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Biomedical subjects

C Masciocchi

Publications and source records attributed to C Masciocchi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Computed tomography of the knee joint: clinical results.

Computed tomography (CT) was used to examine the knee joint in 175 patients with various pathological conditions. In 118 of these patients a unique technique of study was employed. This technique is based on thin slices, a high resolution reconstruction program, and routine multiplanar reconstructions, without intraarticular contrast medium administration. In 36 patients studied with this technique, surgery was performed, thus permitting verification of the CT patterns. We concluded that CT may identify lesions of menisci, cruciate and collateral ligaments, and other pathologic conditions with at least 90% accuracy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Data for long-term care planning by Health Systems Agencies.

Planning for the long-term care and support of the elderly is uncoordinated. Although several agenices are charged with the planning role, the Health Systems Agency (HSA) has emerged as the major planning unit. Long-term care planning is currently based on skilled nursing facility (SNF) utilization rates. This limited focus is inappropriate and the data are inconclusive. Population-based data, including levels of functioning, age, and living arrangements of those in need of extended support would provide a more useful approach. Sources for such information are suggested. The HSA should commit itself to population-based planning with special consideration of the mental health needs of the SNF residents, and the function of nursing home auspice. All types of health and social services should be taken into account in planning a system for long-term care and support.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stress MR imaging for evaluation of popliteal artery entrapment.

The popliteal artery entrapment (PAE) syndrome has been recognized as a cause of arterial occlusion in young people. It is the result of an anomaly of the relationship between the popliteal artery and the gastrocnemius muscle. Eight young health volunteers (16 legs) and six patients (10 legs) with suspected PAE underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Gradient-echo images were obtained in axial planes with the leg at rest and during active plantar flexion against resistance. Imaging at rest allowed identification of PAE signs in only one leg, which had an anomalous medial course of the popliteal artery. In the other cases, only the stress technique was able to show signal loss in the popliteal artery due to muscular compression (two legs) or the presence of accessory muscle slip around the vessel (two legs), as confirmed at surgery. MR imaging is therefore a useful technique for the diagnosis of PAE because of its capability of combining information obtainable with other modalities.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Myxoid intraneural cysts of external popliteal ischiadic nerve. Report of 2 cases studied with ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Peripheral neuropathy of the external popliteal ischiadic nerve caused by intraneural cysts is a very rare and peculiar pathological phenomenon compared with diseases associated with extraneural cysts or colliquative phenomena of solid nervous lesions. Two cases of peripheral neuropathy of the external popliteal ischiadic nerve caused by intraneural cysts and evaluated with ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance are described. The diagnostic efficacy of these imaging modalities is also evaluated with particular reference to MR capability to define the morphology of such lesions and their relationships to the surrounding structures. It is not yet possible to obtain a correct diagnosis about histopathologic features by means of the imaging techniques currently available. Nevertheless, they do provide information about the involvement of the neighboring areas, which are useful indications for possible surgical treatment of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Talocalcaneal coalition: computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis.

A correct evaluation of site and extension of the talocalcaneal coalition inducing biomechanical ankle alterations is very important for planning therapy. Four male patients were submitted to computed tomography (CT) and three of them were also examined by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In one patient, studied by CT only, a bilateral talocalcaneal coalition was present, while the other three patients, controlled with CT and MRI, were affected by monolateral talocalcaneal coalition which was of osseous type in one case and fibrocartilaginous in two cases. CT and MRI provided detailed information on type and extension of the coalition and both helped in distinguishing between osseous and fibrocartilaginous forms. Only MRI showed an area of subchondral ischemic disease of the posterior subtalar joint in one patient with monolateral fibrocartilaginous talocalcaneal coalition. Compared with CT, MRI proved to be more accurate in evaluation of the talocalcaneal coalition, due to its wider display capability.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of white matter lesions in uncomplicated chronic alcoholism.

Chronic alcoholics may have CNS lesions, such as microvasculitis or glial, neural, and myelin degeneration, as documented in postmortem studies on subjects who had Wernicke encephalopathy, corpus callosum degeneration, or central pontine myelinolysis. One may also expect the presence of early white matter disease in patients who do not have neurologic complications of alcoholism. Thirty-five chronic alcoholics (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III criteria) and 35 normal control subjects were studied by means of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Subjects greater than 60 years old, or those with CNS involvement, or clinically evident systemic disorders were excluded. Of the remaining asymptomatic alcoholics, MR detected multiple round hyperintense areas in the white matter of 14 patients, in addition to aspecific corticosubcortical and cerebellar atrophies. None of the normal control subjects showed such a finding. These results suggest an early involvement of the brain in asymptomatic alcoholic patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Left ventricular function: MRI assessment.

