High resolution 3D diffusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance of carotid vessel wall to detect lipid core without contrast media

Background

Without the need of contrast media, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has shown great promise for accurate detection of lipid-rich necrotic core (LRNC), a well-known feature of vulnerable plaques. However, limited resolution and poor image quality in vivo with conventional single-shot diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging (SS-DWEPI) has hindered its clinical application. The aim of this work is to develop a diffusion-prepared turbo-spin-echo (DP-TSE) technique for carotid plaque characterization with 3D high resolution and improved image quality.

Methods

Unlike SS-DWEPI where the diffusion encoding is integrated in the EPI framework, DP-TSE uses a diffusion encoding module separated from the TSE framework, allowing for segmented acquisition without the sensitivity to phase errors. The interleaved, motion-compensated sequence was designed to enable 3D black-blood DWI of carotid arteries with sub-millimeter resolution. The sequence was tested on 12 healthy subjects and compared with SS-DWEPI for image quality, vessel wall visibility, and vessel wall thickness measurements. A pilot study was performed on 6 patients with carotid plaques using this sequence and compared with conventional contrast-enhanced multi-contrast 2D TSE as the reference.

Results

DP-TSE demonstrated advantages over SS-DWEPI for resolution and image quality. In the healthy subjects, vessel wall visibility was significantly higher with diffusion-prepared TSE (p < 0.001). Vessel wall thicknesses measured from diffusion-prepared TSE were on average 35% thinner than those from the EPI images due to less distortion and partial volume effect (p < 0.001). ADC measurements of healthy carotid vessel wall are 1.53 ± 0.23 × 10⁻³ mm²/s. In patients the mean ADC measurements in the LRNC area were significantly lower (0.60 ± 0.16 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) than those of the fibrous plaque tissue (1.27 ± 0.29 × 10⁻³ mm²/s, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Diffusion-prepared CMR allows, for the first time, 3D DWI of the carotid arterial wall in vivo with high spatial resolution and improved image quality over SS-DWEPI. It can potentially detect LRNC without the use of contrast agents, allowing plaque characterization in patients with renal insufficiency.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12968-014-0067-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Accelerated free breathing ECG triggered contrast enhanced pulmonary vein magnetic resonance angiography using compressed sensing

Background

To investigate the feasibility of accelerated electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered contrast enhanced pulmonary vein magnetic resonance angiography (CE-PV MRA) with isotropic spatial resolution using compressed sensing (CS).

Methods

Nineteen patients (59 ± 13 y, 11 M) referred for MR were scanned using the proposed accelerated free breathing ECG-triggered 3D CE-PV MRA sequence (FOV = 340 × 340 × 110 mm³, spatial resolution = 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 mm³, acquisition window = 140 ms at mid diastole and CS acceleration factor = 5) and a conventional first-pass breath-hold non ECG-triggered 3D CE-PV MRA sequence. CS data were reconstructed offline using low-dimensional-structure self-learning and thresholding reconstruction (LOST) CS reconstruction. Quantitative analysis of PV sharpness and subjective qualitative analysis of overall image quality were performed using a 4-point scale (1: poor; 4: excellent).

Results

Quantitative PV sharpness was increased using the proposed approach (0.73 ± 0.09 vs. 0.51 ± 0.07 for the conventional CE-PV MRA protocol, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the subjective image quality scores between the techniques (3.32 ± 0.94 vs. 3.53 ± 0.77 using the proposed technique).

Conclusions

CS-accelerated free-breathing ECG-triggered CE-PV MRA allows evaluation of PV anatomy with improved sharpness compared to conventional non-ECG gated first-pass CE-PV MRA. This technique may be a valuable alternative for patients in which the first pass CE-PV MRA fails due to inaccurate first pass timing or inability of the patient to perform a 20–25 seconds breath-hold.     

Assessment of Liver Fibrosis with Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Different b-values in Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Objective

To examine the effectiveness of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and to compare the reliability of different b-values in detecting and identifying significant liver fibrosis.

Subjects and Methods

There were 44 patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) in the study group and 30 healthy participants in the control group. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) was performed before the liver biopsy in patients with CVH. The values of ADC were measured with 3 different b-values (100, 600, 1,000 s/mm²). In addition, liver fibrosis was classified using the modified Ishak scoring system. Liver fibrosis stages and ADC values were compared using areas under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

