A Decrease in Pulmonary Vein Diameter After Radiofrequency Ablation Predicts the Development of Severe Stenosis

A decrease in ostial pulmonary vein (PV) diameter was observed in patients on the day after radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study examined whether a relative reduction in PV diameter on day 1 (RRPVD1) after the procedure predicts the late development of severe PV stenosis (PVS). The study included 104 consecutive patients (mean age = 55 years, range 46–61, 34 women) with drug refractory AF. Pulmonary vein diameter was measured using MR angiography (MRA) on the day before and on day 1 after the ablation procedure. The MRA was repeated every 3 months after the procedure. Severe PVS was defined as a >70% diameter reduction from the initial ostial diameter. The cut-off of RRPVD1 was prespecified as 25% decrease in initial diameter. The data are presented as medians and interquartile range. A total of 357 PV were treated. The RRPVD1 was 0.0% (0.0–11.1%). Severe PVS was found in 18 PV during a follow-up of 12 months (range 6–13). The log-rank analysis confirmed a strong association between a RRPVD1 ≥25% and the development of PVS (hazard ratio: 7.1; 95% confidence interval 3.8–13.5, P < 0.0001). By multivariate Cox regression model, after adjustment of procedure variables, RRPVD1 was the strongest predictor of development of severe PVS. RRPVD1 ≥25% was a strong independent predictor of development of severe PVS.     

结节性硬化症多器官损害7例报告

目的探讨结节性硬化症多器官损害的临床特点以提高诊断治疗水平。方法回顾性分析7例结节性硬化症伴皮肤、大脑、肾脏、肝脏等多器官损害患者的临床资料,探讨其特征性临床表现及影像学改变。结果7例患者均有多器官损害,累及两个器官3例,3个及以上器官损害4例;皮肤损害主要为面部血管纤维瘤6例,皮肤色素脱失斑7例,鲨鱼皮斑3例,趾甲下纤维瘤1例;癫痫发作6例,智力低下4例,颅脑CT或MRI检查提示室管膜下结节4例,皮质结节2例;4例合并双侧肾脏多发错构瘤,1例合并肝脏错构瘤。结论特殊的皮肤损害、癫痫发作、智力低下,脑CT或MRI检查提示室管膜下结节或皮质结节或内脏多发性错构瘤为本病的主要临床特征,提高本病的认识有助于早期诊断和治疗。     

Optimization of self-reference thermometry using complex field estimation.

Referenceless, or self-reference, thermometry is a technique for mapping temperature differences in the region of interest (ROI) using the baseline phase estimated by extrapolating the field in the surrounding region for estimation (RFE) and subtracting the estimated baseline from the measured field. In the present work a self-reference technique based on complex field estimation using 2D polynomials comprising complex-valued coefficients was proposed and optimized. Numerical simulations with a Gaussian-profiled phase distribution demonstrated that the ROI radius had to be 2.3-2.5 times the standard deviation (SD) of the Gaussian function in order to keep the error below 8% of the peak phase change. The area ratio between the ROI and the RFE had to be larger than 2.0 to maintain the error level. Based on the simulations, and phantom and volunteer experiments, the complex-based method with independently optimized polynomial orders for the two spatial dimensions was compared with the phase-based method using the similar-order optimization strategy. The complex-based method appeared to be useful when phase unwrapping was not removed. Otherwise, the phase-based method yielded equivalent results with less polynomial orders.     

大鼠肾上腺髓质增生MRI与病理的对比研究

目的通过 MRI 研究大鼠肾上腺髓质增生(AMH)的信号特征,并与病理结果对比,探讨 MRI 诊断大鼠 AMH 的可能性。方法雄性 SD 大鼠60只,依体重大小,采取随机排列表法随机分为 A、B、C 实验组,皮下注射利血平0.4 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1);a、b、c 对照组,皮下注射等量生理盐水,每组10只。A、a,B、b,C、c 组分别连续注射40、60和80 d,行肾上腺 MR 扫描,并和病理研究作对照。结果注射60 d 后 B 组髓质百分数(34.3±5.8)%高于 b 组(25.7±8.9)%(t=2.462,P<0.05),C 组(36.4±7.8)%也高于 c 组(24.8±7.9)%(t=3.104,P<0.01),利血平注射60 d 后 AMH 造模成功;MR 下 B 和 b 组、C 和 c 组肾上腺体积分别为(50.7±14.1)和(41.1±11.0)、(52.7±10.5)和(40.4±10.7)mm~3,差异有统计学意义(t 值分别为2.352、3.442,P 值分别<0.05、<0.01);MR 下中心髓质区 T_2WI 信号 B 组高于 b 组(Z=-3.786,P<0.01)、C 组高于 c 组(Z=-3.570,P<0.01);光学显微镜(简称光镜)下见 B 和 C 组髓质明显增厚,细胞数增多、密集,呈实质性片状或条索状分布,形成细胞巢;实验组部分大鼠 T_1WI 下外周皮质信号明显增高,光镜下见束状带增生,细胞呈空泡状肥大,富含脂质。结论 MRT_2WI 中心髓质区信号增高及 T_1WI 外周皮质高信号可能对于诊断大鼠肾上腺髓质增生有意义。     

Mesenteric cyst with milk of calcium

A mesenteric cyst with milk of calcium in an adult patient is presented. Preoperative evaluation included plain film, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To our knowledge, the presence of milk of calcium in a mesenteric cyst has not been previously described.     

