Difference in Laterality of the Dorsal Striatum in Schizoaffective Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Recent research has demonstrated that the dorsal striatum is directly associated with the integration of cognitive, sensory-motor, and motivational/emotional data. Disruptions in the corticostriatal circuit have been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis. The dorsal striatum was reported to show lateralized pathology in psychotic disorders. In this study, we aimed to analyze the laterality of the dorsal striatum with texture analysis of T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images from schizoaffective disorder (SAD) patients. METHODS: Twenty SAD patients, met the inclusion criteria and had available cranial MRI data were assigned as the patient group. Twenty healthy individuals were determined as the control group. Texture analysis values were obtained from striatum region of interests (ROI) generated from T2-weighted MRI images. Data are presented as mean and standard deviation. The suitability of the data for normal distribution was analyzed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (Post Hoc TUKEY) was employed to compare the group data based on test findings. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of gender and age. There were differences in the values of texture analysis parameters of both caudate and putamen nuclei in comparison to controls. We identified differences in the left dorsal striatum nuclei in SAD. The differences in the putamen were more and more pronounced than in the caudate. CONCLUSIONS: Texture analyses suggest that the left dorsal striatum nuclei may be different in SAD patients. Further studies are needed to determine the pathophysiology of SAD and how it may affect disease treatment.

Is the Caudate, Putamen, and Globus Pallidus the Delusional Disorder's Trio? A Texture Analysis Study.

BACKGROUND: The neurobiological basis of delusional disorder is less explored through neuroimaging techniques than in other psychotic disorders. This study aims to provide information about the neural origins of delusional disorder (DD) by examining the neuroanatomical features of some basal nuclei with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) texture analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty DD patients and 20 healthy individuals were included in the study. Globus pallidus, putamen, and caudate nuclei were selected individually with a region of interest (ROI) on the axial MRI images. The entire texture analysis algorithm applied to all selected ROIs was done with an in-house software. Nuclei on both sides were taken as separate samples. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups in terms of age and gender. The average "mean, median and maximum" values of all three nuclei were decreased in DD patients. The small putamen area and the differences detected in different tissue parameters for all three nuclei in delusional disorder patients indicate that they differ in delusional disorder from normal controls (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The differences detected in the texture parameters for all three nuclei indicate that there is something different in the DD from in the normal controls. Neuroimaging studies with larger samples and different techniques in the future may shed light on the etiology of delusional disorder.

Subcortical Volume Changes in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Quantitative MRI Study

SUMMARY: Volume abnormalities in subcortical structures, including the hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus have been observed in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), not all individuals with these disorders exhibit such changes. In addition, the specific patterns and severity of volume changes may vary between individuals and at different stages of the disease. The study aims to compare the volumes of these subcortical structures between healthy subjects and individuals diagnosed with SZ or BD. Volumetric measurements of lateral ventricle, globus palllidus, caudate, putamen, hippocampus, and amygdale were made by MRI in 52 healthy subjects (HS), 33 patients with SZ, and 46 patients with BD. Automatic segmentation methods were used to analyze the MR images with VolBrain and MRICloud. Hippocampus, amygdala and lateral ventricle increased in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients in comparison with control subjects using MRIcloud. Globus pallidus and caudate volume increased in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared control subjects using Volbrain. We suggested that our results will contribute in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients that assessment of the sub-cortical progression, pathology, and anomalies of subcortical brain compositions. In patients with psychiatric disorders, VolBrain and MRICloud can detect subtle structural differences in the brain.

