Variable Imaging Findings Research Articles

Non-gastrointestinal stromal tumor, mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract: a review of tumor genetics, pathology, and cross-sectional imaging findings.

There is a diverse group of non-gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that demonstrate characteristic pathology and histogenesis as well as variable imaging findings and biological behavior. Recent advancements in tumor genetics have unveiled specific abnormalities associated with certain tumors, influencing their molecular pathogenesis, biology, response to treatment, and prognosis. Notably, giant fibrovascular polyps of the esophagus, identified through MDM2 gene amplifications, are now classified as liposarcomas. Some tumors exhibit distinctive patterns of disease distribution. Glomus tumors and plexiform fibromyxomas exhibit a pronounced affinity for the gastric antrum. In contrast, smooth muscle tumors within the GI tract are predominantly found in the esophagus and colorectum, surpassing the incidence of GISTs in these locations. Surgical resection suffices for symptomatic benign tumors; multimodality treatment may be necessary for frank sarcomas. This article aims to elucidate the cross-sectional imaging findings associated with a wide spectrum of these tumors, providing insights that align with their histopathological features.

Peritoneal Tuberculosis

Abstract Peritoneal tuberculosis (PT) is the most common form of abdominal tuberculosis. Diagnosis of PT can be difficult because of vague clinical symptoms, insidious onset, limitations of available diagnostic tests, and variable imaging findings. Early and timely diagnosis and treatment are important in preventing morbidity and mortality in PT. In this review, we summarize the current literature on presentation, diagnosis, and management of PT.

Surgical Intervention for Primary B-cell Lymphoma of the Spine: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Presentation, Treatment, Postoperative Outcomes, and Histologic Markers.

Systematic review and meta-analysis. To perform a systematic review of the clinical symptoms, radiographic findings, and outcomes after spinal decompression in B-cell lymphoma. B-cell lymphoma is a potential cause of spinal cord compression that presents ambiguously with nonspecific symptoms and variable imaging findings. Surgical decompression is a mainstay for both diagnosis and management, especially in patients with acute neurological deficits; however, the efficacy of surgical intervention compared with nonoperative management is still unclear. The databases of Medline, PubMed, and the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews were queried for all articles reporting spinal B-cell lymphoma. Data on presenting symptoms, treatments, survival outcomes, and histologic markers were extracted. Using the R software "survival" package, we generated bivariate and multivariate Cox survival regression models and Kaplan-Meier curves. In total, 65 studies were included with 72 patients diagnosed with spinal B-cell lymphoma. The mean age was 56.22 (interquartile range: 45.00-70.25) with 68% of patients being males and 4.2% of patients being immunocompromised. Back pain was the most common symptom (74%), whereas B symptoms and cauda equina symptoms were present in 6% and 29%, respectively. The average duration of symptoms before presentation was 3.81 months (interquartile range: 0.45-3.25). The most common location was the thoracic spine (53%), with most lesions being hyperintense (28%) on T2 magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical resection was performed in 83% of patients. Symptoms improved in 91% of patients after surgery and in 80% of patients treated nonoperatively. For all 72 patients, the overall survival at 1 and 5 years was 85% (95% CI: 0.749-0.953; n = 72) and 66% (95% CI: 0.512-0.847; n = 72), respectively. Although surgery is usually offered in patients with acute spinal cord compression from B-cell lymphoma, chemotherapy and radiation alone offer a hopeful alternative to achieve symptomatic relief, particularly in patients who are unable to undergo surgery.

