PET/CT Examination of Teratomas after Stem Cell Transplantation for a Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, stem cell transplantation has become an effective method for treating spinal cord nerve injury. Up to now, there has been no report on teratoma caused by transplanted stem cell's abnormal differentiation in the clinic, especially in the analysis of imaging manifestations. Therefore, this article aims to analyze the PET/CT imaging manifestations of teratoma caused by stem cell transplantation to improve the imaging diagnosing capability. CASE PRESENTATION: A patient with a spinal cord injury who had received a stem cell transplant was examined by PET/CT on September 10th, 2020. The PET/CT images of the lesion showed irregular mixed low density on the right side of the erector spinae muscle area at the level of the cervical 3-5 vertebral body, with a maximum cross-section of 9.1×3.9 cm. The 18F-FDG metabolism of the lesion was increased, and the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) was 10.7. The boundary was unclear with the third cervical vertebra and cervical 3 and 4-level vertebral plates. Based on the patient's medical history, the lesion was diagnosed as an abnormal proliferative tumor, which was consistent with the pathological examination results. CONCLUSION: To date, there have been no clinical reports on teratomas caused by stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury at home or abroad. This case report enhances the knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment methods of this type of disease and confirms the diagnostic value of PET/CT examination.

Effect of changes in the menstrual cycle and age on the signal intensity of amide proton transfer imaging in the normal uterus: a preliminary study.

PURPOSE: To analyze the effect of changes in the menstrual cycle and age on the signal intensity of amide proton transfer (APT) imaging in normal uterine structures. METHODS: Thirty-one healthy females (age: 21-50 years old) underwent regular pelvic MRI and APT sequences during their menstrual cycle. The APT values of the endometrium, myometrium, and junctional zone were measured. One-way and multi-way analyses of variance were used to analyze the data. Intraindividual difference and Pearson's correlation analyses were also conducted. RESULTS: The APT values of the uterine structures during the menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases were 3.413 ± 0.682%, 4.776 ± 0.829%, and 5.218 ± 0.772% for the endometrium; 2.966 ± 0.533%, 3.597 ± 0.380%, and 4.324 ± 0.583% for the myometrium; and 1.703 ± 0.393%, 2.362 ± 0.486%, and 2.779 ± 0.528% for the junctional zone. The individual variation in the APT values of the normal uterus during the three menstrual phases was 1.1-1.7%.There were no significant differences in APT values of uterine structures with age. The APT values of the endometrium were greater than those of other structures (P < 0.05).The Pearson correlation coefficients between APT values of uterine structures and menstrual cycle were 0.686, 0.743, and 0.684, respectively. CONCLUSION: The menstrual cycle had a significant effect on the APT signal intensities of the uterine structures, whereas premenopausal age had no significant effect. Changes in the uterine structures during the menstrual cycle should be considered when using APT to diagnose suspected uterine lesions.