Index by author

The authors evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of differentiating cerebral microbleeds and calcifications from phase patterns in axial locations in 31 consecutive patients undergoing both CT and MR imaging for acute infarction and exhibiting dark spots in gradient-echo magnitude images. Six patients had additional quantitative susceptibility mapping images. To determine their susceptibility, 2 radiologists separately investigated the phase patterns in the border and central sections. Among 190 gradient-echo dark spots, 62 calcifications and 128 cerebral microbleeds were detected from CT. Interobserver reliability was higher for the border phase patterns than for the central phase patterns. The sensitivity and specificity of the border phase patterns in identifying calcifications were higher than those of the central phase patterns, particularly for lesions >2.5 mm in diameter and quantitative susceptibility mapping of dark spots. They conclude that the border phase patterns were more accurate than the central phase patterns in differentiating calcifications and cerebral microbleeds and were as accurate as quantitative susceptibility mapping.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the shape (bilobed or indented appearance of the Meckel cave) or the size/volume of the Meckel cave on T2-weighted MRI could serve as a noninvasive diagnostic imaging marker for the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The authors studied 75 patients with a diagnosis of IIH and 75 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. The transverse diameter of the Meckel cave was measured in the axial and coronal planes of T2-weighted MRI, and comparison was made between the 2 groups. Of 75 patients with an approved diagnosis of IIH, 57 (76%) showed an indented Meckel cave as opposed to 21 (28%) in the control group. They conclude that the shape and size of the Meckel cave can be used as sensitive and specific diagnostic imaging markers for the diagnosis of IIH.