Search

Hana Malikova,1,2 Miroslava Burghardtova,1 Eva Koubska,3 Vaclav Mandys,4 Tomas Kozak,5 Jiri Weichet1 1Radiology Department, Third Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 2Institute of Anatomy, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 3Radiology Department, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic; 4Pathology Department, Third Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; 5Hematooncology Department, Third Faculty of Medicine, Faculty Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic Background: Secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL) is a rare and aggressive disease, which is defined as secondary central nervous system (CNS) involvement in patients with systemic lymphoma. According to previous reports, SCNSL presents mostly with leptomeningeal spread; however, our experience differs. In the present study, we demonstrate the diversity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns in SCNSL.Patients and methods: Initial morphological MRI findings in 21 patients (10 women and 11 men with mean age 62.3±16.2 years) with SCNSL were retrospectively evaluated. All patients suffered from neurological symptoms and underwent MRI, and all cases were histologically verified. Twelve patients were treated by corticosteroids at the time of the initial MRI.Results: Parenchymal lesions were present in 18 of 21 cases (85.7%), solitary meningeal infiltration was present in 1 patient (4.8%), leptomeningeal infiltration in combination with hypophyseal involvement in 1 patient (4.8%), and solitary involvement of the sixth cranial nerve (CN) was found in 1 patient (4.8%). Multiple lesions were present in 11 of 21 cases (52.4%). Diffusion restriction in all or part of the lesion was detected in 14 of 18 cases (77.8%). All parenchymal lesions had an infiltrative appearance and most enhanced homogenously (11 of 17 cases; 64.7%). A combination of parenchymal and meningeal involvement was found in 10 of 21 cases (47.6%). Infiltration of the CNs, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, and ependyma was present in 8 of 21 cases (38.1%) for each of the abovementioned structures; hypothalamic–hypophyseal axis was affected in 7 of 21 cases (33.3%).Conclusion: In contrast to previous reports, SCNSL presented as parenchymal disease. MRI is not sufficient for differentiation between primary and secondary CNS lymphoma. Keywords: brain, parenchymal lesions, magnetic resonance, tumor

Hana Malikova,1,2,* Lenka Kramska,3,* Zdenek Vojtech,4,5 Jan Sroubek,6 Jiri Lukavsky,7 Roman Liscak8 1Department of Radiology, Na Homolce Hospital, 2Institute of Anatomy, Second Medical Faculty, Charles University in Prague, 3Department of Clinical Psychology, Na Homolce Hospital, 4Department of Neurology, Na Homolce Hospital, 5Department of Neurology, 3rd Medical Faculty, Charles University in Prague, 6Department of Neurosurgery, Na Homolce Hospital, 7Institute of Psychology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 8Department of Radiation and Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic *These authors contributed equally to this work Background and purpose: Mesial temporal structures play an important role in human memory. In mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), seizure activity is generated from the same structures. Surgery is the definitive treatment for medically intractable MTLE. In addition to standard temporal lobe microsurgical resection, stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) is used as an alternative MTLE treatment. While memory impairments after standard epilepsy surgery are well known, it has been shown that memory decline is not a feature of SAHE. The aim of the present study was to correlate the volume of the remnant hippocampus and amygdala in patients treated by SAHE with changes in memory parameters.Materials and methods: Thirty-seven MTLE patients treated by SAHE (ten right, 27 left) were included. Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging examinations including hippocampal and amygdalar volumetry and neuropsychological evaluation preoperatively and 1 year after surgery.Results: Using Spearman correlation analyses, larger left-sided hippocampal reductions were associated with lower verbal memory performance (ρ=-0.46; P=0.02). On the contrary, improvement of global memory quotient (MQ) was positively correlated with larger right-sided hippocampal reduction (ρ=0.66; P=0.04). Similarly, positive correlations between the extent of right amygdalar reduction and verbal MQ (ρ=0.74; P=0.02) and global MQ change (ρ=0.69; P=0.03) were found. Thus, larger right hippocampal and amygdalar reduction was associated with higher global and verbal MQ change after SAHE.Conclusion: Larger left-sided hippocampal reductions were associated with lower verbal memory performance. This finding is in accordance with the material-specific model of human memory, which states that the dominant hemisphere is specialized for the learning and recall of verbal information. We hypothesize that larger right-sided ablations enable the left temporal lobe to support memory more effectively, perhaps as a consequence of epileptiform discharges spreading from remnants of right mesiotemporal structures to the left. Keywords: amygdalohippocampectomy, thermocoagulation, MRI, volumetry, neuro­psychology

Jan Peregrin,1 Hana Malikova2,3 1Department of Neurology, 2Department of Radiology, Na Homolce Hospital, 3Second Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic Abstract: Whipple disease (WD) is a rare systemic disorder caused by the bacteria Tropheryma whipplei. In its classic form, it manifests with gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss. However, various other systems can be affected, including the central nervous system (CNS). Even more rarely, the CNS is primarily affected without gastrointestinal symptoms and with a negative small bowel biopsy. The incidence of primary CNS WD is unknown. We report the case of a young female with the primary CNS form of WD. In this report, we highlight the main clinical features and diagnostic procedures that lead to the diagnosis and comment on the treatment and clinical response. We stress the importance of neuroimaging and brain biopsy. A unique feature of this case is that the patient has been followed up for 12 years. At the time of diagnosis, no neurological manifestations were detected, although a tumor-like lesion in the right temporal lobe and hypothalamic infiltration were present on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The first neurological manifestations developed 2 years later despite recommended antibiotic treatment, with cognitive impairment developing more than 10 years later. According to the MRI findings and clinical course, the disease was active for several years when multiple lesions on MRI appeared despite antibiotic therapy. In the discussion, we compare the present case with similar cases previously reported and we elaborate on the similarities and discrepancies in clinical features, diagnostic procedures, results, and treatment options. Keywords: central nervous system, brain biopsy, antibiotic treatment

Zdenek Vojtěch,1 Hana Malíková,2 Lenka Krámská,3 Roman Liščák,4 Vilibald Vladyka41Department of Neurology, 2Department of Radiodiagnostics, 3Department of Psychology, 4Department of Stereotactic and Radiation Neurosurgery, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech RepublicBackground: This paper presents our experience of stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy performed for intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.Methods: The article describes the cases of 61 patients who were treated during the period from 2004 to 2010. Mean postoperative follow-up was 5.3 years. Neuropsychological results were obtained for a subset of 31 patients.Results: At their last postsurgical visit, 43 (70.5%) patients were Engel class I, six (9.8%) class II, nine (14.8%) class III, and three (4.9%) class IV. The surgery was complicated by four intracranial hematomas. One of them caused acute hydrocephalus and was treated by shunting and resolved without sequelae, while another caused transitory aphasia. The remaining hematomas were asymptomatic. There were two cases of meningitis which required antibiotic treatment. One patient committed suicide due to postoperative depression. After the procedure, we performed open epilepsy surgery and rethermolesions in three and two patients, respectively (8.2%). Patients showed increases in their mean full scale, verbal, and performance intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of 4, 3, and 4 IQ points, respectively (P

