Impact of Brain MRI on the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis and Treatment Decisions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND. Despite increasing use of brain MRI to evaluate patients with suspected infective endocarditis, the clinical impact of brain MRI in this setting has not yet been systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of brain MRI findings in patients with suspected or confirmed infective endocarditis and to determine the impact of such findings on clinical decisions. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION. A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 2020, to identify original research investigations of brain MRI in patients with suspected or confirmed infective endocarditis. Study quality was assessed with QUADAS-2. Study endpoints included the frequency of brain MRI findings and the frequency of diagnostic modifications, modification of therapeutic plan, and modification of valve surgery plan resulting from MRI findings. Frequencies were pooled by means of the inverse variance method. Subgroup analysis was performed. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS. A total of 21 studies with 2133 patients were included. Overall study quality was considered moderate. In terms of brain MRI findings, the pooled frequency of acute ischemic lesions was 61.9% (95% CI, 50.7-71.9%); of cerebral microbleeds, 52.9% (95% CI, 41.6-63.9%); hemorrhagic lesions, 24.7% (95% CI, 15.1-37.9%); abscess or meningitis, 9.5% (95% CI, 5.6-15.6%); and intracranial mycotic aneurysm, 6.2% (95% CI, 4.0-9.4%). Subgroup analysis after exclusion of three studies in which neurologic findings were the indication for all brain MRI examinations yielded similar frequencies of these findings. Six studies included results on the impact of brain MRI findings on clinical decisions. The frequencies of diagnostic modifications in two studies were 5.4% and 32.1%. The pooled frequency of therapeutic plan modification in six studies was 12.8% (95% CI, 6.5-23.7%) and of surgical plan modification in five studies was 14.2% (95% CI, 8.2-23.4%). CONCLUSION. In patients with suspected or confirmed infective endocarditis, brain MRI examinations commonly show relevant abnormalities that affect diagnostic and therapeutic clinical decisions. CLINICAL IMPACT. The findings support a potential role for screening brain MRI in the evaluation of patients with suspected or confirmed infective endocarditis, regardless of the presence or absence of neurologic symptoms.

A Thrombus within an Interventricular Membranous Septal Aneurysm Leading to Cerebral Infarction: A Case Report.

Interventricular membranous septal aneurysms are rare. Since these aneurysms can lead to complications such as obstruction of right ventricular outflow and thromboembolism, the detection of this aneurysm has clinical significance. Herein, we report a case of an interventricular membranous septal aneurysm with an internal thrombus thought to be the cause of a cerebral infarction.

Detection rate of brain MR and MR angiography for neuroimaging abnormality in patients with newly diagnosed left-sided infective endocarditis.

We aimed to investigate the detection rate of brain MR and MR angiography for neuroimaging abnormality in newly diagnosed left-sided infective endocarditis patients with/without neurological symptoms. This retrospective study included consecutive patients with definite or possible left-sided infective endocarditis according to the modified Duke criteria who underwent brain MRI and MR angiography between March 2015 and October 2020. The detection rate for neuroimaging abnormality on MRI was defined as the number of patients with positive brain MRI findings divided by the number of patients with left-sided infective endocarditis. Positive imaging findings included acute ischemic lesions, cerebral microbleeds, hemorrhagic lesions, and infectious aneurysms. In addition, aneurysm rupture rate and median period to aneurysm rupture were evaluated on follow-up studies. A total 115 patients (mean age: 55 years ± 19; 65 men) were included. The detection rate for neuroimaging abnormality was 77% (89/115). The detection rate in patients without neurological symptoms was 70% (56/80). Acute ischemic lesions, cerebral microbleeds, and hemorrhagic lesions including superficial siderosis and intracranial hemorrhage were detected on MRI in 56% (64/115), 57% (66/115), and 20% (23/115) of patients, respectively. In particular, infectious aneurysms were detected on MR angiography in 3% of patients (4/115), but MR angiography in 5 patients (4.3%) was insignificant for infectious aneurysm, which were detected using CT angiography (n = 3) and digital subtraction angiography (n = 2) during follow-up. Among the 9 infectious aneurysm patients, aneurysm rupture occurred in 4 (44%), with a median period of aneurysm rupture of 5 days. The detection rate of brain MRI for neuroimaging abnormality in newly diagnosed left-sided infective endocarditis patients was high (77%), even without neurological symptoms (70%).

Diagnostic Performance of the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index in Differentiating Progressive Supranuclear Palsy from Parkinson's Disease: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are difficult to differentiate especially in the early stages. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of the magnetic resonance parkinsonism index (MRPI) in differentiating PSP from PD. A systematic literature search of PubMed-MEDLINE and EMBASE was performed to identify original articles evaluating the diagnostic performance of the MRPI in differentiating PSP from PD published up to 20 February 2021. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and 95% CI were calculated using the bivariate random-effects model. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated using a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model. Meta-regression was performed to explain the effects of heterogeneity. A total of 14 original articles involving 484 PSP patients and 1243 PD patients were included. In all studies, T1-weighted images were used to calculate the MRPI. Among the 14 studies, nine studies used 3D T1-weighted images. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for the diagnostic performance of the MRPI in differentiating PSP from PD were 96% (95% CI, 87-99%) and 98% (95% CI, 91-100%), respectively. The area under the HSROC curve was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98-1.00). Heterogeneity was present (sensitivity: I2 = 97.29%; specificity: I2 = 98.82%). Meta-regression showed the association of the magnet field strength with heterogeneity. Studies using 3 T MRI showed significantly higher sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) than those of studies using 1.5 T MRI (sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 97%) (p < 0.01). Thus, the MRPI could accurately differentiate PSP from PD and support the implementation of appropriate management strategies for patients with PSP.