The role of brain MR and FDG-PET in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common dementing disorder, affecting 55 million people worldwide. Brain MRI plays an integral role in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with cognitive symptoms. When interpreting brain MRI for cognitive impairment, radiologists should assess the following four key features: (1) white matter ischemic burden, (2) structural changes to suggest normal pressure hydrocephalus, (3) locoregional pattern of brain atrophy, and (4) presence of microhemorrhage or superficial siderosis, particularly for determining eligibility for anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody (MAB) treatment when appropriate.

Brain FDG PET Findings Mimicking Limbic-predominant Age-related TDP-43 Encephalopathy.

Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) is a recently recognized neurodegenerative disorder that frequently affects elderly patients and is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease. It typically presents with mild memory impairment and disproportionate hippocampal atrophy. FDG PET commonly shows distinct medial temporal lobe hypometabolism, which differs from Alzheimer's disease.

Developmental Venous Anomaly: Its Impact on Brain Parenchymal Function as Revealed by FDG PET.

Developmental venous anomaly (DVA) is a common benign brain vascular malformation, typically asymptomatic, with intervention required when complications arise. We present the case of a 63-year-old man with mild cognitive decline whose brain FDG PET showed decreased uptake not only at the site of DVA, but in the extended surrounding parenchyma where MRI showed no parenchymal abnormalities. DVAs arise from developmental irregularities in the embryonic venous system, but likely affecting a greater extent of the surrounding parenchymal functions.

Standardized reporting for Head CT Scans in patients suspected of traumatic brain injury (TBI): An international expert endeavor.

Background And Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of health loss and disability worldwide. Accurate and timely diagnosis of TBI is critical for appropriate treatment and management of the condition. Neuroimaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and characterization of TBI.

Does Long-Term Surveillance Imaging Improve Survival in Patients Treated for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma? A Systematic Review of the Current Evidence.

Background: Long-term posttreatment surveillance imaging algorithms for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma are not standardized due to debates over optimal surveillance strategy and efficacy. Consequently, current guidelines do not provide long-term surveillance imaging recommendations beyond 6 months.

Purpose: We performed a systematic review to evaluate the impact of long-term imaging surveillance (ie, imaging beyond 6 months following completion of treatment) on survival in patients treated definitively for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

T1 mapping for Head and Neck Cancer Patients undergoing Chemoradiotherapy: Feasibility of 3D Stack of Star Imaging.

Background: Measuring tissue oxygen concentration is crucial in understanding the pathophysiological process of hypoxia in head and neck cancer (HNC) and its significant role in cancer biology. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of T1 mapping using a variable flip angle (VFA) technique with stack of stars (SOS) trajectory sampling in HNC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

Methods: To evaluate the ability of SOS acquisition to detect T1, a phantom study was conducted and compared to conventional Cartesian acquisition (CART).

Screening for Asymptomatic Osteonecrosis of the Hip in Systemic Lupus Erythematous: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of MRI-Based Prevalence.

. This paper aims to estimate asymptomatic hip osteonecrosis prevalence in SLE patients using MRI examination and to determine the prevalence among higher risk subpopulations. .

Evaluation of 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection rendering of arterial spin labeling data in a clinical cohort.

Background And Purpose: To assess the feasibility of 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP) as applied to arterial spin labeling (ASL) in a clinical pilot study.

Methods: A retrospective sample of 10 consecutive patients who underwent ASL as part of a clinically indicated MR examination was collected during this pilot study. Five additional subjects with normal cerebral perfusion served as a control group.

Surveillance Imaging with PET/CT and CT and/or MRI for Head and Neck Cancer and Mortality: A Population-based Study.

Background To the knowledge of the authors, no strong evidence supports surveillance imaging in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Purpose To investigate the association between surveillance imaging and mortality using a population-based study design with statewide cancer registry data, all-payer claims data, and health care facility data. Materials and Methods The retrospective population-based study identified patients with HNC diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2017.

Anatomy of Neck Muscles, Spaces, and Lymph Nodes.

The following article details the muscular anatomy of the head and neck, including insertion, origin, action and innervation, organized by anatomic subunit and/or major action. This article also describes the spaces of the head and neck, including boundaties and contents. Finally, cervical lymph nodes are addressed according to anatomic location and lymphatic drainage.

Glymphatic MRI techniques in sleep and neurodegenerative diseases.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review article is to summarize the current in-vivo imaging techniques for the evaluation of the glymphatic function and discuss the factors influencing the glymphatic function and research directions in the future.

Recent Findings: The glymphatic system allows the clearance of metabolic waste from the central nervous system (CNS). The glymphatic pathway has been investigated using intrathecal or intravenous injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) on MRI, so-called glymphatic MRI.

Direct cost analysis of rapid MRI in the emergency department evaluation of patients suspected of having acute ischemic stroke*.

Background: Abbreviated "rapid MRI" protocols have become more common for the evaluation of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Prior research has not evaluated the effect of rapid MRIs on cost or hospital length of stay in AIS patients.

Methods: We retrospectively identified AIS patients who presented within 6 h of acute neurologic symptom onset to an emergency department (ED) and activated a "brain attack" code.

Current Controversies in Radiology on Cost, Reimbursement, and Price Transparency: Expert Panel Narrative Review.

Many believe that fundamental reform of the U.S. health care system is overdue and necessary given rising national health care expenditures, poor performance on key population health metrics, meaningful health disparities, concerns about potential financial toxicity of care, inadequate price transparency, pending insolvency of Medicare Part A, increasing commercial insurance premiums, and large uninsured and underinsured populations.

Health for All: A Report of the 2020 Association of American Medical Colleges Learn Serve Lead Meeting.

Learn Serve Lead (LSL) is the signature annual conference of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which focuses on the most pressing issues facing American medical practice and education. Unsurprisingly, the recent AAMC LSL conference at the end of 2020 centered on the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequity upon the medical community. At the LSL meeting, national leaders, practicing physicians from diverse specialties, and medical trainees discussed the impact of these challenges and ongoing strategies to overcome them.