The study group''s mean ADC value was not statistically significantly different from the control group''s mean ADC value at b = 100 s/mm² (3.69 ± 0.5 × 10⁻³ vs. 3.7 ± 0.3 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) and b = 600 s/mm² (2.40 ± 0.3 × 10⁻³ vs. 2.5 ± 0.5 × 10⁻³ mm²/s). However, the study group''s mean ADC value (0.99 ± 0.3 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) was significantly lower than that of the control group (1.2 ± 0.1 × 10⁻³ mm²/s) at b = 1,000 s/mm². With b = 1,000 s/mm² and the cutoff ADC value of 0.0011 mm²/s for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, the mean area under the ROC curve was 0.702 ± 0.07 (p = 0.0015). For b = 1,000 s/mm² and the cutoff ADC value of 0.0011 mm²/s to diagnose significant liver fibrosis (Ishak score = 3), the mean area under the ROC curve was 0.759 ± 0.07 (p = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Measurement of ADC values by DWI was effective in detecting liver fibrosis and accurately identifying significant liver fibrosis when a b-value of 1,000 s/mm² was used.Key Words: Diffusion-weighted imaging, Hepatitis, Fibrosis, Liver     

In vivo contrast free chronic myocardial infarction characterization using diffusion-weighted cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Background

Despite the established role of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in characterizing chronic myocardial infarction (MI), a significant portion of chronic MI patients are contraindicative for the use of contrast agents. One promising alternative contrast free technique is diffusion weighted CMR (dwCMR), which has been shown ex vivo to be sensitive to myocardial fibrosis. We used a recently developed in vivo dwCMR in chronic MI pigs to compare apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps with LGE imaging for infarct characterization.

Methods

In eleven mini pigs, chronic MI was induced by complete occlusion of the left anterior descending artery for 150 minutes. LGE, cine, and dwCMR imaging was performed 8 weeks post MI. ADC maps were derived from three orthogonal diffusion directions (b = 400 s/mm²) and one non-diffusion weighted image. Two semi-automatic infarct classification methods, threshold and full width half max (FWHM), were performed in both LGE and ADC maps. Regional wall motion (RWM) analysis was performed and compared to ADC maps to determine if any observed ADC change was significantly influenced by bulk motion.

Results

ADC of chronic MI territories was significantly increased (threshold: 2.4 ± 0.3 μm²/ms, FWHM: 2.4 ± 0.2 μm²/ms) compared to remote myocardium (1.4 ± 0.3 μm²/ms). RWM was significantly reduced (threshold: 1.0 ± 0.4 mm, FWHM: 0.9 ± 0.4 mm) in infarcted regions delineated by ADC compared to remote myocardium (8.3 ± 0.1 mm). ADC-derived infarct volume and location had excellent agreement with LGE. Both LGE and ADC were in complete agreement when identifying transmural infarcts. Additionally, ADC was able to detect LGE-delineated infarcted segments with high sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV. (threshold: 0.88, 0.93, 0.87, and 0.94, FWHM: 0.98, 0.97, 0.93, and 0.99, respectively).

Conclusions

In vivo diffusion weighted CMR has potential as a contrast free alternative for LGE in characterizing chronic MI.     

Leveraging high-resolution 7-tesla MRI to derive quantitative metrics for the trigeminal nerve and subnuclei of limbic structures in trigeminal neuralgia

BackgroundTrigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a chronic neurological disease that is strongly associated with neurovascular compression (NVC) of the trigeminal nerve near its root entry zone. The trigeminal nerve at the site of NVC has been extensively studied but limbic structures that are potentially involved in TN have not been adequately characterized. Specifically, the hippocampus is a stress-sensitive region which may be structurally impacted by chronic TN pain. As the center of the emotion-related network, the amygdala is closely related to stress regulation and may be associated with TN pain as well. The thalamus, which is involved in the trigeminal sensory pathway and nociception, may play a role in pain processing of TN. The objective of this study was to assess structural alterations in the trigeminal nerve and subregions of the hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus in TN patients using ultra-high field MRI and examine quantitative differences in these structures compared with healthy controls.MethodsThirteen TN patients and 13 matched controls were scanned at 7-Tesla MRI with high resolution, T1-weighted imaging. Nerve cross sectional area (CSA) was measured and an automated algorithm was used to segment hippocampal, amygdaloid, and thalamic subregions. Nerve CSA and limbic structure subnuclei volumes were compared between TN patients and controls.ResultsCSA of the posterior cisternal nerve on the symptomatic side was smaller in patients (3.75 mm²) compared with side-matched controls (5.77 mm², p = 0.006). In TN patients, basal subnucleus amygdala volume (0.347 mm³) was reduced on the symptomatic side compared with controls (0.401 mm³, p = 0.025) and the paralaminar subnucleus volume (0.04 mm³) was also reduced on the symptomatic side compared with controls (0.05 mm³, p = 0.009). The central lateral thalamic subnucleus was larger in TN patients on both the symptomatic side (0.033 mm³) and asymptomatic side (0.035 mm³), compared with the corresponding sides in controls (0.025 mm³ on both sides, p = 0.048 and p = 0.003 respectively). The inferior and lateral pulvinar thalamic subnuclei were both reduced in TN patients on the symptomatic side (0.2 mm³ and 0.17 mm³ respectively) compared to controls (0.23 mm³, p = 0.04 and 0.18 mm³, p = 0.04 respectively). No significant findings were found in the hippocampal subfields analyzed.ConclusionsThese findings, generated through a highly sensitive 7 T MRI protocol, provide compelling support for the theory that TN neurobiology is a complex amalgamation of local structural changes within the trigeminal nerve and structural alterations in subnuclei of limbic structures directly and indirectly involved in nociception and pain processing.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-021-01325-4.     

