Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: review of neuroimaging findings.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a group of disorders characterized by segmental narrowing and dilatation of medium-to-large cerebral arteries, clinically presenting with recurrent episodes of sudden-onset thunderclap headaches, with or without focal neurological deficits. Cerebral vasoconstriction is typically reversible, with spontaneous resolution within 3 months. Although the syndrome has generally a benign course, patients with neurological deficits may experience worse outcome. The main imaging finding is segmental constriction of intracranial arteries, which can be associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage and/or ischemic foci. Other possible findings are intracranial hemorrhage, subdural bleeding and cerebral edema. The latter may have a pattern which can resemble that of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, a condition that can overlap with RCVS. New imaging techniques, such as vessel wall imaging and arterial spin labeling, are proving useful in RCVS and are giving new insights into the pathophysiology of this condition. In this paper, we aim to review neuroimaging findings of RCVS.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension: two steroid-responsive cases.

PURPOSE: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is characterised by orthostatic headache, low cerebrospinal fluid pressure and diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement after intravenous gadolinium contrast administration. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often plays a crucial role for correct diagnosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: We described two similar cases of SIH, whose clinical and imaging features are typical for this pathology. At MRI brain scan, both patients showed diffuse and intense pachymeningeal enhancement and moderate venous distension and epidural vein engorgement. The two patients were treated with bed rest and oral steroid therapy, with complete and long-lasting symptomatic relief. CONCLUSIONS: Orthostatic nature of headache is the most indicative clinical feature suggesting SIH; contrast-enhanced MRI provides definite imaging diagnostic findings. Conservative treatment coupled to steroid therapy is often sufficient to obtain complete disappearance of symptoms.

Spontaneous epidural and subdural hematomas of the spine: Review of anatomy and imaging findings.

Spontaneous epidural (SEH) and subdural hematomas (SSH) of the spine are a rare cause of spinal injury and morbidity. They often present in the emergency setting, though magnetic resonance imaging is the gold-standard for diagnosis. Knowledge of anatomy, and in particular of the dural layers of the spine, is crucial to understand the location of SEH and SSH and their relationship with spinal structure. In this pictorial review, we aim to explain imaging features of the SEH and SSH, and to rule out their main differential diagnosis.

Review of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in multiple myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy affecting bone marrow, most frequently in elderly men. Imaging has a crucial role in this disease. Recently, whole-body MRI has been introduced and it has gained growing interest due to is high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating bone marrow involvement in MM. Diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps have emerged as the most sensitive technique to evaluate patients with MM, both in the pre- and post-treatment setting. Aim of this review is to provide an overview of the role and main imaging findings of whole-body MRI in MM.

Sphenoid bone localization in the setting of highly aggressive and refractory Multiple Myeloma: A case report.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the most common primary osseous malignancy in adults, and it mainly affects men aged between 50 and 70 years. Although rare, central nervous system (CNS) involvement in MM is possible, and it has very poor prognosis. Therefore, fast and accurate diagnosis of CNS manifestation of MM is paramount. Here we describe a case of sphenoid bone localization in a patient with highly aggressive and refractory MM.

Current role of machine learning and radiogenomics in precision neuro-oncology.

In the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly used to create tools that can enhance workflow in medicine. In particular, neuro-oncology has benefited from the use of AI and especially machine learning (ML) and radiogenomics, which are subfields of AI. ML can be used to develop algorithms that dynamically learn from available medical data in order to automatically do specific tasks. On the other hand, radiogenomics can identify relationships between tumor genetics and imaging features, thus possibly giving new insights into the pathophysiology of tumors. Therefore, ML and radiogenomics could help treatment tailoring, which is crucial in personalized neuro-oncology. The aim of this review is to illustrate current and possible future applications of ML and radiomics in neuro-oncology.

Discal cyst: a rare cause of low back pain and sciatica.

We report a case of a 54-year-old man suffering from sciatalgia unresponsive to medical treatment. Imaging revealed a discal cyst the level L3-L4, a rare cause of low back pain, which has characteristic imaging features. In particular, on Magnetic Resonance Imaging it appears as a cystic formation with fluid content, which usually arises from the posterior contour of the intervertebral disc and it frequently has air bubbles within it. The patient underwent surgical treatment with resolution of symptoms.

