Brain plasticity after rehabilitation in a severe case of artery of Percheron stroke assessed with multimodal MR imaging.

Artery of Percheron (AOP) stroke is a rare event. We describe an AOP stroke involving both thalami and the midbrain, resulting in a multifunctional clinical impairment. Intensive inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation favored the recovery of motor deficits, together with the improvement of cognitive dysfunctions. MRI assessment in the chronic post-stroke phase showed structural and functional reorganization in response to the extended thalamic tissue damage and absence of revascularization. Thalamo-cortical networks involving frontal and prefrontal regions, as well as parietal areas were disrupted, whereas increased functional thalamo-occipital connectivity was found. This report sheds light on brain reorganization following AOP stroke after rehabilitation..

Five-Year Longitudinal Study of Neck Vessel Cross-Sectional Area in Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Alterations of neck vessel cross-sectional area in multiple sclerosis have been reported. Our aim was to investigate the evolution of the neck vessel cross-sectional area in patients with MS and healthy controls during 5 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-nine patients with MS (44 relapsing-remitting MS, 25 progressive MS) and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were examined twice, 5 years apart, on a 3T MR imaging scanner using 2D neck MR angiography. Cross-sectional areas were computed for the common carotid/internal carotid arteries, vertebral arteries, and internal jugular veins for all slices between the C3 and C7 cervical levels. Longitudinal cross-sectional area differences at each cervical level and the whole-vessel course were tested within study groups and between patients with MS with and without cardiovascular disease using mixed-model analysis and the related-samples Wilcoxon singed rank test. The Benjamini-Hochberg procedure was performed to correct for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: No significant cross-sectional area differences were seen between patients with MS and healthy controls at baseline or at follow-up. During the follow-up, significant cross-sectional area decrease was found in patients with MS for the common carotid artery-ICAs (C4: P = .048; C7: P = .005; whole vessel: P = .012), for vertebral arteries (C3: P = .028; C4: P = .028; C7: P = .028; whole vessel: P = .012), and for the internal jugular veins (C3: P = .014; C4: P = .008; C5: P = .010; C6: P = .010; C7: P = .008; whole vessel: P = .002). Patients with MS without cardiovascular disease had significantly greater change than patients with MS with cardiovascular disease for internal jugular veins at all levels. CONCLUSIONS: For 5 years, patients with MS showed significant cross-sectional area decrease of all major neck vessels, regardless of the disease course and cardiovascular status.

Lower Arterial Cross-Sectional Area of Carotid and Vertebral Arteries and Higher Frequency of Secondary Neck Vessels Are Associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Arterial and neck vessel system characteristics of patients with multiple sclerosis have not been previously investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the frequency of neck vessels and their cross-sectional areas (in square millimeters) between patients with MS and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 193 patients with MS and 193 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent 2D TOF venography at 3T. The main arterial (carotid and vertebral), venous (internal jugular), and secondary neck vessels were examined at 4 separate cervical levels (C2/3, C4, C5/6, and C7/T1). The ANCOVA adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, and heart disease was used to compare the differences between patients with MS and healthy controls. RESULTS: After controlling for all confounding factors, patients with MS had significantly lower cross-sectional areas of the carotid arteries at the C2/3 (P = .03), C5/6 (P = .026), and C7/T1 (P = .005) levels as well as of the vertebral arteries at the C2/3 (P = .02), C4 (P = .012), and C7/T1 (P = .006) levels, compared with healthy controls. A higher frequency of secondary neck vessels was found at all 4 levels in patients with MS: C2/3 (12.9 versus 10, P < .001), C4 (9.1 versus 7.5, P < .001), C5/6 (7.8 versus 6.8, P = .012), and C7/T1 (8.8 versus 6, P < .001). The total cross-sectional areas of secondary neck vessels were also significantly higher at all 4 levels (P < .03). No significant differences in the cross-sectional areas of jugular veins were found between patients with MS and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MS showed lower cross-sectional areas of the carotid and vertebral arteries and a higher frequency of secondary neck vessels and their cross-sectional areas compared with healthy controls.

Assessment of Internal Jugular Vein Size in Healthy Subjects with Magnetic Resonance and Semiautomatic Processing.

Background and Objectives. The hypothesized link between extracranial venous abnormalities and some neurological disorders awoke interest in the investigation of the internal jugular veins (IJVs). However, different IJV cross-sectional area (CSA) values are currently reported in literature. In this study, we introduced a semiautomatic method to measure and normalize the CSA and the degree of circularity (Circ) of IJVs along their whole length. Methods. Thirty-six healthy subjects (31.22 ± 9.29 years) were recruited and the 2D time-of-flight magnetic resonance venography was acquired with a 1.5 T Siemens scanner. The IJV were segmented on an axial slice, the contours were propagated in 3D. Then, IJV CSA and Circ were computed between the first and the seventh cervical levels (C1-C7) and normalized among subjects. Inter- and intrarater repeatability were assessed. Results. IJV CSA and Circ were significantly different among cervical levels (p < 0.001). A trend for side difference was observed for CSA (larger right IJV, p = 0.06), but not for Circ (p = 0.5). Excellent inter- and intrarater repeatability was obtained for all the measures. Conclusion. This study proposed a reliable semiautomatic method able to measure the IJV area and shape along C1-C7, and suitable for defining the normality thresholds for future clinical studies.