Objective:To investigate alterations in static regional homogeneity(ReHo) and dynamic regional homogeneity (dReHo) and glucose metabolism in MRI-negative refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients using resting-state PET-MRI, and to evaluate their efficacy in predicting surgical outcomes.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional design. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 30 patients with MRI-negative refractory TLE (patient group) treated at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, between 2016 and 2020, and data from 30 healthy controls (control group). All MRI-negative refractory TLE patients underwent surgical treatment and were further divided into a good prognosis subgroup (Engel Class I, 16 cases) and a poor prognosis subgroup (Engel Class Ⅱ-Ⅳ, 14 cases) based on postoperative Engel classification. Analysis of variance was used to compare differences in static ReHo, dReHo, and glucose metabolism(SUVR) among the three groups. The correlation of static ReHo, dReHo, and SUVR values of differential brain regions with Engel grading was analyzed using Spearman. A support vector machine (SVM) model was constructed using the static ReHo, dReHo, and SUVR values from these differential regions to classify and predict patient prognosis. The predictive performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC).Results:Differential dReHo regions among the good prognosis subgroup, poor prognosis subgroup, and control group were located in the right lateral middle temporal gyrus temporal pole, the right fusiform gyrus, the right insula subfrontal gyrus, the left cuneate lobe, the right medial and paracortical cingulate gyrus, and the right supraparietal gyrus; the differential static ReHo regions were primarily found in the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, the supraparietal gyrus, and the right subfrontal gyrus, the left medial supraparietal gyrus, the left median frontal gyrus, and the right marginal supraparietal gyrus; SUVR differences were in the affected superior, middle and inferior temporal lobes, the internal olfactory cortex and the temporal pole region. dReHo of right middle temporal gyrus temporal pole in patients with MRI-negative TLE showed a positive correlation with Engel classification ( r=0.421, P=0.020). The SVM model based on dReHo combined with SUVR values classified patients with good and poor prognosis with an AUC of 0.825 and an accuracy of 73.3%. Conclusions:In MRI-negative refractory TLE patients, abnormal dReHo regions are predominantly located in the contralateral default mode network areas and are associated with Engel classification. Combined with glucose metabolism values, dReHo can predict postoperative outcomes in MRI-negative TLE patients.

Objective:To analyze the clinical value of translocator protein (TSPO, 18kDa) radiotracer 18F- N, N-diethyl-2-(2-(4-(2-fluoroethoxy)-phenyl)-5, 7-dimethyl-pyrazolo[1, 5-a]pyrimidin-3-yl)-acetamide (DPA-714) PET/MR imaging for precise localization of epileptogenic zone in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods:From December 2022 to October 2023, 24 refractory epilepsy patients (12 males and 12 females, age (27.5±8.1) years) who underwent surgery in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively enrolled. All patients received hybrid 18F-DPA-714 PET/MR before surgery, with the surgical resection site and stereoelectroencephalography recordings of the seizure focus serving as the gold standard. Initial qualitative analysis of the images was performed, followed by semi-quantitative analysis using the ROI method to calculate the asymmetry index (AI) of the proposed epileptogenic zone, assessing the degree of increased abnormal uptake (area with AI>10% was considered as the epileptogenic zone). Follow-up assessment using the Engel classification was conducted at least one year postoperatively. Differences of lesion detection efficiency of conventional MRI and PET/MR were evaluated using McNemar test. Results:Among 24 enrolled patients, 13 cases (54.2%) showed positive findings on conventional MRI, while 21 cases (87.5%) exhibited single or multiple foci of abnormally increased tracer uptake on PET/MR imaging, indicating an improved lesion detection rate ( χ2=4.90, P=0.021). Of the MRI-positive patients, 12/13 also had positive findings on PET/MR, with a localization accuracy of 10/13. Among the MRI-negative patients, 9/11 showed positive PET/MR findings, with a localization accuracy of 6/11. At one year post-surgery, 75.0%(18/24) of patients had a favorable outcome (Engel Ⅰ). Conclusion:18F-DPA-714 PET/MR imaging can accurately locate epileptogenic foci, especially for MRI-negative lesions, providing reliable information for surgical planning to improve postoperative outcomes.

