Category Archives: Letters to the Editor

Published online before print March 28, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3556
AJNR 2013 34: E58-E59

P. Alcaide-Leon^a
aMR Unit
Department of Radiology
Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron
Barcelona, Spain

À. Rovira^b
bHospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron
Barcelona, Spain

We read with great interest the recent study published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology on November 22, 2012, entitled “T1-Weighted Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Evaluation of Different Stages of Neurocysticercosis and Its Relationship with Serum MMP-9 Expression.”¹

In the Materials and Methods section, the authors describe their dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) study protocol as follows: “A series of 384 images during … Continue reading >>

Published online before print March 28, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3555
AJNR 2013 34: E56

Y. Shibata^a
aDepartment of Neurosurgery
University of Tsukuba
Mito Medical Center
Ibaraki, Japan

I read with great interest the article by Hilario et al.¹ The authors retrospectively analyzed the MR imaging data from the first 30 days after injury in 108 patients with severe head trauma and found that the presence of posterior and bilateral brain stem injuries were poor prognostic signs. Although they analyzed the location of the brain stem lesions, they did not analyze the volume or depth of the brain stem … Continue reading >>

Published online before print March 14, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3544
AJNR 2013 34: E45

T.M. Ryan^a, E.C. Kavanagh^a and P.J. MacMahon^a
aDepartment of Radiology
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
Dublin, Ireland

We read with great interest the recent article by Miller et al¹ regarding lateral decubitus positioning for cervical nerve root block by using CT image guidance to minimize effective radiation dose and procedural time.

The technique of cervical foraminal injection is outlined in the “Materials and Methods ” section. The authors state, “A slow 1-mL injection of iohexol diluted in 1-mL 1% lidocaine was used … Continue reading >>

Published online before print March 7, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3527
AJNR 2013 34: E43-E44

M.P. Menezes^a
aInstitute for Neuroscience and Muscle Research

T. Nowland^b and E. Onikul^b
bDepartment of Radiology
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

We read with interest the article by Jokhura et al¹ on diffusion-weighted imaging in acute hypoglycemia in adults. Although there is now an increasing amount of literature on the MR imaging changes and outcome in adults with hypoglycemia, there is a paucity of literature that details imaging abnormality with acute hypoglycemia in childhood beyond the … Continue reading >>

Published online before print February 28, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3451
AJNR 2013 34: E31-E32

K. Wang^a and S. Yuan^a
aDepartment of Neurosurgery
General Hospital of Jinan Military Command
Jinan, China

We read the interesting article by Schneiders et al,¹ entitled “A Flow-Diverting Stent Is Not a Pressure-Diverting Stent.” The authors measured intra-aneurysmal pressure before, during, and after placement of a flow-diverting (FD) stent and found that the pressure inside the aneurysm momentarily decreased during placement but was restored to baseline values within minutes. They agreed with the argument that the use of an FD stent for treatment … Continue reading >>

Published online before print January 17, 2013, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3480
AJNR 2013 34: E22

M. Mascalchi^a
aRadiodiagnostic Section
Department of Clinical Physiopathology
University of Florence
Florence, Italy

I read with great interest the review by Vedolin et al¹ and much appreciated their effort to provide neuroradiologists with some help in the diagnosis of the child presenting with ataxia. However, taking into account the practical approach the authors pursued, I would like to draw attention to the information they provided about the most common cause of inherited ataxia, namely Friedreich ataxia (FRDA).

They mentioned FRDA in the group of … Continue reading >>

Published online before print December 28, 2012, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3467
AJNR 2013 34: E10-E11

A. Gupta^a
aDepartment of Radiology
Weill Cornell Medical College/New-York Presbyterian Hospital
New York, New York

A. Prager^b and R.J. Young^b
bDepartment of Radiology

W. Shi^c
cDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

A.M.P. Omuro^d
dDepartment of Neurology
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York

J.J. Graber^e
eDepartment of Neurology
Montefiore Medical Center
New York, New York

Methylation of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) has been well described as one the most significant biomarkers of glioblastoma (GBM) … Continue reading >>

Published online before print December 13, 2012, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3438
AJNR 2013 34: E8

R.T. Fitzgerald^a
aNeuroradiology Division, Department of Radiology
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas

I read with great interest the article “Vertebral Endplate Changes Are Not Associated with Chronic Low Back Pain among Southern European Subjects: A Case Control Study” by Kovacs et al.¹ Their article demonstrates the challenges we face when attempting to correlate imaging findings with clinical symptoms in patients with back pain.

In their discussion, the authors state, “In the case of vertebral endplate changes, refraining from including this … Continue reading >>

Published online before print October 18, 2012, doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3394
AJNR 2012 33: E140-E141

D.T. Ginat^a
aDepartment of Radiology
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

C.J. Schatz^b
bBeverly Tower Wilshire Advanced Imaging
Beverly Hills, California
University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California

We appreciate the interest that readers have expressed in our article “Imaging Features of Midface Injectable Fillers and Associated Complications,”¹ and we are pleased to be regarded as pioneers in the field. However, we would like to clarify a few points and share additional insights on the subject.… Continue reading >>