Monthly Archives: April 2009

A Second-Generation, Endoluminal, Flow-Disrupting Device for Treatment of Saccular Aneurysms

Satoshi Tateshima, MD, D.M.Sc., Assistant Professor-Director of the Aneurysm Program, Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Gary Duckwiler, MD, Director of Clinical Affairs and Fellowship Director, Division of Interventional Neuroradiology, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Flow diversion stents and endoluminal flow-disrupting devices are new therapeutic approaches to treat challenging intracranial aneurysms [1,2]. The first generation Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) has already been used in clinical practice. The reported results of PED treatment of intracranial aneurysms appear to be promising and very encouraging for the neuro-endovascular field [1,2]. However, there has always been a lingering concern associated with … Continue reading >>

Posted in Interventional | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Are C1–2 Punctures for Routine Cervical Myelography below the Standard of Care?

Comment on: D.M. Yousem and S.K. Gujar Are C1–2 Punctures for Routine Cervical Myelography below the Standard of Care? AJNR Am J Neuroradiol first published on April 15, 2009 as doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1594

In an original research article published April 15, 2009, Yousem and Gujar set out to determine the current neruradiologic practices and opinions on the performance of C1-2 punctures for routine cervical myelography. The impetus behind this investigation was a medicolegal case where the plaintiffs attorney argued that the performance of a C1-2 puncture for cervical myelography was below the standard of care.

The authors used a survey instrument … Continue reading >>

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Window Setting for Calcified Carotid Plaques on CTA

Comment on: L. Saba and G. Mallarini. Window Settings for the Study of Calcified Carotid Plaques with Multidetector CT Angiography. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol first published on March 19, 2009 as doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1509

In a technical note entitled “Window Settings for the Study of Calcified Carotid Plaques with Multidetector CT Angiography”, Drs. L. Saba and G. Mallarini evaluated how neuroradiologists who are reviewing CT-angiograms of the carotid arteries tend to spontaneously adjust their selection of CT window level and width, in order to accurately quantify the degree of carotid stenosis. They observed that, in the presence of calcified carotid plaques, … Continue reading >>

Posted in Head and Neck | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Event Note: 8th Interventional MRI Symposium

8th Interventional MRI Symposium

September 24 – 25, 2010 in Leipzig, Germany.

Chairman:
Thomas Kahn, M.D., Leipzig, Germany

Co-Chairs:
Jonathan S. Lewin, M.D., Baltimore, U.S.A.
Ferenc A. Jolesz, M.D., Boston, U.S.A.

Venue:
The Westin Hotel Leipzig

Topics:
MR-guided Cryotherapy and RF Ablation
MR-guided molecular imaging
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound
MR-guided Biopsies
Robotics
Navigation
Intraoperative MRI
MR-guided Cardiovascular Procedures

Further information:
www.uni-leipzig.de/radiologie

Email:
interventional.mri@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

Description of the Symposium: [PDF]

This event note was sent to the AJNR by Jochen Fuchs at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Leipzig.Continue reading >>

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According to Eigenfactor.org, AJNR ranks #3

According to the latest information published by the prestigious www.eigenfactor.org, this is how AJNR ranks and compares to other imaging journals:

1.  Out of 25 imaging-related journals, AJNR scored an EF of 93.8 making it the third highest after Radiology (98) and AJR (96).  Neuroradiology scored 79.7 and JCAT 79.5.  Unlike the impact factor that takes into account only citations, this number is a measure of a journal’s importance to the scientific community.

2.  Out of the same 25 journals, AJNR had an article influence score of 78.8 (Radiology= 93.3, AJR= 74.3) .  Neuroradiology scored 58.1 and JCAT 57.6.  This … Continue reading >>

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Comment on: Acute Ischemic Infarction Defined by a Region of Multiple Hypointense Vessels on Gradient-Echo T2* MR Imaging at 3T

With regard to the following article: D. Kaya, A. Dinçer, M.E. Yildiz, M.O. Çizmeli, and C. Erzen Acute Ischemic Infarction Defined by a Region of Multiple Hypointense Vessels on Gradient-Echo T2* MR Imaging at 3T
AJNR Am J Neuroradiol first published on April 3, 2009 as doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A1537; kudos to the authors for investigating an important topic – that of unenhanced acute stroke imaging.  Given the recent concern with NSF, it is more important than ever to continue to develop unenhanced MRI methods for diagnosing infarct core and penumbra, such as ASL.… Continue reading >>

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Aunt Mickey (They Look the Same until You Undress Them). Colloid Cyst or Something Else?

Aunt Mickeys are alternative diagnoses for “Aunt Minnies”. They represent less common diagnoses, and emphasize the importance of clinical history.

This submission is a 23 year old male patient who became lethargic and somnolent after playing soccer. On physical exam he was somnolent, but arousable with no focal neurologic deficits. An unenhanced CT of the brain initially demonstrated right frontal horn dilatation. A subsequent CT demonstrated bilateral lateral and third ventricular dilatation. Following placement of a ventriculostomy catheter, MRI was obtained and demonstrated a cystic-appearing third ventricular lesion. The lesion was hyperintense on T1WI (Fig 1) and hypointense on T2WI … Continue reading >>

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Excuses for Plagiarizing Data

In a recent article (Science 2009; 323: 1293), 163 instances of potential plagiarism were investigated by contacting the authors and editors and guaranteeing anonymity. The response rate was 90% and 93% of authors of the original articles were not aware that their work had been plagiarized. Responses from those guilty parties were as follows:

-28% denied doing anything wrong

-35% admitted to plagiarizing and apologized

-22% blamed it on their coauthors

-17% were not aware that they were listed as authors on the guilty articles

As a result of the survey, 46 investigations were launched. 50% of journals contacted did … Continue reading >>

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More on E-Only Publications

On March 23th the University of Michigan Press announced that it will go all digital (no more paper publications!).  They will not reduce their press budget but use these resources in a more efficient way.  This may be a welcome change to members of the undergraduate faculty for whom monographs and other publications are essential for promotion.  Many of these are nowadays not published if deemed non salable as their print costs cannot be recuperated.  E-only publication will allow many of these types of books to be published and widely distributed.  Some feel that this is a return to scholarly … Continue reading >>

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