Magnetic Resonance Imaging Fluid-attenuated Inversion Research Articles

Contributions of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities to Postural Instability in Aging With and Without Alcohol Use Disorder

BackgroundBoth postural instability and brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are noted markers of normal aging and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here, we questioned what variables contribute to the sway path–WMH relationship in individuals with AUD and healthy control participants. MethodsThe data comprised 404 balance platform sessions, yielding sway path length and magnetic resonance imaging data acquired cross-sectionally or longitudinally in 102 control participants and 158 participants with AUD ages 25 to 80 years. Balance sessions were typically conducted on the same day as magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery acquisitions, permitting WMH volume quantification. Factors considered in multiple regression analyses as potential contributors to the relationship between WMH volumes and postural instability were age, sex, socioeconomic status, education, pedal 2-point discrimination, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, depressive symptoms, total alcohol consumed in the past year, and race. ResultsInitial analysis identified diagnosis, age, sex, and race as significant contributors to observed sway path–WMH relationship. Inclusion of these factors as predictors in multiple regression analyses substantially attenuated the sway path–WMH relationship in both AUD and healthy control groups. Women, irrespective of diagnosis or race, had shorter sway paths than men. Black participants, irrespective of diagnosis or sex, had shorter sway paths than non-Black participants despite having modestly larger WMH volumes than non-Black participants, which is possibly a reflection of the younger age of the Black sample. ConclusionsLonger sway paths were related to larger WMH volumes in healthy men and women with and without AUD. Critically, however, age almost fully accounted for these associations.

Deep learning method for magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image synthesis

Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) can obtain multi-modal images with different contrast, which provides rich information for clinical diagnosis. However, some contrast images are not scanned or the quality of the acquired images cannot meet the diagnostic requirements due to the difficulty of patient's cooperation or the limitation of scanning conditions. Image synthesis techniques have become a method to compensate for such image deficiencies. In recent years, deep learning has been widely used in the field of MRI synthesis. In this paper, a synthesis network based on multi-modal fusion is proposed, which firstly uses a feature encoder to encode the features of multiple unimodal images separately, and then fuses the features of different modal images through a feature fusion module, and finally generates the target modal image. The similarity measure between the target image and the predicted image in the network is improved by introducing a dynamic weighted combined loss function based on the spatial domain and K-space domain. After experimental validation and quantitative comparison, the multi-modal fusion deep learning network proposed in this paper can effectively synthesize high-quality MRI fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. In summary, the method proposed in this paper can reduce MRI scanning time of the patient, as well as solve the clinical problem of missing FLAIR images or image quality that is difficult to meet diagnostic requirements.

Is There a Role for Surgical Resection of Multifocal Glioblastoma? A Retrospective Analysis of 100 Patients.

Glioblastoma with multiple localizations (mGBMs) can be defined as multifocal, where enhancing lesions present a connection visible on magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging, or multicentric, in the absence of a clear dissemination pathway. To evaluate the role of the extent of resection (EOR) in the treatment of mGBMs and its correlation with overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). One hundred patients with mGBMs were treated at our Institution between 2009 and 2019. Clinical, radiological, and follow-up data were collected. EOR of the contrast-enhancing part of lesions was classified as gross total resection (GTR, absence of tumor remnant), subtotal resection (STR, residual tumor<30%of the initial mass), partial resection (PR, residual tumor>30%of the initial mass), and needle or open biopsy (residual tumor>75%of the initial mass). Approximately 15% of patients underwent GTR, 14% STR, 32% PR, and 39% biopsy. Median OS was 17 mo for GTR, 11 mo for STR, 7 mo for PR, and 5 mo for biopsy. Greater EOR was associated with a significantly longer OS than biopsy. GTR and STR were associated with a longer PFS in Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. After adjusting for age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), number of lesions, and adjunctive therapy in multivariable Cox regression analyses, GTR, STR, and PR were still associated with OS, but only GTR remained associated with PFS. Our study suggests that EOR may positively influence survival of patients with mGBM. Surgical resection can be a reasonable option when performance and access to adjuvant treatment can be preserved.

Somatosensory Deficits After Ischemic Stroke.