Biplane left ventricular (LV) angiography has always been considered the standard of reference to measure LV volumes and ejection fraction (EF): however, angiographic measurements depend on the assumption of geometric models derived from two-dimensional information. MRI is the best technique to evaluate cardiac volumes and mass providing direct non geometric analysis of the ventricles with a high contrast resolution. Standard cine MRI is considered a time-consuming technique for acquisition and measurements; breath hold cine MRI and echoplanar imaging (EPI) non gated sequences are useful to reduce the acquisition time from a few minutes to a few seconds. The evaluation of the heart linear parameters (diameters, thickness), areas, volumes and mass is essential in the diagnosis of many heart diseases and in the assessment of the ventricular function. The modalities to evaluate LV measurements and to obtain functional parameters, the acquisition technique and flow analysis were analyzed in this study.

Angiography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[MR-angiography with contrast bolus vs digital angiography in peripheral arterial occlusive disease of the legs].

PURPOSE: Aim of our study was to compare MR Angiography and Digital Angiography in the diagnosis of peripheral vascular occlusive disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-five patients underwent both MRA and DSA examination of the peripheral arterial district. We employed a 1.5 Tesla MRI unit using 3D FSPGR T1-w sequence on coronal scan plane (TR=5.2 ms; TE=1.5 ms; slice=1.5/3 mm; FOV=48 cm; matrix 384x512; TA=16/24 s), before and after automatic iv injection of Gd-DTPA BMA (0.15/0.3 mmol/kg) with a flow rate of 2 ml/s. We evaluated the vascular district from renal to medio-distal tibial arteries. The acquisition of this arterial district required a semi-automatic movement of the examination table. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out according to MIP reconstructions. DSA evaluation, considered as the gold standard, was performed by trans-femoral access using a 4-5F catheter. RESULTS: The MRA examination detected 246 steno-occlusive lesions while 285 were identified with DSA. No statistically significant differences were found among the various degrees of stenotic lesions detected by the two METHODS. The MRA examination had specificity and sensitivity values of: 100% and 84,8% for the iliac axes; 98,9% and 94,3% for the femoral district; 100% and 84,9% for the popliteal district; 97% and 89% for tibial vessels. CONCLUSIONS: MRA showed a high diagnostic accuracy close to that of DSA. On the basis of our short experience we believe that MRA will be a useful method in the detection of various degrees of peripheral artery occlusive diseases reserving DSA for the therapeutical step.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Magnetic resonance in the study of tubercular coxitis].

The hip joint is the most common skeletal site for tuberculous disease, aside from vertebrae. Eight patients underwent MR investigations. In four cases (group A) there was suspicion of hip tuberculosis on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings, whereas the other 4 patients (group B) were known to suffer from hip tuberculosis. In group A, MRI always demonstrated inflammatory joint effusions, capsular distension, and subchondral bone conditions. No changes in the synovial membrane were found at onset, while the correct evaluation of the articular cartilage was not possible, due to the presence of concomitant effusion. In group B, MRI yielded no additional diagnostic information with respect to plain film, whereas it was undoubtedly the best diagnostic technique to detect joint effusions and to exclude other concomitant pathologic conditions such as neuroalgodystrophy and osteonecrosis. In conclusion, MRI does not yield specific or peculiar semeiological elements for the diagnosis of hip tuberculosis. On the other hand, MRI, together with clinics and with laboratory findings, allows the early and aspecific diagnosis of hip pain to be confirmed and specified, for the technique is a sensitive indicator of the presence of early lesions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Symptomatic and surgical results after integrated CT-MR study of a central giant cell tumor of the maxilla].

The AA. examine the possibilities of the present imaging to the diagnostic definition of the extensive and destructive forms of the Central Giant cells Tumor of the maxilla. The CT and MR studies are compared with conventional x-Ray. The analysis performed evinces, besides the well-known semeiological CT superiority for the evidence of the osseous erosions, the ability to follow by MR imaging the evolution of the tumor, in the its relationships with the fascial, muscular, adipose and fibromucous soft tissues, when it exceeds the osseous barrier of the maxillofacial skeleton, enclosed therein the palatal plane.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Wernicke encephalopathy: MR findings in five patients.

