Transverse myelitis associated with Mpox infection.

Neurologic manifestations of mpox (monkeypox) infection are common. Rarely, transverse myelitis has been associated with mpox infection. We describe a case of longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis in a patient with recently diagnosed mpox, presenting as acute flaccid paraplegia. The patient underwent an extensive work-up that included serological and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They were treated with tecoviromat, high dose steroids, and intravenous immunoglobulin, followed by plasma exchange. Despite these interventions, there was minimal neurologic improvement. This case underscores the importance of instituting measures designed to prevent mpox infection, including public education initiatives.

The benefit of intravenous thrombolysis prior to mechanical thrombectomy within the therapeutic window for acute ischemic stroke.

The increase in risk for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with age is well established. If not treated properly and promptly, AIS can result in permanent neurological damage and even death. This literature review assesses the clinical outcomes of AIS patients treated with both intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) prior to mechanical thrombectomy (MT) compared to those treated solely with mechanical thrombectomy. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses published from 2015 to 2020 and available on PubMed were selected for review, and their quantitative and qualitative findings were extrapolated and summarized. Post-hoc analyses from ASTER and ETIS trials were reviewed as well as the impact of combined therapy and monotherapy on large vessel occlusions (LVO). Clinical outcomes in all examined trials demonstrated significant successful reperfusion as well as a higher rate of functional independence at 90 days for IVT prior to MT. Concerns of thrombus fragility, safety and cost effectiveness of dual therapy are also addressed. Based on these findings, we recommend the use of IVT as a pretreatment procedure to MT for AIS when eligible for IVT. Recent articles further strengthen this recommendation and provide new insights that IVT prior to MT is especially beneficial for patients presenting with multiple LVOs localized to the anterior intracranial circulation. Additional multi-center RCTs are necessary for further analysis of statistical outcomes demonstrating mixed effects.

Automated segmentation of liver and liver cysts from bounded abdominal MR images in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Liver and liver cyst volume measurements are important quantitative imaging biomarkers for assessment of disease progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and polycystic liver disease (PLD). To date, no study has presented automated segmentation and volumetric computation of liver and liver cysts in these populations. In this paper, we proposed an automated segmentation framework for liver and liver cysts from bounded abdominal MR images in patients with ADPKD. To model the shape and variations in ADPKD livers, the spatial prior probability map (SPPM) of liver location and the tissue prior probability maps (TPPMs) of liver parenchymal tissue intensity and cyst morphology were generated. Formulated within a three-dimensional level set framework, the TPPMs successfully captured liver parenchymal tissues and cysts, while the SPPM globally constrained the initial surfaces of the liver into the desired boundary. Liver cysts were extracted by combined operations of the TPPMs, thresholding, and false positive reduction based on spatial prior knowledge of kidney cysts and distance map. With cross-validation for the liver segmentation, the agreement between the radiology expert and the proposed method was 84% for shape congruence and 91% for volume measurement assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). For the liver cyst segmentation, the agreement between the reference method and the proposed method was ICC = 0.91 for cyst volumes and ICC = 0.94 for % cyst-to-liver volume.