Background and Aims: A significant source of man-made radiation is now linked to medical devices especially X-ray imaging based ones like CT scans which expose the body to cumulative ionizing radiation and thus attendant cancer risks. The aim of this study was to determine whether using a combination of Automatic Tube Current Modulation (ATCM) and Automatic Tube Voltage Selection (ATVS) during two-phase whole-body CT (2PWBCT) examinations would reduce the radiation dose while preserving the image quality., Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, observational, single-centre study of 127 adult patients who had undergone the 2PWBCT polytraumatic protocol. All were examined on a Somatom Drive scanner (Siemens). The patients were divided into two groups: ATCM only (42 patients) and ATCM +ATVS (85 patients). Patients' arm positions during examination and the examination dose length product (DLP) values were recorded, as well the standard deviations (SD) of the density in reference areas on CT scans for the image quality assessment. The DLP values and image quality in the groups were compared using ANOVA., Results: Mean Total DLP (in mGy*cm): ATCM only: 3337 +/-797, ATCM+ATVS: 3402 +/-830; P=0.674. No effect of arm position (P=0.586). Mean density SD values in reference areas (in HU) in ATCM only: 49 +/-45, 15 +/-6, 9 +/-2, 12 +/-4, 10 +/-3, in ATCM+ATVS: 48 +/-45, 17 +/-6, 11 +/-3, 15 +/-6, 12 +/-4. SD values was higher in ATCM+ATVS group (P<0.001)., Conclusion: Combination of ATVS and ATCM in polytraumatic 2PWBCT leads to no significant radiation load reduction compared with ATCM only but does lead to a slight degradation of image quality. The radiation load is significantly reduced if the patient has their arms behind the head when scanning, regardless of the activation of ATVS., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

The incidence of cancer during pregnancy is steadily rising because of the postponement of plans for childbearing. One of the most common cancers diagnosed during pregnancy is cervical cancer. Diagnosis of most cases usually occurs in the early stages, but there are still cases of tumors staged IB2 and higher. In these cases, the treatment strategy entails administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, a universally recognized standardized regimen for neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment of cervical cancer during pregnancy has yet to be established. The chemotherapy agents used during treatment are known for their fetal adverse effects. The aim of the therapy is to attain full-term pregnancy while minimizing fetal toxicity and decreasing tumor size. In this case report, we present a first-time sequential chemotherapy administration to minimize the cumulative toxicity of individual regimens and demonstrate the benefits for the patient and fetus., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

In this study, we reviewed CT/MRI scans and studied the rates of radiation-related fractures in subjects treated for cervical cancer (CC, 63 subjects) by radical radiotherapy (RT) and in subjects treated for endometrial cancer (EC, 64 subjects) by radical surgery and RT. The differences between bone density measured in L1 on pretreatment CT, age and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated. Despite significant differences in RT total dose, age, BMI, etc., between both groups, the rate of radiation-related fractures was similar: 28.6% of CC versus 26.6% of EC subjects. CC subjects with fractures were significantly older (62.4 ± 10.1 vs. 49.0 ± 12.4 years; p < 0.001), and their bone densities were significantly lower (106.3 ± 40.0 vs. 168.2 ± 49.5 HU; p < 0.001); no difference in BMI was found. EC subjects with fractures were without significant difference in age but had significantly lower bone densities (103.8 ± 29.0 vs. 133.8 ± 42.3 HU; p = 0.009) and BMIs (26.1 ± 4.9 vs. 31.8 ± 6.9 kg/m 2 ; p = 0.003). Bone density strongly correlated with age (r = -0.755) only in CC subjects. Subjects with fractures from both groups had similarly low bone densities (106.3 ± 40.0 vs. 103.8 ± 29.0 HU; p = 0.829); however, no correlation between bone density and BMI was found. The rate of radiation-related fractures in both groups was clearly associated only with low pretreatment bone density, reflecting osteoporosis.