Comparison of symptomatic and asymptomatic atherosclerotic carotid plaques using parallel imaging and 3?T black-blood in vivo CMR

Background

To determine if black-blood 3 T cardiovascular magnetic resonance (bb-CMR) can depict differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Methods

In this prospective monocentric observational study 34 patients (24 males; 70 ±9.3 years) with symptomatic carotid disease defined as ischemic brain lesions in one internal carotid artery territory on diffusion weighted images underwent a carotid bb-CMR at 3 T with fat-saturated pre- and post-contrast T1w-, PDw-, T2w- and TOF images using surface coils and Parallel Imaging techniques (PAT factor = 2) within 10 days after symptom onset. All patients underwent extensive clinical workup (lab, brain MR, duplex sonography, 24-hour ECG, transesophageal echocardiography) to exclude other causes of ischemic stroke. Prevalence of American Heart Association lesion type VI (AHA-LT6), status of the fibrous cap, presence of hemorrhage/thrombus and area measurements of calcification, necrotic core and hemorrhage were determined in both carotid arteries in consensus by two reviewers who were blinded to clinical information. McNemar and Wilcoxon''s signed rank tests were use for statistical comparison. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Symptomatic plaques showed a higher prevalence of AHA-LT6 (67.7% vs. 11.8%; p < 0.001; odds ratio = 12.5), ruptured fibrous caps (44.1% vs. 2.9%; p < 0.001; odds ratio = 15.0), juxtaluminal thrombus (26.5 vs. 0%; p < 0.01; odds ratio = 7.3) and intraplaque hemorrhage (58.6% vs. 11.8%; p = 0.01; odds ratio = 3.8). Necrotic core and hemorrhage areas were greater in symptomatic plaques (14.1 mm² vs. 5.5 mm² and 13.6 mm² vs. 5.3 mm²; p < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion

3 T bb-CMR is able to differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques, demonstrating the potential of bb-CMR to differentiate between stable and vulnerable lesions and ultimately to identify patients with low versus high risk for cardiovascular complications. Best predictors of the symptomatic side were a ruptured fibrous cap, AHA-LT 6, juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus, and intraplaque hemorrhage.     

Single breath-hold 3D measurement of left atrial volume using compressed sensing cardiovascular magnetic resonance and a non-model-based reconstruction approach

Background

Left atrial (LA) dilatation is associated with a large variety of cardiac diseases. Current cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) strategies to measure LA volumes are based on multi-breath-hold multi-slice acquisitions, which are time-consuming and susceptible to misregistration.

Aim

To develop a time-efficient single breath-hold 3D CMR acquisition and reconstruction method to precisely measure LA volumes and function.

Methods

A highly accelerated compressed-sensing multi-slice cine sequence (CS-cineCMR) was combined with a non-model-based 3D reconstruction method to measure LA volumes with high temporal and spatial resolution during a single breath-hold. This approach was validated in LA phantoms of different shapes and applied in 3 patients. In addition, the influence of slice orientations on accuracy was evaluated in the LA phantoms for the new approach in comparison with a conventional model-based biplane area-length reconstruction. As a reference in patients, a self-navigated high-resolution whole-heart 3D dataset (3D-HR-CMR) was acquired during mid-diastole to yield accurate LA volumes.

Results

Phantom studies. LA volumes were accurately measured by CS-cineCMR with a mean difference of −4.73 ± 1.75 ml (−8.67 ± 3.54 %, r² = 0.94). For the new method the calculated volumes were not significantly different when different orientations of the CS-cineCMR slices were applied to cover the LA phantoms. Long-axis “aligned” vs “not aligned” with the phantom long-axis yielded similar differences vs the reference volume (−4.87 ± 1.73 ml vs −4.45 ± 1.97 ml, p = 0.67) and short-axis “perpendicular” vs “not-perpendicular” with the LA long-axis (−4.72 ± 1.66 ml vs −4.75 ± 2.13 ml; p = 0.98). The conventional bi-plane area-length method was susceptible for slice orientations (p = 0.0085 for the interaction of “slice orientation” and “reconstruction technique”, 2-way ANOVA for repeated measures). To use the 3D-HR-CMR as the reference for LA volumes in patients, it was validated in the LA phantoms (mean difference: −1.37 ± 1.35 ml, −2.38 ± 2.44 %, r² = 0.97). Patient study: The CS-cineCMR LA volumes of the mid-diastolic frame matched closely with the reference LA volume (measured by 3D-HR-CMR) with a difference of −2.66 ± 6.5 ml (3.0 % underestimation; true LA volumes: 63 ml, 62 ml, and 395 ml). Finally, a high intra- and inter-observer agreement for maximal and minimal LA volume measurement is also shown.

