MRI

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.

Contrast-enhanced MRI reliably predicts whether acute stroke patients receiving intravenous tPA treatment are particularly susceptible to intracranial hemorrhage, according to a study presented Monday at the American Society of Neuroradiology meeting in San Diego.

Adenosine rest-stress perfusion may represent nearly half the imaging volume at some clinics, but due to safety questions some physicians are sticking with dobutamine for pharmacological stress testing.

British researchers have used T2* measures of cardiac iron loading to show the value of a new drug treatment for b-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.

In cardiac catheterization, it's known as the money shot: coronaries floating in space with the shadow of the heart behind them. It is also the hardest shot to get, because of the amount of tissue that x-rays must penetrate. As patients get larger, the going gets tougher. But for MRI, capturing this shot has become a piece of cake.

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.

Researchers from Seoul National University Medical Center found that ultrasound-only detected breast cancers are not very sensitive to a mammography computer-aided detection system.

Results from a prospective study bolster confidence that a negative adenosine perfusion contrast MR test means patients have a good chance of surviving the next six months without major heart problems.

Football coaches can't foresee when their players might get injured. But musculoskeletal radiologists may be able to predict who is going to hurt the most, and where.

I have a personal interest in finding better ways of treating stroke. My favorite uncle was struck down by one in 1994, just as I was reporting on how the combination of tPA and head CT could produce miracles.

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.

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.

We have good news to report in this month's cover story: Research in stroke imaging is beginning to widen the window of time in which drug-based or mechanical therapy can be used to preserve brain function following an ischemic stroke. But we have bad news to report as well: More than a decade after research established the value of thrombolytic therapy to revascularize the brain and preserve brain tissue, the use of tissue plasminogen activator for stroke therapy remains stubbornly in the 2% range. Many victims go untreated for the nation's number three cause of death and a leading cause of serious long-term disability.

Parallel imaging has reduced acquisition time for contrast MR, making it possible to use 3D MR angiography in imaging infants with suspected congenital abnormalities.