Se han observado anomalías de volumen en las estructuras subcorticales, incluidos el hipocampo, la amígdala, el tálamo, el núcleo caudado, el putamen y el globo pálido, en la esquizofrenia (SZ) y el trastorno bipolar (BD); no todos los individuos con estos trastornos presentan tales cambios. Además, los patrones específicos y la gravedad de los cambios de volumen pueden variar entre individuos y en diferentes etapas de la enfermedad. El estudio tuvo como objetivo comparar los volúmenes de estas estructuras subcorticales entre sujetos sanos e individuos diagnosticados con SZ o BD. Se realizaron mediciones volumétricas del ventrículo lateral, globo pálido, núcleo caudado, putamen, hipocampo y amígdala mediante resonancia magnética en 52 sujetos sanos (HS), 33 pacientes con SZ y 46 pacientes con BD. Se utilizaron métodos de segmentación automática para analizar las imágenes de resonancia magnética con VolBrain y MRICloud. El hipocampo, la amígdala y el ventrículo lateral aumentaron en pacientes con esquizofrenia y trastorno bipolar en comparación con sujetos de control que utilizaron MRIcloud. El globo pálido y el núcleo caudado aumentaron en pacientes con esquizofrenia y trastorno bipolar en comparación con los sujetos control que utilizaron Volbrain. Sugerimos que en pacientes con esquizofrenia y trastorno bipolar, nuestros resultados contribuirán a la evaluación de la progresión subcortical, la patología y las anomalías de las composiciones cerebrales subcorticales. En pacientes con trastornos psiquiátricos, VolBrain y MRICloud pueden detectar diferencias estructurales sutiles en el cerebro.

Correlation between ultrasonography and MR proton density fat fraction techniques in evaluating the severity of liver steatosis.

Background and Aim: To investigate the relationship between ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) proton density fat fraction (PDFF) techniques, using the modified DIXON method, in determining the severity of liver steatosis. Materials and Methods: This study included seventy consecutive patients who underwent upper abdominal MRI for various reasons between June 2016 and January 2017. Fatty liver staging was performed using US as indicated.The liver fat percentage was measured and staged according to PDFF values. Results: In the study, of the 70 cases, 36 were male and 34 were female. On US, 18.5% of the cases had stage 0, 32.8% had stage 1, 42.8% had stage 2, and 5.7% had stage 3 liver steatosis. A significant correlation was found between ultrasonographic evaluation and PDFF in determining the percentage of liver fat (r=0.775, p<0.001). When comparing the percentages, MR-evaluated PDFF and ultrasonographic staging were most compatible at grade 3 and least compatible at grade 2. When the PDFF threshold value was set at 8.1%, the sensitivity of US in distinguishing between obvious and indistinct steatosis was 97.1%, and the specificity was 88.9%. Conclusion: Ultrasound continues to be a useful tool for detecting fatty liver disease. However, magnetic resonance (MR) proton density fat fraction (PDFF) imaging is essential for accurately determining the severity and prevalence of steatosis. Our study revealed inconsistencies between US and MR PDFF in grading liver steatosis, showing higher agreement in severe cases and lower agreement in moderate cases. Therefore, we recommend classifying steatosis as either uncertain or apparent rather than using a grading system in US.

Statistical shape analysis of corpus callosum in delusional disorder.

Neurobiological foundations of delusional disorder (DD) have been studied less with neuroimaging techniques when compared to other psychotic disorders. The present study aimed to delineate the neural substrates of DD by investigating neuroanatomical characteristics of the corpus callosum (CC) with statistical shape analysis (SSA) conducted on magnetic resonance images (MRI). Twenty (female:male=1:1) DSM-5 DD patients and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals were included. High-resolution 3D T1 Turbo Field Echo MRI images were scanned with a 1.5 T MR device. The landmarks that were selected to determine the shape differences in CC were identified based on previous studies. Furthermore, constructed landmarks were determined and employed to better assess regional shape differences. There was no significant difference in the CC area in the mid-sagittal images between the DD patients and controls. However, DD patients exhibited a pattern of structural CC changes in various regions. The study findings emphasizes the variable subregional nature of CC in DD patients. Future SSA studies with larger samples could shed further light on DD etiology, diagnosis, classification and treatment options.

Co-Existence of Two Rare Entities in the Male Breast: Intraductal Papilloma and Angiolipoma.

Intraductal papilloma and angiolipoma lesions are very rare in male breasts and gynecomastia is the most common male breast pathology. A 52-year-old healthy Caucasian male patient with right nipple pain for one month and two subareolar and periareolar masses had no other abnormal clinical or laboratory findings. After ultrasound examination, pull-through excision was made with a circumareolar incision in both lesions and the samples were sent for pathological examination. Histopathological examination revealed intraductal papilloma and angiolipoma on the basis of gynecomastia. This case is unique because both lesions are extremely rare and this is the first report of concurrent occurrence in a male breast.

