This meta-analysis was designed to elucidate whether preoperative signal intensity changes could predict the surgical outcomes of patients with cervical spondylosis myelopathy on the basis of T1-weighted and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging images. We searched the Medline database and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for this purpose and 10 studies meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. In total, 650 cervical spondylosis myelopathy patients with (+) or without (-) intramedullary signal changes on their T2-weighted images were examined. Weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were used to summarize the data. Patients with focal and faint border changes in the intramedullary signal on T2 magnetic resonance imaging had similar Japanese Orthopaedic Association recovery ratios as those with no signal changes on the magnetic resonance imaging images of the spinal cord did. The surgical outcomes were poorer in the patients with both T2 intramedullary signal changes, especially when the signal changes were multisegmental and had a well-defined border and T1 intramedullary signal changes compared with those without intramedullary signal changes. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging including T1 and T2 imaging can thus be used to predict postoperative recovery in cervical spondylosis myelopathy patients.
Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a rare, opportunistic infection most commonly encountered among immunocompromised patients during hospitalization. Primary uncomplicated bacteremia, catheter-associated infections, and pneumonia have been reported as the most common clinical presentations, but skin and soft tissue infections from A. xylosoxidans are rare. We describe a case of A. xylosoxidans presenting as cellulitis and bacteremia in an immunocompromised patient.
Objective. This work evaluated the updated PennPET Explorer total-body (TB) PET scanner, which was extended to 6 rings with updated readout firmware to achieve a 142-cm axial field of view (AFOV) without 7.6-cm inter-ring axial gaps. Approach. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2018 measurements were performed with modifications including longer phantoms for sensitivity and count-rate measurements and additional positions for spatial resolution and image quality. A long uniform phantom and the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) phantom were also used. Main results. The total sensitivity increased to 140 kcps/MBq for a 70-cm line, a gain of 1.8x compared to the same system with axial gaps; an additional 47% increase in total counts was observed with a 142-cm line at the same activity per cm. The noise equivalent count rate (NECR) increased by 1.8x without axial gaps. The peak NECR is 1550 kcps at 25 kBq/cc for a 140-cm phantom; due to increased randoms, the NECR is lower than with a 70-cm phantom, for which NECR is 2156 kcps/cc at 25 kBq/cc and continues increasing. The time-of-flight (ToF) resolution is 250 ps, increasing by < 10 ps at the highest activity. The axial spatial resolution degrades by 0.6 mm near the center of the AFOV, compared to 4 mm resolution near the end. The NEMA image quality phantom showed consistent contrast recovery throughout the AFOV. A long uniform phantom demonstrated axial uniformity of uptake and noise, and the CTN phantom demonstrated quantitative accuracy for both 18F and 89Zr. Significance. The performance evaluation of the updated PennPET Explorer demonstrates significant gains compared to conventional scanners and shows where the current NEMA standard needs to be updated for TB-PET systems. The comparisons of systems with and without inter-ring gaps demonstrate the performance trade-offs of a more cost-effective TB-PET system with incomplete detector coverage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.