Next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of neurobrucellosis: a case series of eight consecutive patients

BackgroundNeurobrucellosis (NB) presents a challenge for rapid and specific diagnosis. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has showed power in detection of causative pathogens, even some infrequent and unexpected pathogens. In this study, we presented 8 cases of NB diagnosed by the NGS of CSF.MethodsBetween August 1, 2018 and September 30, 2020, NGS was used to detect causative pathogens in clinically suspected central nervous system (CNS) infections. Data on demographics, clinical features, and laboratory tests, imaging results and NGS results were collected and reviewed.ResultsAmong the presented 8 patients, Brucella was rapidly detected using NGS of CSF within 1–4 days, despite those eight patients had variable medical history, disease course, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and imaging findings. NGS showed the sequence reads corresponded to Brucella species were 8 to 448, with genomic coverage of 0.02 to 0.87%. The relative abundance was 0.13% to 82.40% and sequencing depth was 1.06 to 1.24. Consequently, patients were administered with 3 to 6 months of doxycycline, ceftriaxone and rifampicin, double or triple combination, supplemented with symptomatic therapy and were fully recovered except for case 1.ConclusionNGS of CSF provides a powerful tool in detection of Brucella in a prompt and specific manner, and can be considered for first-line diagnostic use in practice.

Abstract 13881: Utility of Cardiac CT for Evaluation of Infectious Endocarditis

Background: Infectious endocarditis (IE) usually presents with variable imaging findings and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the gold standard method for diagnosing IE. However, the presence of prosthetic or calcified valves poses a diagnostic challenge for detection of IE and associated structural abnormalities. In recent years, there is growing literature supporting cardiac CT scan as an adjunct to TEE in such cases. Studies have also shown that cardiac CT has significantly high sensitivity for detecting peri-annular complications. Case A 79 year old male who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis one year ago presented with a one week history of worsening confusion and fatigue. His prior medical history includes non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with low ejection fraction (30-35%), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Labs were notable for leucocytosis 27,300/uL and thrombocytopenia with platelet count 20,000/uL. Patient was bacteremic with blood cultures growing oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. TEE revealed a small vegetation concerning for infection versus thrombus. A CT abdomen revealed a 3.8 cm splenic infarct. Tagged WBC scan was thereafter considered to help delineate, but came back negative. Decision Making In setting of thrombocytopenia, repeat TEE was deemed unsafe. Alternatively, the patient underwent cardiac CTA which revealed hypoattenuating leaflet thickening (HALT) involving >75% of aortic valve leaflets (Figure 1) with no perivalvular leak or abscess thereby confirming IE. Conclusion Cardiac CT offers distinct advantages and has emerged as a great adjunct to echocardiography for the workup of IE, especially in patients who have contraindications to TEE or with prosthetic valves where echocardiography is sub-optimal. The report further elucidates the role of cardiac CT as an imaging adjunct for IE.

Autoimmune-mediated encephalitis and mimics: A neuroimaging review.

Autoimmune encephalitis is a category of autoantibody-mediated neurological disorders that often presents a diagnostic challenge due to its variable clinical and imaging findings. The purpose of this image-based review is to provide an overview of the major subtypes of autoimmune encephalitis and their associated autoantibodies, discuss their characteristic clinical and imaging features, and highlight several disease processes that may mimic imaging findings of autoimmune encephalitis. A literature search on autoimmune encephalitis was performed and publications from neuroradiology, neurology, and nuclear medicine literature were included. Cases from our institutional database that best exemplify major imaging features were presented.