Urinary tract obstruction symptoms as the predominant manifestation of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are uncommon and can easily be misdiagnosed as bladder neck obstruction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or prostatitis. This article reports three cases of such patients. Case 1 was a 61-year-old male, case 2 was a 53-year-old female, and case 3 was a 26-year-old male. Cases 1 and 2 were initially suspected of having bladder neck obstruction, and both underwent bladder neck incision, which resulted in poor outcomes. Case 3 was initially diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. All three patients were diagnosed with IC/BPS after undergoing bladder hydrodistention therapy. One patient received intravesical botulinum toxin A injection following hydrodistention. After treatment, the patients were followed up for 4 months, 2.5 months, and 1.5 months, respectively, and all reported satisfactory symptom improvement.

Objective:To analyze the clinical value of translocator protein (TSPO, 18kDa) radiotracer 18F- N, N-diethyl-2-(2-(4-(2-fluoroethoxy)-phenyl)-5, 7-dimethyl-pyrazolo[1, 5-a]pyrimidin-3-yl)-acetamide (DPA-714) PET/MR imaging for precise localization of epileptogenic zone in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods:From December 2022 to October 2023, 24 refractory epilepsy patients (12 males and 12 females, age (27.5±8.1) years) who underwent surgery in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively enrolled. All patients received hybrid 18F-DPA-714 PET/MR before surgery, with the surgical resection site and stereoelectroencephalography recordings of the seizure focus serving as the gold standard. Initial qualitative analysis of the images was performed, followed by semi-quantitative analysis using the ROI method to calculate the asymmetry index (AI) of the proposed epileptogenic zone, assessing the degree of increased abnormal uptake (area with AI>10% was considered as the epileptogenic zone). Follow-up assessment using the Engel classification was conducted at least one year postoperatively. Differences of lesion detection efficiency of conventional MRI and PET/MR were evaluated using McNemar test. Results:Among 24 enrolled patients, 13 cases (54.2%) showed positive findings on conventional MRI, while 21 cases (87.5%) exhibited single or multiple foci of abnormally increased tracer uptake on PET/MR imaging, indicating an improved lesion detection rate ( χ2=4.90, P=0.021). Of the MRI-positive patients, 12/13 also had positive findings on PET/MR, with a localization accuracy of 10/13. Among the MRI-negative patients, 9/11 showed positive PET/MR findings, with a localization accuracy of 6/11. At one year post-surgery, 75.0%(18/24) of patients had a favorable outcome (Engel Ⅰ). Conclusion:18F-DPA-714 PET/MR imaging can accurately locate epileptogenic foci, especially for MRI-negative lesions, providing reliable information for surgical planning to improve postoperative outcomes.

Urinary tract obstruction symptoms as the predominant manifestation of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) are uncommon and can easily be misdiagnosed as bladder neck obstruction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or prostatitis. This article reports three cases of such patients. Case 1 was a 61-year-old male, case 2 was a 53-year-old female, and case 3 was a 26-year-old male. Cases 1 and 2 were initially suspected of having bladder neck obstruction, and both underwent bladder neck incision, which resulted in poor outcomes. Case 3 was initially diagnosed with chronic prostatitis. All three patients were diagnosed with IC/BPS after undergoing bladder hydrodistention therapy. One patient received intravesical botulinum toxin A injection following hydrodistention. After treatment, the patients were followed up for 4 months, 2.5 months, and 1.5 months, respectively, and all reported satisfactory symptom improvement.

Objective:To investigate alterations in static regional homogeneity(ReHo) and dynamic regional homogeneity (dReHo) and glucose metabolism in MRI-negative refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients using resting-state PET-MRI, and to evaluate their efficacy in predicting surgical outcomes.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional design. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 30 patients with MRI-negative refractory TLE (patient group) treated at Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, between 2016 and 2020, and data from 30 healthy controls (control group). All MRI-negative refractory TLE patients underwent surgical treatment and were further divided into a good prognosis subgroup (Engel Class I, 16 cases) and a poor prognosis subgroup (Engel Class Ⅱ-Ⅳ, 14 cases) based on postoperative Engel classification. Analysis of variance was used to compare differences in static ReHo, dReHo, and glucose metabolism(SUVR) among the three groups. The correlation of static ReHo, dReHo, and SUVR values of differential brain regions with Engel grading was analyzed using Spearman. A support vector machine (SVM) model was constructed using the static ReHo, dReHo, and SUVR values from these differential regions to classify and predict patient prognosis. The predictive performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve (AUC).Results:Differential dReHo regions among the good prognosis subgroup, poor prognosis subgroup, and control group were located in the right lateral middle temporal gyrus temporal pole, the right fusiform gyrus, the right insula subfrontal gyrus, the left cuneate lobe, the right medial and paracortical cingulate gyrus, and the right supraparietal gyrus; the differential static ReHo regions were primarily found in the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, the supraparietal gyrus, and the right subfrontal gyrus, the left medial supraparietal gyrus, the left median frontal gyrus, and the right marginal supraparietal gyrus; SUVR differences were in the affected superior, middle and inferior temporal lobes, the internal olfactory cortex and the temporal pole region. dReHo of right middle temporal gyrus temporal pole in patients with MRI-negative TLE showed a positive correlation with Engel classification ( r=0.421, P=0.020). The SVM model based on dReHo combined with SUVR values classified patients with good and poor prognosis with an AUC of 0.825 and an accuracy of 73.3%. Conclusions:In MRI-negative refractory TLE patients, abnormal dReHo regions are predominantly located in the contralateral default mode network areas and are associated with Engel classification. Combined with glucose metabolism values, dReHo can predict postoperative outcomes in MRI-negative TLE patients.

