Aberrant cervical thymus in an infant: an unusual cause of stridor

We report an 8-month-old infant presenting with stridor caused by a nonpalpable neck mass discovered at imaging and surgery. The diagnosis of aberrant thymic tissue was confirmed at histopathology. The authors reviewed the literature and discuss the embryology, imaging findings and differential diagnosis of this rare disorder. Received: 1 July 1999; Revised: 3 September 1999; Accepted: 6 September 1999     

生物医学成像的若干发展动向

本文综述了近年来生物医学成像的发展动向.文章指出随着基因组学、分子与细胞生物学的发展,小动物成像的研究方兴未艾,微型CT、微型PET、微型MRI,前景诱人.图象引导的介入治疗仍是研究热点,着重于研究术中组织变形后的图象配准与实时治疗监护.所有的成像技术都朝提高灵敏度、空间分辨力与时间分辨力的方向努力.细胞成像、分子成像已引起注意.多种模式结合在一起的成像装置更引起人们极大的兴趣.磁共振成像朝快速获取数据的方向努力以便做成实时高分辨力MRI.磁共振弹性图和扩散张量成像的应用研究十分活跃.CT研究有新局面:锥束螺旋CT、倒置CT等即将走出实验室,4DCT已见初样.     

术后椎间盘感染的MRI诊断价值探讨

目的探讨MRI对术后椎间盘感染的诊断价值。方法回顾分析18例经临床证实的术后椎间盘感染的MRI表现。结果18例患者中有23个椎间盘感染,其中16例发生于腰椎间盘。感染椎间盘不同程度的破坏、碎裂,呈长T1(15例)长T2(16例)信号,T2WI上髓核内正常裂隙状短T2信号消失(17例),椎间隙变窄(15例),相邻椎体终板及终板下骨质破坏(18例),椎旁软组织肿胀(9例)。3例行Gd-DTPA增强扫描,病变椎间盘及邻近椎体、椎旁软组织明显强化。结论MRI对诊断术后椎间盘感染具有较高的敏感性和特异性,应作为首选的影像学检查方法。     

应用DITI对中医经络学再认识

目的:应用Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging(简称DITI)红外热像技术探讨针灸一经络原理。方法:选择40名健康志愿者,随机分组为内关穴组、公孙穴组、非内关穴组、非公孙穴组四组,分别在相同条件下相应穴位及非穴位针刺;选用目前国际上比较先进的DITI红外热像仪,在针刺前、针刺即刻,持续行针10 min,留针20～30 min后分别测定脘腹部温度变化,针刺前后各组温差(△T)数据统计处理。结果:内关及公孙穴组针刺前后脘腹部温度差(△T)有统计学意义(P<0．05);而另两组非穴位对照组则没有统计学意异。结论:中医经络腧穴学中八脉交会穴理论中内关、公孙两穴对脘腹部能量有协同调节作用。     

Comparison of supraspinatus tendon and glenohumeral joint axes in MR imaging of the shoulder

Objective. In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the shoulder, oblique coronal images are used for evaluating the supraspinatus tendon (SST) of patients with suspected rotator cuff tear or impingement. This study aimed to compare orientation of the SST long axis with planes perpendicular to the glenohumeral joint (GHJ). Design and patients. The axial scans of 100 consecutive patients referred for MR imaging or MR arthrography of the shoulder were reviewed. Using the electronic cursors of a computer workstation, the angle of the SST long axis was measured and compared with the angle obtained through the GHJ utilizing three different landmarks: perpendicular to the joint (GHJ-90), joint–humeral head center axis (GHJ-H) and joint–scapular body axis (GHJ-S). Results. Differences in angulation between axes of the SST and the three GHJ axes averaged only about 5° [range of means 4.5–5.3°, range of standard deviation (SD) 3.8–4.6°]. In the majority of shoulders, angular differences measured 4 or less for all SST/GHJ comparisons. Similarly, small angular differences in the three GHJ axes were found: 4.5° (SD 3.3°) for GHJ-90/GHJ-S, 5.0° (SD 4.0°) for GHJ-S/GHJ-H and 2.9° (SD 3.0°) for GHJ-90/GHJ-H. Correlation between the GHJ-90 and GHJ-H axes was particularly good, with differences of 4° or less in 84% of shoulders. The orientations of the GHJ axes and that of the SST long axis are comparable. Conclusion. The GHJ may potentially be used as a landmark for obtaining oblique coronal images of the SST. Received: 19 November 1999 Revision requested: 18 January 2000 Revision received: 27 March 2000 Accepted: 5 April 2000     