S3127 Peritoneal Tuberculosis in an Immunocompetent Patient With Findings of Chronic Liver Disease and Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Introduction: Peritoneal tuberculosis (PT) accounts for 1-2% of all tuberculosis cases. Diagnosis of PT can be challenging due to non-specific symptoms, insidious onset, and variable imaging findings. We present a case of PT presenting with ascites and imaging studies suggestive of chronic liver disease (CLD), and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Case Description/Methods: A 48-year-old man presented to our clinic with complaints of increased abdominal girth, weight loss, and night sweats for the past 3 months. Physical exam revealed soft and distended abdomen with shifting dullness. Laboratory tests showed a mild anemia of Hb at 13.0 g/dL (13.1-17.2) and ESR at 34 mm/h (0-15). Abdominal ultrasound (US) revealed the presence of free abdominal fluid, and diffuse heterogenous granular liver parenchyma supporting the diagnosis of CLD. His liver tests were within normal ranges. Ascitic fluid analysis revealed serum ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) of 0.2 g/dL, WBCs of 1.70 × 103 cells/dL (91.8% lymphocytes). Ascitic fluid cytology was negative for malignant cells. Ascitic fluid acid-fast bacilli (AFB) test and mycobacterial culture were negative. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) level in ascitic fluid was 108.5 U/L (0-40). Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test was positive. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan revealed normal liver parenchyma, diffuse thickening and nodularity of the peritoneum, and thickening of omentum with omental cake appearance. CT scan was suggestive of peritoneal carcinomatosis. EGD and colonoscopy were unremarkable. With consistent clinical history, SAAG < 1.1, ascitic fluid with lymphocytic predominance, high ADA levels, and positive IGRA, a diagnosis of PT was made. Anti-tuberculosis treatment was initiated, and the patient’s clinical symptoms have improved. CT scan at the end of treatment showed the resolution of ascites and peritoneal findings (Figure 1). Discussion: Ascites is the most common presenting symptom of PT. High suspicion of PT is important in the setting of ascites of unknown origin. Despite the US findings were suggestive of CLD in this patient, CT scan revealed normal liver findings. Differing PT from peritoneal carcinomatosis might be challenging due to overlapping findings on imaging. Ascitic fluid analysis of SAAG < 1.1, high ADA levels, positive IGRA test should lead towards the diagnosis of PT. AFB and mycobacterial culture of the ascitic fluid may often have low diagnostic yield in PT. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent complications.Figure 1.: A1, A2, Before treatment; axial contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showing moderate ascites, and diffuse thickening and nodularity of peritoneum. Imaging is suggestive of peritoneal carcinomatosis. B1, B2, After treatment; resolution of ascites and peritoneal findings.

Novel nested patch-based feature extraction model for automated Parkinson's Disease symptom classification using MRI images

ObjectiveParkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disorder with variable clinical manifestations and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. We propose a handcrafted image classification model that can accurately (i) classify different PD stages, (ii) detect comorbid dementia, and (iii) discriminate PD-related motor symptoms. MethodsSelected image datasets from three PD studies were used to develop the classification model. Our proposed novel automated system was developed in four phases: (i) texture features are extracted from the non-fixed size patches. In the feature extraction phase, a pyramid histogram-oriented gradient (PHOG) image descriptor is used. (ii) In the feature selection phase, four feature selectors: neighborhood component analysis (NCA), Chi2, minimum redundancy maximum relevancy (mRMR), and ReliefF are used to generate four feature vectors. (iii) Two classifiers: k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and support vector machine (SVM) are used in the classification step. A ten-fold cross-validation technique is used to validate the results. (iv) Eight predicted vectors are generated using four selected feature vectors and two classifiers. Finally, iterative majority voting (IMV) is used to attain general classification results. Therefore, this model is named nested patch-PHOG-multiple feature selectors and multiple classifiers-IMV (NP-PHOG-MFSMCIMV). ResultsOur presented NP-PHOG-MFSMCIMV model achieved 99.22, 98.70, and 99.53% accuracies for the collected PD stages, PD dementia, and PD symptoms classification datasets, respectively. SignificanceThe obtained accuracies (over 98% for all states) demonstrated the performance of developed NP-PHOG-MFSMCIMV model in automated PD state classification.

Mesenchymal neoplasms of the urinary bladder: a comprehensive review with focus on cross-sectional imaging findings.

