Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R D Tien

Publications and source records attributed to R D Tien.

102 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Intracranial cryptococcosis in immunocompromised patients: CT and MR findings in 29 cases.

CT and MR scans of 29 immunocompromised patients (28 with AIDS or ARC, one with diabetes mellitus) who had documented intracranial cryptococcal infection were reviewed retrospectively. All patients had CT studies; 26 received iodinated contrast agent. CT findings included normal results in nine of 29, atrophy only in 13 of 29, nonenhancing lesions in three of 29, enhancing lesions in two of 20, and foci of leptomeningeal calcification in two of 29. Ten patients had both CT and MR studies, and four received gadopentetate dimeglumine. Among these 10 patients, five had normal CT studies and one showed moderate central atrophy. All 10, however, had abnormal MR findings. We observed four patterns: (1) parenchymal cryptococcoma (3/10); (2) numerous clustered tiny foci that were hyperintense on T2-weighted images and non-enhancing on postcontrast T1-weighted images, located relatively symmetrically in the basal ganglia bilaterally and in midbrain, representing dilated Virchow-Robin spaces (4/10); (3) multiple miliary enhancing parenchymal and leptomeningeal nodules (1/10); and (4) a mixed pattern, consisting of dilated Virchow-Robin spaces with mixed lesions such as cryptococcoma and miliary nodules (2/10). In the group of six patients with dilated Virchow-Robin spaces (patterns 2 and 4), two received gadopentetate dimeglumine, but the Virchow-Robin space lesions did not enhance; among the remaining four patients, two received gadopentetate dimeglumine (one with pattern 1 and one with pattern 3) and the lesions did enhance. Three patients in our study subsequently died and autopsies were performed. The postmortem results revealed dilated Virchow-Robin spaces filled with fungi in the basal ganglia, which correlated well with MR findings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMedDate not supplied

"Dural tail sign": a specific MR sign for meningioma?

Somewhat conflicting reports have appeared about the significance of linear meningeal thickening and enhancement adjacent to peripherally located cranial mass lesions on contrast enhanced magnetic resonance images. Some authors consider this finding nearly diagnostic of meningioma. In an attempt to determine the specificity of this so-called tail sign, particularly with respect to meningioma, we retrospectively reviewed 16 cases from institutional records. From our results, the tail sign appears to be highly suggestive but not specific for meningioma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thickened pituitary stalk on MR images in patients with diabetes insipidus and Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

The MR images of four female patients with acute onset of central diabetes insipidus and pathologically confirmed Langerhans cell histiocytosis were evaluated retrospectively for evidence of lesions in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The examinations were conducted on a 1.5-T MR system with thin-section sagittal and coronal T1-weighted (short TR/short TE) and T2-weighted (long TR/long TE) images. Three patients underwent T1-weighted MR after IV administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Compared with 20 normal subjects who were evaluated with the same MR protocol, three of the four patients had a symmetrically thickened pituitary stalk that demonstrated homogeneous signal enhancement following contrast administration. The high signal intensity of the posterior lobe, which was seen in normal subjects on T1-weighted sagittal images, was absent in all four patients. Two patients had associated abnormalities on either chest films or imaging studies of the temporal bone and two patients had isolated CNS Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The combination of a thickened pituitary stalk and absent posterior pituitary hyperintensity, while nonspecific for Langerhans cell histiocytosis, should nevertheless prompt further studies, such as chest films, bone scanning, or temporal bone CT, to attempt to narrow the differential diagnosis. Gadopentetate dimeglumine, in particular, may be a useful adjunct in the MR examination of the patient with diabetes insipidus.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Loculated intracranial leptomeningeal metastases: CT and MR characteristics.

