More articles from Adult Brain
- Pipeline Embolization Device in the Treatment of Recurrent Previously Stented Cerebral Aneurysms
Twenty-one patients with previously stented recurrent aneurysms who later underwent Pipeline Embolization Device placement (group 1) were retrospectively identified and compared with 63 patients who had treatment with the Pipeline with no prior stent placement (group 2). Pipeline treatment resulted in complete aneurysm occlusion in 55.6% of patients in group 1 versus 80.4% of patients in group 2. The retreatment rate in group 1 was 11.1% versus 7.1% in group 2. The authors conclude that the Pipeline is less effective in the management of previously stented aneurysms than when used in nonstented aneurysms.
- Lateral Asymmetry and Spatial Difference of Iron Deposition in the Substantia Nigra of Patients with Parkinson Disease Measured with Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping
The authors evaluated 24 patients with Parkinson disease and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls who underwent 3T MR imaging with a 3D multiecho gradient-echo sequence. On reconstructed quantitative susceptibility maps they measured the susceptibility values in the anterior, middle, and posterior parts of the substantia nigra, the whole substantia nigra, and other deep gray matter structures in both cerebral hemispheres. Susceptibility in the middle part, the posterior part, and the whole substantia nigra was significantly higher in the more and the less affected hemibrains of patients with Parkinson disease than in the healthy controls. Also, susceptibility was significantly higher in the posterior substantia nigra of the more affected hemibrain.
- Mitotic Activity in Glioblastoma Correlates with Estimated Extravascular Extracellular Space Derived from Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging
Twenty-eight patients with newly presenting glioblastoma multiforme underwent preoperative conventional imaging and T1 dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Parametric maps of the initial area under the contrast agent concentration curve, contrast transfer coefficient, estimate of volume of the extravascular extracellular space, and estimate of blood plasma volume were generated, and the enhancing fraction was calculated. High values of the estimate of volume of the extravascular extracellular space were associated with a fibrillary histologic pattern and increased mitotic activity. This finding is counterintuitive to the standard concept that more proliferative tumors would be more densely packed with cells and have less extracellular space. As the authors point out, this surprising finding requires more investigation to understand whether this relationship will hold, and what the underlying mechanism might be.