Mesenchymal neoplasms of the urinary bladder are exceedingly rare and display remarkable diversity. These tumors demonstrate distinct pathological features as well as variable biological behavior and cross-sectional imaging findings. The rarity of tumors, nonspecific symptoms and seemingly normal cystoscopic findings (particularly with small and exophytic tumors) frequently lead to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. While some tumors display characteristic cross-sectional imaging findings that may suggest a diagnosis, imaging findings are mostly nonspecific. Histopathological examination is required for accurate diagnosis, management and prognostication. The purpose of this article is to review the cross-sectional imaging findings of a diverse spectrum of mesenchymal tumors of the urinary bladder.

Correlation of Clinical Presentations and Imaging Findings with Flow Dynamics in Carotid-Cavernous Fistula Patients at Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung

Background: Carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs) have variable clinical presentation, imaging, and angiographic findings. The study aims to investigate the association of clinical presentations and radiological findings with flow dynamics from digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of CCFs patients.&#x0D; Methods: CCF patients who underwent DSA at Dr. Hasan Sadikin general hospital from January 2017 – December 2019 were included in this study. Patient’s characteristics, clinical presentations, and imaging results were retrieved from the patient’s medical record and radiology database. Fractures, proptosis, extraocular muscle thickening, superior ophthalmic vein dilatation, cavernous hyperdense lesion, and infarct are expected to be identified from imaging results. DSA identified types of flow dynamic based on Barrow classification and venous drainage patterns. Numeric data were analyzed by using Mann Whitney test, while categorical data were analyzed with Fisher’s exact test.&#x0D; Results: Twenty-eight patients were included in the study, with patients’ mean age was 30.5-year-old (range: 14- to 61-year-old), consisting of 19 males (67.9%) and 9 females (32.1%). In approximately 75% of the cases, the cause of CCF was a history of trauma. Patients with high flow CCFs were associated with the findings of cavernous sinus hyperdense and proptosis than patients with low flow. Patients who are presented with more than 1-year-long duration of symptoms were more likely to have more than 1 draining vein, compared to patients who are presented with &lt; 1-year-long duration of symptoms.&#x0D; Conclusions: History of trauma, longer duration of symptoms, and the presence of a hyperdense cavernous lesion on head CT scan results require further angiographic study prior to endovascular intervention.

Mesenchymal Neoplasms of the Prostate and Seminal Vesicles: Spectrum of Disease with Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation.

There is a wide spectrum of benign and malignant mesenchymal neoplasms of the prostate, which account for less than 1% of all prostatic tumors. These include distinctive tumors that arise from the specialized prostatic stroma and site-agnostic neoplasms such as smooth muscle tumors, fibrous or myofibroblastic neoplasms, neurogenic tumors, vascular tumors, and a plethora of sarcomas. Select tumors show classic sites of origin within the prostate. While stromal tumors of uncertain malignant potential (STUMPs) commonly involve the peripheral zone at the prostate base, leiomyomas typically originate from the central prostate toward the apex. Some "prostatic" neoplasms such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors, solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), paragangliomas, and neurogenic tumors arise primarily from periprostatic soft tissues. Most mesenchymal tumors of the prostate and seminal vesicles manifest as large tumors that cause nonspecific symptoms; prostate-specific antigen level is not typically elevated. Diverse mesenchymal neoplasms demonstrate characteristic histopathologic and immunocytochemical features and variable cross-sectional imaging findings. While leiomyoma and SFT typically display low signal intensity on T2-weighted images, synovial sarcomas commonly show hemorrhage. Diagnosis is difficult because of the rarity and lack of awareness of the tumors and the significant overlap in histopathologic features. Select tumors show characteristic genetic abnormalities that allow the diagnosis to be established. For example, more than 90% of SFTs are characterized by a unique NAB2-STAT6 gene fusion, and more than 95% of synovial sarcomas are associated with a distinctive SYT-SSX chimeric transcript. Accurate diagnosis is imperative for optimal management owing to markedly different tumor biology as well as attendant therapeutic and prognostic implications. While STUMPs commonly recur, sarcomas typically charter an aggressive course with poor prognosis. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2022.

