Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) combined with computed tomography (CT) for brucellar spondylitis (BS).Methods:From March 2019 to March 2024, patients with suspected BS admitted to Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Friendship Hospital were selected as study subjects. Their clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, and imaging findings (mp-MRI and CT) were analyzed.Results:A total of 60 suspected BS patients were enrolled, including 43 males and 17 females. Among them, 39 cases (65.00%) were diagnosed with BS, while 21 cases (35.00%) were non-BS. CT examination was performed in 48 patients, mp-MRI in 40 patients, and both examinations in 28 patients. Among CT-examined patients, there were 28 BS cases, 1 case had cervical spine involvement, 3 case had thoracic spine involvement, 3 case had thoracolumbar spine involvement, and 21 case had lumbosacral spine involvement. There were 16 cases involved 2 vertebrae, 3 cases involved 3 vertebrae, and 9 cases involved > 3 vertebrae.There were 15 cases had vertebral osteophyte formation, 28 cases had vertebral bone destruction, 22 cases had intervertebral space stenosis, 25 cases had uneven intervertebral disc density, 28 cases had thickening of soft tissues around the vertebrae, 19 cases had paravertebral abscesses, and 6 cases had spinal canal stenosis. In the mp-MRI examination of patients, there were 30 BS patients, among whom 1 case had cervical spine involvement, 2 case had thoracic spine involvement, 4 case had thoracolumbar spine involvement, and 23 case had lumbosacral spine involvement. There were 16 cases involved 2 vertebrae, 3 cases involved 3 vertebrae, and 11 cases involved > 3 vertebrae, 24 cases had intervertebral space stenosis, 27 cases had intervertebral disc destruction. There were 27 cases had swelling and thickening of soft tissues around the vertebrae, and 21 cases had paravertebral, psoas major muscle, and/or spinal canal abscesses. The BS group showed lower fractional anisotropy value and higher apparent diffusion coefficient value compared to the non-BS group, with statistically significant differences ( t = 5.26, 5.63, P < 0.001). The mp-MRI combined with CT showed higher sensitivity (86.36%, 19/22) and specificity (5/6) for BS diagnosis compared to mp-MRI alone (78.57%, 11/14; 80.77%, 21/26) and CT alone (56.25%, 9/16; 71.88%, 23/32). Conclusions:BS patients present diverse imaging manifestations. The combination of mp-MRI and CT demonstrates better diagnostic efficacy for BS than single examinations alone, showing good diagnostic value.

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) combined with computed tomography (CT) for brucellar spondylitis (BS).Methods:From March 2019 to March 2024, patients with suspected BS admitted to Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Friendship Hospital were selected as study subjects. Their clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, and imaging findings (mp-MRI and CT) were analyzed.Results:A total of 60 suspected BS patients were enrolled, including 43 males and 17 females. Among them, 39 cases (65.00%) were diagnosed with BS, while 21 cases (35.00%) were non-BS. CT examination was performed in 48 patients, mp-MRI in 40 patients, and both examinations in 28 patients. Among CT-examined patients, there were 28 BS cases, 1 case had cervical spine involvement, 3 case had thoracic spine involvement, 3 case had thoracolumbar spine involvement, and 21 case had lumbosacral spine involvement. There were 16 cases involved 2 vertebrae, 3 cases involved 3 vertebrae, and 9 cases involved > 3 vertebrae.There were 15 cases had vertebral osteophyte formation, 28 cases had vertebral bone destruction, 22 cases had intervertebral space stenosis, 25 cases had uneven intervertebral disc density, 28 cases had thickening of soft tissues around the vertebrae, 19 cases had paravertebral abscesses, and 6 cases had spinal canal stenosis. In the mp-MRI examination of patients, there were 30 BS patients, among whom 1 case had cervical spine involvement, 2 case had thoracic spine involvement, 4 case had thoracolumbar spine involvement, and 23 case had lumbosacral spine involvement. There were 16 cases involved 2 vertebrae, 3 cases involved 3 vertebrae, and 11 cases involved > 3 vertebrae, 24 cases had intervertebral space stenosis, 27 cases had intervertebral disc destruction. There were 27 cases had swelling and thickening of soft tissues around the vertebrae, and 21 cases had paravertebral, psoas major muscle, and/or spinal canal abscesses. The BS group showed lower fractional anisotropy value and higher apparent diffusion coefficient value compared to the non-BS group, with statistically significant differences ( t = 5.26, 5.63, P < 0.001). The mp-MRI combined with CT showed higher sensitivity (86.36%, 19/22) and specificity (5/6) for BS diagnosis compared to mp-MRI alone (78.57%, 11/14; 80.77%, 21/26) and CT alone (56.25%, 9/16; 71.88%, 23/32). Conclusions:BS patients present diverse imaging manifestations. The combination of mp-MRI and CT demonstrates better diagnostic efficacy for BS than single examinations alone, showing good diagnostic value.

Tissue was obtained from 14 aborted human fetuses, ranging from 13-32 weeks of gestation (wg). The crown-rump length (CR) ranged from 8.3-33 cm. Frontal sections of the specimens were prosessed for SEM and observation were focused on the areas adjacent to the middle part of the calcarine fissure.At 13 wg (CR 8.3 cm), the visual cortex (area 17) was composed of five zones: viz., the ventricular zone, the subventricular zone, the intermediate zone, the cortical plate and the marginal zone. These five zones showed a series of transformations with increasing age. 1) The ventricular zone became progressively thinner, mitotic activity of the ventrieular cells decreased progressively and finally the ventricular ceils differentiated into a single layer of ependymal cells. 2) The subventricular zone and the inter mediated zone were replaced by fiber bundles of white matter. 3) The cortical plate increased in width, exhibited the greatest growth rate, and became differentiated. At 21 wg (CR 20cm), the lower part of the cortical plate first gave rise to laminae VI and V. At 23 wg (CR 22cm), lamina Ⅳ was established in the middle part of cortical plate. At 26 wg (CR 25cm), laminae Ⅲ and Ⅱ could be identified in the upper part of cortical plate. 4) The marginal zone transformed into lamina Ⅰ at its original site.