Reperfused myocardial infarctions on T1- and susceptibility-enhanced MRI: Evidence for loss of compartmentalization of contrast media

The purpose of this study was to characterize the contrast caused by a susceptibility MRI contrast agents, on spin echo T₂-weighted imaging of reperfused myocardial infarction. Our interest in this model focused on the expected requirement that such agents be compartmentalized in the tissue to cause signal loss on spin echo images, a condition which may not be present in reperfused infarcted myocardium. Accordingly, nine rats were subjected to 2 h of left coronary artery occlusion followed by 3 ± 0.5 h of reperfusion prior to administration of contrast media. Three sets of MR images were acquired: (a) baseline axial images at the midventricle, both T₁-weighted (TR/TE = 300/20) and T₂-weighted (TR/TE = 1500/60); (b) T₁-weighted images after administering a T₁-enhancing agent, Gd-DTPA-BMA (0.2 mmol/kg), to document that contrast media is delivered to the reperfused infarction; and (c) T₂-weighted images after administering the susceptibility agent, Dy-DTPA-BMA (1.0 mmol/kg). Gadolinium-enhanced T₁ images depicted reperfused infarction as regions with greatly enhanced signal intensity compared with unin-farcted myocardium, indicating that contrast agent was delivered to the infarcted zone. Dysprosium-enhanced T₁ images depicted the injury as a region of persistent signal intensity relative to depletion of signal in normal myocardium, consistent with failure of the contrast agent to cause signal loss. Similar infarction sizes were observed for unenhanced T₂-weighted images (33 ± 5%), gadolinium-enhanced T₁ weighted images (36 ± 5%) and postmortem staining (30 ± 6%); strong correlations (r > 0.9) were noted in comparisons of these data. Dysprosium-enhanced images exhibited a smaller region of differential signal presumed to be infarction (20 ± 5%, P < 0.05) and weak correlations (r < 0.75) with the other measurements. We conclude that the smaller infarction depicted on dysprosium-enhanced images is a subregion of the true infarction in which myocardial necrosis is sufficiently advanced that the agent is homogeneously distributed throughout all tissue compartments, preventing T₂*-dependent phase loss on spin echo images.     

椎管内肿瘤磁共振成像增强扫描初步观察

对１１例手术病理证实的椎管内肿瘤进行磁共振成像（ＭＲＩ）增强扫描的前、后分析，并对肿瘤定位、定性和鉴别诊断作了初步探讨。根据肿瘤形态、边界、强化程度，及与脊髓、硬脊膜、神经根等关系，ＭＲＩ的增强扫描对提高其定位、定性诊断均有较大的帮助。     

Magnetic resonance relaxation times of normal tissue in the course of chemotherapy: a study in patients with bone sarcoma

To study the effect of chemotherapy on normal fat, skeletal muscle, and bone marrow, T1 and T2 relaxation times were measured in 15 patients with bone sarcoma before and after each cycle of preoperative chemotherapy. A section plane containing the tumor and if possible the nonaffected extremity was imaged with combined multiecho spin echo and inversion recovery pulse sequences. T1 and T2 relaxation times were calculated in the normal-appearing tissues. Although some variation was found in the values in the individual patient and between patients, no systematic changes of relaxation times of fat, muscle, or bone marrow occurred in the course of treatment. We conclude that the chemotherapy used in bone sarcoma has no effect on relaxation times of normal fat, muscle, and bone marrow, and that therefore these tissues may serve as a reference for the signal intensity of tumor.     

Optimization of parameter values for complex pulse sequences by simulated annealing: Application to 3D MP-RAGE imaging of the brain

A number of pulse sequence techniques, including magnetization-prepared gradient echo (MP-GRE), segmented GRE, and hybrid RARE, employ a relatively large number of variable pulse sequence parameters and acquire the image data during a transient signal evolution. These sequences have recently been proposed and/or used for clinical applications in the brain, spine, liver, and coronary arteries. Thus, the need for a method of deriving optimal pulse sequence parameter values for this class of sequences now exists. Due to the complexity of these sequences, conventional optimization approaches, such as applying differential calculus to signal difference equations, are inadequate. We have developed a general framework for adapting the simulated annealing algorithm to pulse sequence parameter value optimization, and applied this framework to the specific case of optimizing the white matter-gray matter signal difference for a T₁-weighted variable flip angle 3D MP-RAGE sequence. Using our algorithm, the values of 35 sequence parameters, including the magnetization-preparation RF pulse flip angle and delay time, 32 flip angles in the variable flip angle gradient-echo acquisition sequence, and the magnetization recovery time, were derived. Optimized 3D MP-RAGE achieved up to a 130% increase in white matter-gray matter signal difference compared with optimized 3D RF-spoiled FLASH with the same total acquisition time. The simulated annealing approach was effective at deriving optimal parameter values for a specific 3D MP-RAGE imaging objective, and may be useful for other imaging objectives and sequences in this general class.     

MRI顺磁性造影剂增强及护理

目的 :进一步探讨 MRI增强前后的准备与护理方法。材料与方法 :共增强 833例 ,男 5 85例 ,女 2 4 8例。使用顺磁性造影剂 Gd- DTPA,按 0 .2 m L/kg体重给药。其中双倍量增强 110例 ,增强前认真履行告知义务和签署同意书。发生造影剂外漏者给予鲜马铃薯片外敷。结果 :增强效果达良好以上共 82 5例 ,占 99% ,未发生严重负反应。 3例造影剂外漏 ,鲜马铃薯片外敷后 3h痊愈。结论 :增强前充分细致的准备是保证增强效果的重要因素。认真履行告知义务和签置同意书 ,不仅尊重了病人的权利 ,也是依法行医 ,保证医疗安全的需要