MRI

As the incidence of malignant melanoma increases, researchers are seeking ways to accurately and reproducibly measure tumor volume and therapy response. Computer-aided volumetry may be an answer.

The spectrum of usual and unusual primary neoplasms involving the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum is extremely wide. Our own database of digestive pathology contains a range of benign small bowel neoplasms (adenoma, leiomyoma, lipoma, familial polyposis, hemangioma, lymphangioma, and fibroma), as well as examples of malignancy (adenocarcinoma, carcinoid tumor, lymphoma, leiomyosarcoma, direct extension from extraintestinal tumors, and metastasic lesions).

State-of-the-art CT scanners demonstrate exquisite image quality. The rapid advance of multislice technology has been accompanied, however, by concerns over the increasing medical radiation burden. Radiologists concerned about MSCT dose would be well advised to learn how they can tailor their own scanning protocols to optimize the balance between radiation exposure and image quality, according to Prof. Dr. Willi Kalender, director of the Institute for Medical Physics, University of Erlangen, Germany, speaking at the European Congress of Radiology.

Future cancer management may rely on identifying healthy individuals at risk before they develop symptoms of disease, according to National Cancer Institute researchers.

MRI illuminates links between a gene variant and impulsive, violent behavior, particularly in men with a history of child abuse, according to a study conducted at the National Institutes of Mental Health. The findings highlight the potential for imaging genomics to explain the mechanisms that underlie temperament.

Brain imaging markers have emerged as important tools in the differential diagnosis of dementia. Parameters derived from brain imaging are being intensively examined as potential predictors to identify persons with only mild cognitive losses who face imminent decline and the full dementia syndrome of Alzheimer's disease. As novel disease modifying agents emerge, brain imaging markers also may facilitate drug development and help monitor drug efficacy in clinical settings.

Knee and ankle injuries vex contact sport athletes. American football players, in particular, put up with torn menisci and a condition known as high ankle sprain that usually gets misdiagnosed. Two studies presented at the 2005 RSNA meeting provide insight on the diagnosis and management of these injuries.

People may permanently store memories in their brains, even if they cannot consciously recall them, according to a study by researchers at Duke University in Durham, NC.

Functional MRI can differentiate between people who experience substantial dread about adverse experiences and those who don’t, according to a study released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Findings could provide new insights into the neurobiology underlying addictive behavior.

As the parent of two adolescent boys, I have come to know the signs of stress that accompany untruth: tiny inflections in voice; almost imperceptible widening of the eyes; increased respiration. I can say, without bragging, that I have become accomplished in telling whether homework has been done or test scores are being accurately reported.

A study by Mayo Clinic researchers suggests MR elastography could provide noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, potentially reducing the need for biopsy.

Stenting of the carotid artery may offer more than reduced stroke risk, especially to patients with impaired brain perfusion. Researchers have found that it improves cognitive speed, verbal fluency, and delayed recall.

Data collected by the European Association of Radiology in 2005 revealed that more than 60 centers in Europe have facilities for animal imaging research. Of these, 12 are in Germany, 10 in France, six in the U.K., and five each in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Figuring out how to treat postinfarction left ventricular remodeling using delayed-enhancement cardiac MR is not so cut and dried as it seems. Bright signal may signify dead myocardial tissue during DE-MR viability studies, but bright and dark myocardium both have stories to tell when dealing with remodeling.

British researchers have used T2* measures of cardiac iron loading to show the value of a new drug treatment for beta-thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder. The laborious clinical trial involved transporting a mobile MRI system three times from London to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

European radiology staff, medical imaging researchers, and manufacturers are being urged to lobby against regulations that will restrict the operation of MR scanners. Speakers at the European Congress of Radiology expressed concerns that the limits, to be imposed in all European Union member states by April 2008, have no scientific basis and could bring greater risks to patients.

MR imaging of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter devices is not for every imaging service. But the procedure is feasible, despite American College of Radiology recommendations to the contrary, according to a study from Oklahoma.

Physicians have yet to find a simple, inexpensive test to screen for the risk of sudden cardiac death. But they are learning how cardiac MR imaging may help stratify risk and guide treatment for conditions that can strike without warning.

Delayed-enhancement MRI creates a clear picture of the atrial scarring produced during pulmonary vein RF ablation, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

This month sees a clutch of national radiological congresses taking place. The annual U.K., German, and Spanish meetings are held during May, but a more specialized event looks set to attract considerable attention: the first International Congress on Fetal MRI, to be staged in Vienna from 12 to 13 May.

The elbow is a complex joint. It links the shoulder and the hand, enhances the flexibility of hand motion, and transmits generated forces. The most common elbow injuries are related to chronic overuse, although the joint is vulnerable to acute trauma as well.1 It may also be affected by disease or infection.

Fetal MRI has become established in clinical practice over the past decade. MRI is indicated when conditions do not favor fetal ultrasound such as cases of maternal obesity or anhydramnios.1 It has also been shown that fetal MRI may discriminate among tissue components that do not display impedance differences on ultrasound; for instance, laminae in the developing brain.2 These advantages, along with MR's ability to delineate small structures, such as cranial nerves, has furthered its use as an adjunct to ultrasound in fetal imaging.1 Applications for fetal MRI are growing. The development of improved methods for fetal imaging, including availability of ultrafast sequences,3 has also furthered adoption.

The 2006 Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance meeting showed that the most productive areas of cardiac MR research are those that exploit the modality's inherent strengths.

A new 12-ton, 12T MR scanner will help researchers in Oregon delve more deeply into the origin and treatment of disease. The ultrahigh-field scanner, which will be used for human health studies in small animals, joins a 7T system purchased earlier this year.

New evidence shows that dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and conventional x-ray mammography play complementary roles in screening women who are genetically susceptible to breast cancer.