Giant Epidermoid Cyst of the Scalp Growing for 76 Years.

Epidermoid cysts are prevalent noncancerous cutaneous lesions known to exhibit unusually extended periods of growth. In this study, we present a remarkable case of an epidermoid cyst located on the scalp, which exhibited a growth period of 76 years, the longest growth time documented in the literature to date. The presence of the mass was noted at birth, and it exhibited gradual growth throughout the years, with a notable acceleration observed during the final 2 years. The patient underwent a surgical excision, and the histopathological analysis was consistent with epidermoid cyst, featuring localized rupture and demonstrating foreign body granulomatous inflammation. This case highlights the ability of epidermoid cysts to manifest as slow-growing entities over an exceptionally prolonged timeframe. Furthermore, instances of rapid growth may be attributed to a combination of mass rupture and inflammatory processes.

Impaired glymphatic clearance in multiple system atrophy: A diffusion spectrum imaging study.

INTRODUCTION: Impaired α-synuclein clearance is pivotal in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. We evaluated glymphatic clearance in multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients using advanced imaging. METHODS: Forty-four MSA patients (11 with MSA-parkinsonian type [MSA-P] and 33 with MSA-cerebellar type [MSA-C]) and 30 healthy controls were studied using diffusion spectrum magnetic resonance imaging (DSI-MRI). Diffusivities were measured along the x-, y-, and z-axes to calculate the Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (ALPS) index. Comparisons of the ALPS index were conducted between MSA patients and controls and among MSA subtypes. The ALPS index correlation with the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) scores was also analyzed. RESULTS: The ALPS index differed significantly between patients with MSA and healthy controls, with lower values observed in the former (1.46 ± 0.17 versus1.63 ± 0.12, p < 0.001). Both MSA-P and MSA-C patients had lower ALPS-index (1.40 ± 0.13, p < 0.001; 1.47 ± 0.18, p = 0.003, respectively), but there was no significant difference between the two (p = 0.22). No correlation was found between the ALPS index and clinical scores for UMASRS I (r = -0.08, p = 0.61), UMASRS II (r = -0.04, p = 0.81), or UMASRS I + II (r = -0.05, p = 0.74). CONCLUSION: MSA patients show reduced glymphatic clearance as measured by the ALPS index, underscoring the utility of this imaging method in neurodegenerative disease research.

Microstructural Alteration of Trigeminal Nerve in Patients with Classic Trigeminal Neuralgia Shown by Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Its Correlation with Vascular Compression and Pain.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging in evaluating the microstructural alteration of trigeminal nerve in patients with classic trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) and its correlation with the degree of vascular compression and patient pain. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with CTN were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether the asymptomatic side trigeminal nerve had neurovascular compression (NVC) or not: group A (32 cases) with NVC and group B (76 cases) without NVC. The anisotropy fraction (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient of bilateral trigeminal nerves were measured. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the pain degree of the patients. The severity of NVC on the symptomatic side was classified as grade I, II, or III by neurosurgeons according to the findings during microvascular decompression. RESULTS: The FA values of the trigeminal nerve on the symptomatic side were significantly lower than those on the asymptomatic side in group A (P < 0.001) and group B (P < 0.001). Thirty-six patients were treated with microvascular decompression. The FA values of the trigeminal nerve were grade I 0.309 ± 0.011, grade II 0.295 ± 0.015, and grade III 0.286 ± 0.022. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.011). The FA of the trigeminal nerve on the symptomatic side was negatively correlated with the degree of NVC and pain (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NVC had significant decreases in FA and it negatively correlated with NVC and VAS scores.

Fly through ultrasound imaging in assessment of carotid atherosclerosis: a pictorial essay.

To assess fly through ultrasound imaging (FTUS) in evaluation of carotid artery atherosclerosis, we prospectively performed conventional sonography and FTUS of the carotid artery on 66 patients with suspicion for atherosclerosis. Characteristics of arterial intima, atherosclerotic plaque, luminal narrowing, and carotid stent graft displayed on FTUS were compared with that on conventional sonography. On FTUS, normal carotid artery wall was smooth in appearance, mild carotid atherosclerosis appeared focal arterial wall irregularity and small plaque formation, arterial luminal reduction resulted from progressive artery plaques, and carotid stent had irregular inner lumen and tight fit against the arterial wall. A total of 38 plaques were detected by conventional sonography, while 48 plaques were depicted by FTUS in 25 patients. Using magnetic resonance angiography as a reference standard, 17 cases with >50% and 3 cases with <50% luminal reduction measured on FTUS. However, all those 20 cases were measured with >50% luminal reduction on conventional sonography. Compared with conventional sonography, FTUS can dynamically display intraluminal structure on real-time three-dimensional imaging morphologically to improve the accuracy in detecting atherosclerotic plaque and assessing luminal narrowing in the carotid artery.

Hypothalamus-related resting brain network underlying short-term acupuncture treatment in primary hypertension.

The present study attempted to explore modulated hypothalamus-seeded resting brain network underlying the cardiovascular system in primary hypertensive patients after short-term acupuncture treatment. Thirty right-handed patients (14 male) were divided randomly into acupuncture and control groups. The acupuncture group received a continuous five-day acupuncture treatment and undertook three resting-state fMRI scans and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) as well as SF-36 questionnaires before, after, and one month after acupuncture treatment. The control group undertook fMRI scans and 24-hour ABPM. For verum acupuncture, average blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) decreased after treatment but showed no statistical differences. There were no significant differences in BP and HR between the acupuncture and control groups. Notably, SF-36 indicated that bodily pain (P = 0.005) decreased and vitality (P = 0.036) increased after acupuncture compared to the baseline. The hypothalamus-related brain network showed increased functional connectivity with the medulla, brainstem, cerebellum, limbic system, thalamus, and frontal lobes. In conclusion, short-term acupuncture did not decrease BP significantly but appeared to improve body pain and vitality. Acupuncture may regulate the cardiovascular system through a complicated brain network from the cortical level, the hypothalamus, and the brainstem.

A longitudinal study of hand motor recovery after sub-acute stroke: a study combined FMRI with diffusion tensor imaging.

Previous studies have shown that motor recovery of stroke can be assessed by the cortical activity and the structural integrity of the corticospinal tract (CST), but little is known about the relation between the cortical activity and the structural integrity during motor recovery. In the present study, we investigated the changes in brain activities evoked by twenty days' functional electrical stimulation (FES) training in twelve sub-acute stroke patients with unilateral upper-limb disability. We compared cortex activity evoked by wrist movement of eleven stroke patients to that of eleven age-matched healthy subjects to figure out how cortex activity changed after stroke. We also measured the structural integrity represented by the fractional anisotropy (FA) asymmetry of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) to find the relationship between the brain activity and the structure integrity. In our study, we found that patients with sub-acute stroke have shown greater activity in the contralesional primary motor cortex (M1) during the affected hand's movement compared with healthy group, while the activity in ipsilesional M1 was decreased after the therapy compared to that before therapy, and the contralesional non-primary motor cortex showed greater activity after therapy. At the baseline we found that the positive correlation between the FA asymmetry of PLIC and the contralesional non-primary motor cortex activity showed that the greater damaged CST, the greater contralesional non-primary motor cortex recruited. While the negative correlation between them after the FES training indicates that after recovery the non-primary motor cortex plays different role in different stroke phases. Our study demonstrates that functional organization of a residual distributed motor system is related to the degree of disruption to the CST, and the non-primary motor areas plays an important role in motor recovery.