Objective:To evaluate the value of time-of-flight (TOF) combined with point spread function (PSF) reconstruction for the improvement of brain PET images and lesion localization in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).Methods:A retrospective collection of brain 18F-FDG PET imaging data of 52 hospitalized patients with TLE (30 males, 22 females, age: (26.7±7.1) years) and 26 healthy volunteers (14 males, 12 females, age: ( 31.7±6.8) years) from Xuanwu Hospital between 2017 and 2019 was conducted. Images were reconstructed and divided into 4 groups based on different algorithms: ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM), OSEM+ TOF, OSEM+ PSF, and OSEM+ TOF+ PSF. The image quality, clarity, noise, and the clarity of lesion display of all subjects were visually analyzed using a four-point scale. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast, and asymmetry index (AI) of the lesions were calculated. Differences in visual scores, SNR, contrast, and AI among the 4 groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. The ROC curve was used to analyze the efficiency of PET images in localization of epileptogenic foci. Results:The visual score of OSEM+ TOF+ PSF group was the highest (4.0±0.0) among healthy volunteers; compared with OSEM group, OSEM+ TOF+ PSF group showed lower SNR (decreased by 46.6%; the lower the SNR value, the better the image quality) and contrast (increased by 29.8%). Visual assessment of PET images of patients with TLE showed that the scores of OSEM+ TOF+ PSF group , OSEM+ PSF group , OSEM+ TOF group and OSEM group were decreased in order (4.0±0.0 vs 3.4±0.5 vs 2.3±0.4 vs 1.0±0.0; F=884.0, P<0.001); SNRs of those 4 groups were increased in order ((5.2±2.4)% vs (6.2±2.4)% vs (7.9±2.6)% vs (8.9±3.5)%; F=18.82, P<0.001). The contrast and AI of the lesions in 4 groups were as follows: OSEM+ TOF+ PSF (contrast: 0.81±0.03; AI: 0.28±0.05) > OSEM+ TOF (0.74±0.05; 0.23±0.06) > OSEM+ PSF (0.72±0.06; 0.22±0.07) > OSEM (0.64±0.05; 0.19±0.06) ( F values: 107.10, 19.94, both P<0.001). MRI found unilateral hippocampal sclerosis in 32 patients, and the rest 20 patients with TLE were MRI-negative. ROC curve analysis showed that visual analysis and SUV ratio (SUVR) of lesion/contralateral ROI based on OSEM+ TOF+ PSF PET image could localize epileptogenic foci efficiently, with AUC of 0.874 in MRI-positive patients, and AUC of 0.932 in MRI-negative patients. Conclusions:The application of TOF and PSF significantly improves the quality of PET images. The combined use of both techniques yields the best results and aids in the localization of epileptogenic foci in patients with TLE.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze and summarize the clinical experience and therapeutic effect of anterograde Needle-perc combined with RIRS, namely N+ R (Needle perc + RIRS) technique in the treatment of complex calyceal diverticular stone.Methods:Retrospective analysis of 23 cases of complex renal caliceal diverticulum stones admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to December 2022. The complex factors mainly include the invisible cervical orifice of diverticulum, large stone volume, and special anatomical location, which makes single RIRS or PCNL treatment difficult or unsuccessful. There were 14 males and 9 females with an average age of (42.3±6.1) years. Three cases were upper calyceal diverticular stone, average size was (0.9±0.2)cm. Nine patients had diverticular stone in the middle posterior calyx, and the average size was (1.2±0.3)cm. The average size of four diverticular stone was (1.8±0.2)cm in the anterior middle calyx. Seven patients had diverticular stone with an average size of (1.3±0.1)cm in lower calyx. Among them, 12 patients underwent RIRS which were difficult or stone undiscovered, and 3 patients underwent PCNL and the operation was terminated due to failure of channel establishment. In our center, oblique supine lithotomy position (male) or prone split-leg position (female) was adopted, and the combined treatment of Needle-perc and RIRS was performed. Needle-perc puncture was completed under the guidance of full ultrasound. During the operation, methylene blue reagent or mutual guidance of two endoscopes was used to find the diverticulum neck and expand the outlet with holmium laser incision. Depending on the size and location of the stones, a single Needle-perc laser lithotripsy combined with stone removal in flexible ureteroscope was used, or dual lasers were be used simultaneously for stone removal under double endoscopes. The first stage stone free rate, operation time, hemoglobin decrease, complications, postoperative