Conclusions

The proposed method combines a highly accelerated single-breathhold compressed-sensing multi-slice CMR technique with a non-model-based 3D reconstruction to accurately and reproducibly measure LA volumes and function.     

Comparison of diffusion tensor imaging by cardiovascular magnetic resonance and gadolinium enhanced 3D image intensity approaches to investigation of structural anisotropy in explanted rat hearts

Background

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can through the two methods 3D FLASH and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) give complementary information on the local orientations of cardiomyocytes and their laminar arrays.

Methods

Eight explanted rat hearts were perfused with Gd-DTPA contrast agent and fixative and imaged in a 9.4T magnet by two types of acquisition: 3D fast low angle shot (FLASH) imaging, voxels 50 × 50 × 50 μm, and 3D spin echo DTI with monopolar diffusion gradients of 3.6 ms duration at 11.5 ms separation, voxels 200 × 200 × 200 μm. The sensitivity of each approach to imaging parameters was explored.

Results

The FLASH data showed laminar alignments of voxels with high signal, in keeping with the presumed predominance of contrast in the interstices between sheetlets. It was analysed, using structure-tensor (ST) analysis, to determine the most (v₁^ST), intermediate (v₂^ST) and least (v₃^ST) extended orthogonal directions of signal continuity. The DTI data was analysed to determine the most (e₁^DTI), intermediate (e₂^DTI) and least (e₃^DTI) orthogonal eigenvectors of extent of diffusion. The correspondence between the FLASH and DTI methods was measured and appraised. The most extended direction of FLASH signal (v₁^ST) agreed well with that of diffusion (e₁^DTI) throughout the left ventricle (representative discrepancy in the septum of 13.3 ± 6.7°: median ± absolute deviation) and both were in keeping with the expected local orientations of the long-axis of cardiomyocytes. However, the orientation of the least directions of FLASH signal continuity (v₃^ST) and diffusion (e₃^ST) showed greater discrepancies of up to 27.9 ± 17.4°. Both FLASH (v₃^ST) and DTI (e₃^DTI) where compared to directly measured laminar arrays in the FLASH images. For FLASH the discrepancy between the structure-tensor calculated v₃^ST and the directly measured FLASH laminar array normal was of 9 ± 7° for the lateral wall and 7 ± 9° for the septum (median ± inter quartile range), and for DTI the discrepancy between the calculated v₃^DTI and the directly measured FLASH laminar array normal was 22 ± 14° and 61 ± 53.4°. DTI was relatively insensitive to the number of diffusion directions and to time up to 72 hours post fixation, but was moderately affected by b-value (which was scaled by modifying diffusion gradient pulse strength with fixed gradient pulse separation). Optimal DTI parameters were b = 1000 mm/s² and 12 diffusion directions. FLASH acquisitions were relatively insensitive to the image processing parameters explored.

Conclusions

We show that ST analysis of FLASH is a useful and accurate tool in the measurement of cardiac microstructure. While both FLASH and the DTI approaches appear promising for mapping of the alignments of myocytes throughout myocardium, marked discrepancies between the cross myocyte anisotropies deduced from each method call for consideration of their respective limitations.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12968-015-0129-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

High spatial and temporal resolution retrospective cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance from shortened free breathing real-time acquisitions

Background

Cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is challenging in patients who cannot perform repeated breath holds. Real-time, free-breathing acquisition is an alternative, but image quality is typically inferior. There is a clinical need for techniques that achieve similar image quality to the segmented cine using a free breathing acquisition. Previously, high quality retrospectively gated cine images have been reconstructed from real-time acquisitions using parallel imaging and motion correction. These methods had limited clinical applicability due to lengthy acquisitions and volumetric measurements obtained with such methods have not previously been evaluated systematically.

