Predictive value of pre-treatment apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in radio-chemiotherapy treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at evaluating the role of "baseline" apparent diffusion coefficent (ADC), in patients affected by head and neck cancer treated with radio-chemotherapy, as a potential marker of response to therapy. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients underwent pretreatment ADC maps. Minimum, maximum, and medium ADC were computed. Age, dose, treatment time, and ADC values were compared between the two groups (Group 1: local control; Group 2: relapse/persistence of disease) using the Student t test two-tailed unpaired. Two-tailed Fischer exact test was used to compare T stage, N stage, grading and type of treatment between two groups. We have analyzed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of statistically significant variables. RESULTS: In patients with local control, values of pre-treatment medium and minimum ADC were lower than ADC values of patients with persistent or recurrent disease, with values, respectively, of 0.83 ± 0.02 × 10-3 mm2/s and 0.59 ± 0.02 × 10-3 mm2/s (vs 0.94 ± 0.05 × 10-3 mm2/s and 0.70 ± 0.05 × 10-3 mm2/s). ROC curve analysis displayed statistical significance as regarding the medium ADC value, showing a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 84.8%. ROC analysis of the values minimum ADC showed a sensitivity of 42.9% and specificity of 87.9%. CONCLUSION: The value of the ADC pre-treatment of patients with local control of the disease is lower than that of patients with persistent disease or recurrence.

Can neuroimaging differentiate PFO and AF-related cardioembolic stroke from the other embolic sources? Clinical-radiological correlation on a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study was to map the specific ischemic lesion patterns of distribution in patent foramen ovale-related stroke (PFO-stroke) and atrial fibrillation-related stroke (AF-stroke) in patients with idiopatic ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 750 ischaemic strokes were screened on basis of diagnostic imaging and tests: patients with known causes were excluded. 171 patients with unknown cause were selected and divided in two groups: AF-stroke (43 patients) and PFO-stroke (128 patients). Vascular territories of ischemic involvement were divided into four classes in each group: the anterior cerebral artery, the middle cerebral artery, the vertebro-cerebral artery (including the posterior cerebral artery) and multisite (MS) involvement. RESULTS: Infarcts in vertebro-basilar territory and multisite represented each one about 32% of infarcts in PFO-stroke group and their involvement are more frequent than AF-stroke group (p = 0.03). Ischemic lesions in PFO-group were predominantly cortical (34.3%), and in AF-group cortical-subcortical (60.4%). Multisite pattern of ischemic lesion was more frequent in patients with severe degree of right to left shunts (37.5%). CONCLUSION: In clinical practice, PFO may be considered a cause of cortical stroke on the basis of radiological findings, when VB vascular territory or MS brain involvement is present in younger patients (<50 age).

MRI can assess glenoid bone loss after shoulder luxation: inter- and intra-individual comparison with CT.

OBJECTIVE: Computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard for evaluating glenoid bone loss in patients with glenohumeral dislocations. The aim of this study was to verify if magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can quantify the area of bone loss without any significant difference from CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients, who had experienced one or more post-traumatic unilateral glenohumeral dislocations, underwent MRI and CT. MR and multiplanar reconstruction CT images were acquired in the sagittal plane: the glenoid area and the area of bone loss were calculated using the PICO method. Mean values, percentages, Cohen's kappa coefficients and Bland-Altman plots were all used to confirm the working hypothesis. RESULTS: The mean glenoid surface area was 575.29 mm(2) as measured by MRI, and 573.76 mm(2) as measured by CT; the calculated mean glenoid bone loss was respectively 4.38% and 4.34%. The interobserver agreement was good (k>0.81), and the coefficient of variance was 5% of the mean value using both methods. The two series of measurements were within two standard deviations of each other. CONCLUSIONS: MRI is a valid alternative to CT for measuring glenoid bone loss in patients with glenohumeral dislocation.

Prognostic value of relative cerebral blood volume in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with bevacizumab.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess whether the early monitoring of the effects of bevacizumab in patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using perfusional dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the beginning of antiangiogenic therapy is predictive of treatment response. METHODS: Thirteen patients with recurrent GBM underwent perfusion MRI with relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) mapping before (T0) and after the beginning (T1) of bevacizumab treatment. Recurrence Regions of Interest (RoIs) were positioned on the enhancing component of tumoral tissue revealed by postcontrast T1-weighted images. The rCBV measurements on the corresponding maps were made before and after the start of the antiangiogenic therapy. The Cox proportional hazards model and the Kaplan-Meier method were used with the log-Rank Test to establish whether pre- and postbevacizumab rCBV predicted progression-free survival (PFS). We tried to assess if there was a correlation between rCBV at T0 and rCBV at T1 using the Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: In the univariable analysis, rCBV was significantly predictive of PFS at T0 (HR=5.3, P=0.003) and at T1 (HR=4.14, P=0.04). Similarly, in the multivariate Cox model analysis, rCBV was predictive of PFS at T0 (HR=4.4, P=0.04) and T1 (HR=4.2, P=0.02). PFS was longer in patients whose rCBV was less than 4.50 mL/100g at T0 and less than 1.83 mL/100g at T1 than in patients with higher rCBV values. There was a moderate positive correlation between rCBV at T0 and rCBV at T1 (P=0.032, R=0.546). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the limited number of enrolled patients, rCBV assessed using DSC-MRI through the parameter rCBV is proved reliable in predicting the effects of antiangiogenic treatment in patients with recurrent GBM.