Objective. To evaluate whether serum matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) levels are associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations, particularly cognitive dysfunction, as evaluated by neuropsychological testing and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods. MMP-9 determinations were made in 44 patients with SLE and 43 healthy controls who underwent a clinical neurologic and neuropsychological investigation in order to identify neuropsychiatric manifestations. Cerebral MRI scans with volumetric estimation of intracranial cerebrospinal fluid spaces, T1-weighted lesions, and T2-weighted lesions were performed for all subjects. SLE activity was assessed by the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measure (ECLAM) index, and accumulated neuropsychiatric abnormality was assessed by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology damage index.Results. No significant difference was found in serum MMP-9 levels between the overall group of SLE patients and controls. However, SLE patients who had at least 1 neuropsychiatric manifestation (NPSLE patients) had significantly higher serum MMP-9 concentrations than did SLE patients without neuropsychiatric syndromes (P ‫؍‬ 0.009). Among patients with NPSLE, those with cognitive deficits had significantly higher concentrations of serum MMP-9 than did those with normal cognitive function (P ‫؍‬ 0.027). Furthermore, serum MMP-9 levels had a significant positive correlation with the volumes of T1-weighted and T2-weighted lesions in the brain MRI (P ‫؍‬ 0.031 and P ‫؍‬ 0.015, respectively). The concentration of serum MMP-9 correlated significantly with the SLICC index but not with the ECLAM index.Conclusion. Elevated levels of serum MMP-9 in patients with SLE may reflect neuropsychiatric involvement, particularly cognitive dysfunction. The serum MMP-9 concentration may be associated with smallvessel cerebral vasculopathy and increased risk of cerebral ischemic events in patients with SLE.

The objective of this study was to determine nasal cavity volumes and cross-sectional profiles from segmented coronal high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images. Pathological mucosal changes and congenital sinonasal variants were quantitated and three-dimensional (3D) images for determining sinonasal airway diseases evaluated by using the new semiautomatic segmentation software, Anatomatic. Anterior to posterior cross-sectional profiles of the sinonasal airway were obtained from acoustic rhinometry and segmented coronal HRCT images and compared in five patients having complaints of nasal obstruction and chronic sinusitis. Results showed that accurate volumes of air spaces in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses were obtained. When compared, the cross-sectional profiles of the nasal cavities obtained from acoustic rhinometry and the segmentation technique were similar in the anterior portion, but differed in the posterior portion. The results obtained by coronal HRCT and segmentation were more reliable than those produced with acoustic rhinometry. 3D images acquired from segmented images were found to help make a good pre-operative assessment of the whole sinonasal compartment. Segmentation and volumetric analysis using the Anatomatic technique also proved to be well suited to the evaluation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus geometry in patients with sinonasal diseases.

No abstract

BackgroundThe accuracy of texture analysis in clinical evaluation of magnetic resonance images depends considerably on imaging arrangements and various image quality parameters. In this paper, we study the effect of slice thickness on brain tissue texture analysis using a statistical approach and classification of T1-weighted images of clinically confirmed multiple sclerosis patients.MethodsWe averaged the intensities of three consecutive 1-mm slices to simulate 3-mm slices. Two hundred sixty-four texture parameters were calculated for both the original and the averaged slices. Wilcoxon's signed ranks test was used to find differences between the regions of interest representing white matter and multiple sclerosis plaques. Linear and nonlinear discriminant analyses were applied with several separate training and test sets to determine the actual classification accuracy.ResultsOnly moderate differences in distributions of the texture parameter value for 1-mm and simulated 3-mm-thick slices were found. Our study also showed that white matter areas are well separable from multiple sclerosis plaques even if the slice thickness differs between training and test sets.ConclusionsThree-millimeter-thick magnetic resonance image slices acquired with a 1.5 T clinical magnetic resonance scanner seem to be sufficient for texture analysis of multiple sclerosis plaques and white matter tissue.

In recent years increasing evidence has been provided on frequent simultaneous coexistence of inflammatory diseases and allergies in upper and lower airways. To achieve a good standard of measurement of upper airways, an objective method should be used. A total of 48 nasal cavities with nasal stuffiness associated with chronic sinusitis were measured with acoustic rhinometry (AR) and High-resolution computer tomography volumetry (HRCTV). Comparison of volumes and minimum cross-sectional areas measured with these methods was performed. The volumes measured from the nostril with both methods were the anterior (0-10 mm), middle (11-40 mm) and posterior (41-70 mm) volumes. The AR cross-sectional area curve was analysed based on two minimal notches corresponding to local minimal areas. A series of 1-mm coronal CT images without intervening gaps were made and analysed based on two minimal voxel values, which were later converted to cross-sectional areas corresponding to local, minimum cross-sectional areas (MCA). Furthermore, the distances of these 2 MCAs from the nostril were also measured. Strong statistically significant (P < 0.05) correlations were found between AR and computer tomography volumetry (CTV) volumes in the anterior (r = 0.83) and middle (r = 0.77) parts of the nasal cavity. In the posterior part of the nasal cavity a statistically significant (P< 0.05) correlation was also found (r = 0.62). Good agreements between the AR and CTV volumes in the anterior and middle parts of the nasal cavities were confirmed with Bland-Altman plots. Correlations among the MCAs were weaker (r = 0.59 and r = 0.55). Our results suggest that the reliability of AR appears sufficient for clinical and scientific use in the nasal cavities. Reliability is very good in the anterior and middle parts of the nasal cavities, while strong conclusions based on evaluation of the posterior part should be avoided due to decreasing accuracy.

This project involves the development of a fast semi-automatic segmentation procedure to make an accurate volumetric estimation of brain lesions. This method has been applied in the segmentation of demyelination plaques in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and right cerebral hemispheric infarctions in patients with neglect. The developed segmentation method includes several image processing techniques, such as image enhancement, amplitude segmentation, and region growing. The entire program operates on a PC-based computer and applies graphical user interfaces. Twenty three patients with MS and 43 patients with right cerebral hemisphere infarctions were studied on a 0.5 T MRI unit. The MS plaques and cerebral infarctions were thereafter segmented. The volumetric accuracy of the program was demonstrated by segmenting Magnetic Resonance (MR) images of fluid filled syringes. The relative error of the total volume measurement based on the MR images of syringes was 1.5%. Also the repeatability test was carried out as inter-and intra-observer study in which MS plaques of six randomly selected patients were segmented. These tests indicated 7% variability in the inter-observer study and 4% variability in the intra-observer study. Average time used to segment and calculate the total plaque volumes for one patient was 10 min. This simple segmentation method can be utilized in the quantitation of anatomical structures, such as air cells in the sinonasal and temporal bone area, as well as in different pathological conditions, such as brain tumours, intracerebral haematomas and bony destructions.

Background: To show magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) texture appearance change in nonHodgkin lymphoma (NHL) during treatment with response controlled by quantitative volume analysis.

No abstract