Radiomic features are usually used to predict target variables such as the absence or presence of a disease, treatment response, or time to symptom progression. One of the potential clinical applications is in patients with Parkinson's disease. Robust radiomic features for this specific imaging method have not yet been identified, which is necessary for proper feature selection. Thus, we are assessing the robustness of radiomic features in dopamine transporter imaging (DaT). For this study, we made an anthropomorphic head phantom with tissue heterogeneity using a personal 3D printer (polylactide 82% infill); the bone was subsequently reproduced with plaster. A surgical cotton ball with radiotracer (123I-ioflupane) was inserted. Scans were performed on the two-detector hybrid camera with acquisition parameters corresponding to international guidelines for DaT single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Reconstruction of SPECT was performed on a clinical workstation with iterative algorithms. Open-source LifeX software was used to extract 134 radiomic features. Statistical analysis was made in RStudio using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (COV). Overall, radiomic features in different reconstruction parameters showed a moderate reproducibility rate (ICC = 0.636, p <0.01). Assessment of ICC and COV within CT attenuation correction (CTAC) and non-attenuation correction (NAC) groups and within particular feature classes showed an excellent reproducibility rate (ICC > 0.9, p < 0.01), except for an intensity-based NAC group, where radiomic features showed a good repeatability rate (ICC = 0.893, p <0.01). By our results, CTAC becomes the main threat to feature stability. However, many radiomic features were sensitive to the selected reconstruction algorithm irrespectively to the attenuation correction. Radiomic features extracted from DaT-SPECT showed moderate to excellent reproducibility rates. These results make them suitable for clinical practice and human studies, but awareness of feature selection should be held, as some radiomic features are more robust than others., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Laskov et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The prospective study assessed infarct growth rate (IGR) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO) after recanalization in early time window. Early IGR (EIGR) and late IGR (LIGR) were correlated with imaging and clinical data; we searched for outcome predictors., Methods: We included 71 consecutive patients. Subjects underwent computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for ischemic core volume assessment at 99.0 minutes (median) from stroke onset, recanalization was performed at 78.0 minutes (median) from CTP. Final infarct volume (FIV) was measured on 24±2 hours imaging follow-up. EIGR was calculated as the core volume/time between stroke onset and CTP; LIGR was calculated as FIV/time between CTP and imaging follow-up. Twenty-two subjects were assessed as poor outcome, 49 as good outcome. Group differences were tested by Mann-Whitney test and χ 2 test. Bayesian logistic regression models were used to predict clinical outcome, Pearson correlations for the log-transformed predictors., Results: Subjects with poor outcome were older, median age 78.0 [interquartile range (IQR): 71.8, 83.8] versus 68.0 (IQR: 57.0, 73.0) years; 95% confidence interval (CI): 6.00 to 16.00; P<0.001. Their stroke severity scale was higher, median 19.0 (IQR: 16.0, 20.0) versus 15.5 (IQR: 10.8, 18.0); 95% CI: 1.00 to 6.00; P<0.001. They had higher EIGR, median 23.9 (IQR: 6.4, 104.0) versus 6.7 (IQR: 1.7, 13.0) mL/h; 95% CI: 3.26 to 53.68; P=0.002; and larger core, median 52.5 (IQR: 13.1, 148.5) versus 10.0 (IQR: 1.4, 20.0) mL; 95% CI: 11.00 to 81.00; P<0.001. In subjects with poor outcome, infarct growth continued after thrombectomy with LIGR 2.0 (IQR: 1.2, 9.7) versus 0.3 (IQR: 0.0, 0.7) mL/h; 95% CI: 1.10 to 6.10; P<0.001; resulting in larger FIV, median 186.5 (IQR: 49.3, 280.8) versus 18.5 (IQR: 8.0, 34.0) mL; 95% CI: 55.30 to 214.00; P<0.001. Strong correlations among predictors were found e.g., core and EIGR (r=0.942), LIGR and FIV (r=0.779), core and FIV (r=0.761). Clinical outcome was best predicted using data from later measurements as FIV and LIGR., Conclusions: Data from later measurements were more predictive, there was no major benefit to use growth over volume data., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-23-153/coif). HM serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intermediate-high risk acute pulmonary embolism (PE) remains associated with substantial mortality despite anticoagulation therapy., Aims: The aim of this randomised pilot study was to compare catheter-directed thrombolysis to standard anticoagulation therapy., Methods: Intermediate-high risk acute PE patients were admitted to a tertiary care centre (November 2019 to April 2021) and randomised in a 1:1 ratio to catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) or standard anticoagulation. Two catheters were used for the infusion of alteplase (1 mg/hr/catheter; total dose 20 mg) in the CDT group. The primary efficacy endpoint targeted improvement of right ventricular (RV) function, a decrease in pulmonary pressure, and a reduction of thrombus burden., Results: Twenty-three patients were included (12 in the CDT group and 11 in the standard care group). The primary efficacy endpoint was achieved more frequently in the CDT group than in the standard care group (7 of 12 patients vs 1 of 11 patients, p=0.0004). An RV/left ventricular ratio reduction ≥25% (evident on computed tomography angiography) was achieved in 7 of 12 patients in the CDT group vs 2 of 11 patients in the standard care group (p=0.03). A systolic pulmonary artery pressure decrease of ≥30% or normotension at 24 hrs after randomisation was present in 10 of 12 patients in the CDT group vs 2 of 11 patients in the standard care group (p=0.001). There was no intracranial or life-threatening bleeding (type 5 or 3c bleeding, according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium classification)., Conclusions: CDT for intermediate-high risk acute PE appears to be safe and effective. Further research is warranted to assess clinical endpoints.

CT perfusion (CTP) is used for the evaluation of brain tissue viability in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We studied the accuracy of three different syngo.via software (SW) settings for acute ischemic core estimation in predicting the final infarct volume (FIV). The ischemic core was defined as follows: Setting A: an area with cerebral blood flow (CBF) < 30% compared to the contralateral healthy hemisphere. Setting B: CBF < 20% compared to contralateral hemisphere. Setting C: area of cerebral blood volume (CBV) < 1.2 mL/100 mL. We studied 47 AIS patients (aged 68 ± 11.2 years) with large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation, treated in the early time window (up to 6 h), who underwent technically successful endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). FIV was measured on MRI performed 24 ± 2 h after EVT. In general, all three settings correlated with each other; however, the absolute agreement between acute ischemic core volume on CTP and FIV on MRI was poor; intraclass correlation for all three settings was between 0.64 and 0.69, root mean square error of the individual observations was between 58.9 and 66.0. Our results suggest that using CTP syngo.via SW for prediction of FIV in AIS patients in the early time window is not appropriate.

Introduction: The goal of this study was to investigate prevalence and morphometric parameters of pubic ligaments and the interpubic disk and its cavity using imaging methods for use in clinical medicine., Methods: Pubic symphysis morphology was investigated in 652 patients (348 women and 304 men), from which 449 CT scans and 203 MR scans were available. The average age of men was 48 years and women 39 years. Investigated parameters included dimensions of the interpubic disk, visibility and width of the reinforcing ligaments, and visibility, dimensions, and location of the symphysial cavity. The results were compared with MR scans of 20 healthy volunteers and 21 dissected anatomic specimens., Results: The craniocaudal, ventrodorsal, and mediolateral diameters of the pubic disk were 36 to 37.7, 14.8 to 15.2, and 2.2 to 4.2 mm in women and 42 to 42.3, 18.6 to 19, and 2.4 to 4.5 mm in men, respectively. Higher age correlated with shorter mediolateral diameter and larger craniocaudal and ventrodorsal diameters. The superior pubic ligament was visible in 93.1% of men (1.44 mm thick) and in 100% of women (1.7 mm); the inferior pubic ligament in 89.7% of men (1.74 mm) and 88% of women (1.95 mm), the anterior pubic ligament in 96.6% of men (1.5 mm) and 82% of women (1.34 mm); and the posterior pubic ligament in 65.5% of men (1.18 mm) and 63.7% of women (0.83 mm). A symphysial cavity was found in 24% of men and 22.9% of women, with craniocaudal, ventrodorsal, and mediolateral dimensions of 13, 10.7, and 3.2 mm in men and 9.5, 10.7, and 3 mm in women, respectively., Conclusion: The presented morphologic parameters provide an anatomic reference for diagnostics of pathologic conditions of the pubic symphysis. The following anatomic structures should be added to the official anatomic terminology: symphysial cavity (cavitas symphysialis), retropubic eminence (eminentia retropubica), anterior pubic ligament (ligamentum pubicum anterius), and posterior pubic ligament (ligamentum pubicum posterius)., Level of Evidence: II-III., (Copyright © 2022 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)

The absolute majority of strokes in high-income countries, roughly 91%, are of ischemic origin. This review is focused on acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO) in the anterior circulation, which is considered the most devastating subtype of AIS. Moreover, stroke survivors impose substantial direct and indirect costs of care as well as costs due to productivity loss. We review of diagnostic possibilities of individual imaging methods such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and discuss their pros and cons in the imaging of AIS. The goals of non-invasive imaging in AIS are as follows: (a) to rule out intracranial hemorrhage and to quickly exclude hemorrhagic stroke and contraindications for intravenous thrombolysis; (b) to identify potential LVO and its localization and to quickly provide guidance for endovascular treatment; (c) to assess/estimate the volume or size of the ischemic core. We suggest fast diagnostic management, which is able to quickly satisfy the above-mentioned diagnostic goals in AIS with LVO.

