Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Wen-Yih I Tseng

Publications and source records attributed to Wen-Yih I Tseng.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Maturation-dependent microstructure length scale in the corpus callosum of fixed rat brains by magnetic resonance diffusion-diffraction.

Techniques capable of assessing microstructure length scale are potentially useful in probing the integrity of biologic tissue at the microscopic level. Although the magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-diffraction technique has been proposed for years, its realization in an undissected brain has not been reported on. In this study, validation of this method in a phantom simulating a series of repeated sheets of water with regular spacing was first performed. The same technique was applied to the corpus callosum of fixed rat brains of different ages (range, 21-84 days). The phantom was constructed with a pile of transparencies immersed in water doped with Gd-DTPA. The measured signal showed diffraction-like coherence peaks, the modulation of which was influenced by the gap distance and the center-to-center distance of the adjacent gaps. The measured distances were consistent with the actual values. In five 84-day-old rats, the diffusion length scale derived from the diffractogram was highly reproducible. In the course of brain maturation, the measured size decreased with age. Electron microscopy showed that axons on day 21 were smaller in diameter and less myelinated as compared with those on day 84. Progressive decrease in the diffusion length scale observed during brain maturation might reflect a gradual decrease in transmembrane permeability due to myelination. In conclusion, MR diffusion-diffraction can be observed in the corpus callosum of fixed rat brains. This technique might be useful in probing the status of myelination in the development of disease.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Measurement of segmental cervical multifidus contraction by ultrasonography in asymptomatic adults.

The deep muscles that play significant roles in maintaining segmental stability have been measured using ultrasonography (US). However, few studies have been carried out to determine the reliability and validity of US for measuring the cervical multifidus during contraction. The aims of this investigation were to evaluate the reliability of the dimensions of the cervical multifidus as measured using US and compare the US measurements with those determined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the gold standard. Ten asymptomatic adult subjects (age, 28.5+/-3.5 years) participated in testing-retesting of muscle dimensions at rest and during isometric head extension with the cranio-cervical spine maintained in a flexed position against individual maximum resistance. Ten asymptomatic adult subjects (age, 28.1+/-4.1 years) participated in testing to compare US and MRI measurements of the thickness, width, area, and shape ratio of the cervical multifidus at the C4, C5, and C6 levels. US measurements of muscle thickness at the C4, C5, and C6 levels at rest were 0.67+/-0.14, 0.70+/-0.20 and 0.73+/-0.09 cm, respectively; the corresponding measurements as determined by MRI were 0.70+/-0.12, 0.67+/-0.15 and 0.70+/-0.06 cm. The within-subject coefficient of variation (CV(w)) for thickness at rest and during contraction was less than 10%, indicating acceptable reliability. US measurement of thickness had better reliability and validity. The range of limit of agreement for muscle thickness at the C4, C5, and C6 levels was -0.20 to 0.20 cm, and the range of R(2) was 0.42-0.64. The thickness of the cervical multifidus muscle increased significantly during contraction (1.13+/-0.20, 1.19+/-0.20 and 1.17+/-0.12 cm for the C4, C5, and C6 levels, P<0.05). However, no significant differences were noted among the three levels. The results indicate that US can detect changes in segmental cervical multifidus during contraction.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging mapping the fiber architecture remodeling in human myocardium after infarction: correlation with viability and wall motion.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) provides a means for nondestructive characterization of myocardial architecture. We used DT-MRI to investigate changes in direction-dependent water diffusivity to reflect alterations in tissue integrity (trace apparent diffusion coefficients [ADCs] and fractional anisotropy [FA]), as well as indicators of remodeling of fiber helix angles, in patients after myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (35 men, 2 women; median age, 59) after acute myocardial infarction (median interval from onset, 26 days) were enrolled. DT-MRI was performed at the midventricular level to measure trace ADC, FA, and helix angles of myofibers. Helix angles were grouped into left-handed helical fibers, circumferential fibers, and right-handed helical fibers. Measurements were correlated with viability and regional wall motion assessed by contrast-delay-enhancement and cine MRI, respectively. The infarct zone showed significantly increased trace ADC and decreased FA than the remote zone. The percentage of left-handed helical fibers increased from the remote zone (mean +/- SD, 13.3 +/- 5.8%) to the adjacent zone (19.2 +/- 9.7%) and infarct zone (25.8 +/- 18.4%) (MANOVA, P = 0.004). The percentage of right-handed helical fibers decreased from the remote zone (35.0 +/- 9.0%) to the adjacent zone (25.5 +/- 11.5%) and infarct zone (15.9 +/- 9.2%) (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression showed that the percentage of left-handed helical fibers of the infarct zone was the strongest correlate of infarct size and predictor of ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo DT-MRI of postinfarct myocardium revealed a significant increase in trace ADC and a decrease in FA, indicating altered tissue integrity. The redistribution of fiber architecture correlated with infarct size and left ventricular function. This technique may help us understand structural correlates of functional remodeling after infarction.

Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed2006

Imaging myocardial fiber disarray and intramural strain hypokinesis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with MRI.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between myofiber disarray and myocardial hypokinesis in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using noninvasive cardiac diffusion and strain MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five patients with a diagnosis of HCM and five age-matched healthy volunteers were studied and compared. Cardiac diffusion MRI was applied to map in vivo myocardial fiber architecture. Cardiac strain MRI was applied to map myocardial motion. By acquiring registered diffusion and strain MRI images in vivo on both normal and HCM hearts, we investigated in HCM the relationship between myofiber disarray and systolic strain components, including radial, fiber, and cross-fiber strains, and sought to determine the mechanism behind disarray-related myocardial dysfunction in HCM. RESULTS: Regionally disordered fiber orientation and reduced diffusion fractional anisotropy (FA) were found in HCM, demonstrating myofiber disarray. Intramural myocardial strain hypokinesis (reduced radial, fiber, and cross-fiber strains) was also observed in HCM in the same region, and was found to be correlated with FA. The correlation between FA and hypokinesis was found to be stronger in the cross-fiber direction (part of the passive myocardial function) compared to the fiber direction (part of the active myocardial function). This is consistent with the hypothesis that the principal feature of HCM is the reduction of myocardium passive compliance. The angle between principal shortening and fiber orientation was markedly disordered in HCM, indicating an abnormal transmural coupling. CONCLUSION: Myofiber disarray in HCM is correlated with abnormalities of both passive and active myocardial function, and the normal patterns of fiber shortening and wall thickening are deranged in HCM.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Estimation of pulse wave velocity in main pulmonary artery with phase contrast MRI: preliminary investigation.

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility and reproducibility of a noninvasive MRI method to measure pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the main pulmonary artery (MPA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 17 subjects without history of pulmonary diseases (38.2 +/- 18.4 years) participated in this study. Series of MR velocity maps of the MPA were acquired at 2 cm above the pulmonary valves using a two-dimensional phase-contrast sequence. Effective temporal resolution was 11 msec after interleaving two dynamic series with different values of electrocardiograph (ECG) trigger delay. PWV was derived as the rate of MPA flow variations per unit change in MPA cross-sectional area, during early systole. Seven healthy subjects underwent three repetitive examinations to investigate intrascan and interscan reproducibility. RESULTS: Flow vs. area was highly linear in the MPA during early systole, with Pearson's coefficients ranging from 0.982 to 0.999, rendering derivation of PWV with little difficulty. Average value of PWV in MPA was 1.96 +/- 0.27 m/second, in good agreement with literature values measured using invasive means. The percentage intra- and interscan differences were 5.46% and -10.86%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Phase-contrast MRI to noninvasively measure PWV in the MPA is feasible with good reproducibility.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Angiogenic response of locally advanced breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy evaluated with parametric histogram from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

The aim of this study was to evaluate angiogenic compositions and tumour response in the course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. Thirteen patients with LABC underwent serial DCE MRI during the course of chemotherapy. DCE MRI was quantified using a two-compartment model on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Analysis of parametric histograms of amplitude, exchange rate k(out) and peak enhancement over the whole tumour was performed. The distribution patterns of histograms were correlated with the tumour response. Initial kurtosis and standard deviation of amplitude before chemotherapy correlated with tumour response, r = 0.63 and r = 0.61, respectively. Comparing the initial values with the values after the first course of chemotherapy, tumour response was associated with a decrease in standard deviation of amplitude (r = 0.79), and an increase in kurtosis and a decrease in standard deviation of k(out) (r = 0.57 and 0.57, respectively). Comparing the initial values with the values after completing the chemotherapy, tumours with better response were associated with an increase in kurtosis (r = 0.62), a decrease in mean (r = 0.84) and standard deviation (r = 0.77) of amplitude, and a decrease in mean of peak enhancement (r = 0.71). Our results suggested that tumours with better response tended to alter their internal compositions from heterogeneous to homogeneous distributions and a decrease in peak enhancement after chemotherapy. Serial analyses of parametric histograms of DCE MRI-derived angiogenic parameters are potentially useful to monitor the response of angiogenic compositions of a tumour throughout the course of chemotherapy, and might predict tumour response early in the course.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Diffusion tensor MRI of myocardial fibers and sheets: correspondence with visible cut-face texture.

