Biomedical subjects

H B W Larsson

Publications and source records attributed to H B W Larsson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Unsupervised motion-compensation of multi-slice cardiac perfusion MRI.

This paper presents a novel method for registration of single and multi-slice cardiac perfusion MRI. Utilising off-line computer intensive analyses of variance and clustering in an annotated training set, the presented method is capable of providing registration without any manual interaction in less than a second per frame. Changes in image intensity during the bolus passage are modelled by a slice-coupled active appearance model, which is augmented with a cluster analysis of the training set. Landmark correspondences are optimised using the MDL framework due to Davies et al. Image search is verified and stabilised using perfusion specific prior models of pose and shape estimated from training data. Qualitative and quantitative validation of the method is carried out using 2000 clinical quality, short-axis, perfusion MR slice images, acquired from 10 freely breathing patients with acute myocardial infarction. Despite evident perfusion deficits and varying image quality in the limited training set, a leave-one-out cross-validation of the method showed a mean point to curve distance of 1.25+/-0.36 pixels for the left and right ventricle combined. We conclude that this learning-based method holds great promise for the automation of cardiac perfusion investigations, due to its accuracy, robustness and generalisation ability.

Artifacts↗

PubMed2004

Left ventricular dysfunction in normotensive Type 1 diabetic patients: the impact of autonomic neuropathy.

AIMS: The pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for increased cardiovascular mortality in diabetic autonomic neuropathy (AN) are largely unknown. The aim was to determine the relative role of AN in the pathogenesis of cardiac diastolic dysfunction and left ventricular hypertrophy in Type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Ten Type 1 diabetic patients with AN, defined by cardiovascular tests (AN+) and 10 age- and sex-matched patients without neuropathy (AN-) as well as 10 healthy subjects (C) participated in the study. Left ventricular diastolic function was assessed by Doppler echocardiography, whilst systolic function was evaluated by cine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. RESULTS: Doppler echocardiography showed a significant decrease in E/A ratio, i.e. the ratio between peak Early transmitral filling velocity during early diastole (E-wave) and peak transmitral Atrial filling velocity during late diastole (A-wave), in AN+ compared with C (P < 0.01) [0.95 +/- 0.08 (mean +/- sem) (AN+); 1.19 +/- 0.09 (AN-); 1.33 +/- 0.10 (C)]. The E-wave deceleration time was significantly shorter in AN+ compared with AN- and C (P < 0.02) [178 +/- 7 ms (AN+); 203 +/- 9 ms (AN-); 205 +/- 9 ms (C)]. Cine MR imaging showed a significantly greater left ventricular mass index in AN+ compared with C [103 +/- 4 g/m(2) (AN+) vs. 98 +/- 7 (AN-) and 92 +/- 4 g/m(2) (C), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: Autonomic neuropathy is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction in Type 1 diabetic patients.

Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗

PubMed2004

Nitric oxide synthase expression and enzymatic activity in multiple sclerosis.

We used post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance to obtain paired biopsies from the brains of four patients with clinical definite multiple sclerosis (MS). Samples were analyzed for the immunoreactivity (IR) of the three nitric oxide (NO) synthase isoforms [inducible, neuronal and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS)], and enzymatic NO synthase activity. MRI guided biopsies documented more active plaques than macroscopic examination, and histological examination revealed further lesions. Inducible NOS (iNOS) was the dominant IR isoform, while reactive astrocytes were the dominant iNOS expressing cells in active lesions. NOS IR expressing cells were widely distributed in plaques, in white and gray matter that appeared normal macroscopically, and on MR. Endothelial NOS (eNOS) was highly expressed in intraparenchymal vascular endothelial cells of MS patients. A control group matched for age and sex showed no such changes. Our data support the hypothesis that NO is a pathogenic factor in MS, and that NOS IR is strongly expressed in brain regions appearing normal by MRI.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging predicts response to methylprednisolone in multiple sclerosis.

Oral high-dose methylprednisolone treatment is efficacious in acute optic neuritis (ON) and attacks of multiple sclerosis (MS). The responses to treatment in subgroups of patients participating in two randomized, controlled trials were assessed. Fifty-eight patients with ON and 51 patients with attacks of MS were treated with placebo or oral methylprednisolone (500 mg daily for five days with a 10-day tapering period). A gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was obtained at baseline in 66 patients, and 29 patients underwent repeated MRI studies. Seventy-four patients underwent lumbar puncture before treatment. The odds ratio (OR) of improvement after methylprednisolone treatment (a one point change in the visual function system score of the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in ON or in the EDSS score in attacks of MS) was higher in patients with enhancing lesions on baseline MRI (one week: OR 15, P = 0.02; eight weeks: OR 4.6, P = 0.02). Methylprednisolone treatment suppressed Gd-enhancement after one week (P < 0.001) and three weeks (P = 0.001). Cerebrospinal fluid measures of intrathecal inflammation correlated with the area of Gd-enhancement but did not correlate as closely with the treatment response as did the results of Gd-enhanced MRI. These findings suggest that the resolution of intrathecal inflammation as assessed by Gd-enhanced MRI is a major effect of oral high-dose methylprednisolone.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Perfusion quantification using Gaussian process deconvolution.