Spectrum of CECT Findings of Retained and Migrated Surgical Items in Abdomen — a Series of Seven Cases

Various retained surgical items often present a diagnostic dilemma to the interpreting radiologist. These items include retained surgical sponge (gossypiboma), misplaced, broken instruments, irrigation sets, and a variety of surgical paraphernalia. Such foreign bodies present with varying imaging findings and can often mimic other diseases radiologically. We present a series of seven interesting cases of retained surgical mops (cases 1, 2, and 3), broken and retained surgical instrument (case 4), migrated plastic biliary stent (case 5), migrated contraceptive device (case 6), and surgically placed hemostatic agent (case 7). Familiarity with the variable imaging findings and communication with the clinician can facilitate timely management for these patients.

Neuroimaging Spectrum of Severe Hypernatremia in Infants with Neurological Manifestations.

Variable neurological manifestations and imaging findings have been described in children with severe hypernatremia. We aimed to describe the spectrum of neuroimaging changes in infants with severe hypernatremia. This retrospective study included infants with severe hypernatremia (serum sodium >160 mEq/L), abnormal neurological examination, and an abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain over a period of 2 years in a tertiary care hospital. Relevant clinical data, including the feeding practices, clinical features, complications, and biochemical and radiological parameters, were entered in a structured pro forma. MRI findings were classified as vascular (hemorrhages and cerebral sinus venous thrombosis), osmotic demyelination syndrome (pontine and extrapontine myelinolyses), and white matter changes. The common clinical features in the neonates were poor feeding (n = 4) and decreased urine output (n = 4); the older infants presented with gastrointestinal losses (n = 5). All cases had dehydration with encephalopathy. The patterns of radiological injury were vascular (hemorrhages, n = 5 and venous thrombosis, n = 3), osmotic demyelination (n = 8), and white matter changes (n = 7). Coagulopathy was correlated with the vascular complications (r = 0.8, p < 0.0001); the degree of dehydration was correlated with the venous thrombosis (r = 0.7, p < 0.04) and acute kidney injury (r = 0.8, p < 0.001). Neurological sequelae were seen in four cases and correlated with hypernatremia (r = 0.6, p = 0.03) and hyperosmolarity (r = 0.6, p = 0.03). Characteristic neuroimaging findings are vascular changes in the form of venous thrombosis and hemorrhages, osmotic demyelination and white matter tract injury, and/or mostly combinations of these findings. Severe hypernatremia and resulting hyperosmolarity frequently cause neurological sequelae in neonates and infants.

Role of Cardiac CT in Infective Endocarditis: Current Evidence, Opportunities, and Challenges.

Infective endocarditis (IE) can present with variable clinical and imaging findings and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Substantial improvement of CT technology, most notably improved temporal and spatial resolution, has resulted in increased use of this modality in the evaluation of IE. The aim of this article is to review the potential role of cardiac CT in evaluating IE. Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2021.

Imaging appearance of the involved mesenteric node in patient with systemic amyloidosis: A case report

Amyloidosis is a rare disease characterised by abnormal amyloid protein deposition within the affected tissue. About 37% of the patients were presented with systemic amyloidosis, of which hilar, mediastinal, and para-aortic lymph nodes were involved. Deposition of amyloid protein in the mesenteric lymph node is rarely documented, but when reported, it is seen in isolated or secondary amyloidosis. Despite an indistinguishable imaging appearance of the amyloid- deposit mesenteric node from malignancy, infection, and an inflammation process, the radiologists should be aware of variable imaging findings to be suspicious of amyloidosis. We reported a rare case of systemic amyloidosis with mesenteric node involvement, manifested as node enlargement.

Pitfalls in MRI of the Developing Pediatric Ankle.