Methods

This study introduces a new retrospective reconstruction scheme for real-time cine imaging which aims to shorten the required acquisition. A real-time acquisition of 16-20s per acquired slice was inputted into a retrospective cine reconstruction algorithm, which employed non-rigid registration to remove respiratory motion and SPIRiT non-linear reconstruction with temporal regularization to fill in missing data. The algorithm was used to reconstruct cine loops with high spatial (1.3-1.8 × 1.8-2.1 mm²) and temporal resolution (retrospectively gated, 30 cardiac phases, temporal resolution 34.3 ± 9.1 ms). Validation was performed in 15 healthy volunteers using two different acquisition resolutions (256 × 144/192 × 128 matrix sizes). For each subject, 9 to 12 short axis and 3 long axis slices were imaged with both segmented and real-time acquisitions. The retrospectively reconstructed real-time cine images were compared to a traditional segmented breath-held acquisition in terms of image quality scores. Image quality scoring was performed by two experts using a scale between 1 and 5 (poor to good). For every subject, LAX and three SAX slices were selected and reviewed in the random order. The reviewers were blinded to the reconstruction approach and acquisition protocols and scores were given to segmented and retrospective cine series. Volumetric measurements of cardiac function were also compared by manually tracing the myocardium for segmented and retrospective cines.

Results

Mean image quality scores were similar for short axis and long axis views for both tested resolutions. Short axis scores were 4.52/4.31 (high/low matrix sizes) for breath-hold vs. 4.54/4.56 for real-time (paired t-test, P = 0.756/0.011). Long axis scores were 4.09/4.37 vs. 3.99/4.29 (P = 0.475/0.463). Mean ejection fraction was 60.8/61.4 for breath-held acquisitions vs. 60.3/60.3 for real-time acquisitions (P = 0.439/0.093). No significant differences were seen in end-diastolic volume (P = 0.460/0.268) but there was a trend towards a small overestimation of end-systolic volume of 2.0/2.5 ml, which did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.052/0.083).

Conclusions

Real-time free breathing CMR can be used to obtain high quality retrospectively gated cine images in 16-20s per slice. Volumetric measurements and image quality scores were similar in images from breath-held segmented and free breathing, real-time acquisitions. Further speedup of image reconstruction is still needed.     

Model-based system matrix for iterative reconstruction in sub-diffuse angular-domain fluorescence optical projection tomography

This work concerns a fluorescence optical projection tomography system for low scattering tissue, like lymph nodes, with angular-domain rejection of highly scattered photons. In this regime, filtered backprojection (FBP) image reconstruction has been shown to provide reasonable quality images, yet here a comparison of image quality between images obtained by FBP and iterative image reconstruction with a Monte Carlo generated system matrix, demonstrate measurable improvements with the iterative method. Through simulated and experimental phantoms, iterative algorithms consistently outperformed FBP in terms of contrast and spatial resolution. Moreover, when projection number was reduced, in order to reduce total imaging time, iterative reconstruction suppressed artifacts that hampered the performance of FBP reconstruction (structural similarity of the reconstructed images with “truth” was improved from 0.15 ± 1.2 × 10⁻³ to 0.66 ± 0.02); and although the system matrix was generated for homogenous optical properties, when heterogeneity (62.98 cm^-1 variance in µ_s) was introduced to simulated phantoms, the results were still comparable (structural similarity homo: 0.67 ± 0.02 vs hetero: 0.66 ± 0.02).     

Quantitative evaluation of high intensity signal on MIP images of carotid atherosclerotic plaques from routine TOF-MRA reveals elevated volumes of intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid rich necrotic core

Background

Carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) and lipid rich necrotic core (LRNC) have been associated with accelerated plaque growth, luminal narrowing, future surface disruption and development of symptomatic events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quantitative relationships between high intensity signals (HIS) in the plaque on TOF-MRA and IPH or LRNC volumes as measured by multicontrast weighted CMR.

Methods

Seventy six patients with a suspected carotid artery stenosis or carotid plaque by ultrasonography underwent multicontrast carotid CMR. HIS presence and volume were measured from TOF-MRA MIP images while IPH and LRNC volumes were separately measured from multicontrast CMR.

Results

For detecting IPH, HIS on MIP images overall had high specificity (100.0%, 95% CI: 93.0 – 100.0%) but relatively low sensitivity (32%, 95% CI: 20.8 – 47.9%). However, the sensitivity had a significant increasing relationship with underlying IPH volume (p = 0.033) and degree of stenosis (p = 0.022). Mean IPH volume was 2.7 times larger in those with presence of HIS than in those without (142.8 ± 97.7 mm³ vs. 53.4 ± 56.3 mm³, p = 0.014). Similarly, mean LRNC volume was 3.4 times larger in those with HIS present (379.8 ± 203.4 mm³ vs. 111.3 ± 122.7 mm³, p = 0.001). There was a strong correlation between the volume of the HIS region and the IPH volume measured from multicontrast CMR (r = 0.96, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

MIP images are easily reformatted from three minute, routine, clinical TOF sequences. High intensity signals in carotid plaque on TOF-MRA MIP images are associated with increased intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid-rich necrotic core volumes. The technique is most sensitive in patients with moderate to severe stenosis.     