High b-Value Diffusion MRI to Differentiate Recurrent Tumors from Posttreatment Changes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single Center Prospective Study.

Recently DW-MR Imaging has shown promising results in distinguishing between recurrent tumors and posttreatment changes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSSC). Aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performances of DWI at high b-value (b = 2000 s/mm(2)) compared to standard b-value (b = 1000 s/mm(2)) and ADCratio values (ADCratio = ADC2000/ADC1000 × 100) to differentiate recurrent tumors from posttreatment changes after treatment of HSNCC. 20 patients (16 M, 4 F) underwent MR Imaging between 2 and 16 months (mean 7) after treatment. Besides morphological sequences, we performed single-shot echo-planar DWI at b = 1000 s/mm(2) and b = 2000 s/mm(2), and corresponding ADC maps were generated (ADC1000 and ADC2000, resp.). By considering contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images as references, ROIs were drawn in order to evaluate mean ADC1000, ADC2000, and ADCratio. The mean ADC1000 and ADC2000 in recurrent tumors were significantly lower than those in posttreatment changes (P = 0.001 and P = 0.016, resp.). Moreover, the mean ADCratio between the two groups showed a statistically significant difference (P = 0.002). Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ADCratio were 82.0%, 100%, and 90%, respectively, by considering an optimal cutoff value of 65.5%. ADCratio is a promising value to differentiate between recurrent tumors and posttreatment changes in HNSCC and may be more useful than ADC1000 and ADC2000.

An enigmatic clinical entity: A new case of olfactory schwannoma.

Olfactory schwannomas, also described as subfrontal or olfactory groove schwannomas, are very rare tumors, whose pathogenesis is still largely debated. We report a case of olfactory schwannoma in a 39-year-old woman who presented with anosmia and headache. The clinical examination did not show lesions in the nose-frontal region and there was no history of neurofibromatosis. Head MRI and CT scan revealed a lobulated extra-axial mass localized in the right anterior cranial fossa that elevated the ipsilateral frontal pole. Bilateral frontal craniotomy demonstrated a tumor strictly attached to the right portion of the cribriform plate that surrounded the right olfactory tract, not clearly identifiable. The immunohistochemical analysis suggested the diagnosis of typical schwannoma. The patient was discharged without any neurological deficit and a four-month postoperative MRI scan of the brain showed no residual or recurrent tumor.

MR imaging findings in alcoholic and nonalcoholic acute Wernicke's encephalopathy: a review.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a severe neurological syndrome caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and clinically characterized by the sudden onset of mental status changes, ocular abnormalities, and ataxia. Apart from chronic alcoholism, the most common cause of WE, a lot of other conditions causing malnutrition and decreasing thiamine absorption such as gastrointestinal surgical procedures and hyperemesis gravidarum must be considered as predisposing factors. Due to its low prevalence and clinical heterogeneity, WE is often misdiagnosed, leading to persistent dysfunctions and, in some cases, to death. Nowadays, MR imaging of the brain, showing T2 and FLAIR hyperintensities in typical (thalami, mammillary bodies, tectal plate, and periaqueductal area) and atypical areas (cerebellum, cranial nerve nuclei, and cerebral cortex), is surely the most important and effective tool in the diagnostic assessment of WE. The aim of this paper is to propose a state of the art of the role of MR imaging in the early diagnosis of this complex disease.

Early endovascular treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage complicated by neurogenic pulmonary edema and Takotsubo-like cardiomyopathy.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may be associated with acute cardiopulmonary complications, like neurogenic pulmonary edema (NPE) and Takotsubo-like cardiomyopathy (TCM). These dysfunctions seem to result from a neurogenically induced overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system through the brain-heart connection and often complicate poor grade aneurysmal SAH. The optimal treatment modality and timing of intervention in this clinical setting have not been established yet. Early endovascular therapy seems to be the fitting treatment in this particular group of patients, in which surgical clipping is often contraindicated due to the added risk of craniotomy. Herein we describe the case of a woman admitted to the emergency department with aneurysmal SAH complicated by NPE-TCM, in which early endovascular coiling was successfully performed. Our case, characterized by a favorable outcome, further supports the evidence that early endovascular treatment should be preferred in this peculiar clinical scenario.