Age, pelvic incidence, facet joint angle and pedicle-facet angle as correlative factors for isthmic spondylolisthesis: a retrospective case control study.

BACKGROUND: Isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS) is a common clinical disease with a high incidence rate. However, most current researches explain the clear pathogenesis from a single perspective. The aim of our study was to explore the relationships between multiple parameters in patients and find the potential risk factors of this disease. METHODS: Our study retrospectively included 115 patients who were diagnosed with isthmic spondylolisthesis and the same number of individuals without spondylolisthesis. The following parameters were measured or collected: age, pelvic incidence (PI), facet joint angle (FJA) and pedicle-facet angle (P-F angle). The radiographic files were imported into Mimics Medical 20.0 and all collected data were analyzed using SPSS, version 26.0, statistical software. RESULTS: The age was higher in IS group than in control group. PI was also higher in the IS group (50.99 ± 7.67) than in the control group (43.77 ± 9.30) significantly (P = 0.009). There was significant difference in cranial and average FJA tropism in L3-L4 level (P = 0.002, P = 0.006, respectively) and in L4-L5 level (P < 0.001). P-F angle of L4-L5 level showed significantly larger in IS group than in control group (P = 0.007).The logistic regression analysis showed a larger age, a greater L3-L4 cranial FJA tropism, and a greater L4-L5 cranial FJA tropism were potential predictors of IS, with an OR of 1.07, 1.28, and 1.39 respectively. The thresholds of the predictors were 60 years, 5.67°, and 8.97° according to the ROC curve. The linear regression equation was established: degree of slippage (%) = 0.220*age - 0.327* L3-4 cranial FJA tropism - 0.346* L4-5 average FJA tropism (F = 3.460, P = 0.011, r = 0.659). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that isthmic spondylolisthesis may be related to multiple factors rather than a single factor. Age, PI, PJA and P-F angle are potentially associated with spondylolisthesis.

Follow-up Results and Clinical Significance of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Combined with Fluorescence Microscopy in Resection of High Grade Supra-tentoria Gliomas.

Objective To investigate the clinical effectiveness of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) combined with sodium fluorescein(FL) in the treatment of high grade gliomas(HGG). Methods From August 2013 to 2015 November,the clinical data of 72 supratentorial HGG(WHO grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ) patients who had received surgical treatment in our hospital were retrospectively studied,among whom 43 cases received MRS combined with intra-perative FL navigation(observation group),and 29 cases only received conventional surgery(control group). Post-operative radiotherapy and chemotherapy were applied for more than 3 months. Routine enhanced MRI were performed 24-48 hours after the operation to investigate the extent of tumor resection. Six months after the operation,the quality of life of patients was evaluated by using the Karnofsky score,and 1-year postoperative survival rate and progression-free survival(PFS) were observed. Results Postoperative MRI showed that the rate of gross total resection(GTR) in observation group was significantly higher than that in control group(72.09%vs.51.72%;χ2=23.88,P=0.001),and the GTR rate of WHO grade Ⅳ tumors was significantly higher than that of WHO grade Ⅲ tumors in observation group(92.86% vs.62.07%;χ2=6.06,P=0.042). The postoperative Karnofsky score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in control group(µ=2.34,P=0.021). The mean time of follow-up was(16.4±2.4) months(8-21 months) and there was no statistical significant difference between observation group and control group in 1-year survival rate(74.07% vs.77.50%;χ2=4.90,P=0.165) and PFS [(13.2±1.2) months vs.(12.7±2.0) months;χ2=7.26,P=0.067]. In observation group,the PFS of WHO grade Ⅳ patients was significantly higher than that in control group [(14.2±0.3) months vs.(10.0±1.1) months;χ2=11.03,P=0.031]. There was also no statistical significant difference between WHO grade Ⅳ tumors in two groups in terms of 1-year survival rate(71.43% vs.72.54%;χ2=5.33,P=0.089),and there was no statistical significant difference between WHO grade Ⅲ tumors in two groups in 1-year survival rate(75.86% vs. 72.22%;χ2=3.78,P=0.250) and in PFS [(13.7±1.4) months vs.(12.4±0.8) months;χ2=4.85,P=0.083]. Conclusions MRS combined with intraoperative FL navigation technology can improve the resection rate and improve survival quality of patients,and there is no evidence that MRS combined with intraoperative FL navigation prolong the overall survival of patients with high-grade gliomas. Different outcome may be found with longer follow-up and increased simple size.

