This study was approved by the local institutional review board. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this study and any accompanying images.
Objective:
To introduce contrast-enhanced 3D-STIR-VISTA sequence that would improve the image quality for the brachial plexus imaging and enhance the contrast between the brachial plexus and surrounding tissues.
Methods:
Thirty subjects (average age, 47.33 ± 15.15 years; 22 males and 8 females) were enrolled, including 7 patients with brachial plexus injuries, 4 patients with schwannomas, 1 patient with neurofibroma, 1 patient with thoracic outlet syndrome, 1 patient with metastasis, 1 patient with brachial plexus neuritis, and 15 patients without abnormal findings. Scores of unenhanced and contrast-enhanced 3D-STIR-VISTA images using a 5-point scale were compared by Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test. The signal intensity (SI), signal to noise ratio (SNR), contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and contrast ratio (CR) between 3D-STIR-VISTA images without and with contrast agent were compared by the paired Student t-test.
Results:
The SNRs of the brachial plexus between 3D-STIR-VISTA without and with contrast agent were not significantly different, while SNRs of surrounding tissues were significantly decreased with contrast agent. The CNRs of 3D-STIR-VISTA images with contrast agent were significantly higher than that without contrast agent. The 3D-STIR-VISTA sequence with contrast agent exhibited a statistically higher CR than that without contrast agent. The average score for 3D-STIR-VISTA images with contrast agent was significantly higher than that without contrast agent.
Conclusion:
The 3D-STIR-VISTA sequence with contrast agent is qualitatively and quantitatively superior to that without a contrast agent. The contrast-enhanced 3D-STIR-VISTA sequence can provide distinct visualization of the brachial plexus and enhance the contrast between the brachial plexus and surrounding tissues.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a worldwide health problem among aging populations. However, epidemiological information on Chinese elderly people with CKD is still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological features and associated risk factors of CKD in aging population in China. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 37,533 individuals aged ≥65 years were enrolled in Binhai from January to December 2018. The crude and standardized prevalence of CKD were calculated. Associations of metabolism-related indicators with CKD were examined using univariate and multivariate analysis. The overall prevalence of CKD was 17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.3%-18.1%) in this Chinese elderly population. The prevalence was 17.5% among men (95% CI, 17.0%-18.1%) and 17.8% among women (95% CI, 17.3 -18.4%). The mean eGFR was 84.22 (SD ± 12.87) mL/min/1.73 m2, with the median value higher for women than for men. Aging, pre-HTN, HTN, elevated triglyceride and FBG were found to be independent risk factors for CKD. Our study shows a high prevalence of CKD among Chinese elderly population. Aging, pre-HTN, HTN, elevated triglyceride and FBG were all independent risk factors associated with CKD. More attention should be paid to metabolic diseases to prevent CKD in the elderly.
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