Studies of twenty-five patients with loculated leptomeningeal tumor metastases diagnosed by CT and/or MR were analyzed retrospectively. Medulloblastoma was the most frequent primary tumor (8/25, 32%). Four subgroups of loculated patterns were identified. Type A included mass(es) limited to the subarachnoid space without obvious direct parenchymal infiltration; this pattern occurred in 12 patients, of whom five had associated diffuse pattern. Type B was characterized by mass(es) still predominantly in the subarachnoid space but with minor transpinal parenchymal infiltration; this pattern was found in five patients. Type C comprised subarachnoid mass(es) with marked transpinal extension mimicking parenchymal lesion; this pattern was observed in three patients. Type D consisted of subarachnoid mass(es) growing along the perineural CSF space; this pattern was noted in two patients. Additionally, two patients presented with combined A and C patterns, and one patient had a combined B and C pattern. More than half the patients (14/25, 56%) presented with a single lesion. The most frequent locations were the suprasellar cistern, ventricular walls, and lateral recesses of the fourth ventricle, Gd-DTPA-enhanced T1-weighted MR images appeared best for demonstrating the site and extent of disease. Recognition of the loculated patterns of leptomeningeal metastases, which are less common than the diffuse pattern, is important to radiologists and clinicians for correct diagnosis and proper management of patients with this disease.

Arachnoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Well differentiated astrocytoma occurring nine years after radiation therapy for medulloblastoma.

Conventional treatment for medulloblastoma includes surgical resection followed by craniospinal irradiation, with the potential risk of subsequent radiotherapy-induced secondary neoplasms. We report a 23-year-old woman previously irradiated nine years earlier for a cerebellar medulloblastoma who developed a new enhancing lesion in the primary radiation field four weeks following completion of high dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation for recurrent disease. Resection of this lesion revealed a low grade glioma with no evidence of recurrent medulloblastoma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MRA delineation of the vertebral-basilar system in patients with hemifacial spasm and trigeminal neuralgia.

Detailed depiction of the vertebral-basilar system is often obscured by other vascular structures on the MR angiogram. A special MR angiography technique that can better delineate the branches of the vertebral-basilar system has been designed and has proved particularly useful in the identification of tortuous vascular branches when they come in contact with the seventh or fifth cranial nerves.

Basilar Artery↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chorea-ballismus with nonketotic hyperglycemia in primary diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: To describe the neuroimaging (Ct, MR, and single-photon emission CT [SPECT]) findings in a series of patients with chorea-ballismus associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia in primary diabetes mellitus and to correlate the imaging findings with the clinical presentation. METHODS: The neuroimaging and clinical data from 10 patients with chorea-ballismus associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia in primary diabetes mellitus were evaluated. Family and drug histories, as well as other causes of chorea, were excluded. All 10 patients had CT, 5 also had MR imaging, and 3 had SPECT examinations. Three had follow-up CT and MR imaging studies, and MR findings were correlated with CT findings in 5 cases. Two experienced neuroradiologists, aware of the diagnosis but blinded to the clinical status of the patients, evaluated all images and reached a consensus as to the final interpretation. RESULTS: CT studies in 9 of 10 patients showed a hyperdense putamen and/or caudate nucleus; in 1, the CT findings were normal. T1-weighted MR images in all 5 patients who had MR imaging (including the patient with a normal CT study) showed hyperintense lesions without significant T2 signal alternation at the basal ganglia. In all 3 of the patients who had SPECT studies of the brain, the scans revealed hypoperfusion at corresponding areas. All 3 follow-up studies depicted resolution of the lesions in the abnormal basal ganglia. Increased hypointensity on T2-weighted and gradient-echo T2*-weighted images was also observed in the sequential MR images. In all patients, the initial side of involvement correlated well with the neuroimaging findings. The chorea resolved within 2 days after treatment of the hyperglycemia in 9 patients. CONCLUSION: In patients with chorea-ballismus associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia in primary diabetes mellitus, CT and T1-weighted MR images show unilateral or bilateral lesions of the putamen and/or caudate. SPECT scans show hypoperfusion. These findings may be related to petechial hemorrhage and/or myelin destruction. Early recognition of these imaging characteristics may facilitate diagnosis of primary diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia and prompt appropriate therapy.

Aged↗