【Abstract】 Objective Using 16-slice multi-detector row helical CT (16-slice MDCT) to investigate the value of multiplanar reformation technique (MPR) in the diagnosis of bowel obstruction. Methods Thirty patients with surgically (27 cases) or clinically (3 cases) proofed diagnosis of bowel obstruction underwent 16-slice MDCT examination of the entire abdomen. All cases had plain CT scan, while 20 cases had additional contrast-enhanced CT scan at portal venous phase. In addition to the conventional axial images, the original CT raw data were then reconstructed into both coronal and sagittal images using MPR technique. Imaging findings were analyzed on axial, MPR coronal and sagittal images. Results Among the 30 patients with bowel obstruction, there were 8 cases caused by adhesion, 7 by simple intestinal tumor, 5 by intussusception (including caused by instestinal tumor), 4 by abdominal hernia, 2 by volvulus, 1 by ileocecal abscess, 1 by stenosis of mesenteric artery，1 by retroperitoneal cyst, and 1 by carcinoma in pancreatic tail. Six patients developed intestinal ischemia or strangulation. Both axial and MPR images correctly depicted the presence of bowel obstruction. Based on CT axial view （AV）, the site and the underlying etiology of bowel obstruction were determined in 26 (86.7%) and 22 (73.3%) patients respectively, while the combination with MPR coronal and sagittal images improved the diagnostic performance to 29 (96.7%) and 27 (90.0%) patients respectively. Both axial and MPR images correctly revealed the presence of intestinal ischemia or strangulation in 5 （83.3%）patients. Conclusion MPR technique of MDCT is very useful for evaluating the site and etiology of bowel obstruction, as well as the circulation status of involved bowel loop.
Objective?To explore the clinical and imaging features of cranial venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). MethodsThe clinical data of 20 patients with CVST treated between January 2008 and December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed, including the clinical manifestations, neuroimaging characters and treatment outcomes. ResultsAmong the 20 patients, there were 10 infected cases; D-dimer was detected positively in only 2 cases; cerebrospinal fluid pressure increased in 13 patients; and red blood cell population of cerebrospinal fluid increased in 12 patients. The common clinical symptoms included headache in 16 cases, eye symptoms in 12 cases, and vomiting in 10 cases. CT showed the direct signs of CVST in 3 cases, and MRI showed the direct signs of CVST in 6 cases. The common disease regions were in left transverse sinus and sigmoid sinus in 5 cases, superior sagittal sinus in 5 cases, and multiple venous sinus in 5 cases. Eighteen patients only received anticoagulation, and 2 received anticoagulation and local thrombolytic treatment. Fourteen cases recovered fully, 6 had dysfunctions. ConclusionThe clinical manifestations of CVST are nonspecific. This disorder predominantly affects childbearing women. Infection is a common cause of CVST. The occlusive venous sinus can be confirmed by enhanced magnetic resonance venography or digital subtraction angiography. Anticoagulation and local thrombolytic therapy are both proved to be safe and effective in the treatment of CVST. The early diagnosis rate of CVST remains to be improved.
ObjectiveTo construct a map of cerebral cortex thickness in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE) diagnosed at the first visit, using T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging and advanced image analysis software. MethodsHigh-resolution three-dimensional T1 images were obtained from 27 IGE patients diagnosed at the first visit and 29 normal controls in Shouguang People's Hospital from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2021. The location recognition calculation system of the Freesurfer software was used to calculate the values of cortical thickness in each brain region, and the cortical thickness values were transformed into a brain atlas using the image analysis software. A differential brain atlas was generated using the two-sample t-test to analyze the difference in cortical thickness between IGE patients and normal controls. Paired t-test was used for within-group comparison to explore changes of cortical thickness laterality. ResultsIn the IGE brain atlas, the brain regions with higher cortical thickness were the right left temporal pole, the right left entorhinal cortex, the head of the right anterior cingulate gyrus, the right and left insular lobe, the right and left middle temporal gyrus, the right inferior temporal gyrus, the head of the left anterior cingulate gyrus, the left tail of the anterior cingulate gyrus, the left inferior temporal gyrus, the left and right fusiform gyrus, and the left frontal pole. The areas with lower cortical thickness were the right and left paracalcaric gyrus, the right and left cuneiform lobe, the left and right lingual gyrus, the left and right posterior central gyrus, the left lateral occipital gyrus, and the right and left superior parietal gyrus. The distribution of cortical thickness of the IGE group was comparable to the cortical thickness atlas of the normal control. Compared with normal control, the areas with changes of cortical thickness in the IGE group were bilateral superior frontal gyrus, bilateral posterior central gyrus, bilateral anterior central gyri, bilateral lingual gyri, left cuneiform lobe, bilateral entorhinal cortex and temporal pole. The brain areas with laterality of cortical thickness between hemispheres in the IGE group were the tail of anterior cingulate gyrus, cuneiform lobe, inferior parietal gyrus, lateral occipital gyrus, posterior central gyrus, head of anterior cingulate gyrus, and superior marginal gyrus. Compared with normal control, the IGE group has decreased number of brain regions with laterality of cortical thickness. ConclusionThe present study revealed the distribution and laterality of cerebral cortical thickness map in early idiopathic generalized epilepsy, which provides imaging structural basis for brain research in the future.