Technologies for localization and diagnosis of prostate cancer

The gold standard for detecting prostate cancer (PCa), systematic biopsy, lacks sensitivity as well as grading accuracy. PSA screening leads to over-treatment of many men, and it is unclear whether screening reduces PCa mortality. This review provides an understanding of the difficulties of localizing and diagnosing PCa. It summarizes recent developments of ultrasound (including elastography) and MRI, and discusses some alternative experimental techniques, such as resonance sensor technology and vibrational spectroscopy. A comparison between the different methods is presented. It is concluded that new ultrasound techniques are promising for targeted biopsy procedures, in order to detect more clinically significant cancers while reducing the number of cores. MRI advances are very promising, but MRI remains expensive and MR-guided biopsy is complex. Resonance sensor technology and vibrational spectroscopy have shown promising results in?vitro. There is a need for large prospective multicentre trials that unambiguously prove the clinical benefits of these new techniques.     

Does throbbing pain have a brain signature?

Pain sometimes has a throbbing, pulsating quality, particularly when it is severe and disabling. We recently challenged the presumption that this throbbing quality is a sensory experience of arterial pulsations, but were unable to offer an alternative explanation for its rhythmic character. Here we report a case study of a woman with a history of daily headache consistent with the diagnosis of chronic migraine, but whose throbbing quality persisted long after the resolution of the headache. This chronic, daily, and persistent throbbing sensation, in the absence of headache pain, prompted closer examination for its neurophysiological correlate. By simultaneously recording the subjective report of the throbbing rhythm, arterial pulse, and high-density electroencephalogram, we found that the subjective throbbing rate (48 ± 1.7 beats per minute) and heart rate (68 ± 2 beats per minute) were distinct, in accord with our previous observations that the 2 are unrelated. On spectral analysis of the electroencephalogram, we found that the overall amount of activity in the alpha range (8 to 12 Hz), or alpha power, increased in association with greater throbbing intensity. In addition, we also found that the rhythmic oscillations of overall alpha power, the so-called modulations of alpha power, coincided with the timing of the throbbing rhythm, and that this synchrony, or coherence, was proportional to the subjective intensity of the throbbing quality. This index case will motivate further studies whose aim is to determine whether modulations of alpha power could more generally represent a neurophysiological correlate of the throbbing quality of pain.     

单源双能量CT扫描单能谱成像技术基物质图像在痛风结节中的应用

目的探讨单源双能量CT扫描单能谱成像技术基物质图像在痛风结节诊断中的应用价值。方法选取本院2017年1月至2019年1月收治的77例高度怀疑痛风患者,均进行单源双能量扫描及尿酸基图和钙基图的分拆、重建,同时结合常规能量扫描进行诊断。以美国风湿病协会制定的痛风诊断标准为基准,计算单源双能量CT诊断痛风结节的敏感度、特异度与准确率。结果根据美国风湿病协会制定的痛风诊断标准,77例患者中57例患者确诊为痛风结节。共56例患者经单源双能量CT扫描检测到痛风结节,其中11例为单关节受累,45例为多关节受累。单源双能量CT诊断痛风的敏感度为91.23%,特异度为80.00%,准确率为87.18%;常规CT诊断痛风的敏感度为77.19%,特异度为60.00%,准确率为72.73%。单源双能量CT诊断痛风的敏感度、准确率显著高于常规CT(P<0.05)。单源双能量CT共检出痛风结节131处,直径0.1~14.7cm;常规CT共检出痛风结节104处,直径0.4~14.7cm,0.1~0.3cm痛风结节未能显示。结论单源双能量CT扫描操作简单、费用低,可利用单能谱成像技术基物质图像上的结晶标记颜色鉴别尿酸和非尿酸结晶沉积,痛风结节诊断的敏感度与准确率较高,且可检出较小痛风结节,值得在痛风的临床诊断中推广应用。