Normal skeletal development in the pediatric ankle is dynamic and often produces variable imaging appearances that are subject to misinterpretation. Radiologists must understand the underlying developmental phenomena, such as endochondral and membranous ossification and physeal fusion, and be familiar with their common and uncommon imaging manifestations unique to the pediatric ankle. This is especially true as the use of MRI in the evaluation of musculoskeletal trauma expands among younger populations. The authors focus on MRI evaluation of the skeletally maturing pediatric ankle and present pearls for accurately distinguishing normal findings and imaging pitfalls from true pathologic findings. The normal but often variable imaging findings of preossification, secondary ossification, and multiple ossification centers, as well as the range of bone marrow signal intensities that can be visualized within ossification centers, are described, along with tips to help differentiate these from true pathologic findings such as contusion, fracture, or tumor. The authors also review dynamic periosteal and physeal contributions to bone growth to highlight helpful distinguishing features and avoid misdiagnosis of common subperiosteal and periphyseal abnormalities. For example, the normal trilaminar appearance of the immature cortex and periosteum should not be mistaken for periosteal reaction, traumatic stripping, or subperiosteal hematoma. In addition, the physis can have several confusing but normal appearances, including normal physeal undulations (eg, Kump bump) or focal periphyseal edema, which should not be mistaken for pathologic findings such as physeal fracture, infection, or bar. ©RSNA, 2020.

Diffuse Calvarial Hyperostosis in Patients with Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension

Diagnosis of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) may be delayed due to nonspecific symptoms and variable imaging findings. Cases of hyperostosis in children who are overshunted, a process that may be physiologically analogous to adults with SIH, have been reported by others and observed in our practice. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the frequency and pattern of calvarial hyperostosis in patients with SIH. We retrospectively reviewed computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging examinations from consecutive patients who underwent myelography for the evaluation of SIH to assess for the presence of generalized calvarial thickening or development of a secondary layer of bone. Patients with typical benign hyperostosis frontalis were excluded. Patient demographics and clinical factors were evaluated for association with hyperostosis. Among 285 patients with SIH, 40 (14.0%) demonstrated diffuse calvarial hyperostosis on imaging. Most of these patients (32/40; 80.0%) demonstrated a distinct circumferentially layered appearance to the skull, whereas 8 of 40 (20.0%) had generalized calvarial thickening without layering. Diffuse calvarial hyperostosis, particularly the concentrically layered form that we term "layer cake skull," is a relatively common imaging feature in patients with SIH. In the appropriate clinical context, this finding will allow the possibility of SIH to be raised based on computed tomography imaging, which is otherwise of limited utility in the initial diagnosis of this condition.

Brain MRI in Epstein-Barr Virus Meningoencephalitis in Children.

Background and Purpose:Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) meningoencephalitis can have variable and nonspecific brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in children. This study was done with the purpose of describing brain MRI findings in children with EBV meningoencephalitis.Materials and Methods:The study included 45 pediatric patients that presented with variable neurological symptoms and were found to have EBV meningoencephalitis based on positive EBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the cerebrospinal fluid. All these patients had undergone brain MRI. Clinical and radiological features were evaluated.Results:Fever was a presenting feature in all cases. Signs of meningitis and raised intracranial pressure (ICP) were seen in 24 (53.3%) cases, encephalopathy in 15 (33.3%), and seizures were present in 33 (73.3%). MRI was abnormal in 29 (64.4%) patients. The cortical/subcortical pattern was diagnosed in 9 (20%) cases, white matter involvement in 7 (15.5%), basal ganglia in 5 (11.1%), thalamic involvement in 4 (8.8%), brain stem involvement in 2 (6.2%), substantia nigra involvement in 2 (4.4%), and cerebellar involvement in 2 (4.4%). Diffusion restriction was present in 11 (24.4%) cases and susceptibility changes in 7 (15.5%). Meningeal enhancement was present in 10 (22.2%) cases. In addition, brain abscess and subdural effusion/empyema were present in 1 (2.2%) case each.Conclusion:Pediatric EBV meningoencephalitis has varied clinicoradiological spectrum and there is no specific MRI pattern to characterize the meningoencephalitis on imaging. Common MRI findings include cortical-subcortical involvement, white matter changes, basal ganglia, and thalamic involvement.

