Background: and Purpose Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute posterior circulation tandem lesion (PCTL). This study aimed to explore the role of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) stenting in patients with PCTL stroke undergoing EVT. Methods: Individual patient data were pooled from the BASILAR (EVT for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study) and PERSIST (Posterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke) registries. Patients with PCTLs who underwent EVT were included in the present cohort and divided into the stenting and nonstenting groups based on the placement of extracranial VA stents. The primary efficacy outcome was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days and 1 year. Safety outcomes included 24-hour symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and all-cause mortality at 90 days and 1 year post-surgery. Results: A combined dataset of 1,320 patients with posterior circulation artery occlusion, including 263 (19.9%) with tandem lesions, of whom 217 (median age, 65 years; 82.9% male) met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The stenting group had 84 (38.7%) patients, while the non-stenting group had 133 (61.3%). After adjustment for the potential confounders, extracranial VA stenting was associated with favorable shifts in mRS scores at both 90 days (adjusted common odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–4.28; P<0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR [aOR], 2.04; 95% CI [1.05–3.97]; P=0.04), along with lower rate of mortality at both 90 days (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI [0.21–0.93]; P=0.01) and 1 year (aOR, 0.36; 95% CI [0.16–0.79]; P=0.01), with no significant difference in sICH incidence (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI [0.06–1.98]; P=0.24). Conclusion Extracranial VA stenting during EVT may improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality in patients with PCTL strokes.

Background: and Purpose Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute posterior circulation tandem lesion (PCTL). This study aimed to explore the role of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) stenting in patients with PCTL stroke undergoing EVT. Methods: Individual patient data were pooled from the BASILAR (EVT for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study) and PERSIST (Posterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke) registries. Patients with PCTLs who underwent EVT were included in the present cohort and divided into the stenting and nonstenting groups based on the placement of extracranial VA stents. The primary efficacy outcome was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days and 1 year. Safety outcomes included 24-hour symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and all-cause mortality at 90 days and 1 year post-surgery. Results: A combined dataset of 1,320 patients with posterior circulation artery occlusion, including 263 (19.9%) with tandem lesions, of whom 217 (median age, 65 years; 82.9% male) met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The stenting group had 84 (38.7%) patients, while the non-stenting group had 133 (61.3%). After adjustment for the potential confounders, extracranial VA stenting was associated with favorable shifts in mRS scores at both 90 days (adjusted common odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–4.28; P<0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR [aOR], 2.04; 95% CI [1.05–3.97]; P=0.04), along with lower rate of mortality at both 90 days (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI [0.21–0.93]; P=0.01) and 1 year (aOR, 0.36; 95% CI [0.16–0.79]; P=0.01), with no significant difference in sICH incidence (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI [0.06–1.98]; P=0.24). Conclusion Extracranial VA stenting during EVT may improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality in patients with PCTL strokes.

Background: and Purpose Limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute posterior circulation tandem lesion (PCTL). This study aimed to explore the role of extracranial vertebral artery (VA) stenting in patients with PCTL stroke undergoing EVT. Methods: Individual patient data were pooled from the BASILAR (EVT for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study) and PERSIST (Posterior Circulation Ischemic Stroke) registries. Patients with PCTLs who underwent EVT were included in the present cohort and divided into the stenting and nonstenting groups based on the placement of extracranial VA stents. The primary efficacy outcome was the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 90 days and 1 year. Safety outcomes included 24-hour symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and all-cause mortality at 90 days and 1 year post-surgery. Results: A combined dataset of 1,320 patients with posterior circulation artery occlusion, including 263 (19.9%) with tandem lesions, of whom 217 (median age, 65 years; 82.9% male) met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The stenting group had 84 (38.7%) patients, while the non-stenting group had 133 (61.3%). After adjustment for the potential confounders, extracranial VA stenting was associated with favorable shifts in mRS scores at both 90 days (adjusted common odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–4.28; P<0.01) and 1 year (adjusted OR [aOR], 2.04; 95% CI [1.05–3.97]; P=0.04), along with lower rate of mortality at both 90 days (aOR, 0.45; 95% CI [0.21–0.93]; P=0.01) and 1 year (aOR, 0.36; 95% CI [0.16–0.79]; P=0.01), with no significant difference in sICH incidence (aOR, 0.35; 95% CI [0.06–1.98]; P=0.24). Conclusion Extracranial VA stenting during EVT may improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality in patients with PCTL strokes.