The quantification of perfusion using dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI (DSC-MRI) requires deconvolution to obtain the residual impulse response function (IRF). In this work, a method using the Gaussian process for deconvolution (GPD) is proposed. The fact that the IRF is smooth is incorporated as a constraint in the method. The GPD method, which automatically estimates the noise level in each voxel, has the advantage that model parameters are optimized automatically. The GPD is compared to singular value decomposition (SVD) using a common threshold for the singular values, and to SVD using a threshold optimized according to the noise level in each voxel. The comparison is carried out using artificial data as well as data from healthy volunteers. It is shown that GPD is comparable to SVD with a variable optimized threshold when determining the maximum of the IRF, which is directly related to the perfusion. GPD provides a better estimate of the entire IRF. As the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases or the time resolution of the measurements increases, GPD is shown to be superior to SVD. This is also found for large distribution volumes.

Cerebrovascular Circulation↗

PubMed2002

Visual cortex reactivity in sedated children examined with perfusion MRI (FAIR).

Sleeping and sedated children can respond to visual stimulation with a decrease in blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI signal response. The contribution of metabolic and hemodynamic parameters to this inverse signal response is incompletely understood. It has been hypothesized that it is caused by a relatively greater increase of oxygen consumption compared to rCBF (regional cerebral blood flow) increase. We studied the rCBF changes during visual stimulation in four sedated children, aged 4-71 months, and four alert adults, with an arterial water spin labeling technique (FAIR) and BOLD fMRI in a 1.5T MR scanner. In the children, FAIR signal decreased by a mean of 0.96% (range 0.77-1.05) of the baseline periods of the non-selective images, while BOLD signal decreased by 2.03% (range 1.99-2.93). In the adults, FAIR and BOLD signal increased by 0.88% (range 0.8-0.99) and 2.63% (range 1.99-2.93), respectively. Thus, in the children, an rCBF increase could not be detected by perfusion MRI, but indications of a FAIR signal decrease were found. An rCBF decrease in the primary visual cortex during stimulation has not been reported previously, but it is a possible explanation for the negative BOLD response. Future studies will have to address if this response pattern is a consequence of age or sleep/sedation.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Functional MRI of the visual cortex and visual testing in patients with previous optic neuritis.

The volume of cortical activation as detected by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the visual cortex has previously been shown to be reduced following optic neuritis (ON). In order to understand the cause of this change, we studied the cortical activation, both the size of the activated area and the signal change following ON, and compared the results with results of neuroophthalmological testing. We studied nine patients with previous acute ON and 10 healthy persons served as controls using fMRI with visual stimulation. In addition to a reduced activated volume, patients showed a reduced blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal increase and a greater asymmetry in the visual cortex, compared with controls. The volume of visual cortical activation was significantly correlated to the result of the contrast sensitivity test. The BOLD signal increase correlated significantly to both the results of the contrast sensitivity test and to the Snellen visual acuity. Our results indicate that fMRI is a useful method for the study of ON, even in cases where the visual acuity is severely impaired. The reduction in activated volume could be explained as a reduced neuronal input; however, the greater asymmetry might point to a cortical reorganization as a consequence of neuronal damage. Future fMRI studies in ON will add to the understanding of the neural adaptive behaviour following ON.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Cerebral perfusion and cerebrovascular reactivity are reduced in white matter hyperintensities.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is growing evidence that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) should not be considered as benign age-dependent changes on MR images but indicate pathological changes with clinical consequences. Previous studies comparing subjects with WMH to normal controls have reported global reductions in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral vascular reactivity. In this study, we examined localized hemodynamic status to compare WMH to normal appearing white matter (NAWM). METHODS: A group of 21 normal 85-year-old subjects were studied using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI together with administration of acetazolamide. From a combination of anatomic images with different signal weighting, regions of interest were generated corresponding to gray and white matter and WMH. Localized measurements of CBF and cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transit time were obtained directly within WMH and NAWM. RESULTS: When comparing WMH to NAWM, measurements showed significantly lower CBF (P=0.004) and longer mean transit time (P< 0.001) in WMH but no significant difference in CBV (P=0.846). The increases in CBF and CBV induced by acetazolamide were significantly smaller in WMH than in NAWM (P=0.026, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results show that a change in the hemodynamic status is present within the WMH, making these areas more likely to be exposed to transient ischemia inducing myelin rarefaction. In the future, MRI may be used to examine the effect of therapeutic strategies designed to prevent or normalize vascular changes.

Acetazolamide↗