Post-concussive mTBI in Student Athletes: MRI Features and Machine Learning

Purpose: To determine and characterize the radiomics features from structural MRI (MPRAGE) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) associated with the presence of mild traumatic brain injuries on student athletes with post-concussive syndrome (PCS).Material and Methods: 122 student athletes (65 M, 57 F), median (IQR) age 18.8 (15–20) years, with a mixed level of play and sports activities, with a known history of concussion and clinical PCS, and 27 (15 M, 12 F), median (IQR) age 20 (19, 21) years, concussion free athlete subjects were MRI imaged in a clinical MR machine. MPRAGE and DTI-FA and DTI-ADC images were used to extract radiomic features from white and gray matter regions within the entire brain (2 ROI) and the eight main lobes of the brain (16 ROI) for a total of 18 analyzed regions. Radiomic features were divided into five different data sets used to train and cross-validate five different filter-based Support Vector Machines. The top selected features of the top model were described. Furthermore, the test predictions of the top four models were ensembled into a single average prediction. The average prediction was evaluated for the association to the number of concussions and time from injury.Results: Ninety-one PCS subjects passed inclusion criteria (91 Cases, 27 controls). The average prediction of the top four models had a sensitivity of 0.80, 95% CI: [0.71, 0.88] and specificity of 0.74 95%CI [0.54, 0.89] for distinguishing subjects from controls. The white matter features were strongly associated with mTBI, while the whole-brain analysis of gray matter showed the worst association. The predictive index was significantly associated with the number of concussions (p < 0.0001) and associated with the time from injury (p < 0.01).Conclusion: MRI Radiomic features are associated with a history of mTBI and they were successfully used to build a predictive machine learning model for mTBI for subjects with PCS associated with a history of one or more concussions.

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI features in patients with high-risk and very-high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in patients with high-risk and very-high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Methods: This study included 54 consecutive patients with surgically resected primary high-risk and very-high-risk cSCC who underwent preoperative FDG-PET/CT and/or MRI. Among them, 14 patients (26%) had recurrences. We retrospectively reviewed the FDG-PET/CT (n = 34) and MRI (n = 48) and investigated the clinical significance and prognostic value of imaging features in cSCC. Results: On FDG-PET/CT, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary tumor (13.0 ± 6.4 vs. 6.9 ± 5.3, p < 0.05) was higher in cSCC with recurrence than in cSCC without recurrence. On MRI, the maximum diameter of the lesion (46.8 ± 24.1 mm vs 30.4 ± 17.0 mm, p < 0.05) and the frequency of muscle/tendon/bone invasion (42% vs 11%, p < 0.05) were significantly greater in cSCC with recurrence than in cSCC without recurrence. In the univariate analysis, prognostic factors for recurrence were SUVmax of the primary tumor (p < 0.01), the maximum diameter of the lesion (p < 0.05), and depth of invasion (p < 0.05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the SUVmax (0.78) were superior to those of the maximum diameter (0.71) and depth of invasion (0.60). Conclusions: SUVmax, maximum diameter, and depth of invasion were useful parameters for prognostic factors predicting recurrence in patients with high-risk and very-high-risk cSCC. Advances in knowledge: SUVmax represents a prognostic factor.

Imaging spectrum of acquired uterine vascular abnormalities with angiographic correlates, a pictorial review

Background Acquired uterine arterial anomalies, including uterine artery pseudoaneurysms (UAP), arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and arteriovenous fistulae (AFVs), are rare presenting causes of abnormal uterine bleeding. Timely diagnosis is essential for safe and effective treatment, avoiding life-threatening haemorrhage resulting from erroneous uterine curettage due to misdiagnosing these as other more common differentials. Main text This pictorial review discusses the ultrasound (USG), CT and MRI features of various acquired uterine vascular abnormalities with angiographic correlates. Conclusion Acquired uterine arteriovenous injuries are a fundamental cause of dysfunctional intractable bleeding recalcitrant to traditional conservative management. Endovascular transcatheter uterine artery embolisation is an increasingly popular and safe mode of treatment, especially in young patients desiring to have the option of future pregnancies, with lesser morbidity and in-hospital stay duration.