Wernicke encephalopathy is a disease usually related to chronic alcoholism. The clinical diagnosis is often difficult to establish, and CT is unable to provide specific findings. MR follow-up studies in five patients affected by Wernicke encephalopathy were performed with the aim of establishing the sensitivity of MR in depicting the typical diencephalic/mesencephalic lesions. All subjects had MR imaging in the acute phase of the disease and were reexamined 6-12 months later, at which time they were in good health. Three of them also had CT scanning. On MR, hyperintense areas seen surrounding the third ventricle and aqueduct during the acute phase of the disease had disappeared or diminished on follow-up evaluations. The third ventricle and aqueduct were dilated. We suggest that these findings reflect the natural evolution of Wernicke encephalopathy. The MR findings in Wernicke encephalopathy enable early diagnosis of the disease, which has a positive effect on both treatment and prognosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The diagnostic value of magnetic resonance in disc pathology of the lumbosacral region.

An MRI tomograph was used to examine 396 patients with suspected disc pathology of the lumbosacral region. Forty two patients in whom disc herniation was diagnosed underwent surgery. MR proved to be a reliable and accurate method for the diagnosis of disc herniation, revealing its site and size as well as compression on the neural structures. The limits of MR are discussed and integrated diagnostic protocol in lumbosacral disc pathology is proposed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities. Their assessment with magnetic resonance].

MR imaging was performed on 38 patients with suspected malignant soft-tissue tumors of the extremities. MR diagnostic accuracy was compared with that of other methods. All patients underwent surgical control. In 7 cases MR imaging was employed to demonstrate the tumor response to antiblastic local perfusion. Lesion identification, extension, compartmental evaluation, bone and vascular involvement were the diagnostic parameters considered. In all cases MR imaging detected the lesion, correctly showing the intracompartmental (16 patients) or extracompartmental (22 patients) extension. In 2 out of 6 cases MR imaging did not demonstrate bone invasion, and in 1 case vascular involvement could not be assessed. MR diagnostic accuracy was superior to that of other techniques. Nonetheless, a diagnostic protocol was proposed for the local staging of malignant soft-tissue tumors of the extremities where some diagnostic limitations of MR imaging are taken into account--i.e., inconsistent evaluation of bone and vascular involvement. Plain X-rays and US are the imaging modalities of choice, whereas MR imaging is to be a second-choice diagnostic technique before biopsy. Thus, MR imaging replaces CT, while angiography is to be used in selected cases, where MR imaging is not diagnostic due to vascular involvement.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparing computerized tomography and magnetic resonance in the study of articular pathology of the knee].

The authors present a comparison between the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the articular pathologies of the knee. CT and MRI were performed in 30 patients who subsequently underwent surgery. CT and MRI results were compared on three bases: technique, definition of normal anatomy, and diagnostic accuracy. CT allowed a standardization of the technique, while MRI was superior in defining normal anatomy--especially in the study of capsulo-ligamentous structures. In all cases the use of both CT and MRI allowed a correct diagnosis, showing the site, extent and gravity of the lesion. CT proved to be superior to MRI in 4 cases, while MRI corrected CT diagnosis in 11 cases; in 15 patients both techniques had the same diagnostic accuracy. Meniscal tears were better identified by CT, while MRI was superior in the detection of ligamentous lesions and in the characterization of PVNS and tendinitis of the patellar tendon. In conclusion, MRI should be performed in selected cases only, or when CT cannot be trusted; on the other hand, it might also be used as a first-choice diagnostic procedure for synovial pathologies and acute lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Role of magnetic resonance in the staging and post-chemotherapeutic follow-up of malignant maxillo-facial tumors].

Ten patients with squamous cell carcinomas located in the maxillo-facial region were studied. In all cases the staging by Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MRI) revealed metastatic lesions in stage T3-T4. All patients underwent polichemotherapy before surgery. MRI proved to be more accurate in the staging of tumors in 3 cases only, while in 7 cases both techniques showed the same diagnostic accuracy. In the follow-up, MRI allowed the evaluation of the effect of chemotherapy on the carcinomas: it demonstrated the regression and necrosis of 9 tumors out of 10 (the patients could undergo surgery), and the progression of the tumor in 1 case. The study of bioptic specimens demonstrated the lack of correlation between histological grading of the tumors with MRI signal intensity and T1, T2 relaxation time, as measured by spectroscopy.

Aged↗