Diffusion MR imaging for monitoring treatment response.

The objective of this article was to emphasize the use of diffusion-weighted imaging in the diagnosis and follow-up of several major disease contexts, as established in recent literature. In some of these diseases the diffusion changes are correlated with the clinical deficit and are potentially useful for early diagnosis and longitudinal evaluation, as well as in the context of pharmacologic trials. Diffusion magnetic resonance is a major advance in the continuing evolution of MR imaging. It provides contrasts and characterization between tissues at a cellular level that may imply differences in function as well as framework and have contributed to a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of several diseases.

Idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system in children.

Idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system usually present with a typical morphologic pattern in adults, with multiple sclerosis as the predominant disorder. However, the variety of disorders in children has an odd range of features that have piqued the interest of researchers. Information concerning this group of diseases, both in vivo and in different age groups, has particularly progressed with the advent of magnetic resonance imaging in the last few decades. In this article, we provide an overview of the applicability of imaging for idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system in children. In addition to pediatric multiple sclerosis, this review addresses other related disorders, such as acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, pediatric neuromyelitis optica, recurrent optic neuritis, and relapsing transverse myelitis.

Modern techniques of magnetic resonance in the evaluation of primary central nervous system lymphoma: contributions to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis

Abstract In addition to findings from conventional magnetic resonance imaging, modern magnetic resonance imaging techniques have provided important information about tumor metabolism, in vivo metabolite formation, water molecule diffusion, microvascular density, and blood-brain barrier permeability, all of which have improved the in vivo diagnostic accuracy of this method in the evaluation of primary central nervous system lymphoma. These nonconventional magnetic resonance techniques are useful in the clinical practice because they enhance conventional magnetic resonance imaging by reinforcing the possibility of a diagnosis and by allowing the early detection of disease recurrence. This report is a review of the most relevant contributions of nonconventional magnetic resonance techniques to the imaging diagnosis of primary central nervous system lymphoma, the differential diagnosis of this disease, and the prognosis of patients. This paper aims to describe a wide range of presentations of primary central nervous system lymphoma, their appearance in imaging, and the differential diagnoses of this disease.