Differentiation of multiple myeloma and metastases with apparent diffusion coefficient map histogram analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple myeloma and metastasis are common malignant bone marrow lesions. It may be difficult to distinguish from each other due to similar radiological findings. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of histogram analysis with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the differentiation of multiple myeloma and metastasis. METHODS: Twenty patients with multiple myeloma and 20 patients with metastasis who underwent 3T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with DWI (b=0, 1000 s/mm2) were enrolled. All patients had multiple enhancing nodular bone lesions on contrast-enhanced musculoskeletal MR imaging. Histogram analysis was performed from these lesions on the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. The mean, minimum, median, maximum, standard deviation of the histogram, variance, entropy, uniformity, skewness, kurtosis, size %lower, size %upper, and size %mean values were measured. Results of both groups were compared. RESULTS: The mean, minimum, median, maximum, standard deviation, and variance values were found to be significantly lower in multiple myeloma than metastasis (p<0.001). When ROC analysis was performed for mean value, the area under the curve=1.000 and when threshold value was selected as 766.076, two groups could be differentiated with 100.0% sensitivity and 100.0% specificity. CONCLUSION: ADC histogram analysis can be considered as a method to be used in the differentiation of metastases and multiple myeloma.

Evaluation of the corpus callosum using magnetic resonance imaging histogram analysis in autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Histogram analysis is a texture analysis method that can be used in medical images. Quantitative values of the intensity of images can be obtained with histogram analysis. It aimed to evaluate corpus callosum in magnetic resonance images (MRIs) using histogram analysis of pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to compare them with healthy controls. METHODS: This study included 29 children with ASD and 29 healthy children with normal brain MRI. High-resolution three-dimensional turbo field echo images were obtained with a 1.5 T scanner device for brain magnetic resonance imaging. On the corpus callosum in the sagittal T1-weighted images obtained, mean gray level density (mean), the standard deviation, median, minimum, maximum, entropy, variance, skewness, kurtosis, uniformity, size % L, size % M, size % U, and percentile parameters were measured. RESULTS: In ASD patients, mean, standard deviation, maximum, median, variance, entropy, 25%, 75%, 90%, 97%, and 99% values were found to be lower than the control group, and size % U value was higher. In addition, the corpus callosum area was significantly lower in the ASD compared to the controls. CONCLUSION: According to our study, corpus callosum of patients with ASD showed differences compared to healthy controls by histogram analysis, even though they were seen as normal in brain MRI. We think that histogram analysis can be used to evaluate possibly affected areas of brain in ASD patients.

Differentiation of progressive disease from pseudoprogression using MRI histogram analysis in patients with treated glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technics are insufficient in the differentiation of tumor progression from post-treatment changes in patients with treated glioblastoma. Previous studies have suggested that histogram analysis is a useful tool in the assessment of treatment response in different cancer types. The aim of the study was to to evaluate the effectiveness of MRI histogram analysis in the differentiation of tumor progression from pseudoprogression in patients with treated glioblastoma. METHODS: Forty-six patients with glioblastoma who newly developed enhancing lesions following chemoradiation treatment were included in this retrospective study. Histogram analysis was performed from new enhancing lesions on T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI. Histogram analysis findings of patients with progression (23) and pseudoprogression (23) were compared. RESULTS: Mean, minimum, median, maximum, standard deviation, variance, entropy, skewness, uniformity values were found to be significantly higher in progressive disease (p < 0.05). A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for mean value, and area under the curve (AUC) was found as 0.975. When the threshold value was selected as 528.86, two groups could be differentiated with 95.7% sensitivity and 87.0% specificity. CONCLUSION: MRI histogram analysis can be used for the differentiation of progressive disease from pseudoprogression.

Texture analysis of dorsal striatum in functional neurological (conversion) disorder.