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that the primary, secondary, and tertiary eigenvectors of the diffusion tensor (DT) measured with DT-MRI correspond to the fiber, sheet, and sheet normal directions, respectively, we compared DT-MRI data with the texture visible in the cut face of fresh bovine myocardium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DT-MRI and optical images obtained under identical conditions were compared objectively. Ink prints were made of the cut tissue, and the local orientations within these images were defined by analysis of local autocorrelations for regions matching DT-MRI pixels. Deviation angles between the cleavage orientations and the diffusion eigenvectors were analyzed in eight specimens sliced in three orthogonal planes. RESULTS: Root-mean-square (RMS) angular disparity was 11 degrees between the first eigenvectors of the DT and the fiber direction, 14 degrees between the second eigenvector and the sheet direction, 14 degrees between the third eigenvector and the sheet normal direction, and 15 degrees between the tensor orientation in the imaging plane and the cleavage orientation of the cut face. CONCLUSION: The results support a parallel relationship between the eigenvectors of the DT and symmetry axes of the myocardial architecture. Specifically, the first, second and third eigenvectors correspond to the fiber, sheet, and sheet normal directions, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Combined diffusion and strain MRI reveals structure and function of human myocardial laminar sheets in vivo.

The mechanism of ventricular thickening in normal humans was investigated using in vivo MRI. The hypothesis that myocardial laminar sheets contribute to ventricular thickening predominantly via sheet shear and sheet extension, as previously found invasively in canine studies at particular ventricular sites, was tested. In normal human subjects, registered images of myocardial sheet architecture and strain at the mid-left ventricle (mid-LV) at mid-systole were acquired with diffusion and strain MRI. Sheet function was analyzed by computing myocardial strain in the local fiber-sheet coordinates. In general, myocardial sheets contribute to ventricular thickening through all three cross-fiber strain components: sheet shear, sheet extension, and sheet-normal thickening (previously undocumented). Each of these components demonstrated substantial spatial heterogeneity, with sheet shear and sheet extension usually predominant in the anterior free wall, and sheet-normal thickening predominant near the right ventricular (RV) insertions. However, considerable intersubject variability was also found. In all cases, the contributions to thickening of fiber strains were small. Sheet function in normal humans was found to be heterogeneous and variable, contrasting with the uniform and symmetric ventricular patterns of fiber shortening and wall thickening. The study demonstrates that noninvasive NMR imaging is a promising tool for investigations of myocardial sheet architecture and function, and is particularly suited to the evident complexity of this field of study.

Diastole↗
PubMed2002

Cardiac diffusion MRI without motion effects.

We present a method for diffusion tensor MRI in the beating heart that is insensitive to cardiac motion and strain. Using a stimulated echo pulse sequence with two electrocardiogram (ECG) triggers, diffusion-encoding bipolar gradient pulses are applied at identical phases in consecutive cardiac cycles. In this experiment, diffusion is encoded at a single phase in the cardiac cycle of less than 30 ms in duration. This encoding produces no phase shifts for periodic motion and is independent of intervening strains. Studies in a gel phantom with cyclic deformation confirm that by using this sequence we can map the diffusion tensor free of effects of cyclic motion. In normal human subjects, myocardial diffusion eigenvalues measured with the present method showed no significant change between acquisitions encoded at maximum contractile velocity (peak) vs. at myocardial standstill (end-systole), demonstrating motion independence of in vivo diffusion measurements. Diffusion tensor images acquired with the present method agree with registered data acquired with a previous cardiac diffusion MRI method that was shown to be valid in the normal heart, strongly supporting the validity of MRI diffusion measurement in the beating heart. Myocardial sheet and fiber dynamics measured during systole showed that normal human myocardial sheet orientations tilt toward the radial during systole, and fiber orientations tilt toward the longitudinal, in qualitative agreement with previous invasive studies in canines. These results demonstrate the technique's ability to measure myocardial diffusion accurately at any point in the cardiac cycle free of measurable motion effect, as if the heart were frozen at the point of acquisition.

Diffusion↗