Objectives: This study sought to comprehensively determine the procedural safety and midterm efficacy of hybrid ablations., Background: Hybrid ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) (thoracoscopic ablation followed by catheter ablation) has been used for patients with nonparoxysmal AF; however, accurate data regarding efficacy and safety are still limited., Methods: Patients with nonparoxysmal AF underwent thoracoscopic, off-pump ablation using the COBRA Fusion radiofrequency system (Estech) followed by a catheter ablation 3 months afterward. The safety of the procedure was assessed using sequential brain magnetic resonance and neuropsychological examinations at baseline (1 day before), postoperatively (2-4 days for brain magnetic resonance imaging or 1 month for neuropsychological examination), and at 9 months after the surgical procedure. Implantable loop recorders were used to detect arrhythmia recurrence. Arrhythmia-free survival (the primary efficacy endpoint) was defined as no episodes of AF or atrial tachycardia while off antiarrhythmic drugs, redo ablations or cardioversions., Results: Fifty-nine patients (age: 62.5 ± 10.5 years) were enrolled, 37 (62.7%) were men, and the mean follow-up was 30.3 ± 10.8 months. Thoracoscopic ablation was successfully performed in 55 (93.2%) patients. On baseline magnetic resonance imaging, chronic ischemic brain lesions were present in 60.0% of patients. New ischemic lesions on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging were present in 44.4%. Major postoperative cognitive dysfunction was present in 27.0% and 17.6% at 1 and 9 months postoperatively, respectively. The probability of arrhythmia-free survival was 54.0% (95% CI: 41.3-66.8) at 1 year and 43.8% (95% CI: 30.7-57.0) at 2 years., Conclusions: The thoracoscopic ablation is associated with a high risk of silent cerebral ischemia. The midterm efficacy of hybrid ablations is moderate., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This study was supported by a research grant of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (no. AZV16-32478A). The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The standard procedure in cervical cancer is radical hysterectomy (RH) and pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND). Because of the increasing age of women at childbirth, fertility becomes a major challenge. We present 20 years of experience with two-step less radical fertility-sparing surgery in women with IA1, LVSI positive, IA2 and IB1 (<2 cm, infiltration less than half of stromal invasions., Materials and Method: Preoperative workout consisted of histopathological diagnosis and magnetic resonance imaging along with ultrasonographic volumetry. We then performed laparoscopic sentinel lymph node mapping (SLNM) with frozen section (FS) followed by PLND and "selective parametrectomy" (removal of afferent lymphatic channels from the paracervix) in case of a negative result. If verified by definitive histopathology, patients were treated by simple trachelectomy (IB1) or large cone (IA1/IA2) biopsy 1 week after primary surgery., Results: From 1999 to 2018, 91 women were enrolled in the study (median age 29.1 years, range 21-40). Of these 91 women, 51 (56.0%) were nulliparous. The detection rate of SLNs was 100% per patient and the specific side detection rate 96.7%. Positive lymph nodes were diagnosed in nine cases (9.8%). These women then underwent RH. Fertility was spared in 80 women but 4 recurred locally (5.0%). The mortality rate was 0.0%. The median follow-up was 149 months., Conclusion: Less radical fertility-sparing surgery with SLNM is safe in cervical cancers <2 cm at the largest diameter and infiltrating less than half of the cervical stroma. The recurrence rate is acceptable with no mortality. Morbidity with this procedure is low. Extended and accurate follow-up is necessary and human papillomavirus - high risk (HPV-HR tests seem to be useful in such follow-up assessment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Surgical treatment is preferred therapy of early-stage cervical carcinoma. In the risk of cancer recurrence surgery is often followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. In our retrospective study we aimed at identifying late (≥6 months) and very late (≥5 years) radiation adverse effects on imaging scans as CT, PET/CT and MRI in patients who underwent successful treatment for cervical carcinoma by radical surgery combined with radiotherapy ± chemotherapy. We correlated imaging results with clinical manifestations. We selected young and middle-aged patients with long life expectancy, as late radiation-related toxicities may significantly affect their quality of life. Patients were selected from those who were primary diagnosed and treated between the years 1987-2011 and regularly visited our Oncology department in years 2011-2012. Following inclusion criteria were applied: age ≤55 years at diagnosis, clinical follow-up ≥5 years and at least one tomography scan ≥3 years after finished treatment. One hundred and three subjects were reviewed: 73 patients met all inclusion criteria, while 30 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria except for available tomography scan ≥3 years after therapy. The mean imaging follow-up was 11.2 ± 7.6 years and the mean clinical follow-up was 15.0 ± 6.9 years. In 20 (27%) subjects 27 cases grade I radiation-related toxicities were found; 9 (33%) of those 27 cases were clinically silent. In 14 (19%) females only grade I toxicities were observed. Grade III-IV toxicities were found in 5 (6.8%) subjects. No grade V toxicities were observed. We concluded that severe late side effects caused by radiotherapy were exceedingly rare in females successfully treated for early-stage cervical carcinoma, only 1 bilateral osteonecrosis, 2 cases of ileus, and 2 potentially radiation-induced tumors were found. The majority of radiation-related comorbidities found on imaging scans were clinically silent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Nadova, Burghardtova, Fejfarova, Reginacova and Malikova.)