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the dorsal striatum nuclei of patients diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder by texture analysis method from magnetic resonance imaging images and to compare them with healthy controls. Study groups consisted of 20 female patients and 20 healthy women. The brains of patients and controls were scanned for high-resolution images with a 1.5T scanner using the sagittal plane and 3D spiral fast spin echo sequence. Using the texture analysis method, mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, median, variance, entropy, size %L, size %U, size %M, kurtosis, skewness and homogeneity values of the dorsal striatum nuclei were calculated from the images. The data were compared with comparison tests according to Kolmogorov-Smirnov test results. There was no statistically significant difference between paired regions in terms of texture analysis findings in the cross-sectional images of the participants. In patients, mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, median, variance and entropy values for the putamen nucleus, and mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, median, variance, entropy and kurtosis values for the caudate nucleus were found significantly higher than controls. Additional receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression analyzes were performed. The implications of the results of the study are that there are significant microstructural changes in the dorsal striatum nuclei of patients and their reflection on brain images. Texture analysis is a useful technique to show tissue changes in the dorsal striatum of patients using images. It is highly recommended to use texture analysis to identify and evaluate potentially affected areas of the brain in new studies.

Interference of gadolinium dechelated from MR contrast agents by calcium signaling in neuronal cells of GnRH.

Contrast agents (CAs) used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are produced by chelating the metal gadolinium (Gd) with organic ligand molecules to form stable complexes. But, Gd3+ may dissociate from the CAs and subsequently might become toxic to its environment. Besides toxicity, it might inhibit calcium channels on cell membranes and this action could be detrimental to the cells governing biological development. The aim of this study was to investigate the interference of Gd3+ dechelated from the CAs by calcium signaling in the neuronal cells of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), regulating puberty, and sexual development. The study used the mouse GT1-7 cell line as a model system, and Fura-2 based calcium imaging for detecting the interruption of intracellular calcium transport by the extracellular presence of Gd3+ as released from the CAs; gadodiamide and gadoterate meglumine, when the cells were stimulated in vitro culture by exposure to melatonin.The CA gadoterate meglumine interfered minimally with the calcium signaling, and thus its use is preferable in standard MRI exams. The release of Gd3+ from gadodiamide was significant and becomes of great concern as it may impact the neurophysiology of the neuronal cells in general, and gonadotropin production in particular, even in normal patients without nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. The toxicity induced by the influx of dechelated Gd3+ in the neurons of GnRH would have significant implications for puberty and reproductive functions.

Magnetic resonance imaging histogram analysis of corpus callosum in a functional neurological disorder

Background/aim: The aim of the present study was to examine and compare the corpus callosum (CC) via histogram analysis (HA) on T1-weighted MR images of patients diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and healthy controls. Materials and methods: The study group included 19 female patients diagnosed with FND, and the control group included 20 healthy subjects. All participants were scanned with a 1.5 T MR scanner. A high-resolution structural image of the entire brain was obtained with sagittal 3D spiral fast spin echo T1-weighted images. Gray level intensity, standard deviation of the histogram, entropy, uniformity, skewness, and kurtosis values were determined with texture analysis. A student's t-test was used to compare the group data. P < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: It was determined that the mean gray level intensity, standard deviation of the histogram, entropy calculated by the maximum, median and variance and size M percentage values were higher in patients with FND. Kurtosis and size U percentages values were lower in patients with FND. Conclusion: In the present study, analysis of CC with T1-weighted MR image HA demonstrated significant differences between FND patients and healthy controls. The study findings indicated that HA is a beneficial technique for demonstrating textural variations between the CCs of patients with FND and healthy controls using MR images.

Evaluation of arterial stiffness in patients with schizophrenia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate arterial stiffness in schizophrenia patients. 28 male patients were included. The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the vessels were taken using high-resolution ultrasonography system. The mean carotid IMT and the mean femoral IMT values of the study group were found to be statistically significantly higher than the values of the control group. As the duration of the disease increased, there was an increase in the carotid IMT, carotid elastic modulus and femoral IMT, whereas there was a decrease in carotid and femoral diastolic wall stress in patients. No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups' carotid and femoral compliance, distensibility and elastic modulus values. The mean systolic arterial blood pressure in the patient group was determined to be lower than that of the control group. The mean diastolic wall stress values in the carotid and femoral arteries were determined to be lower than those of the control group. There was no relationship between antipsychotic dose, blood pressure and arterial stiffness parameters. Schizophrenia patients are more prone to develop arterial stiffness by atherosclerosis either with the effect of the nature of the disease itself or antipsychotic treatment. But evaluation with more parameters (carotid and femoral compliance, distensibility and elastic modulus) did not indicate any difference from the control group in respect of arterial stiffness. Antipsychotic treatment may play a protective role in terms of arterial stiffness by causing a decrease in systolic arterial pressure and carotid and femoral diastolic wall stress.