弥散加权成像b值及表观扩散系数预测膀胱癌侵袭性

目的 探讨磁共振弥散加权成像（DWI）b值和表观扩散系数（ADC）评估膀胱癌侵袭性的价值。方法 回顾性分析经病理证实的58例膀胱癌患者（64个病灶）,均接受常规MRI和DWI,梯度扩散因子b值分别取0、600、1 000和1 500 s/mm²,根据膀胱癌病理表型将其分为低、中、高侵袭性。测量不同b值下的肿瘤ADC值,分析膀胱癌侵袭性与ADC值的相关性;通过ROC曲线评价ADC值在膀胱癌侵袭性上的诊断效能。结果 高侵袭性组膀胱癌平均直径（3.37±1.58）cm,显著大于低侵袭性组[（2.18±0.51）cm]和中侵袭性组[（2.32±0.53）cm,P均<0.01）;ADC值与膀胱癌侵袭性呈负相关（r=-0.673,P<0.05）;b值取1 500 s/mm²时可清晰显示病灶,图像对比度较高;ADC值对于直径<2.5 cm肿瘤的诊断特异度及准确度更好;ROC曲线显示ADC值0.93×10^-3 mm²/s是判断膀胱癌侵袭性的最佳阈值。结论 DWI及ADC可用于预测膀胱癌侵袭性,尤其是小直径膀胱癌,并为后期治疗提供临床指导。     

Accuracy and precision of calibrated arterial pulse contour analysis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage requiring high-dose vasopressor therapy: a prospective observational clinical trial

Introduction

Calibrated arterial pulse contour analysis has become an established method for the continuous monitoring of cardiac output (PCCO). However, data on its validity in hemodynamically instable patients beyond the setting of cardiac surgery are scarce. We performed the present study to assess the validity and precision of PCCO-measurements using the PiCCO™-device compared to transpulmonary thermodilution derived cardiac output (TPCO) as the reference technique in neurosurgical patients requiring high-dose vasopressor-therapy.

Methods

A total of 20 patients (16 females and 4 males) were included in this prospective observational clinical trial. All of them suffered from subarachnoid hemorrhage (Hunt&Hess grade I-V) due to rupture of a cerebral arterial aneurysm and underwent high-dose vasopressor therapy for the prevention/treatment of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Simultaneous CO measurements by bolus TPCO and PCCO were obtained at baseline as well as 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after inclusion.

Results

PCCO- and TPCO-measurements were obtained at baseline as well as 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after inclusion. Patients received vasoactive support with (mean ± standard deviation, SD) 0.57 ± 0.49 μg · kg^-1 · min^-1 norepinephrine resulting in a mean arterial pressure of 103 ± 13 mmHg and a systemic vascular resistance of 943 ± 248 dyn · s · cm^-5. 136 CO-data pairs were analyzed. TPCO ranged from 5.2 to 14.3 l · min^-1 (mean ± SD 8.5 ± 2.0 l · min^-1) and PCCO ranged from 5.0 to 14.4 l · min^-1 (mean ± SD 8.6 ± 2.0 l · min^-1). Bias and limits of agreement (1.96 SD of the bias) were −0.03 ± 0.82 l · min^-1 and 1.62 l · min^-1, resulting in an overall percentage error of 18.8%. The precision of PCCO-measurements was 17.8%. Insufficient trending ability was indicated by concordance rates of 74% (exclusion zone of 15% (1.29 l · min^-1)) and 67% (without exclusion zone), as well as by polar plot analysis.

Conclusions

In neurosurgical patients requiring extensive vasoactive support, CO values obtained by calibrated PCCO showed clinically and statistically acceptable agreement with TPCO-measurements, but the results from concordance and polar plot analysis indicate an unreliable trending ability.     

Thermogravimetric analysis of soot combustion in the presence of ash and soluble organic fraction

Soot (Printex U, PU) combustion in the presence of ash and soluble organic fraction (SOF) was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The comprehensive combustion index, combustion stability index and peak temperature were collected to evaluate the combustion performance of soot/ash/SOF mixtures. Compared with SiO₂, Fe₂O₃ and CaSO₄ nanoparticles, ZnO nanoparticles efficiently accelerate soot combustion with excellent oxygen carrying abilities. When the weight ratio of the PU/ZnO mixture is 1 : 1, this acceleration effect is maximized in the soot combustion process. The comprehensive combustion and combustion stability indices increase from 0.667 × 10⁻⁷%² min⁻² °C⁻³ and 23.53 × 10⁵ to 1.296 × 10⁻⁷%² min⁻² °C⁻³ and 39.53 × 10⁵, compared to pure PU, respectively. Compared with the PU/ZnO mixture, the soot combustion had inferior results after adding two oils as the simulative SOF. The 15W lubricant had the minimum negative impact compared to 0# diesel fuel. The comprehensive combustion and combustion stability indices reach the maximum values of 1.074 × 10⁻⁷%² min⁻² °C⁻³ and 33.29 × 10⁵ at the 1 : 1 : 0.1 weight ratio of PU/ZnO/15W, which grew by 62% and 42% compared to pure PU, respectively. This work contributes to an understanding of the combined effect of ash and SOF on soot combustion.