Background: Invasive treatments for atrial fibrillation (AF) pose a risk of ischemic stroke due to periprocedural brain embolization, which may be manifest or silent. The primary aim of our study was to compare the rate of silent strokes after percutaneous catheter-based and thoracoscopic epicardial ablation for AF. The secondary aim was to evaluate the development of silent strokes over time., Methods: We included 39 subjects (aged 64.1±8.9 years) treated for persistent symptomatic AF with thoracoscopic ablation and 30 subjects (aged 64.1±10.5 years) treated for paroxysmal or persistent symptomatic AF with catheter ablation. Subjects underwent brain MRI before and early after the ablation, moreover, the surgical group underwent late MRI 6 months after therapy. On early MRI, the presence of silent strokes and their number and size were evaluated. On late MRI, transformation of previously-detected acute ischemic lesions into chronic infarction or their reversibility were assessed., Results: Initially, different chronic ischemic findings were found in 64% of patients from the surgical group and in 70% from catheter group. Early MRI results: acute ischemic lesions were detected in 2 (6.7%) subjects (overall 3 lesions sized <5 mm) in the catheter group and in 17 (43.6%) subjects in surgical group. Most subjects in the surgical group showed multiple lesions (88%); 195 lesions were detected, a median 6 (IQR 8) lesions per case. Eighty-two percent of lesions were <5 mm, 12% 5-10 mm, 5% 10-30 mm, and 2% were large territorial ischemia. Only 1 case was symptomatic, the rest were silent strokes. On late MRI, 53.5% of all acute lesions were reversible. Lesions <5 mm were reversible in 63.1% of cases, lesions 5-10 mm were reversible in 21.7% and all lesions larger than 10 mm persisted. In 29.4% of patients all acute ischemic lesions were fully reversible., Conclusions: Periprocedural silent strokes were significantly more common after thoracoscopic epicardial ablation compared to catheter ablation considering both the number of affected patients and number of lesions. The majority of acute ischemic brain lesions were small, up to 5 mm in diameter, roughly half of which were reversible. Reversibility of acute ischemic lesions decreased with size. However, in 29.4% of affected patients, all lesions were fully reversible., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/qims-21-35). Dr. HM serves as an unpaid Editorial Board Member of Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Assessment of appropriateness of CT pulmonary angiograms (CTPA) in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) is based on risk stratification algorithms such as simplified the Geneva Score (sGS) in combination with D-dimer blood tests. The aim of this study was to validate the diagnostic yield and appropriateness of CTPA examinations in accordance with 2014 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines., Materials and Methods: Data from 155 outpatients who underwent CTPA for clinical suspicion of PE were gathered from the radiology information system (RIS) and the clinical information system (CIS). We assessed the presence of sGS items and D-dimer blood test results in RIS from CTPA request forms and from clinical documentation in CIS., Results: Based on the RIS, there were 2.6% patients with high (sGS≥3) and 97.4% patients with low pre-test PE probability (sGS<3), and CTPA indication was formally comprehendible in 75.5% using sGS and D-dimer blood tests. Based on RIS and CIS data in combination, there were 41.3% patients with high and 58.7% patients with low pre-test PE probability, and CTPA indication was formally comprehendible in 88.4%. Using RIS and CIS in combination, PE probability was upgraded from low to high probability in 39.7% compared with RIS alone. In 12.9%, there was a lack of data in RIS for CTPA justification., Conclusion: There is a high diagnostic yield when applying current diagnostic guidelines to our data. There was however a notable discrepancy between the data transferred to the CTPA request forms from the full clinical documentation, therefore not readily available for clinical decision making.

Background: Radical combined radiotherapy (RT) is a standard treatment for advanced cervical cancer. The aim of our study was to identify morphological late (≥6 months) and very late (≥5 years) radiation-related comorbidities on computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in young females who survived ≥5 years since RT and were considered as successfully treated. Secondly, we studied a rate of clinically silent radiation-related toxicities apparent on imaging scans that might influenced on future well-being of survived females. Thirdly, we analyzed reasons why patients underwent imaging scans., Methods: We included 41 subjects aged under 50 years (mean 41.8±7.2 years, median 41 years), who survived ≥5 years since RT, with at least one available imaging scan ≥3 years since RT. The mean time between RT and the last available scan was 12.3±7.9 years (median 9 years); the mean time of clinical follow-up was 15.4±7.1 years (median 14 years)., Results: Fourteen (34.1%) females underwent the first imaging scan in emergency situation and 27 (65.9%) patients due to variable chronic complaints. Grade III-V radiation-related comorbidities occurred in 19 (46.3%) females including one case of death due to radiation-induced osteosarcoma. In 14 of 19 patients, comorbidities were multiple. Four (9.8%) females suffered from life-threatening complications (grade IV): one from an uretero-arterial fistula with massive hematuria and 3 from bowel perforations. Eleven (26.8%) subjects suffered from bowel strictures with ileus development, they underwent mean 1.7±0.8 surgery (median 1.5). The mean time since RT to the first surgery for intestinal complications was 5.4±6.0 years (median 3 years), to the second 12.0±9.6 years (median 11.5 years) and to the third surgery 9.0±4.2 years (median 9 years). Late fistulas formations (vesico-recto-vaginal) were seen in 6 (14.6%) patients. Bone complications were diagnosed in 9 (22.0%) of treated females, one case of osteosarcoma included, 4 of 9 bone complications were clinically silent. In 5 (12.2%) subjects, toxicities grade III-IV first time manifested >5 years since RT, majority of them were multiple. The bowel perforation and fistulas formations were the earliest manifested grade III-IV toxicities, with median time 3 years since RT, the bone complications were the latest manifested with median time 16 years since RT., Conclusions: Our study is not able to bring information about the incidence of late and very late radiation related comorbidities, according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) recommendations patients are clinically followed only for 5 years and imaging cross-sectional scans are not recommended. However, our study shows that if females successfully treated for advanced cervical cancer report abdominal/pelvic clinical problems, it is highly probable their imaging scans will reveal late radiation related side-effects that may affect the rest of their life. It puts forward question whether females after radical RT should been regularly followed by cross-sectional imaging methods., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/qims-20-553). HM serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Background: The initial core infarct volume predicts treatment outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). According to the literature, CT perfusion (CTP) is able to evaluate cerebral parenchymal viability and assess the initial core in AIS. We prospectively studied whether limited-coverage CTP with automated core calculation correlates with the final infarct volume on follow-up non-enhanced CT (NECT) in patients successfully treated by mechanical thrombectomy., Methods: We enrolled 31 stroke patients (20 women aged 74.4±12.9 years and 11 men aged 66±15.4 years; median initial NIHSS score 15.5) with occlusion of the medial cerebral artery and/or the internal carotid artery that were treated by successful mechanical thrombectomy. CTP performed in a 38.6 mm slab at the level of basal ganglia was included in the CT stroke protocol, but was not used to determine indication for mechanical thrombectomy. The infarction core volume based on CTP was automatically calculated using dedicated software with a threshold defined as cerebral blood flow <30% of the value in the contralateral healthy hemisphere. The final infarction volume was measured on 24-hour follow-up NECT in the same slab with respect to CTP. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and robust linear regression were used for comparison of both volumes, P values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant., Results: The median time from stroke onset to CT was 77 minutes (range, 31-284 minutes), and the median time from CT to vessel recanalization was 95 minutes (range, 55-215 minutes). The mean CTP-calculated core infarct volume was 24.3±19.2 mL (median 19 mL, range 1-79 mL), while the mean final infarct volume was 21.5±39.5 mL (median 8 mL; range 0-210 mL). Only a weak relationship was found between the CTP-calculated core and final infarct volume [Pr (29) =0.32, P=0.078; rho =0.40, P=0.028]. Regression analysis showed CTP significantly overestimated lower volumes., Conclusions: In our prospective study, the infarction core calculated using limited-coverage CTP only weakly correlated with the final infarction volume measured on 24-hour follow-up NECT; moreover, CTP significantly overestimated lower volumes. Our results do not support the use of limited-coverage CTP for guiding treatment recommendations in patients with AIS., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/qims-20-555). MH serves as an unpaid editorial board member of Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. The other authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (2020 Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: None

Here we present the case of a 50-year-old woman with acute urinary retention who was treated by the insertion of a permanent catheter. For associated headaches, fever and muscle and joint pain, the patient underwent neurologic examination, including lumbar puncture and magnetic resonance of head and spine. The results confirmed aseptic meningitis. Subsequently, the patient was hospitalized at the infectious disease clinic, where the permanent catheter was extracted after 5 days, with spontaneous micturition recovery and no post-void residual volume. The combination of aseptic meningitis and urinary retention is called meningitis-retention syndrome. This is a rare disease, which has been described only a few times in the literature.

