histogram apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) metrics for assessment of pancreatic malignancy. Methods Forty-two pancreatic malignancies (36 pancreatic adenocarcinoma [PDAC], 6 pancreatic neuroendocrine [PanNET]) underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion-weighted imaging before endoscopic ultrasound biopsy or surgical resection. Two radiologists independently placed 3D volumes of interest to derive whole-lesion histogram ADC metrics. Mann-Whitney tests and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to assess metrics’ diagnostic performance for lesion histology, T-stage, N-stage, and grade. Results Whole-lesion ADC histogram metrics lower in PDACs than PanNETs for both readers ( P ≤ .026) were mean ADC (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.787-0.792), mean of the bottom 10th percentile (mean0-10) (AUC = 0.787-0.880), mean of the 10th-25th percentile (mean10-25) (AUC = 0.884-0.917) and mean of the 25th-50th percentile (mean25-50) (AUC = 0.829-0.829). For mean10-25 (metric with highest AUC for identifying PDAC), for reader 1 a threshold > 0.94 × 10−3 mm2/s achieved sensitivity 94% and specificity 83%, and for reader 2 a threshold > 0.82 achieved sensitivity 97% and specificity 67%. Metrics lower in nodal status ≥ N1 than N0 for both readers ( P ≤ .043) were mean0-10 (AUC = 0.789-0.822) and mean10-25 (AUC = 0.800-0.822). For mean10-25 (metric with highest AUC for identifying N0), for reader 1 a threshold <1.17 achieved sensitivity 87% and specificity 67%, and for reader 2 a threshold <1.04 achieved sensitivity 87% and specificity 83%. No metric was associated with T-stage ( P > .195) or grade ( P > .215). Conclusion Volumetric ADC histogram metrics may serve as non-invasive biomarkers of pancreatic malignancy. Mean10-25 outperformed standard mean for lesion histology and nodal status, supporting the role of histogram analysis.


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