Objective To investigate the value of magnetic resonance (MR)diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)in diagnostic classi-fication of astrocytic tumors.Methods 31 patients with astrocytic tumors confirmed by operation and pathology were collected,in-cluding low-grade tumors (WHO gradeⅠ and Ⅱ)in 14 and high-grade ones (WHO grade Ⅲ and Ⅳ)in 1 7.Routine MRI and DKI scan were preoperatively conducted using Siemens 3.0T MR scanner.Mean kurtosis (MK),radial kurtosis (RK)and axial kurtosis (AK)values were calculated in the solid portion of the tumors and the contralateral normal white matter.Results The MK,RK and AK values in tumors were lower than those in contralateral normal white matter,and were significantly higher in high-grade tumors than those in low-grade ones (P <0.05).Conclusion The MK,RK and AK values obtained by DKI reflect the histological structure changes of the astrocytic tumors.DKI is helpful for the diagnostic classification of astrocytic tumors,exhibiting more value in optimi-zing the treatment.

Objective To evaluate the utility of short tau inversion recovery (STIR) sequence in the diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis ( HS).Methods Twenty-one patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy without neoplasm lesions or injuries by conventional MRI sequence including T1WI,T2WI and FLAIR were included in this study.STIR imaging in axial,coronal and sagittal sequences was performed on these patients. Diagnosis of HS was based on the findings of hippocampal atrophy,alteration signal,disturbed internal structure and enlargement of the inferior horn. The findings shown on conventional MRI were compared with those on STIR sequence. Furthermore,the correlation of radiologic and histological findings was investigated in 6 patients operated for refractory seizures. Results On conventional MRI sequence,14 patients (66.7％) were confirmed with unilateral HS and 4 patients were suspected with unilateral HS. In contrast,all these 18 patients (85.7％) were confirmed with unilateral HS by STIR.Particularly,STIR sequence delineated the internal structure of hippocampus more clearly than conventional MRI sequences did. C shaped contour in subiculum-CA1-CA2 was revealed in normal hippocampus on STIR sequence and disappeared in HS,correlated to the pathology finding of loss of neuron in CA1 in resected tissues in 6 operated patients.The patients with HS also showed areas of hypodensity in CA4 on STIR,in accordance with pathologic findings of gliosis in this area in the 6 operated patients.Conclusion STIR sequence could depict the internal anatomical structure of hippocampus with high resolution superior to conventional MRI sequences,and can be of great value in the diagnosis of HS.

Tuberculous pleurity(TP)is the most important cause for exudative pleural effusions. Microbiological anal-yses of pleural fluid maybe negative in the most setting. Techniques, such as pleural biopsy or thoracoscopy are clini-cally limited by its invasion. Ongoing research has led to implementing a number of additional fluid analyses that may lead to a diagnosis without a need for further invasive procedures. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of TPE that may assist in this important diagnosis, and we highlight the benefits of specific biomarker analyses including adenosine deaminase, interferon and some novel tests.