Skeletal muscle troponin I release and magnetic resonance imaging signal intensity changes after eccentric exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C Kremser.
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A new system of fiducial stereotactic markers that can easily be adapted to various imaging modalities without losing image registration was developed and tested. Utilizing MR and CT imaging the accuracy of the new system was evaluated with phantom studies and preliminary patient studies. The markers are clearly visible without artifacts on both imaging modalities. The clear delineation of the marker dots on the images enables an accurate automated marker detection. Using the marker system, image registration was found to yield an accuracy of up to 1 mm, depending on the imaging modality and the employed marker arrangement. The presented marker system shall improve patient comfort in comparison to conventional fixed stereotactic frames if repeated, highly accurate registrations are necessary over longer periods.
Up to now, computerized tomography (CT) and MR-imaging have been used for the morphological assessment of dementia patients, while MRI has become the structure imaging modality of choice. With the advent of fast and ultrafast sequences provided by higher gradient field strengths, functional MR studies like diffusion, perfusion and activation studies become available. The greatest advantage of MR is its versatility including MR-imaging, 3D postprocessing, MR-volumetry, MR-spectroscopy, MR-angiography, MR-perfusion and diffusion imaging as well as functional MRI activation studies. The application of the multimodal MR-technology in dementia disorders has already began and has to be validated in clinical practice. The multimodality of MR represents a diagnostic challenge for the future with the hope, that the diagnostic efficacy, which has to be proven, is also followed by an improvement of patients care and prognosis.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between phenytoin medication and cerebellar atrophy in patients who had experienced clinical intoxication. Five females and 6 males, 21-59 years of age, were examined with a 1.5-T whole-body system using a circular polarized head coil. Conventional spin echo images were acquired in the sagittal and transverse orientation. In addition, we performed a high-resolution 3D gradient echo, T1-weighted sequences at a 1-mm slice thickness. The images were subsequently processed to obtain volumetric data for the cerebellum. Cerebellar volume for the patient group ranged between 67.66 and 131.08 ml (mean 108.9 ml). In addition 3D gradient echo data sets from 10 healthy male and 10 healthy female age-matched volunteers were used to compare cerebellar volumes. Using linear regression we found that no correlation exists between seizure duration, elevation of phenytoin serum levels and cerebellar volume. However, multiple regression for the daily dosage, duration of phenytoin treatment and cerebellar volume revealed a correlation of these parameters. We conclude that phenytoin overdosage does not necessarily result in cerebellar atrophy and it is unlikely that phenytoin medication was the only cause of cerebellar atrophy in the remaining patients. Quantitative morphometric studies of the cerebellum provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of cerebellar disorders.
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A patient with tricuspid atresia, Potts' anastomosis, and longstanding pulmonary hypertension expired following expansion of an aneurysm of the pulmonary artery trunk. The aneurysm compressed the atria, obstructing an obligatory atrial septal defect, the superior vena cava and the right pulmonary veins, causing pulmonary edema, massive pleural effusion and superior vena cava syndrome.
Piroximone (MDL 19205), a new imidazole derivative with positive inotropic and vasodilating properties, was administered to 10 patients with congestive heart failure. After acute intravenous (0.90 +/- 0.12 mg/kg, mean +/- SEM) and oral (1.41 +/- 0.18 mg/kg) administration, cardiac index and stroke volume index increased and were accompanied by a decline in systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and right atrial pressure. Mean arterial pressure was unchanged, but heart rate increased modestly after intravenous piroximone. An increase in premature ventricular contractions was documented in four patients after drug administration. Seven of the 10 patients completed 12 weeks of therapy with piroximone; one patient withdrew after 8 weeks because of deterioration in clinical status; one developed severe ventricular arrhythmias and died after 5 days of treatment; and a drug-induced hepatitis was documented in one subject at 4 weeks. No significant improvement in oxygen uptake at peak exercise and the anaerobic threshold was observed after long-term treatment (assessed at 6 and 12 weeks). Hemodynamic responsiveness to piroximone was sustained in five patients who underwent repeat evaluation at 12 weeks. Thus, long-term treatment with piroximone was not associated with an improvement in maximal and submaximal exercise capacity in patients with congestive heart failure. Serious adverse effects were observed with the administration of this drug.
With the advances in MR techniques, information related to tumor microcirculation now can be obtained in the clinical setting. This information can be valuable in the assessment of tumor blood supply/oxygenation status and tumor response to therapy. In this article, we review the tracer-kinetic modeling for tumor microcirculatory parameters derived from dynamic contrast MR imaging and report several preliminary results from both an animal model and early experience with human tumors. Despite the application of different MR protocols and tracer-kinetic models, the initial results of these pioneer studies consistently support the role of MR-derived microcirculatory tumor parameters, in providing prognostic information to assess and predict the response of cancers to cytotoxic therapy.
OBJECTIVE: To assess volumetric changes of pituitary prolactinomas, we applied a threshold-based segmentation algorithm in two patients during intramuscular bromocriptine treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor volumes were calculated from contiguous slices of a 3D GE sequence and from conventional SE images. RESULTS: After a single 50 mg i.m. bromocriptine administration, the prolactinoma volumes decreased by 25 and 35% within 7 and 11 days, respectively. Volume calculations from 3D GE images were more accurate than calculations from 3 mm 2D SE images, especially for smaller tumors. A decrease of prolactinoma size was paralleled by a decrease of serum prolactin levels and correlated with an improvement of visual field and endocrine function in both patients. The end of the bromocriptine effect was indicated by a reincreasing tumor volume, which was observed after 30 days in the first patients and after 43 days in the second patient. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that MR volumetry represents a useful tool to monitor changes of prolactinoma volume during bromocriptine treatment and may improve the clinical management of these patients.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to investigate systematic errors in dynamic contrast-enhanced MR perfusion studies due to peak saturation of the arterial input function (AIF) and to introduce a simple correction algorithm. METHOD: Computer simulations were performed to evaluate the influence of AIF peak saturation and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented correction algorithm. To compare the computer simulations with real MR data, MR perfusion measurements were performed on volunteers. RESULTS: The computer simulations show that AIF peak saturation leads to a systematic overestimation of cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) values, which was confirmed by comparing the obtained MR data with PET results. With use of an improved calculation algorithm correcting for AIF peak saturation, a significant improvement of the obtained CBV and CBF values could be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that AIF peak saturation leads to a significant systematic error in the determination of CBV and CBF values and has necessarily to be taken into account for dynamic contrast-enhanced MR perfusion studies.
We herein present our preliminary experience with functional MR imaging of the direct electrical stimulation of the cochlear nerve using an MR imaging-compatible electrode placed in the external auditory meatus of five patients with binaural sensorineural hearing loss. The stimulator was placed outside the imager's bore, and the electrode produced virtually no susceptibility artifacts. In three of five patients, it was possible to activate the superior temporal gyrus during functional MR imaging. No side effects were observed.