Purpose: The main aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic performance of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) versions 1 and 2 for detection of prostate carcinoma (PCa) and clinically significant prostate carcinoma (CSPCa). The second aim was to evaluate the potential benefit of adding the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) density to the standard evaluation protocol., Methods: A total of 167 consecutive patients with elevated PSA underwent magnetic resonance imaging. The images were evaluated prospectively using both versions of the PI-RADS and the results compared with 12-core template biopsy and magnetic resonance/transrectal ultrasound fusion biopsy. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were compared for each scoring system using DeLong\'s test. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for ADC and PSA density for lesions scored 4., Results: PI-RADS V2 had high discriminative ability for PCa prediction with an AUC of 0.824 (95% CI 0.763 to 0.885), compared to an AUC of 0.724 (95% CI 0.654 to 0.794) for PI-RADS V1 (p = 0.0335). ADC demonstrated a higher discriminative ability with an AUC of 0.702 (95% CI 0.548 to 0.856) in CSPCa prediction. Using the obtained ADC threshold of 828x10^-6 mm^2/s improved specificity to 86.73% with a sensitivity of 60.38%., Conclusion: PI-RADS version 2 exhibited significantly higher discriminative ability for PCa and CSPCa detection compared to PI-RADS version 1. Using the ADC can improve the tumor predictability of PI-RADS version 2 in lesions scored 4.

Background: Gadolinium brain deposits after intravenous application of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) have been recently reported., Aim: We focused selectively on gadoxetate disodium, a hepatospecific linear GBCA. There are currently only a few studies in peer-reviewed literature focused selectively on gadoxetate disodium with conflicting results., Materials and Methods: Twenty patients (mean age 55.5 ± 14.0 years) after previous repeated administrations of gadoxetate disodium (mean 2.6 ± 1.5) for liver diagnostic process were included. All patients had normal renal and liver functions, an intact blood-brain barrier, and did not receive any other GBCA. They underwent 26 brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with T1WI axial scans for signal intensity (SI) evaluation. The SI changes were measured in globus pallidus (GP), dentate nucleus (DN), pons (Po), and thalamus (Th) and SI ratios (DN/Po, GP/Po, GP/Th, Th/Po) were calculated. The control group consisted of 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 54.8 ± 12.1 years) with no prior GBCA applications., Statistical Analysis: Robust linear regression was used to test the effect of number of applications on the SI ratios., Results: The significant effect of number of gadoxetate previous applications on DN/Po SI ratio was found. On an average, the DN/Po ratio increased by 0.36 percentage points [P = 0.042, 95% CI (0.03, 0.69)]. Other SI ratios were not significantly affected., Conclusions: Repeated administrations of hepatospecific gadoxetate disodium leads to a statistically significant increase in the SI values in DN in patients with normal renal and liver functions, and with an intact blood-brain barrier, probably due to gadolinium deposition., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Objectives: Immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICI) represent a new therapy option for the treatment of several advanced tumors. However, this therapy has been linked to a spectrum of ICI related autoimmune (AI) adverse events. Some may be life threatening and their diagnosis is tricky. The aim of our study was to describe various imaging appearances of ICI related secondary hypophysitis and other coincidental AI diseases., Material and Methods: We included 28 patients (19 females, 9 men, mean aged 58±13 years), who were consecutively treated mostly for advanced stage melanoma by different ICI. All their CT/MRI records and clinical data were reviewed., Results: We found 5 (18%) cases of endocrinology proven secondary hypophysitis; 2 cases of panhypopituitarism and 3 cases of central hypocortisolism. Four cases were MRI positive, 1 case was MRI negative. Three cases were accompanied by other AI diseases: 1 by hemorrhagic colitis and mesenterial lymphadenitis, 1 by AI pancreatitis and 1 by pneumonitis. On MRI pituitary gland was swollen in 3 cases, twice enhanced non-homogenously, once homogenously; infundibular enlargement was present in 2 cases. Those 3 cases reacted to glucocorticoid therapy by hypophyseal shrinkage. In 1 case of MRI positive hypophysitis, the pituitary gland was not enlarged, slightly nonhomogeneous with peripheral contour enhancement; no reaction to glucocorticoids was mentioned., Conclusion: Secondary hypophysitis is probably more common ICI related adverse event than reported in the literature. Its MRI appearance is variable. Most of our cases were in coincidence with other AI ICI related events that affected their clinical manifestations.

We reviewed the current RF-ablation technique for mTLE and complications relating to the procedure. RF-ablation of the amygdalohippocampal complex (AHC) is a stereotactic technique, performed under local anesthesia, which achieved long-term seizure-free clinical seizure outcomes in 71% of mTLE patients. Occipital access is used and thermolesions are made from a single trajectory in the long axis of the AHC. RF-ablation has shown a low complication rate and clinical seizure outcomes seem to be comparable with open surgical techniques., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) are used worldwide for enhanced MRI examinations, including heart and vessels. Gadolinium is a highly toxic heavy metal. If used in GBCA it must be tightly bound to ligands. The configuration of ligands influences the stability of the GBCA and two types of chelates have been used. Macrocyclic chelates offer better protection and binding of gadolinium ion than linear chelates with a flexible open chain - gadolinium could be more easily released from the latter ones. GBCAs are excreted from the body mostly by the kidneys, which is of importance in chronic kidney disease.Two states are related to gadolinium: nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) and gadolinium body storage. NSF is a severe and debilitating disease, directly connected to gadolinium toxicity, proven after the use of linear chelates. Due to strict recommendations of radiology societies, NSF was practically eradicated. Gadolinium deposition was observed especially in bones and in some brain areas: in dentate nucleus and in globus pallidus, even years after the GBCA administration. The form of the storage (chelated or free), as well as their clinical impact, are not clear, but first observations of "gadolinium deposition disease" have been reported.