Differentiation of Multiple Myeloma and Lytic Bone Metastases: Histogram Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Metastasis and multiple myeloma are common malignant bone marrow lesions. It may be difficult to distinguish because of similar imaging findings. The purpose of this study was to determine the value of histogram analysis on the computed tomography imaging. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with primary tumor and 23 patients with multiple myeloma were included in the study. All patients had lytic bone lesions on the thorax and abdominal computed tomography scan with contrast. Multiple bone lesions of patients with primary tumor were accepted as metastasis. Multiple bone lesions of patients with multiple myeloma were accepted as multiple myeloma involvement. Histogram analysis was performed from lytic bone metastases and bone involvement of multiple myeloma. Results of both groups were compared. RESULTS: In histogram analysis, minimum, median, and maximum gray level parameters were found to be significantly higher in lytic bone metastases (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Computed tomography histogram analysis can be considered as a method to be used in the differentiation of multiple myeloma and lytic bone metastases.

The Acute Effects of High-Intensity Cycling Exercise on Arterial Stiffness in Adolescent Wrestlers.

The aim of this study was to determine the acute effects of high-intensity cycling exercise on the variables of carotid artery compliance, distensibility and beta stiffness index in elite adolescent wrestlers. The subjects were elite athletes competing in national, European and World Championships, who attended a training camp in the province of Kahramanmaras organized by the Turkish Centre for Olympic Preparation. The study sample comprised 31 male elite wrestlers with a mean age of 15.90 ± 0.87 years, body height of 165.97 ± 9.7 cm and body mass of 66.3 ± 18.45 kg. The arterial stiffness variables of the wrestlers were measured with high-resolution Doppler ultrasonography before and 5 min after 30 s of high-intensity cycling exercise (the Wingate Anaerobic Cycling test). The results showed a statistically significant correlation between mean power performance and carotid artery compliance at the 5th min after a single cycling sprint exercise (p < 0.05). No correlation was determined between peak power and the arterial stiffness variables (p > 0.05). The study results indicate that acute changes in arterial stiffness variables are associated with the performance level of high-intensity cycling exercise in a group of elite adolescent wrestlers.

Effects of gadolinium and gadolinium chelates on intracellular calcium signaling in sensory neurons.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) employs gadolinium chelates as contrast agents to provide signal enhancement in radiological images. However, the instability of the chelates presents a challenge as the released gadolinium ion (Gd3+) from the chelates becomes toxic to the surrounding biological tissue. Chelates such as gadodiamide, gadoterate meglumine, gadobutrol and gadobenate dimeglumine are common contrast agents used in clinics. The release of Gd3+ from these agents have been reported previously using experimental setups involving water, but this study evaluates the release in cell culture of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons as this model system is relevant to neuronal toxicity induced by these agents. DRG neurons were grown in primary culture following enzymatic and mechanical dissociation of ganglia from a 2-day-old neonatal Wistar rat. Using Fura-2 based calcium imaging, the effects of gadolinium chelates on free intracellular Ca2+ transport was assessed. The findings indicated that the contrast agent gadoterate meglumine exhibited the best performance in complex stability, independent of its concentration, and thus it must be taken into consideration in standard MRI exams and neuroimaging. The free Gd3+ released from the other agents is also of great concern as it may impact the neurophysiology of the neuronal cells in general, even in normal patients without nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

An evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging with histogram analysis in patients with idiopathic subjective tinnitus.