Soot (Printex U, PU) combustion in the presence of ash and soluble organic fraction (SOF) was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Structural abnormalities of the trigeminal root revealed by diffusion tensor imaging in patients with trigeminal neuralgia caused by neurovascular compression: a prospective, double-blind, controlled study

Because diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is able to assess tissue integrity, we used diffusion to detect abnormalities in trigeminal nerves (TGN) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) caused by neurovascular compression (NVC). We also studied anatomical TGN parameters (cross-sectional area [CSA] and volume [V]). Using DTI sequencing in a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, we measured the fraction of anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of TGN in 10 patients selected as candidates to have microvascular decompression (MVD) for TN, and 6 normal control subjects. We compared data between the affected nerves of TN (ipsilateral TN), unaffected nerves of TN (contralateral TN), and both nerves in normal subjects (controls), and correlated these data with CSA and V. The FA of the ipsilateral TN (0.37 ± 0.08) was significantly lower (P < .05) compared with the contralateral TN (0.48 ± 0.08) and control values (0.52 ± 0.04). The ADC of ipsilateral TN (5.6 ± 0.89 mm²/s) was significantly higher (P < .05) compared with the contralateral TN (4.26 ± 0.59 mm²/s) and control values (3.84 ± 0.43 mm²/s). Ipsilateral TN had less V and CSA compared with contralateral TN and control values (P < .05). The Spearman correlation coefficient showed a strong positive correlation between loss of FA and loss of V (r = 0.7576) and loss of CSA (r = 0.9273) of affected nerves. The Spearman correlation coefficient showed a strong negative correlation between increase in ADC and loss of V (r = −0.7173) and loss of CSA (r = −0.7416) in affected nerves. DTI revealed alteration in the FA and ADC values of the affected TGN. These alterations were correlated with atrophic changes in patients with TN caused by NVC.     

表观扩散系数值在区分肌肉骨骼系统良、恶性肿瘤中的作用

目的 探讨ADC值在区分肌肉骨骼系统肿瘤良恶性中的作用.方法 对33例患有肌肉骨骼系统肿瘤的患者进行MR常规T1加权,T2加权,压脂T2加权检查,以及3D Fast SPGR动态增强成像.MR扩散加权成像采用SS-EPI序列,b值分别取0、700 s/mm2,在动态增强扫描图像上强化明显的区域作为扩散加权成像图上的感兴趣区,测定肿瘤的ADC值.结果 在33例肿瘤中,良性肿瘤为17例,平均ADC值为(1.54±0.35)×10-3mm2/s,恶性肿瘤共有16例,平均ADC值为(1.45±0.45)×10-3mm2/s,二者之间无显著性差异(P>0.05).在33例病例中,共有6例软骨类肿瘤,平均ADC值(1.945±0.51)X10-3mm2/s;非软骨类肿瘤共有27例,平均ADC值(1.41±0.29)×10-3mm2/s,二者之间有显著差异(P<0.05).除1例软骨类肿瘤外,所有软骨类肿瘤的ADC值均大于2.0×10-3mm2/s.结论 以MR动态增强图像来选取DWI图像上肿瘤的感兴趣区(ROI)而测得的ADC值不能区分肌肉骨骼系统肿瘤的良恶性;但是高ADC值(>2.0×10-3mm2/s)对诊断软骨类肿瘤有一定价值.     

