At all stages of brain tumor care, neuroimaging demonstrates its usefulness. grayscale median Neuroimaging's clinical diagnostic capabilities have been significantly enhanced by technological advancements, acting as a crucial adjunct to patient history, physical examination, and pathological evaluation. Presurgical assessments are augmented by cutting-edge imaging, exemplified by functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging, resulting in improved differential diagnostics and more efficient surgical approaches. Differentiating tumor progression from treatment-related inflammatory change, a common clinical conundrum, finds assistance in novel applications of perfusion imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), spectroscopy, and new positron emission tomography (PET) tracers.
Clinical practice for brain tumor patients will be greatly enhanced by the use of the most advanced imaging techniques available.
Employing cutting-edge imaging technologies will enable higher-quality clinical care for patients diagnosed with brain tumors.
This overview article details imaging techniques and associated findings for prevalent skull base tumors, such as meningiomas, and explains how to use imaging characteristics to inform surveillance and treatment strategies.
The proliferation of cranial imaging technology has facilitated a rise in the identification of incidental skull base tumors, necessitating a thoughtful determination of the best management approach, either through observation or intervention. The site of tumor origin dictates the way in which the tumor displaces tissue and grows. The meticulous evaluation of vascular impingement on CT angiography, accompanied by the pattern and degree of bone invasion displayed on CT images, is critical for successful treatment planning. Further understanding of phenotype-genotype associations could be gained through future quantitative analyses of imaging techniques, such as radiomics.
The collaborative utilization of CT and MRI imaging methods facilitates accurate diagnosis of skull base tumors, providing insight into their origin and defining the extent of required therapy.
Diagnosing skull base tumors with increased precision, clarifying their point of origin, and prescribing the needed treatment are all aided by the combined use of CT and MRI analysis.
This article explores the critical significance of optimized epilepsy imaging, leveraging the International League Against Epilepsy's endorsed Harmonized Neuroimaging of Epilepsy Structural Sequences (HARNESS) protocol, and the integration of multimodality imaging in assessing patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy. Selleck PD0325901 The assessment of these images, particularly in the context of clinical findings, utilizes a methodical procedure.
The use of high-resolution MRI is becoming critical in the evaluation of epilepsy, particularly in new, chronic, and drug-resistant cases as epilepsy imaging continues to rapidly progress. This article comprehensively analyzes the various MRI appearances in epilepsy and their corresponding clinical relevance. Peri-prosthetic infection Multimodal imaging techniques constitute a powerful asset for presurgical evaluation in epilepsy patients, particularly those exhibiting a negative MRI scan result. The correlation of clinical presentation, video-EEG recordings, positron emission tomography (PET), ictal subtraction SPECT, magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional MRI, and advanced neuroimaging, like MRI texture analysis and voxel-based morphometry, enhances the identification of subtle cortical lesions, specifically focal cortical dysplasias, to optimize epilepsy localization and the selection of optimal surgical candidates.
The neurologist uniquely approaches neuroanatomic localization through a thorough understanding of the clinical history and the intricacies of seizure phenomenology. The presence of multiple lesions on MRI necessitates a comprehensive analysis, which combines advanced neuroimaging with clinical context, to effectively identify the subtle and precisely pinpoint the epileptogenic lesion. Seizure freedom following epilepsy surgery is 25 times more likely in patients demonstrating lesions on MRI scans than in those lacking such findings.
Understanding the patient's medical history and seizure displays is a crucial role for the neurologist, forming the cornerstone of neuroanatomical localization. A profound impact on identifying subtle MRI lesions, especially when multiple lesions are present, occurs when advanced neuroimaging is integrated with the clinical context, allowing for the detection of the epileptogenic lesion. Epilepsy surgery, when selectively applied to patients with identified MRI lesions, yields a 25-fold enhanced chance of seizure eradication compared to patients with no identifiable lesion.
This piece seeks to introduce the reader to the diverse range of nontraumatic central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhages and the multifaceted neuroimaging techniques employed in their diagnosis and management.
