The value of 3D high-resolution IR-prepared fast spoiled gradient-recalled MRI in the diagnosis of meningeal carcinomatosis involving the cranial nerves.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of three-dimension (3D) high-resolution inversion recovery (IR)-prepared fast spoiled gradient-recalled (SPGR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of cranial nerve meningeal carcinomatosis (MC). METHODS: A total of 114 patients with MC from January 2015 to March 2020 were enrolled and their MRIs were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent MRIs before being administered a contrast agent. Both a 2D conventional MRI sequence and a 3D IR-prepared fast SPGR high-resolution T1-weighted (BRAVO) scan sequence were measured after contrast agent administration. The characteristics of MC and the involved cranial nerves were then examined. RESULTS: Among the 114 MC patients, 81 (71.05%) had cranial nerve enhancement on contrast-enhanced 3D-BRAVO imaging, while only 41 (35.96%) had image enhancement on conventional MRI. The contrast-enhanced 3D-BRAVO displayed stronger image contrast enhancement of the cranial nerves than the conventional MRI (P < 0.001). Furthermore, detection rates for the facial and auditory nerves, trigeminal nerve, oculomotor nerve, sublingual nerve, optic nerve, glossopharyngeal/vagal/accessory nerve, and abductor nerve on contrast-enhanced 3D-BRAVO imaging were 58.77%, 47.37%, 9.65%, 8.77%, 5.26%, 3.51%, and 0.88%, respectively. We found a statistically significant difference between the affected facial and auditory nerves, as well as the trigeminal nerve, oculomotor nerve, sublingual nerve, and optic nerve. CONCLUSION: In MC, contrast-enhanced 3D-BRAVO imaging displayed the cranial nerves more effectively than 2D conventional enhanced MRI. The facial, auditory, and trigeminal nerves are the primary nerves involved in MC, and improved scanning of these nerves would aid in the early detection and treatment of MC.

Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Great Omentum: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of a 23-year-old man with a solitary fibrous tumor of the great omentum who presented clinically as a case of dull abdominal pain. CASE PRESENTATION: Solitary fibrous tumor normally occurs in the visceral pleura. Extrathoracic solitary fibrous tumor is rare, especially those from the great omentum, with approximately 31 cases reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: After reviewing and summarizing the imaging findings of 31 cases of solitary fibrous tumor of the greater omentum, we considered that the characteristic findings can provide a reliable basis for preoperative diagnosis.

Hypoglossal Nerve Lesions: The Role of a 3D IR-Prepped Fast SPGR High-Resolution 3T MRI Sequence.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To assess a 3D high-resolution IR-prepped fast SPGR high-resolution MRI sequence for evaluating hypoglossal nerve lesions. METHODS: The clinical data of 8 patients with hypoglossal nerve lesions admitted from December 2011 to February 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. MRI included contrast-enhanced conventional sequences and a 3D IR-prepped fast SPGR high-resolution T1-weighted (BRAVO) MRI sequence at 3T. RESULTS: Eight patients had hypoglossal lesions detected by MRI. Conventional enhanced scanning could not clearly display the hypoglossal nerve and canal, while the enhanced 3D high-resolution sequence could. In addition, multiple planar reconstruction clearly displayed the hypoglossal nerve, hypoglossal canal, and lesions in multiple planes. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional MRI, we show superior results from an advanced sequence to improve image quality in characterizing hypoglossal nerve lesions.

Application value analysis of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in the diagnosis of intracranial infection after craniocerebral surgery.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial infection is a common clinical disease. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have certain sensitivity and have good diagnostic efficacy. AIM: To study the application value of MRI and CT in the diagnosis of intracranial infection after craniocerebral surgery. METHODS: We selected 82 patients who underwent craniocerebral surgery (including 40 patients with intracranial infection and 42 patients without infection) during the period from April 2016 to June 2019 in our hospital. All 82 patients received CT and MRI examinations, and their clinical data were reviewed. A retrospective analysis was performed, and the coincidence rate of positive diagnosis and the overall diagnosis coincidence rate of different pathogenic infection types were measured with the two examination methods. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity as well as the positive and negative predictive values of the two examination methods were compared. RESULTS: For all types of pathogenic infections (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hemolyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and others), MRI scans had higher positive diagnostic coincidence rates than CT scans; the overall diagnostic coincidence rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values were significantly higher with MRI examinations than with CT examinations, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: MRI examination can accurately diagnose intracranial infection after clinical craniocerebral surgery. Compared with CT, MRI had higher diagnostic efficiency. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, the diagnostic coincidence rate, and the positive and negative predictive values were significantly higher with MRI than with conventional CT, which can be actively promoted.