RESUMO
The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of black-blood echo-planar imaging (BB-EPI) in the assessment of infarct-related myocardial edema (IRME), compared with T2-weighted imaging (T2WI). Thirteen acute myocardial infarction (MI) patients after reperfusion and 11 old MI patients underwent BB-EPI and T2WI, excluding those with posterior MI. In acute MI patients, signal intensity ratio (SI ratio) of edema to normal myocardium was measured. Black-blood echo-planar imaging revealed hyperintensity in the same region identified as IRME on T2WI in all acute MI patients, and SI ratio was significantly higher in BB-EPI (2.66 +/- 1.58) than in T2WI (1.44 +/- 0.22) (P < 0.05). However, BB-EPI showed hyperintensity in posterior wall, where there is no clinical evidence of acute MI, in 2 out of 13 acute MI patients. Both T2WI and BB-EPI detected no IRME in known old infarct area of all old MI patients, but BB-EPI showed hyperintensity in the posterior wall of 4 out of 11 old MI patients. Black-blood echo-planar imaging can depict IRME with sufficient suppression of background and blood flow signals, and with excellent edema-to-normal myocardium contrast resolution. However, BB-EPI sometimes shows an inconsistent signal area with T2WI specifically in posterior wall. The wide practical use of BB-EPI requires the solution to this serious problem.
Assuntos
Imagem de Difusão por Ressonância Magnética , Edema Cardíaco/diagnóstico , Imagem Cinética por Ressonância Magnética , Infarto do Miocárdio/diagnóstico , Miocárdio/patologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Meios de Contraste , Edema Cardíaco/etiologia , Edema Cardíaco/patologia , Gadolínio DTPA , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Infarto do Miocárdio/complicações , Infarto do Miocárdio/patologia , Infarto do Miocárdio/terapia , Imagem de Perfusão do Miocárdio , Valor Preditivo dos TestesRESUMO
When a 63-year-old man was hospitalized with nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a mediastinal mass was discovered. A biopsy specimen obtained by mediastinoscopy showed findings compatible with the plasma cell type of Castleman's disease. Fever, anemia, and anti-nuclear antibody were present. Serum concentrations of gamma globulin, acute phase proteins, and, most strikingly, interleukin-6 (IL-6) were elevated. Methylprednisolone pulse therapy resulted in no clinical improvement. Pathologic examination of the resected thymic tumor showed a squamous cell carcinoma immunoreactive for IL-6. To our knowledge, this case represents the first reported IL-6-producing thymic squamous cell carcinoma associated with Castleman's disease and nephrotic syndrome.