Background and Purpose- About 50% to 80% of stroke survivors present with somatosensory deficits. Somatosensory deficits because of an ischemic stroke are determined by the infarct location. However, a detailed understanding of the long-term effect of lesions on somatosensory performance is lacking. Methods- This prospective observational study enrolled 101 ischemic stroke patients. For voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping, magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging infarct lesions were segmented within 5 days after stroke. Standardized tests such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Rivermead Assessment of Somatosensory Performance were performed during acute stage, after 3 and 12 months. This included bilateral testing for multiple tactile and proprioceptive somatosensory modalities (pressure, light touch, sharp-dull discrimination, temperature discrimination, sensory extinction, 2-point discrimination, and joint position and movement sense). We further study the association of acute somatosensory deficit with functional outcome 12 months after stroke assessed by the modified Rankin Scale using univariate and multiple linear regression analysis also including acute motor deficit assessed by the arm research action test. Results- Sixty patients (59.4%) showed impairment in at least one somatosensory modality. Light touch was most frequently affected (38.7%), whereas temperature was least frequently affected (21.8%). After 3 months, significant recovery was observed in all somatosensory modalities, with only minor additional improvements after 12 months. Voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping revealed significant associations of lesions in the primary and secondary somatosensory and insular cortex with somatosensory deficits. Acute somatosensory deficit was associated with functional outcome at 12 months. However, including the acute motor deficit, somatosensory deficit was no longer an independent predictor of functional outcome. Conclusions- Our study confirms that somatosensory deficits are frequent in acute ischemic stroke but largely recover over time. Infarct lesions in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortex and insula show a robust association with somatosensory impairment. Long-term disability is influenced by somatosensory deficits but driven by motor symptoms.

Validation of Clinicoradiological Criteria for the Diagnosis of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-Related Inflammation.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is an important diagnosis to reach in clinical practice because many patients with the disease respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Reliable noninvasive diagnostic criteria for CAA-ri would allow some patients to avoid the risk of brain biopsy. To test the sensitivity and specificity of clinical and neuroimaging-based criteria for CAA-ri. We modified the previously proposed clinicoradiological criteria and retrospectively analyzed clinical medical records and magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and gradient-echo scans obtained from individuals with CAA-ri and noninflammatory CAA. At 2 referral centers between October 1, 1995, and May 31, 2013, and between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, participants included 17 individuals with pathologically confirmed CAA-ri and 37 control group members with pathologically confirmed noninflammatory CAA. The control group was further divided into those with past lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (n = 21) and those with cerebral microbleeds only and no history of ICH (n = 16). The dates of our analysis were September 1, 2012, to August 31, 2015. The sensitivity and specificity of prespecified criteria for probable CAA-ri (requiring asymmetric white matter hyperintensities extending to the subcortical white matter) and possible CAA-ri (not requiring the white matter hyperintensities to be asymmetric). The 17 patients in the CAA-ri group were a mean (SD) of 68 (8) years and 8 (47%) were women. In the CAA-ri group, 14 of 17 (82%) met the criteria for both probable and possible CAA-ri. In the control group having noninflammatory CAA with lobar ICH, 1 of 21 (5%) met the criteria for possible CAA-ri, and none met the criteria for probable CAA-ri. In the control group having noninflammatory CAA with no ICH, 11 of 16 (69%) met the criteria for possible CAA-ri, and 1 of 16 (6%) met the criteria for probable CAA-ri. These findings yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 97%, respectively, for the probable criteria and a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 68%, respectively, for the possible criteria. Our data suggest that a reliable diagnosis of CAA-ri can be reached from basic clinical and magnetic resonance imaging information alone, with good sensitivity and excellent specificity.

Magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence signal reduction after endoscopic endonasal transcribiform total resection of olfactory groove meningiomas.