OBJECTIVE: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the ears without any acoustic stimulus. It has still not been determined whether tinnitus originates peripherally, centrally, or from several locations. The aim of the study was to determine any possible cochlear pathology in patients with normal hearing and tinnitus of unspecified etiology. METHODS: The study included 22 patients who presented at the clinic with the complaint of idiopathic subjective tinnitus that had been ongoing for at least 1 year. A total of 44 ears were included; 28 with tinnitus and 16 healthy ears. Unilateral tinnitus was determined in 16 patients and bilateral in six patients. The temporal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and audiogram results of the patients were retrieved from the hospital records. The MRI histogram measurement was made automatically and calculated for each ear separately. RESULTS: Entropy was found to be significantly higher in the control group and distribution was lower (p>0.01). In the tinnitus group, distribution was found to be broader, and kurtosis was statistically significantly greater (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: MRI histogram analysis can be considered as a method to be used in the clinical evaluation of the determination of possible cochlear pathology in ears with tinnitus.

Comparison of vascular arterial stiffness parameters of adolescent wrestlers with healthy subjects: Is heavy training harmful for wrestlers?

BACKROUND: The effect of different exercise modalities on the vascular structure has been the subject of clinical trials but there is not enough data about wrestlers. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the arterial stiffness parameters in adolescent wrestlers with those of age-matched sedentary controls to show the effects of long and heavy training. METHODS: This study was carried out as a case-control study. Thirty three (N= 33) elite male adolescent wrestlers (12-18 years) and 35 age and sex-matched control subjects (P= 0.438) with a sedentary lifestyle were included the study. The data was obtained by using sonography and a sphygmomanometer. Systolic and diastolic diameters and intima media thickness (IMT) measurements were performed from the carotid arteries of the subjects. The arterial tension was measured in the same session, and arterial stiffness parameters were calculated using specific formulas. RESULTS: The mean age range was 15.9 ± 0.9 years and 16.0 ± 0.8 years for the wrestlers and control subjects, respectively (P= 0.43). Statistically, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly higher in wrestlers (mean = 23.7 ± 4.0 kg/m2; P= 0.00). The groups had no difference in height (P= 0.80) and weight (P= 0.05). The systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly higher in wrestlers (mean = 120 ± 13.4 mmHg; P= 0.00); the pulse was significantly lower in wrestlers (mean = 69.61 ± 17.2 beats/min; P= 0.00); the IMT was significantly lower in wrestlers (IMT mean = 0.288 ± 0.1 mm; P= 0.01); the diastolic wall stress (DWS) was significantly higher in wrestlers (DWS mean = 933.64 ± 298.0 mmHg; P= 0.03) than controls. No significant differences were found in the elastic modulus (P= 0.11), compliance (P= 0.86), and distensibility (P= 0.86) parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION: Bradycardia is an expected condition for athletes. SBP and DWS were found to be high in wrestlers, suggesting that arterial tissue is more susceptible to stress. The low IMT indicates the protective effect of regular exercise against atherosclerosis. It is known that regular exercise is good for the vascular structure while heavy exercise puts a load on the vascular structure. The fact that the elastic modulus, compliance, and distensibility do not differ between the groups suggests that structural changes in the adolescents have no effect on the vascular wall.

Protective effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on atherosclerotic and hemocytic parameters in obese patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the change in the body mass index following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on the vascular morphology structure and biochemical and hemocytic parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective evaluation of 60 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy was conducted. The relationship was evaluated between the vascular morphological parameters and biochemical and hemocytic inflammatory variables of the patients preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 18 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline values, a significant decrease was determined in the carotid intima media thickness at 6, 12, and 18 months (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). The compliance and distensibility values were observed to increase over time (p<0.05, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). A statistically significant difference was determined in the carotid intima media thickness values according to gender, with males (n:7) measuring 0.618±0.123 mm and females (n:53) measuring 0.506±0.113 mm (p<0.01). When patients were grouped as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≤2.54 (n:41) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio>2.55 (n:19), the increasing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values were observed to be in proportion to the carotid intima media thickness, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). When factors affecting the vascular morphology parameters measured at baseline and throughout the study were evaluated with the correlation analysis, there was observed to be a positive correlation between the baseline carotid intima media thickness thickness and neutrophil percentage (r=0.736, p<0.001) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r=0.676, p<0.001), and between the negative correlation and lymphocyte percentage (r=-0.628, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is not only a cosmetic procedure reducing the body mass index values, but it also has a beneficiary effect on vascular morphology, biochemical, and hemocytic parameters.