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This was a single-center, retrospective study of 205 consecutive patients who were referred for vessel wall MR imaging to clarify the etiology of an ischemic stroke or TIA. An expert panel classified stroke etiology before and after incorporating vessel wall MR imaging results using a modified Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment system. Vessel wall MR imaging altered the etiologic classification in 55% (112/205) of patients. The proportion of patients classified as having intracranial arteriopathy not otherwise specified decreased from 31% to 4% (64/205 versus 9/205) and the proportion classified as having intracranial atherosclerotic disease increased from 23% to 57%. When vessel wall MR imaging is performed to clarify the etiology of a stroke or TIA, it frequently alters the etiologic classification, which is the basis for therapeutic decision-making.

Ten patients with clinically suspected facetogenic low back pain were prospectively recruited with a designation of specific facet joints implicated clinically. Subsequently, patients underwent an FDG-PET/MR imaging examination with gadolinium. Each facet joint was graded for perifacet signal change on MR imaging and FDG activity. The frequency and correlation of MR imaging, FDG-PET, and clinical findings were determined. There was low concordance of perifacet signal change and FDG activity with clinically implicated facet joints. This could indicate either the potential to change patient management or a lack of biomarker accuracy.