Table of Contents
Editorial
Perspectives
Review Articles
Methodologic Perspectives
Health Care Reform Vignette
Genetics Vignette
Patient Safety
Brain
- Combined Low-Dose Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography and Perfusion for Acute Ischemic Stroke at 3T: A More Efficient Stroke Protocol
Patients studied for acute stroke were evaluated with full- and half-dose contrast-enhanced neck MRA and brain perfusion imaging and results were compared. Detection specificity and overestimation of stenoses were slightly higher for the half-dose studies but perfusion mismatches were identified with high interobserver agreement at both doses. Thus, low-dose studies are feasible and save time and contrast volume.
- Imaging the Effects of Oxygen Saturation Changes in Voluntary Apnea and Hyperventilation on Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging
Cerebral venous oxygenation was assessed during apnea and hyperventilation with SWI in healthy male volunteers. Signal changes were seen during apnea and especially during hyperventilation. Thus, SWI may be a simple noninvasive method to assess cerebral hemodynamics and vasomotor responses.
- Clinical and Angiographic Features and Stroke Types in Adult Moyamoya Disease
DSA was used to study patients with Moyamoya disease with acute stroke. Advanced Suzuki angiographic stages, aneurysms, arterial occlusions, and collateral flow including transdural anastomoses were present more often in patients with hemorrhage than in those with only ischemia. These findings are the main contributors to the development of hemorrhagic strokes in patients with Moyamoya disease.
- Association of White Matter Hyperintensities with Low Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels
The relationship between white matter hyperintensities and serum vitamin D levels was assessed in adults. The authors found a significant relationship between vitamin D and white matter T2 hyperintensities in independent adult outpatients, especially those over 50 years of age, but no relationship between vitamin D levels and brain atrophy.
Interventional
Extracranial Vascular
- Phlebographic Study Does Not Show Differences Between Patients with MS and Control Subjects
Patients with MS and healthy controls underwent catheter venography to study whether stenoses and/or insufficiency affecting the azygous and internal jugular veins were related to the disease. There were no differences in the presence of stenoses and/or chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency between the 2 groups and thus the authors state that their data exclude a direct correlation between these anomalies and MS.
Commentary
Head & Neck
- High Variability in Radiologists' Reporting Practices for Incidental Thyroid Nodules Detected on CT and MRI
The authors evaluated radiologists' current reporting practices for incidental thyroid nodules detected on CT and MRI. The most common responses to the survey were to recommend sonography and to report the nodules only in the body of the report. No significant differences were found when years of practice, practice types, and subspecialty were examined. Reporting practices were especially variable for patients with smaller nodules (≤10 mm) and those with multiple nodules and a history of cancer.
