Diagnostic imaging and clinical features of intracranial hypotension : review of literature

Intracranial hypotension (IH) is an uncommon, benign, and usually self-limiting condition caused by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, usually due to CSF leakage. The dominant clinical finding is an orthostatic headache. Other common clinical features include fever, nausea, vomiting, and tinnitus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with IH. Specific MRI findings include intracranial pachymeningeal enhancement, sagging of the brain, pituitary enlargement, and subdural fluid collections. Intracranial hypotension can mimic other conditions such as aseptic meningitis or pituitary adenomas. Differential diagnosis is important, because misdiagnosis may lead to unnecessary procedures and prolonged morbidity

Metastatic pulmonary calcification as a rare complication of end-stage renal disease with coexistence of pulmonary metastases from renal cell carcinoma : case report and literature review

Purpose: We present a case of metastatic pulmonary calcification (MCP) in an asymptomatic patient with chronic kidney disease after renal transplantation and nephrectomy due to renal cancer. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral, diffuse, centrilobular ground-glass opacities and heterogeneous, high-density areas distributed throughout the lungs, predominantly in the upper and middle lobes. Unusually, in our patient the metastatic calcification coexisted with pulmonary metastases from renal cell carcinoma associated with end-stage renal disease. To our knowledge, such coexistence has not been previously described. Case report: CT, particularly high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT), plays an important role in detection and follow-up of MPC findings, which include ground-glass opacities and partially calcified nodules or consolidations, predominantly in the upper lung zones. Correct diagnosis is important because misdiagnosis may lead to improper or unnecessary treatment and/or procedures. Conclusions: MPC is a rare condition that results from calcium deposition in the normal pulmonary parenchyma. MPC commonly occurs in patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease due to abnormalities in calcium and phosphate metabolism. It is worth pointing out that despite the fact that the condition is called metastatic, it is a relatively benign lung disease with a generally good long-term prognosis

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus as a Possible Reversible Cause of Dementia, Neuroimaging Findings

IntroductionNormal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) occurs in 0.5% of persons over 65 years old. The etiology of NPH is still unknown. Clinically NPH is characterised by cognitive deterioration, gait impairment and urinary incontinence. NPH is a possible reversible cause of dementia. Neuroimaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allow to assess typical brain changes in this disorder.The objectives are to present the typical findings of NPH on CT and MRI and to demonstrate differences between NPH and central brain atrophy in neuroimaging.ResultsThe imaging features of NPH include: supratentorial ventriculomegaly with callosal angle less than 90o, tight sulci at the vertex and considerable out of proportion enlargement of Sylvian fissures. In case of central brain atrophy there may be a predominance of ventriculomegaly and/or widened sulci without crowding of the gyri at the vertex and callosal angle greater than 90o. In both entities, the decrease of density in periventricular region may be seen: in NPH could be a sign of transependymal oedema or in brain atrophy as an accompanying leukoaraiosis. Additionally, it is possible to assess changes in flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on MRI: in NPH an increased pulsatile CSF circulation in aqueduct as flow void sign may be observed.ConclusionsCorrect diagnosis of NPH on CT or MRI in relation to clinical data is very important. Treatment with ventriculoperitoneal shunt or third ventriculostomy may partially improve the quality of life in some patients with cognitive impairment due to NPH.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.</jats:sec

Evaluation of the degradation of the selected projectile, commissural and association white matter tracts within normal appearing white matter in patients with multiple sclerosis using diffusion tensor MR imaging : a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess the impairment of the selected white matter tracts within normal appearing white matter (NAWM) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients (mean age 33.4 yrs) with clinically definite, relapsing-remitting MS and mild disability (EDSS - Expanded Disability Status Scale 1-3.5) and 16 control subjects (mean age 34.4 yrs) were enrolled in the study. DTI examinations were performed on a 1.5T MR scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were obtained with a small ROI method in several white matter tracts within NAWM including: the middle cerebellar peduncles (MCP), the inferior longitudinal fasciculi (ILF), inferior frontooccipital fasciculi (IFOF), genu (GCC) and splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC), posterior limbs of the internal capsules (PLIC), superior longitudinal fasciculi (SLF) and posterior cingula (CG). There were no demyelinative lesions within the ROIs in any of the patients. RESULTS: A significant decrease in FA was found in MS patients in both the ILFs and IFOFs (p<0.001) and in the left MCP and right SLF (p<0.05), compared to the normal subjects. There were no significant differences in FA values in the remaining evaluated ROIs, between MS patients and the control group. A significant increase in ADC (p<0.05) was found only in the right PLIC and the right SLF in MS subjects, compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The FA values could be a noninvasive neuroimaging biomarker for assessing the microstructural changes within NAWM tracts in MS patients