Background: Radiosurgery by Gamma Knife (GK) is an effective treatment for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM). The aim of the present study was to evaluate late, radiation-induced changes detectable by MRI after AVM radiosurgery in patients treated minimally 10 years prior, with AVM obliteration proven by angiography., Methods: Thirty-five patients with 37 AVMs were included. AVMs were irradiated 16.6 ± 3.5 years prior with AVM obliteration proven 13 ± 4 years prior. All patients underwent recent MRI examinations, including application of gadolinium-based contrast., Results: In one case, post-irradiative cystic formation with mass effect and signs of hemorrhage requiring surgery was found. Post-gadolinium enhancement at the site of obliterated nidi was apparent in 28 of 37 cases (76 %). In all cases except one, the mean volume of enhancement at the time of review was clearly lower than the volume of the originally irradiated AVM (88 ± 20 %; median 92 %); in one case the extent was 142 % greater than the irradiated AVM. When we compared enhancing and non-enhancing nidi, we found that enhancing nidi were significantly larger than non-enhancing nidi at the time of radiosurgery (4.39 ± 3.35 cc vs. 0.89 ± 0.79 cc, p = 0.004). Enhancement was not influenced by total radiation dose, patient age at the time of irradiation, duration since radiosurgery, or the number of irradiations. Wallerian degeneration was found in nine of 37 cases (24 %); in six cases the optical tracts were affected and visual field defects were proven. In five of nine cases (55.6 %) with Wallerian degeneration previous hemorrhage was present. Dual vascular pathology was found in eight of 35 patients (23 %)., Conclusions: GK radiosurgery for AVM is a safe treatment method although delayed complications may occur. Post-gadolinium enhancement of obliterated nidi may indicate an active post-irradiative process.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate morphological MRI findings in histologically-proven central nervous system lymphoma (CNSL) at time of their first appearance, and to describe dynamic changes on repeat MRI before the diagnosis was histologically proven., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the MRI examinations of 74 patients with histologically-proven CNSL (10 secondary CNSL, 64 primary PCNSL; 10 immunocompromised, 54 immunocompetent). In 43 patients, we evaluated the evolution of CNSL on MRI before the diagnosis was proven., Results: Primary CNSL was typically localized supratentorially (63%), with multiple (59%) or infiltrative (36%) lesions showing diffusion restriction (98%), often (87%) reaching the brain surface. In approximately 50% of patients, meningeal, ependymal or cranial nerve involvement was found. We detected significant differences in enhancement patterns between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients; non-homogenous enhancement present in 50% of immunocompromised patients. We did not find any significant differences in MRI appearance between primary and secondary CNSL. Regression was evident after corticosteroid treatment in 52% of patients; however, in 16% of cases overall progression was observed., Conclusion: CNSL generally presents as an infiltrative lesion or multiple homogenously-enhancing lesions of the brain in contact with the brain surface. Involvement of the corpus callosum, cranial nerves, ependyma or meninges is common. No significant differences between primary and secondary CNSL were detected, however differences in enhancement type between immunocompromised and immunocompetent primary CNSL patients were found. We stress the variability of MRI findings in the course of the disease and also the variable response to corticotherapy.

We report a young woman with the clinical picture of Allgrove syndrome in whom neurological symptoms are prominent. It usually presents in the first decade of life with a deficiency of tears, recurrent vomiting and dysphagia due to achalasia, severe hypoglycemic seizures and shock due to adrenal insufficiency. Neurological symptoms such as hyperreflexia, dysarthria, hypernasal speech, ataxia, sensory impairment, muscle weakness, and mental retardation are extremely slow to develop and manifest at a later age. Diagnosis was based on clinical presentation and laboratory findings. She is the first patient from the Czech Republic with genetic confirmation of Allgrove syndrome. This patient is one of about 100 cases described in the literature and one of the few patients with all the main typical clinical features.

Objectives: Stereotactic biopsy is a suitable method for sampling intrinsic brain lesions. Although this method is considered to be a safe procedure, some risk of complications still exists. The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess the morbidity and mortality of MRI-guided stereotactic biopsy of lesions which were histologically proven to be brain lymphoma., Methods: We retrospectively studied all accessible medical records for patients who had undergone MRI-guided stereotactic biopsy of brain lesions with histologically proven brain lymphoma from January 2007 to December 2012. Our cohort included 45 patients, 27 males and 18 females, aged 23-84 (63±14) years., Results: Forty-nine biopsies were carried out on 45 patients; the average number of tissue specimens was 3±1. The diagnostic yield of the stereotactic biopsy was 92%. Overall major morbidity directly related to stereotactic biopsy of brain lymphoma was 6.1% (3 cases) including 4.1% mortality (2 cases). Both deaths after the stereotactic procedure were due to intracranial hemorrhage and subsequent complications and both these patients had a history of treatment of systemic lymphomas. In one patient the stereotactic biopsy was complicated by a brain abscess which was successfully treated., Conclusion: Stereotactic biopsy is still a mandatory diagnostic procedure for primary brain lymphomas, with an acceptable risk of complications. However, according to our results, the risk of complications can be higher in patients who have previously been treated for secondary lymphomas.

Background: Surgical therapy of intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is an effective and well-established treatment., Objectives: We compared two different surgical approaches, standard microsurgical anterior temporal resection (ATL) and stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) for MTLE, with respect to the extent of resection or destruction, clinical outcomes, and complications., Material and Methods: 75 MTLE patients were included: 41 treated by SAHE (11 right sided, 30 left sided) and 34 treated by ATL (21 right sided, 13 left sided)., Results: SAHE and ATL seizure control were comparable (Engel I in 75.6 and 76.5% 2 years after surgery and 79.3 and 76.5% 5 years after procedures, respectively). The neuropsychological results of SAHE patients were better than in ATL. In SAHE patients, no memory deficit was found. Hippocampal (60.6 ± 18.7%) and amygdalar (50.3 ± 21.9%) volume reduction by SAHE was significantly lower than by ATL (86.0 ± 12.7% and 80.2 ± 20.9%, respectively). The overall rate of surgical nonsilent complications without permanent neurological deficit after ATL was 11.8%, and another 8.8% silent infarctions were found on MRI. The rate of clinically manifest complications after SAHE was 4.9%. The rate of visual field defects after SAHE was expectably less frequent than after ATL., Conclusion: Seizure control by SAHE was comparable to ATL. However, SAHE was safer with better neuropsychological results., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Stenosis is the most frequent vascular access complication and is responsible for access thrombosis and thus long-term patency limitation. Regular arteriovenous graft (AVG) examination by ultrasonography and preemptive balloon angioplasty prolong AVG cumulative patency according to some, but by far not all trials. This was why the routine use of ultrasound surveillance is not recommended recently.In this review we show huge differences in the definition of stenosis significance among the trials and other probable factors, which may have caused the contradiction of the results. Without precise definition of stenosis significance, many AVGs have been undergoing unnecessary balloon interventions with high morbidity, high cost and low benefit.