The 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study revealed that intraparenchymal hemorrhage is responsible for 28% of the total global stroke impact. Of all strokes occurring in the United States, 13% are hemorrhagic strokes. A marked increase in intraparenchymal hemorrhage is observed in older age groups; thus, public health initiatives targeting blood pressure control, while commendable, haven't prevented the incidence from escalating with the aging demographic. The recent longitudinal study of aging, through autopsy procedures, indicated intraparenchymal hemorrhage and cerebral amyloid angiopathy in a range of 30% to 35% of the subjects.
Intraparenchymal, intraventricular, and subarachnoid hemorrhages, collectively constituting central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage, necessitate either head CT or brain MRI for rapid identification. Neuroimaging screening that uncovers hemorrhage provides a pattern of the blood, which, combined with the patient's medical history and physical assessment, can steer the selection of subsequent neuroimaging, laboratory, and ancillary tests for an etiologic evaluation. With the cause defined, the key treatment objectives are to limit the enlargement of the hemorrhage and to prevent consequent complications like cytotoxic cerebral edema, brain compression, and obstructive hydrocephalus. Besides other considerations, nontraumatic spinal cord hemorrhage will be mentioned in a brief yet comprehensive way.
Early detection of CNS hemorrhage, which involves intraparenchymal, intraventricular, and subarachnoid hemorrhages, necessitates either head CT or brain MRI. The detection of hemorrhage during the screening neuroimaging, taking into consideration the blood's arrangement and the patient's history and physical examination, guides the selection of subsequent neuroimaging, laboratory, and ancillary procedures to identify the cause. With the cause pinpointed, the crucial aims of the therapeutic regimen are to contain the expansion of hemorrhage and prevent associated complications, including cytotoxic cerebral edema, brain compression, and obstructive hydrocephalus. In a similar vein, a short discussion of nontraumatic spinal cord hemorrhage will also be included.
This article provides an overview of imaging modalities, crucial for evaluating patients symptomatic with acute ischemic stroke.
Acute stroke care experienced a pivotal shift in 2015, driven by the wide embrace of mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Randomized, controlled trials of stroke interventions in 2017 and 2018 brought about a new paradigm, incorporating imaging-based patient selection to expand the eligibility criteria for thrombectomy. This resulted in a rise in the deployment of perfusion imaging. Following several years of routine application, the ongoing debate regarding the timing for this additional imaging and its potential to cause unnecessary delays in the prompt management of stroke cases persists. At this present juncture, a meticulous and thorough understanding of neuroimaging methods, their implementations, and the principles of interpretation are of paramount importance for practicing neurologists.
Acute stroke patient evaluations often begin with CT-based imaging in numerous medical centers, due to its ubiquity, rapidity, and safety. A noncontrast head CT scan alone is adequate for determining the suitability of IV thrombolysis. CT angiography's sensitivity in identifying large-vessel occlusions is exceptional, ensuring reliable diagnostic conclusions. Therapeutic decision-making in particular clinical situations can benefit from the supplemental information provided by advanced imaging methods like multiphase CT angiography, CT perfusion, MRI, and MR perfusion. For the timely administration of reperfusion therapy, prompt neuroimaging and subsequent interpretation are always necessary in every case.
Because of its wide availability, rapid performance, and inherent safety, CT-based imaging forms the cornerstone of the initial assessment for stroke patients in many medical centers. A noncontrast head computed tomography scan of the head is sufficient to determine if IV thrombolysis is warranted. For reliable large-vessel occlusion assessment, the highly sensitive nature of CT angiography is crucial. The utilization of advanced imaging, encompassing multiphase CT angiography, CT perfusion, MRI, and MR perfusion, provides additional information helpful in guiding therapeutic decisions in certain clinical presentations. All cases require that neuroimaging is performed and interpreted quickly in order to facilitate the prompt administration of reperfusion therapy.
MRI and CT imaging are vital for diagnosing neurologic conditions, with each providing tailored insight into particular clinical concerns. In clinical settings, both these imaging methods have proven themselves highly safe due to diligent and concentrated efforts, still, both carry potential physical and procedural risks, which are comprehensively addressed in this article.
Notable strides have been made in the understanding and mitigation of safety issues encountered with MR and CT. Projectile accidents, radiofrequency burns, and harmful interactions with implanted devices are possible complications arising from MRI magnetic fields, causing significant patient injuries and fatalities in some cases.