Background:Olfactory groove meningiomas grow insidiously and compress adjacent cerebral structures. Achieving complete removal without further damage to frontal lobes can be difficult. Microsurgical removal of large lesions is a challenging procedure and usually involves some brain retraction. The endoscopic endonasal approaches (EEAs) for tumors arising from the anterior fossa have been well described; however, their effect on the adjacent brain tissue has not. Herein, the authors utilized the magnetic resonance imaging fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence signal as a marker for edema and gliosis on pre- and post-operative images of olfactory groove meningiomas, thus presenting an objective parameter for brain injury after surgical manipulation.Methods:Imaging of 18 olfactory groove meningiomas removed through EEAs was reviewed. Tumor and pre/postoperative FLAIR signal volumes were assessed utilizing the DICOM image viewer OsiriX®. Inclusion criteria were: (1) No previous treatment; (2) EEA gross total removal; (3) no further treatment.Results:There were 14 females and 4 males; the average age was 53.8 years (±8.85 years). Average tumor volume was 24.75 cm3 (±23.26 cm3, range 2.8–75.7 cm3), average preoperative FLAIR volume 31.17 cm3 (±39.38 cm3, range 0–127.5 cm3) and average postoperative change volume, 4.16 cm3 (±6.18 cm3, range 0–22.2 cm3). Average time of postoperative scanning was 6 months (range 0.14–20 months). In all cases (100%) gross total tumor removal was achieved. Nine patients (50%) had no postoperative FLAIR changes. In 2 patients (9%) there was minimal increase of changes postoperatively (2.2 cm3 and 6 cm3 respectively); all others demonstrated image improvement. The most common complication was postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage (27.8%); 1 patient (5.5%) died due to systemic complications and pulmonary sepsis.Conclusions:FLAIR signal changes tend to resolve after endonasal tumor resection and do not seem to worsen with this operative technique.

Synergistic Effects of Ischemia and β-Amyloid Burden on Cognitive Decline in Patients With Subcortical Vascular Mild Cognitive Impairment

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and Alzheimer disease are significant causes of cognitive impairment in the elderly. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between CVD and β-amyloid burden in living humans or their synergistic effects on cognition. Thus, there is a need for better understanding of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) before clinical deterioration begins. To determine the synergistic effects of β-amyloid burden and CVD on cognition in patients with subcortical vascular MCI (svMCI). A cross-sectional study was conducted using a hospital-based sample at a tertiary referral center. We prospectively recruited 95 patients with svMCI; 67 of these individuals participated in the study. Forty-five patients with amnestic MCI (aMCI) were group matched with those with svMCI by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes. We measured β-amyloid burden using positron emission tomography with carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB). Cerebrovascular disease was quantified as white matter hyperintensity volume detected by magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery. Detailed neuropsychological tests were performed to determine the level of patients' cognitive impairment. On evaluation, 22 of the svMCI group (33%) and 28 of the aMCI group (62%) were found to be PiB positive. The mean PiB retention ratio was lower in patients with svMCI than in those with aMCI. In svMCI, the PiB retention ratio was associated with cognitive impairments in multiple domains, including language, visuospatial, memory, and frontal executive functions, but was associated only with memory dysfunction in aMCI. A significant interaction between PiB retention ratio and white matter hyperintensity volume was found to affect visuospatial function in patients with svMCI. Most patients with svMCI do not exhibit substantial amyloid burden, and CVD does not increase β-amyloid burden as measured by amyloid imaging. However, in patients with svMCI, amyloid burden and white matter hyperintensity act synergistically to impair visuospatial function. Therefore, our findings highlight the need for accurate biomarkers, including neuroimaging tools, for early diagnosis and the need to relate these biomarkers to cognitive measurements for effective use in the clinical setting.

Susac's Syndrome

A 40-year-old woman with no significant previous medical history presented with a three month history of ataxia, confusion, memory difficulties, and headaches. Physical examination revealed numbness in the left hand, but was otherwise unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (MRI FLAIR) images demonstrated multiple small white matter hyperintensities, including lesions involving the corpus callosum. There were also deep gray nuclei lesions (Figure 1). The corpus callosum lesions involved the central fibers (Figure 2). Post gadolinium T1 images demonstrated enhancement of some of the lesions as well as extensive perivascular and leptomeningeal enhancement (Figure 3). Extensive infectious serology, autoimmune panel, and paraneoplastic antibodies were negative. Lumbar puncture revealed elevated protein (1116 mg/L), but was otherwise normal. Brain biopsy indicated no apparent pathology. The patient was tentatively diagnosed with acute encephalopathy and treated with high dose steroids seven days after presentation. She was subsequently discharged and was sent for rehabilitation.