MR variability of collagen meniscal implant remodelling in patients with good clinical outcome.

Collagen meniscal implants (CMI) have variable imaging findings on MRI and it remains ambiguous, if alterations may be present in asymptomatic patients. The aim was, to evaluate MR morphological characteristics and volume of CMI in the early, mid- and long-term follow-up. Fifty-seven patients (mean age, 43.6±11years; 41 male/16 female) with good clinical outcome (subjective visual analogue scale for satisfaction < 2 and a Lysholm-score ≥ 84) after CMI were assessed retrospectively using MRI 1, 2 and 3-8years postoperatively. CMI morphology, signal intensity (SI), homogeneity and size were assessed and a meniscal score was calculated. Chondral defects and bone marrow edema pattern were reported and summarized in a chondral score. Meniscal extrusion and volume were evaluated. Intra- and inter-reader reliabilities were calculated. Spearman and partial correlations were used (p < 0.05). One year postoperatively, the CMI varied in size [10% (4/40) normal, 30% (12/40) small, 60% (24/40) hypertrophic] and was hyperintense and inhomogeneous in all patients. At long-term follow-up, the size of CMI decreased [6% (1/17) resorbed, 18% (3/17) normal, 41% (7/17) small, 35% (6/17) hypertrophic]. The SI of the CMI changed to normal in only 13% (2/16). The majority was still hyperintense [87% (14/16)]. Less meniscal extrusion was present in the follow-up [71% (11/16) versus initially 93% (37/40)]. The meniscal score improved significantly (ρ = 0.28). Over time, full-thickness femoral chondral defects were increasingly present [65% (10/17) versus initially 33% (13/40)] and the chondral score worsened significantly (p = 0.017). Abnormal and inhomogeneous SI and irregular margins of the early postoperative CMI on MRI are findings seen in patients with good clinical results and should not necessarily be overcalled when reporting MRI. These features tend to decrease over time. IV.

Regional cortical thinning in young adults with schizophrenia but not psychotic or non-psychotic bipolar I disorder

BackgroundSchizophrenia shares some genetic risk and clinical symptoms with bipolar disorder. Clinical heterogeneity across subjects is thought to contribute to variable structural imaging findings across studies. The current study investigates cortical thickness in young adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder with a history of hyperthymic mania. We hypothesize that cortical thickness will be most similar between SCZ and the psychotic bipolar 1 disorder subtype.MethodsPatients with schizophrenia (n = 52), psychotic bipolar I disorder (PBD; n = 49) and non-psychotic bipolar I disorder (NPBD; n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 40) were scanned in a 3T Trio MRI. The thickness of 34 cortical regions was estimated with FreeSurfer, and analyzed using univariate analyses of variance. Relationships to psychotic (SAPS) and negative (SANS) symptoms were investigated using linear regression.ResultsCortical thickness showed significant group effects, after covarying for sex, age, and intracranial volume (p = 0.001). SCZ subjects had thinner paracentral, inferior parietal, supramarginal and fusiform cortices compared to CON. Caudal anterior cingulate cortical thickness was increased in SCZ, PBD and NPBD. Cortical thickness in PBD and NPBD were not significantly different from controls. Significant partial correlations were observed for SAPS severity with middle temporal (r = − 0.26; p = 0.001) and fusiform (− 0.26; p = 0.001) cortical thickness.ConclusionsIndividuals with SCZ displayed significantly reduced cortical thickness in several cortical regions compared to both CON and bipolar. We found that SCZ participants had significant cortical thinning relative to CON and bipolar disorder most significantly in the frontal (i.e. paracentral), parietal (i.e. inferior parietal, supramarginal), and temporal (i.e. middle temporal, fusiform) cortices.