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ABSTRACT: Our purpose was to study the association between atherosclerosis measured by arterial calcium on computed tomography (CT) and cerebral atrophy demonstrated by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
IRB approved this prospective study. Twenty-one consecutive patients with acute stroke-like symptoms who are scheduled to have brain MRI were recruited on a voluntary basis. electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated helical CT scans were used to determine the arterial calcium as a reliable index of underlying atherosclerosis. Extracranial arterial calcium content was measured quantitatively by special software available in our CT scanner. Intracranial calcium was graded qualitatively. Brain MRI was independently evaluated to identify cortical, central atrophy, and ischemic changes. Relationship between CT demonstrated atherosclerosis and cerebral ischemic changes, brain atrophy patterns were evaluated both without and with adjustment for age and hypertension.
Out of 21 patients 20 were included in final study group. There was no correlation between atherosclerotic calcium measures and cortical atrophy, ischemic findings. Both intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis had partial correlation with central atrophy (R= 0.43 and 0.52, respectively). After adjustment for age, only intracranial atherosclerosis maintained a partial correlation with central atrophy (R= 0.41). However, this correlation did not reach a statistically significant level (P= .10).
Intracranial atherosclerosis demonstrated a possible correlation with central atrophy.
Journal of neuroimaging: official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging 11/2008; 18(4):375-80. · 1.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Hemodynamic factors may play a role in the seeding and subsequent growth of cerebral metastasis. The authors present a case with 2 foci of cerebral metastasis in the same vascular territory ipsilateral to an occluded internal carotid artery. A 65-year-old man with chronic left frontal lobe infarct and left internal carotid artery occlusion was diagnosed with 2 large hemorrhagic metastases in the left middle cerebral artery territory. Diminished flow signals were seen in the trunk and branches of the left middle cerebral artery on magnetic resonance angiography. This case illustrates preferential seeding and growth of cerebral metastases in a region of the brain with diminished blood flow.
Journal of Neuroimaging 05/2006; 16(2):176-8. · 1.51 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To retrospectively evaluate the size of the trigeminal nerve on magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with unilateral trigeminal neuralgia.
Institutional review board approval was obtained and informed consent was waived for this HIPAA-compliant study. The sizes of the trigeminal nerves in 31 patients (18 men and 13 women; mean age, 68 years; age range, 44-84 years) with clinically confirmed intractable unilateral trigeminal neuralgia were measured before treatment with gamma knife radiosurgery. Images were analyzed separately by two neuroradiologists who were blinded to the side of the face with symptoms. Coronal projection images were used to determine the diameter and cross-sectional area of the trigeminal nerves at 5 mm from the entry point of the nerve into the pons. Comparisons were made by using a paired t test. Interobserver variability was assessed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient.
The mean diameter of the trigeminal nerve on the symptomatic side was significantly smaller than the mean diameter on the asymptomatic side in 30 of 31 patients (2.11 mm +/- 0.40 [standard deviation] and 2.62 mm +/- 0.56, P < .001, 95% confidence interval: -0.35, -0.67 mm). The mean cross-sectional area on the symptomatic side was significantly smaller than the area on the asymptomatic side in 27 of 31 patients (4.50 mm(2) +/- 1.75 and 6.28 mm(2) +/- 2.19, P < .001, 95% confidence interval: -2.41, -1.16 mm(2)).
The results indicate that trigeminal nerve atrophy can be depicted noninvasively in patients with trigeminal neuralgia.
Radiology 02/2006; 238(2):689-92. · 5.73 Impact Factor