Objective To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in detection and diagnosis of small primary liver cancer. Methods SonoVue-enhanced ultrasonography were performed on 353 patients with 378 primary liver cancer, less than 3 cm in diameter. Enhancement patterns and enhancement phases of hepatic lesions on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were analyzed and compared with the results of histopathology. Results In all hepatic tumors, 96.6% （365/378） lesions enhanced in the arterial phase. Among them, 317 (83.9%) tumors enhanced earlier than liver parenchyma and 48 (12.7%) tumors enhanced synchronously with liver parenchyma, and 342 (90.5%) tumors showed early wash-out in the portal and late phases. With regard to the enhancement pattern, 329 (87.0%) tumors presented whole-lesion enhancement, 35 (9.3%) to be mosaic enhancement and 14 (3.7%) to be rim-like enhancement. If taking the whole-lesion enhancement and mosaic enhancement in arterial phase as diagnotic standard for primary liver cancer on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, the sensitivity was 92.9%(351/378), and if the earlier or synchronous enhancement of the tumor compared with liver parenchyma in arterial phase and the wash-out in portal phase were regarded as the stardand, the sensitivity was 87.3%(330/378). Conclusion Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography could display real-time enhancement patterns as well as the wash-out processes both in hepatic tumors and the liver parenchyma. It might be of clinical value in diagnosis of primary liver cancer based on the hemodynamics of hepatic tumors on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography.
Objective To describe the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features of retinal tuft. MethodsA retrospective clinical study. From May 2019 to April 2020, 22 patients (22 eyes) diagnosed as retinal tuft by clinical fundus examination in Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University at Hangzhou were included in the study. There were 9 eyes in 9 males and 13 eyes in 13 females. All patients underwent ultra-widefield laser scanning fundus photography and SD-OCT examination. SD-OCT was performed with a 55° wide-angle lens to observe the morphology, color, size and location of the lesions. ResultsTwenty-six retinal tuft lesions were found in 22 eyes, all of which were solitary, gray, thylakoid and protrusion. SD-OCT images showed that all the lesions of retinal tuft showed a local protuberant appearance with moderate and hyperreflectivity, which was higher than the surrounding retina plane. In 22 lesions (84.62%, 22/26), there were one or more irregular hyporeflective cavities between the retinal neuroepithelial layers, and the other 4 lesions (15.38%,4/26) contained no hyporeflective cavities. In addition, 23 cases (88.46%, 23/26) with hyperreflective condensed cortical vitreous attached to the retina at the top of lesions, 8 cases (30.77%, 8/26) with retinal tear, and 6 cases (23.08%, 6/26) with shallow retinal detachment. ConclusionsIn SD-OCT, the retinal tufts show moderate and strong local protrusion, which are higher than the surrounding retinal plane. In most of the lesions, there are multiple or single irregular weak reflex cavities, and there are hyperreflective condensed cortical vitreous attached to the retina at the top of lesions. Local retinal tears or shallow retinal detachment are present in some lesions.
Cerebral small vessel disease is a common neurological disease, including acute and non-acute categories. With the development of neuroimaging, cerebral small vessel disease has attracted substantial attention in recent years. However, the categories and concepts of cerebral small vessel disease and the related imaging markers usually confuse people. The purpose of this study was to discuss the relationships among acute and non-acute cerebral small vessel disease and the imaging markers, so as to improve the understanding of cerebral small vessel disease, and to shed light on clinical practice and research.