hospital stay and other conditions were analyzed.Results:All the 23 operations were completed successfully. The stone free rate within 48 hours and one month after surgery was 78.2% and 100.0% respectively. The average operation time was (61.5±12.2)min. The mean postoperative hospital stay was (2.8±0.6) days. The mean decrease of hemoglobin was (3.6±0.4)g/L. Three patients had fever and one patient had renal subcapsular effusion. After anti-inflammatory and symptomatic treatment, the patient was discharged. There was no incidence of Clavien-Dindo≥Ⅱcomplications such as blood transfusion, abdominal organ injury or urosepsis.Conclusions:Treatment of complex renal caliceal diverticulum stones using N+ R technique of anterograde needle-perc combined with RIRS can effectively improve the success rate of first-stage surgery. Overall, it is safe, efficient and feasible with the advantages of high stone free rate, lower damage, and few postoperative complications.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate changes in ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) in individuals with arterial stiffness and subclinical atherosclerosis (subAS), and to provide cutoff values. Methods: This retrospective study recruited 231 participants, including 67 patients with subAS. The pulse wave velocity was measured at the beginning and end of systole (PWV-BS and PWVES, respectively) using ultrafast ultrasonography to assess arterial stiffness. The right and left common carotid arteries were measured separately, and laboratory metabolic parameters were also collected. Participants were balanced between groups using propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio, adjusting for age, sex, and waist-to-hip ratio as potential confounders. Cutoff values of ufPWV for monitoring subAS were determined via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: PWV-ES, unlike PWV-BS, was higher in the subAS subgroup than in the subAS-free group after PSM (all P<0.05). For each 1 m/s increase in left, right, and bilateral mean PWV-ES, the risk of subAS increased by 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.46), 26% (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.52), and 38% (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.72), respectively. According to ROC analyses, predictive potential was found for left PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.910 m/s, P=0.002), right PWV-ES (cutoff value=6.615 m/s, P=0.003), and bilateral mean PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.415 m/s, P<0.001), but not for PWV-BS (all P>0.05). Conclusion PWV-ES measured using ultrafast ultrasonography was significantly higher in individuals with subAS than in those without. Specific PWV-ES cutoff values showed potential for predicting an increased risk of subAS.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate changes in ultrafast pulse wave velocity (ufPWV) in individuals with arterial stiffness and subclinical atherosclerosis (subAS), and to provide cutoff values. Methods: This retrospective study recruited 231 participants, including 67 patients with subAS. The pulse wave velocity was measured at the beginning and end of systole (PWV-BS and PWVES, respectively) using ultrafast ultrasonography to assess arterial stiffness. The right and left common carotid arteries were measured separately, and laboratory metabolic parameters were also collected. Participants were balanced between groups using propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio, adjusting for age, sex, and waist-to-hip ratio as potential confounders. Cutoff values of ufPWV for monitoring subAS were determined via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: PWV-ES, unlike PWV-BS, was higher in the subAS subgroup than in the subAS-free group after PSM (all P<0.05). For each 1 m/s increase in left, right, and bilateral mean PWV-ES, the risk of subAS increased by 23% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.46), 26% (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.52), and 38% (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.72), respectively. According to ROC analyses, predictive potential was found for left PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.910 m/s, P=0.002), right PWV-ES (cutoff value=6.615 m/s, P=0.003), and bilateral mean PWV-ES (cutoff value=7.415 m/s, P<0.001), but not for PWV-BS (all P>0.05). Conclusion PWV-ES measured using ultrafast ultrasonography was significantly higher in individuals with subAS than in those without. Specific PWV-ES cutoff values showed potential for predicting an increased risk of subAS.