Major Metabolite Levels of Preoperative Proton Magnetic Resonance Sectroscopy and Intraoperative Fluorescence Intensity in Glioblastoma.

Objective To compare the intraoperative major metabolite level of preoperative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H-MRS)and fluorescence intensity marked with fluorescein sodium(FLs)in glioblastoma(GBM)and thus provide an objective basis for fluorescence surgical treatment of GBM. Methods All newly diagnosed patients by plain and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging from the April 1,2014 to December 31,2015 were enrolled in this study.All of them received 1H-MRS and marked with FLs.The expression of Ki67 in tumor boundary were confirmed by postoperative pathology and determined by immunostaining assay.The relationship between 1H-MRS metabolite levels and tumor fluorescence intensity was analyzed. Results Totally 33 patients were included in the study.Preoperative 1H-MRS revealed high-grade gliomas in 25 cases.The N-acetylaspartate(NAA)decreased significantly and choline(Cho)increased significantly in high-grade gliomas.The ratios of Cho/NAA,NAA/creatine(Cr),and Cho/Cr significantly differed in different tumor regions(P=0.02,P=0.01,and P=0.00,respectively).Surgical results were marked with FLs intraoperatively.Tissue fluorescence were clearly seen.There were 29 patients undergoing total resection and 4 cases undergoing subtotal resection.No acute encephalocele occured after operation,while 2 patients suffered from epilepsy.Postoperative pathology results included:28 cases were diagnosed as GBM(22 cases consistent with 1H-MRS diagnosis).The results of GBM fluorescence imaging included:the level of fluorescence intensity in tumor parenchyma was significantly higher than that in tumor boundary and peritumoral edema(P=0.01).The result of 1H-MRS metabolite analysis included:The kurtosis of NAA and of Cho and the ratio of Cho/NAA were significantly different according the fluorescence intensity in tumor parenchyma(P=0.01,P=0.02,and P=0.01).While there was no difference in the kurtosis of NAA,the kurtosis of Cho and the ratio of Cho/NAA were significantly different according the fluorescence intensity in tumor boundary(P=0.02, P=0.00).In peritumoral edema,there was no significant different in kurtosis of NAA and of Cho and in the ratio of Cho/NAA(P=0.23,P=0.09,P=0.14).Immunohistochemistry in GBM tumor boundary showed different Ki67 expressions according to different fluorescence imaging(P=0.03). Conclusions The fluorescence intensity in GBM parenchyma is higher than that in other tumor regions,and there are different metabolic levels in different fluorescence intensity.The metabolic information marked by FLs and provided by 1H-MRS before operationis are important,and the correlation between them should be further investigated.

Improving depiction of temporal bone anatomy with low-radiation dose CT by an integrated circuit detector in pediatric patients: a preliminary study.

The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of low-dose computed tomography (CT) scanning with integrated circuit (IC) detector in defining fine structures of temporal bone in children by comparing with the conventional detector. The study was performed with the approval of our institutional review board and the patients' anonymity was maintained. A total of 86 children<3 years of age underwent imaging of temporal bone with low-dose CT (80 kV/150 mAs) equipped with either IC detector or conventional discrete circuit (DC) detector. The image noise was measured for quantitative analysis. Thirty-five structures of temporal bone were further assessed and rated by 2 radiologists for qualitative analysis. κ Statistics were performed to determine the agreement reached between the 2 radiologists on each image. Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the difference in image quality between the 2 detector systems. Objective analysis showed that the image noise was significantly lower (P<0.001) with the IC detector than with the DC detector. The κ values for qualitative assessment of the 35 fine anatomical structures revealed high interobserver agreement. The delineation for 30 of the 35 landmarks (86%) with the IC detector was superior to that with the conventional DC detector (P<0.05) although there were no differences in the delineation of the remaining 5 structures (P>0.05). The low-dose CT images acquired with the IC detector provide better depiction of fine osseous structures of temporal bone than that with the conventional DC detector.