Purpose: To provide two-year seizure and neuropsychological outcomes in patients treated by stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE), an alternative, minimally invasive method for the treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE)., Material and Methods: Thirty-seven MTLE patients treated by SAHE (26 left-sided, 11 right-sided) were included. Patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised preoperatively, 1 year and 2 years after SAHE., Results: Two years after SAHE twenty-eight (75.5%) patients were assessed as Engel Class I and seven (18.9%) patients as Engel Class II. In two patients (5.4%) treatment failed, one of them was classified as Class III and one as Class IV. Irrespective of the laterality of the procedure, the group improved significantly in Global and Verbal Memory Quotients, Attention, Delayed Recall, Semantic Long-term memory subtest and Working Memory. Additionally, increases in Full-scale, Verbal and Visual Intelligence Quotients were detected on the group level., Conclusion: In the present study we report good seizure control and neuropsychological outcomes after SAHE in our patients. We hypothesize that good neuropsychological results were achieved by the incomplete destruction of target structures, sparing the lateral temporal neocortex, and also partially by practice effect. Treatment failures in seizure control may be attributed to larger epileptogenic zones., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Temporal lobe surgery bears the risk of a decline of neuropsychological functions. Stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) represents an alternative to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) surgery. This study compared neuropsychological results with MRI volumetry of the residual hippocampus. We included 35 patients with drug-resistant MTLE treated by SAHE. MRI volumetry and neuropsychological examinations were performed before and 1 year after SAHE. Each year after SAHE clinical seizure outcome was assessed. One year after SAHE 77% of patients were assessed as Engel Class I, 14% of patients was classified as Engel II and in 9% of patients treatment failed. Two years after SAHE 76% of subjects were classified as Engel Class I, 15% of patients was assessed as Engel II and in 9% of patients treatment failed. Hippocampal volume reduction was 58±17% on the left and 54 ± 27% on the right side. One year after SAHE, intelligence quotients of treated patients increased. Patients showed significant improvement in verbal memory (p=0.039) and the semantic long-term memory subtest (LTM) (p=0.003). Patients treated on the right side improved in verbal memory, delayed recall and LTM. No changes in memory were found in patients treated on the left side. There was a trend between the larger extent of the hippocampal reduction and improvement in visual memory in speech-side operated., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) has been modified recently in our center for the therapy of mesial temporal epilepsy (MTLE). It has promising clinical results comparable with microsurgical amygdalohippocampectomy despite smaller volume reduction of the hippocampus. We hypothesized that the extent of perirhinal and entorhinal cortex (PRC, EC) reduction could explain the clinical outcome. Therefore, we performed, retrospectively, volumetric analysis of PRC and EC and compared it with the seizure control., Methods: Twenty-six consecutive patients with MTLE treated by SAHE were included. PRC and EC volumes were measured from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) records obtained before and 1 year after SAHE. The clinical outcome was assessed each year after SAHE using Engel's classification., Key Findings: Twenty-six patients were analyzed. The volume of PRC decreased by 46 ± 17% (p < 10(-12) ); EC volume decreased by 56 ± 20% (p < 10(-10) ). Two years after the procedure, 73% of patients were classified as Engel's I, 19% as Engel's II; in 2 (8%) the treatment failed (were reoperated). Eighteen patients finished 3 years follow-up; 72% of them were classified as Engel's I, 17% as Engel's II, and in 2 (11%) above-mentioned patients the treatment failed. Thirteen patients finished 4 years of follow-up, 11 of them as Engel's I. There was no significant correlation of the clinical outcome to PRC and EC volume reductions., Significance: The clinical effect of SAHE is not clearly explained by the volume reductions of PRC and EC (nor of the hippocampus and the amygdala). It promotes opinion that the extent of resection/destruction is not important for seizure outcomes., (Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2011 International League Against Epilepsy.)

Purpose: Minimally invasive percutaneous single trajectory stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy was used to treat mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). The aim of the study was to evaluate complications and effectiveness of this procedure., Materials and Methods: A group of 51 patients with MTLE was treated using stereotactic thermo-lesion of amygdalohippocampal complex under local anaesthesia. The target was reached through the occipital approach with a single trajectory using MRI stereotactic localisation. Thermocoagulation of the amygdalohippocampal complex was planned according to the individual anatomy of each patient. Amygdalohippocampectomy was performed using a string electrode with a 10-mm active tip, and 16-38 lesions (median = 25) were performed in all patients along the 30- to 45-mm trajectory (median = 35) in the amygdalohippocampal complex., Results: The procedure was well tolerated by all patients with no severe permanent morbidity; meningitis was recorded in two patients (4%), hematoma was detected in four patients, clinically insignificant in three of them, and one patient required temporary ventricular drainage (2%). Thirty-two patients were followed up over at least 2 years, and the clinical outcomes were evaluated by Engel's classification; 25 of them (78%) were Engel I, five (16%) were Engel II, and two (6%) were Engel IV., Conclusions: Stereotactic amygdalohippocampectomy is a minimally invasive procedure with low morbidity and good results that can be the method of choice in selected patients with MTLE.

We compared stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (SAHE) with microsurgical amygdalohippocampectomy (AHE) in a group of 33 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in terms of hippocampal and amygdalar volume reductions and clinical outcome. In 23 subjects treated by SAHE, the hippocampal volume decreased by 58.0% (20.0; median, quartile range), with p = 10(-4), and the amygdalar volume decreased by 55.2% (23.8), with p = 10(-4). Two years after SAHE, 74% of patients were classified as class I, 22% as class II and 4% as class III. In 10 subjects treated by AHE, 83.5% (11.2) of the hippocampal and 53.1% (53.9) of the amygdalar volumes were removed (p = 0.05 and p = 0.005, respectively). Two years after the operation, 50% of the subjects were classified as class I, 30% as class II and 10% as class III and IV. To conclude, SAHE leads to a similar reduction of the amygdalar volume but to a significantly lower reduction of the hippocampal volume than AHE. The clinical outcome of SAHE is comparable with that of AHE., (2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Summary: Stereotactic radiofrequency amygdalohippocampectomy (AHE) has been reintroduced as an alternative treatment of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. The aim of this study was to describe MRI changes after stereotactic AHE and to correlate the hippocampal and amygdalar volumes reduction with the clinical seizure outcome. Eighteen patients after stereotactic AHE were included. Volumetry was calculated from pre-operative MRI and from MRI obtained 1 year after the operation. The clinical outcome was examined 1 and 2 years after the treatment. Hippocampal volume decreased by 54+/-19%, and amygdalar volume decreased by 49+/-18%. One year after the procedure, 13 (72%) patients were classified as Engel's Class I (9 as Class IA), 4 (22%) patients as Class II and 1 (6%) patient as Class III. Two years after the operation, 14 patients (82%) were classified as Class I (7 as Class IA) and 3 patients (18%) as Class II. We found 3 surgical complications after the procedure: one small subdural hematoma, and twice a small electrode tip left in operation field (these patients were excluded from the study). In 3 patients, temporary meningeal syndrome developed. Results of radiofrequency AHE are promising. The volume reduction of target structures after AHE is significantly related to the clinical outcome.