多形性胶质母细胞瘤MR弥散张量成像应用研究

目的本研究旨在探讨平均扩散系数（ADC）和各向异性指数（FA）在鉴别多形性胶质母细胞瘤肿瘤组织、水肿及正常脑组织,以及探讨ADC值及FA值在对肿瘤浸润范围中的作用。方法14例多形性胶质母细胞瘤在治疗前行常规MRI、增强扫描及弥散张量成像（DTI）,在T1WI增强、T2WI上确定肿瘤组织、水肿及正常脑组织,在ADC图和FA图上测量这些区域的FA值及ADC值,用方差分析评定值之间的差异。结果肿瘤囊变区的ADC值（2.07&#177;0.631）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s最高,其次为水肿区（1.39&#177;0.164）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s、肿瘤强化中心（1.13&#177;0.187）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s、肿瘤强化边缘（1.04&#177;0.254）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s、瘤周正常白质区（0.779&#177;0.088）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s、对侧正常白质（0.748&#177;0.082）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s。对侧正常白质FA值最高（0.538&#177;0.084）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s,肿瘤囊变区最低（0.09&#177;0.028）&#215;10^-3mm^2/s。肿瘤强化边缘与囊变坏死区、水肿区、瘤周正常白质以及对侧正常白质ADC值差别均具有显著性意义（P〈0.05）,瘤周正常白质区与对侧正常白质区ADC值无显著性意义（P〉0.05）。肿瘤强化边缘与囊变坏死区、瘤周正常白质区、对侧正常白质区FA值差别均具有显著性意义（P〈0.05）,瘤周正常白质区与对侧正常白质区FA值有显著性意义（P〈0.05）,肿瘤强化边缘FA值与水肿区FA值差异无显著性意义（P〉0.05）。结论ADC值可用于区分多形性胶质母细胞瘤正常脑白质、水肿和肿瘤强化边缘,FA值对于组织学鉴别无明显意义,FA值对肿瘤浸润范围有重要的意义。     

Extracellular volume quantification in isolated hypertension - changes at the detectable limits?

Background

Diffuse myocardial fibrosis (DMF) is important in cardiovascular disease, however until recently could only be assessed by invasive biopsy. We hypothesised that DMF measured by T1 mapping is elevated in isolated systemic hypertension.

Methods

In a study of well-controlled hypertensive patients from a specialist tertiary centre, 46 hypertensive patients (median age 56, range 21 to 78, 52 % male) and 50 healthy volunteers (median age 45, range 28 to 69, 52 % male) underwent clinical CMR at 1.5 T with T1 mapping (ShMOLLI) using the equilibrium contrast technique for extracellular volume (ECV) quantification. Patients underwent 24-hours Automated Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM), echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function, aortic stiffness assessment and measurement of NT-pro-BNP and collagen biomarkers.

Results

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) revealed significant unexpected underlying pathology in 6 out of 46 patients (13 %; myocardial infarction n = 3; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) n = 3); these were subsequently excluded. Limited, non-ischaemic LGE patterns were seen in 11 out of the remaining 40 (28 %) patients. Hypertensives on therapy (mean 2.2 agents) had a mean ABPM of 152/88 mmHg, but only 35 % (14/40) had left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH; LV mass male > 90 g/m²; female > 78 g/m²). Native myocardial T1 was similar in hypertensives and controls (955 ± 30 ms versus 965 ± 38 ms, p = 0.16). The difference in ECV did not reach significance (0.26 ± 0.02 versus 0.27 ± 0.03, p = 0.06). In the subset with LVH, the ECV was significantly higher (0.28 ± 0.03 versus 0.26 ± 0.02, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

In well-controlled hypertensive patients, conventional CMR discovered significant underlying diseases (chronic infarction, HCM) not detected by echocardiography previously or even during this study. T1 mapping revealed increased diffuse myocardial fibrosis, but the increases were small and only occurred with LVH.     

Cardiac-respiratory self-gated cine ultra-short echo time (UTE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance for assessment of functional cardiac parameters at high magnetic fields

Background

To overcome flow and electrocardiogram-trigger artifacts in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), we have implemented a cardiac and respiratory self-gated cine ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence. We have assessed its performance in healthy mice by comparing the results with those obtained with a self-gated cine fast low angle shot (FLASH) sequence and with echocardiography.

Methods

2D self-gated cine UTE (TE/TR = 314 μs/6.2 ms, resolution: 129 × 129 μm, scan time per slice: 5 min 5 sec) and self-gated cine FLASH (TE/TR = 3 ms/6.2 ms, resolution: 129 × 129 μm, scan time per slice: 4 min 49 sec) images were acquired at 9.4 T. Volume of the left and right ventricular (LV, RV) myocardium as well as the end-diastolic and -systolic volume was segmented manually in MR images and myocardial mass, stroke volume (SV), ejection fraction (EF) and cardiac output (CO) were determined. Statistical differences were analyzed by using Student t test and Bland-Altman analyses.

Results

Self-gated cine UTE provided high quality images with high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) also for the RV myocardium (CNR_{blood-myocardium} = 25.5 ± 7.8). Compared to cine FLASH, susceptibility, motion, and flow artifacts were considerably reduced due to the short TE of 314 μs. The aortic valve was clearly discernible over the entire cardiac cycle. Myocardial mass, SV, EF and CO determined by self-gated UTE were identical to the values measured with self-gated FLASH and showed good agreement to the results obtained by echocardiography.

Conclusions

Self-gated UTE allows for robust measurement of cardiac parameters of diagnostic interest. Image quality is superior to self-gated FLASH, rendering the method a powerful alternative for the assessment of cardiac function at high magnetic fields.