- Centrally Reduced Diffusion Sign for Differentiation between Treatment-Related Lesions and Glioma Progression: A Validation Study
Images of 231 patients who underwent an operation for suspected glioma recurrence were reviewed. Patients with susceptibility artifacts or without central necrosis were excluded. The final diagnosis was established according to histopathology reports. Two neuroradiologists classified the diffusion patterns on preoperative MR imaging as the following: 1) reduced diffusion in the solid component only, 2) reduced diffusion mainly in the solid component, 3) no reduced diffusion, 4) reduced diffusion mainly in the central necrosis, and 5) reduced diffusion in the central necrosis only. A total of 103 patients were included (22 with treatment-related lesions and 81 with tumor progression). The diagnostic accuracy results for the centrally reduced diffusion pattern as a predictor of treatment-related lesions (“mainly central” and “exclusively central” patterns versus all other patterns) were: 64% sensitivity, 84% specificity, 52% positive predictive value, and 89% negative predictive value.
- Monro-Kellie Hypothesis: Increase of Ventricular CSF Volume after Surgical Closure of a Spinal Dural Leak in Patients with Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension
Nineteen patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension with a proved spinal CSF leak were investigated between July 2014 and 2017. Brain MR imaging-based volumetry at baseline and after surgery was performed with FreeSurfer. In addition, the spontaneous intracranial hypotension score, ranging from 0 to 9, with 0 indicating very low and 9 very high probability of spinal CSF loss, was calculated. The authors conclude that the study demonstrated a significant increase in ventricular CSF volume in the early follow-up after surgical closure of the underlying spinal dural breach, and may provide a causal link between spinal CSF loss and spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The concomitant decrease in the spontaneous intracranial hypotension score postoperatively implies the restoration of an equilibrium within the CSF compartment.
- Prognostic Accuracy of Fetal MRI in Predicting Postnatal Neurodevelopmental Outcome
The authors identified all fetal MR imaging performed at their institution during a 10-year period (n = 145) and assessed agreement between prenatal prognosis and postnatal outcome. Prenatal prognosis was determined by a pediatric neurologist who reviewed the fetal MR imaging report and categorized each pregnancy as having a favorable, indeterminate, or poor prognosis. Assessment of postnatal neurodevelopmental outcome was made solely on the basis of the child's Gross Motor Function Classification System score and whether the child developed epilepsy. Postnatal outcome was categorized as favorable, intermediate, or poor. There was 93.0% agreement between prenatal and postnatal imaging diagnoses. Prognosis was favorable in 44.2%, indeterminate in 50.0%, and poor in 5.8% of pregnancies. There was 93.5% agreement between a favorable prenatal prognosis and a favorable postnatal outcome.