Chinese patients with hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs): a protocol for a hospital-based cohort study

IntroductionHereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are uncommon but not rare neurodegenerative diseases. More than 100 pathogenic genes and loci related to spastic paraplegia symptoms have been reported. HSPs have the same core clinical features, including progressive spasticity in the lower limbs, though HSPs are heterogeneous (eg, clinical signs, MRI features, gene mutation). The age of onset varies greatly, from infant to adulthood. In addition, the slow and variable rates of disease progression in patients with HSP represent a substantial challenge for informative assessment of therapeutic efficacy. To address this, we are undertaking a prospective cohort study to investigate genetic–clinical characteristics, find surrogates for monitoring disease progress and identify clinical readouts for treatment.Methods and analysisIn this case-control cohort study, we will enrol 200 patients with HSP and 200 healthy individuals in parallel. Participants will be continuously assessed for 3 years at 12-month intervals. Six aspects, including clinical signs, genetic spectrum, cognitive competence, MRI features, potential biochemical indicators and nerve electrophysiological factors, will be assessed in detail. This study will observe clinical manifestations and disease severity based on different molecular mechanisms, including oxidative stress, cholesterol metabolism and microtubule dynamics, all of which have been proposed as potential treatment targets or modalities. The analysis will also assess disease progression in different types of HSPs and cellular pathways with a longitudinal study using t tests and χ2 tests.Ethics and disseminationThe study was granted ethics committee approval by the first affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University (MRCTA, ECFAH of FMU (2019)194) in 2019. Findings will be disseminated via presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Dissemination will target different audiences, including national stakeholders, researchers from different disciplines and the general public.Trial registration numberNCT04006418.

Prevalence, distribution, and clinical associations of suspected postictal changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging in epileptic dogs

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of presumed postictal changes (PC) on brain MRI in epileptic dogs, describe their distribution, and recognize possible correlations with different epilepsy features. ANIMALS 540 client-owned dogs with epilepsy and a complete medical record that underwent brain MRI at 4 veterinary referral hospitals between 2016 and 2019. PROCEDURES Data were collected regarding signalment, seizure type, seizure severity, time between last seizure and MRI, and etiological classification of epilepsy. Postictal changes were considered when solitary or multiple intraparenchymal hyperintense lesions were observed on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images and were hypointense or isointense on T1-weighted sequences, which were not confined to a vascular territory and showed no to mild mass effect and no to mild contrast enhancement. RESULTS Sixty-seven dogs (12.4%) showed MRI features consistent with PC. The most common brain sites affected were the piriform lobe, hippocampus, temporal neocortex, and cingulate gyrus. Dogs having suffered cluster seizures or status epilepticus were associated with a higher probability of occurrence of PC, compared to dogs with self-limiting seizures (OR 2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.33 to 4.30). Suspected PC were detected both in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy and in those with structural epilepsy. Dogs with unknown-origin epilepsy were more likely to have presumed PC than were dogs with structural (OR 0.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.06 to 0.33) or idiopathic epilepsy (OR 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.87). Time between last seizure and MRI was significantly shorter in dogs with PC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE MRI lesions consistent with PC were common in epileptic dogs, and the brain distribution of these lesions varied. Occurrence of cluster seizures or status epilepticus, diagnosis of unknown origin epilepsy, and lower time from last seizure to MRI are predictors of suspected PC.

Bladder paraganglioma: CT and MR imaging characteristics in 16 patients

Background Bladder paraganglioma (BPG) is a rare extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma with variable symptoms and easy to be misdiagnosed and mishandled. The aim of the study was to document the imaging features of BPG using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients and methods We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients with pathology-proven BPG, who underwent CT or MRI examinations before surgery between October 2009 and October 2017. The clinical characteristics, CT, and MRI features of the patients were described and analysed. Results A total of 16 patients with 16 bladder tumours (median age 51 years, 9 females) were included. Among them, 13 patients underwent CT examinations and eight patients underwent MRI examinations preoperatively. Tumour diameters ranged from 1.6−5.4 cm. Most of the tumours grew into the bladder cavity (n = 11) with oval shapes (n = 10) and well-defined margins (n = 14). Intratumour cystic degeneration or necrosis (n = 2) was observed. Two lesions showed peripheral tissue invasion, suggesting malignant BPGs. All 13 lesions imaged with CT exhibited slight hypoattenuation and moderate to marked enhancement. Compared to the gluteus maximus, all lesions showed slight h yperintensity in T2-weighted images, hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images (DWI), hypointensity on apparent diffusion coefficient maps, hyperintensity on T1-weighted images and a “fast in and slow out” enhanced pattern on contrast-enhanced MRI images. Conclusions BPGs are mostly oval-shaped, broadly-based and hypervascular bladder tumours with hypoattenuation on non-contrast CT, T2 hyperintensity, slight T1 hyperintensity compared to the muscle, marked restricted diffusion on DWI. Peripheral tissue invasion can suggest malignancy of the BPGs. All of these features contribute to preoperative decision-making.