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of comfort care on patients undergoing CT enhanced scan. MethodsSixty patients undergoing CT enhanced scan were enrolled in June 2013, who were randomly divided into general care group (n=30) and comfort care group (n=30). General care group was given the routine care, while patients in the comfort care group accepted comfort care as well as routine care. The success rate of examination and excellent or good imaging rate between the two groups were compared. ResultsIn the general care group, the scan was successful in 21 patients and failed in 9, with a successful scan rate of 70.0% (21/30), and the excellent and good imaging rate was 71.4%. For the comfort care group, the scan examination succeeded in 29 patients and failed in 1 with a success rate of 96.7% (29/30), and the excellent and good imaging rate was 96.6% (28/29). The success rate in the two groups had statistical significance (χ2=7.680, P=0.006), and the excellent and good imaging rate was also significantly different (χ2=7.607, P=0.022). ConclusionComfort care for patients undergoing CT enhanced scan has a good effect in alleviating psychological stress, ensuring comfort and safety, and improving the success rate and excellent and good rate of imaging quality, which reflects its real value of nursing service in CT Department.
ObjectiveTo investigate the association between the imaging markers of ischemic cerebral small vessel disease and the occurrence of large hemispheric infarction (LHI).MethodsWe consecutively enrolled the patients with cerebral infarction in the middle cerebral artery blood supply area who admitted to the Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University between January 1st, 2015 and March 30th, 2016, and underwent head CT/MRI scans within one month of onset. LHI was defined as: the hypodensity was larger than 1/2 of the blood supply area of middle cerebral artery or more than 1/3 of the cerebral hemisphere within 6 hours on head CT at admission, or the infarction area was larger than 2/3 of the ipsilateral hemisphere on head MRI at admission. The basic clinical data and imaging data were collected, and the independent predictors of LHI and its independent correlation with ischemic cerebrovascular disease were explored by univariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsA total of 503 patients were included, 111 (22.1%) with LHI and 392 (77.9%) with non-LHI. Compared with the non-LHI patients, the LHI patients had a lower prevalence of white matter lesions, a lower Fazekas score, a lower prevalence of Fazekas score > 1, a lower prevalence of lacunae, a lower proportion of diabetes mellitus, a higher atrial fibrillation proportion of history, a shorter time from onset to treatment, a higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission, and a lower Glasgow Coma scale score; the distributions of TOAST types and locations of vascular stenosis were different (P<0.05). Multivariate analyses showed that white matter lesions [odds ratio (OR)=0.182, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.050, 0.660), P=0.010], higher Fazekas score [OR=0.770, 95% CI (0.611, 0.970), P=0.027], and Fakazes score > 1 [OR=0.490, 95%CI (0.259, 0.928), P=0.029] were independent protective factors of LHI, while lacunae was not an independent factor of LHI [OR=0.583, 95% CI (0.265, 1.279), P=0.178]. Higher NIHSS score and history of atrial fibrillation were independent risk factors for LHI (P<0.001).ConclusionsThe occurrence and severity of white matter lesions (higher Fazekas score and Fazekas score > 1) are more in non-LHI group, and are independently related to the occurrence of LHI. The results suggest that ischemic preconditioning may have a protective effect on brain.
Objective To improve the knowledge of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia ( COP) , and reduce misdiagnosis and mistreatment. Methods The medical records of 22 patients with biopsy-proven COP from January 2006 to October 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical presentation, laboratory data, radiographic results and treatment were collected and analyzed. Results The clinical presentations were nonspecific, and the most common symptomof COPwas cough ( 95. 45% ) . The laboratory data analysis revealed that elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in 71. 43% of the COP patients. The COP patients usually presented with a restrictive ventilation dysfunction and decreased diffuse function on pulmonary function test. The most common patterns of lung abnormality on chest CT scan were bilaterally multifocal patchy consolidation or ground-glass opacification ( 63. 64% ) , which distributed along the bronchovascular bundles or subpleural lungs. Patchy consolidation with air bronchograms was also a common feature ( 54. 55% ) . Migration over time and spontaneous remission of consolidation were important pointers.Histopathology by transbronchial lung biopsy was a valuable means for diagnosis. The majority of COP patients were non-response to antibiotics, but responded rapidly and completely to oral administration of corticosteroids with good prognosis. Conclusions The clinical presentations and laboratory data of COP patients are nonspecific. Initial imaging findings of COP are similar with pneumonia. Strengthening the recognition of COP is conducive to reducing misdiagnosis and reasonable antibiotics use.