Role of mri in diagnosis of medulloblastoma

Background: Brain tumors represent the most common solid neoplasm in children and second most common pediatric malignancy overall. The majority of primary childhood brain tumors occurs in the infratentorial compartment and includes: medulloblastoma, juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma [JPA], ependymoma, brainstem/pontine glioma, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor [ATRT] which is an additional rare but important primary brain tumor of early childhood

Objective: This study aims to provide an overview of the imaging features and appearances of the most common primary posterior fossa brain tumors in children and the diagnosis of medulloblastoma

Patients and Methods: The pool of our study was 25 patients [12 males and 13 females] who presented to diagnostic radiology departments at EL Demerdash Teaching Hospital and National Cancer Institute. They had been diagnosed to have posterior fossa lesions. Patients' age ranged from 1 to 17 year with mean age of 4.73 years

Results: statistically significant difference between medulloblastoma and other posterior fossa tumors according to location and diffusion. Medulloblastoma is 4th ventricular in location and shows restriction in diffusion weighted images

Conclusion: Medulloblastoma is predominately 4th ventricular in location, Medulloblastoma is restricted in diffusion weighted images

Magnetic resonance imaging of suspicious ovarian lesions

Background: Characterization of an ovarian lesion represents a diagnostic challenge; the optimal assessment of an adnexal mass requires a multidisciplinary approach, based on physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging techniques. Diagnostic imaging plays a crucial role in detection, characterization and staging of adnexal masses. Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI] is an essential problem solving tool to determine the site of origin of a pelvic mass and then to characterize an adnexal mass, especially in patients with indeterminate lesions

Aim of the Work: The aim of the study is to evaluate role of MRI as a powerful and noninvasive technique which may effectively characterize and differentiate between various suspicious ovarian lesions

Patients and Methods: The current study is a prospective analysis that evaluated 26 female patients with 36 suspicious ovarian lesions. The study was conducted at Radiology Department of El-Demerdash hospital. The patients were previously evaluated by ultrasound examination in the period from November 2017 to April 2018. The patients' age ranged from 12 to 65 years old [mean age 41+/- 15 SD]. 4 patients presented by abdominal swelling [15%], 8 were complaining of chronic pelvic pain [30.7%], 10 came with menstrual irregularities [38%] and 4 [15%] cases were accidentally discovered during US examination

Results: This study included 36 ovarian lesions in 26 patients [8 cases had bilateral masses]. The age in cases with benign lesions ranged from 12 to 65 years [Mean age 37.31 +/- 16.214 SD], While the age in cases with malignant lesions; ranged from 14 to 61 years. [Mean age 44.38+/-14.015 SD]

Conclusion: As an advanced technique, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI [DCE-MRI] plays an important role in tumor detection and characterization, subtyping, prediction of prognosis, treatment monitoring, and drug development

Articular cartilage mapping through novel advances in MRI techniques

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] has emerged as a useful tool for clinicians and scientists to assess the health of cartilage and other soft tissues. Conventional MRI provides sufficient tissue contrast to detect morphological changes in cartilage where radiography cannot. However, changes in cartilage physiology prior to morphological changes cannot be visualized or measured with conventional MRI. The recent advances in MR sequences together with the implementation of higher resolution MRI due to highfield MR systems as well as sophisticated coil technology have overcome existing limitations and led to promising in vivo approaches in morphological and biochemical MRI of cartilage. Recently, quantitative MRI techniques such as T2, T2*, dGEMRIC [delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage], sodium imaging [[23]Na], chemical exchange saturation transfer [CEST], diffusion weighted imaging [DWI] and T1rho mapping have been shown to be sensitive to biochemical changes in cartilage. Advanced magnetic resonance [MR] sequences for cartilage evaluation are focused on the assessment of articular cartilage biochemical composition, more specifically to the collagen and glycosaminoglycan content

Aim of the Study: The aim of this work is to emphasize the role of new advances of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of cartilage disease

Conclusion: MRI provides a powerful solution for noninvasive imaging. Improvements have been made in morphologic imaging of cartilage in terms of contrast, resolution, and acquisition time. These improvements allow detailed maps of the cartilage surface to be developed that can be used to quantify both thickness and volume