PurposeBrain glymphatic dysfunction is involved in the pathologic process of acute ischemic stroke (IS). The relationship between brain glymphatic activity and dysfunction in subacute IS has not been fully elucidated. Diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index was used in this study to explore whether glymphatic activity was related to motor dysfunction in subacute IS patients.MethodsTwenty-six subacute IS patients with a single lesion in the left subcortical region and 32 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study. The DTI-ALPS index and DTI metrics (fractional anisotropy, FA, and mean diffusivity, MD) were compared within and between groups. Spearman's and Pearson's partial correlation analyses were performed to analyze the relationships of the DTI-ALPS index with Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) scores and with corticospinal tract (CST) integrity in the IS group, respectively.ResultsSix IS patients and two HCs were excluded. The left DTI-ALPS index of the IS group was significantly lower than that of the HC group (t = −3.02, p = 0.004). In the IS group, a positive correlation between the left DTI-ALPS index and the simple Fugl-Meyer motor function score (ρ = 0.52, p = 0.019) and a significant negative correlation between the left DTI-ALPS index and the FA (R = −0.55, p = 0.023) and MD (R = −0.48, p = 0.032) values of the right CST were found.ConclusionsGlymphatic dysfunction is involved in subacute IS. DTI-ALPS could be a potential magnetic resonance (MR) biomarker of motor dysfunction in subacute IS patients. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of IS and provide a new target for alternative treatments for IS.
This study compared the image quality of MRCP before and after contrast agent injection on a 3T MRI scanner using the same respiratory-triggered 3D-SPACE sequence. Our results showed that enhancement of contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and background suppression will make the contour of pancreaticobiliary system more clear, which indirectly improves the imaging effect of MRCP. We performed MRCP scanning during the delayed waiting period for enhanced scans, which shortens the overall scan time for such patients. In summary, respiratory-triggered 3D-SPACE MRCP imaging with enhanced contrast injection significantly improved the imaging quality of the pancreaticobiliary duct and shorten the overall acquisition time. It is worthy of promotion and application in clinical practice.
This study investigated ZOOMit and RESOLVE DWI sequences to compare of the image quality of anal canal and the visibility of the fistula. The results showed that both ZOOMit DWI and RESOLVE DWI obtained high quality images, ZOOMit DWI sequence had higher fistula visibility and SNR of the fistula than those of RESOLVE DWI sequence. Our findings also suggest that ZOOMit DWI can be used as the preferred sequence for anal MR diffusion imaging.
This study used magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to compare the image quality and acquisition time of conventional respiratory-triggered (RT), modified RT, and breath-hold (BH) sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip evolutions (SPACE) sequences in patients with biliary and pancreatic disorders. Our results suggested that modified RT-SPACE-MRCP sequence can significantly reduced acquisition time and had better image quality. The MRCP sequence can be selected flexibly according to the patient's situation to obtain good diagnostic images.
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