ABSTRACT
We retrospectively studied the brain MRIs of 66 pediatric patients with mitochondrial disorder with central nervous system involvement. Forty-one patients had an identified genetic etiology. A predominance of cerebrocortical lesions was mainly seen in patients with MELAS and Alpers syndrome. Basal ganglia were predominantly affected in patients with Leigh syndrome. All patients with leukoencephalopathy had pathological spectroscopy. Cerebrocortical atrophy with agenesis/atrophy of the corpus callosum was seen in patients with congenital lactic acidosis with or without pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency. The diagnostic approach used in our study--from the neuroanatomical/neurofunctional lesion to disease identification--assists the physician in the use of brain neuroimaging early in the diagnostic work-up of suspected mitochondrial disorders.
Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/pathology , Central Nervous System Diseases/diagnosis , Mitochondrial Diseases/complications , Mitochondrial Diseases/diagnosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , RadiographyABSTRACT
The purpose of the present study was to investigate if the exposure could be reduced from the clinical setting (resulting in an effective dose of 8 microSv for a neonate of weight 0.7 kg and height 25 cm at a tube voltage of 90 kV) without negatively influencing the image quality for a dual-side readout technique computed radiography (CR) system in chest radiography of premature neonates. Chest radiographs of premature neonates were acquired with the double-side readout technique CR system. The images underwent simulated dose reduction in steps of 20 % to represent five different radiation dose levels. Four image quality criteria, related to the visibility of important anatomical structures, were used in a visual grading study where five experienced radiologists rated how well the criteria were fulfilled for all images. When reducing the radiation dose, a decrease in image quality could be observed already at the 80 % dose level for all the structures. The results indicate that a decrease in exposure from the clinically used setting affects the image quality negatively for the CR system.