Objective To explore the application value of multidetector computed tomography(MDCT),computed tomography cholangiography(CTC)and computed tomography angiography(CTA)reconstruction technology in the diagnosis and classification and the evaluation of the efficacy of biliary drainage in advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma(HCCA).Methods A total of 44 patients of inoperable advanced HCCA were collected.Conventional CT plain scan and enhanced multi-phase scan were performed before treat-ment.Minimum intensity projection(MinIP)combined with curve planar reformation(CPR)was used to perform CTC.CTA of the portal vein,hepatic artery and hepatic vein were performed by maximum intensity projection(MIP),volume rendering(VR)or CPR,respectively.CT was reexamined after biliary drainage treatment.The study included the comparison between reconstruction technology of CTC and CTA and conventional CT scanning technology,CTC in the classification and diagnosis of HCCA,CTA in the evaluation of vascular invasion,and the evaluation of the effect of jaundice drainage by biliary imaging before and after biliary drain-age treatment.Results All HCCA cases obtained clear location diagnosis,including 39 cases of Bismuth-Corlette type Ⅳ and 5 cases of type Ⅲ.There were 40 cases of hepatic vascular involvement,including 15 cases of bilateral portal vein invasion by tumor,12 cases of portal vein constriction,8 cases of portal vein tumor thrombosis,4 cases of bilateral hepatic arteries involvement,and 1 case of hepatic vein involvement.CTC and CTA could better display a full view of the bile duct and blood vessel than conventional CT scanning ima-ges,and provided more accurate analysis of tumor classification and degree of vascular invasion.Before treatment,CT showed severe dila-tion of bile duct in 21 cases and moderate dilation in 20 cases,severe dilation of the intrahepatic bile duct in the left lobe but mild dilation of the intrahepatic bile duct in the right lobe in 3 cases.After drainage treatment,the contraction rate of intrahepatic bile duct dilation was＜25％in 4 cases,25％to 49％in 13 cases,50％to 74％in 18 cases,and ≥75％in 9 cases.The bile duct contraction rate was positively correlated with the decrease in total bilirubin(TBIL).Conclusion MDCT,CTC and CT A reconstruction technology can well complete the diagnosis of advanced HCCA,Bismuth-Corlette typing,and vascular evaluation.Observing the contraction rate of the intrahepatic bile duct after biliary drainage treatment can evaluate the efficacy of jaundice drainage.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of some measured values of CT for nutcracker syndrome(NCS).Methods 28 patients with NCS confirmed by clinical diagnosis and other 81 normal controls were enrolled in the study.The angle between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta,and the diameter and the area of left renal vein before/within this angle were measured on enhanced CT and MPR reconstruction images.The ratios of the diameter and the area before the angle to those within the angle were calculated.ROC curve was established to calculate the cut-off value and to evaluate the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of these parameters.Results In patient group,the mean aortomesenteric angle was 22.4°± 7.16°,mean diameter ratio was 5.10 ± 1.76 and the mean area ratio was 4.07 ± 2.10.In control group,the mean aortomesenteric angle was 61.32°± 22.82°,mean diameter ratio was 1.38 ± 0.40 and mean area ratio was 1.29 ± 0.49.The area under the ROC of the aortomesenteric angle,and the diameter ratio and area ratio were 0.979,1.000 and 0.989 respectively with corresponding cut-off values of 32.5°,2.63 and 2.06,sensitivity of 92.8%,100% and 96.4%,specificity of 95.1%,100% and 92.6%,positive predictive value of 86.7%, 100% and 81.8%,and negative predictive value of 97.5%,100% and 98.7%,respectively.Conclusion The aortomesenteric angle, the diameter and area ratios of left renal vein before/within the aortomesenteric angle have significant diagnostic value in the patients with NCS,and the value of diameter ratio is the highest.

Objective To identify the 2- year recurrence- related factors in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) after treatment of low-dose tacrolimus. Methods The clinical data of 100 MG patients treated with low- dose tacrolimus from February 2011 to February 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were followed up at least 2 years, and the risk factors affecting the recurrence of MG patients were analyzed. Results At the end of follow-up, there were 49 cases who had recurrence, and the recurrence rate was 44.5％ (49 / 110). Logistic regression analysis result showed that reducing dosage or withdrawal, MG crisis and diabetes mellitus were the independent risk factors for recurrence of MG patients (OR = 134.113, 8.850 and 6.652; P < 0.01 or <0.05). Conclusions The rate of recurrence with low- dose tacrolimus treatment in patients with MG during 2 years is higher. Reducing dosage or withdrawal should be avoided, especially in patients with a history of MG crisis. Patients with diabetics mellitus need to control blood glucose stability to avoid recurrence.

Objective: To explore the value of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine (Gd-EOB-DTPA) enhanced MRI T₁ mapping in diagnosing and distinguishing dysplastic nodule (DN) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with different degrees of differentiation. Methods: A retrospective study in the first affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from September 2015 to December 2017 was conducted. Seventy-one patients with HCC or DN (a total of 79 lesions) that confirmed by biopsy or surgical pathology findings. Seventy-nine lesions were divided into DN (n=10), well differentiated HCC (n=15), moderately differentiated HCC (n=36) and poorly differentiated HCC (n=18) according to histopathology. All the patients underwent plain MRI scan and Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI T₁ mapping before surgery or needle biopsy. The T₁ values of each lesion and non-tumorous liver parenchyma were measured on 20 min hepatobiliary phase (HBP) T₁ mapping after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration, respectively. The increment rate of T₁ value in lesions relative to non-tumorous liver parenchyma were calculated. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the differences of T₁ value and the increment rate of T₁ value of DN and 3 groups of HCC with different degrees of differentiation. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between T₁ mapping parameters and the malignancy degree of DN and HCC. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of T₁ mapping parameters in the differential diagnosis of DN and HCC with different degree of differentiation. Results: Significant differences were found in T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value of DN and HCC with different degrees of differentiation (P< 0.05). The T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value showed an increasing trend from DN to poorly differentiated HCC after enhancement. The T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value were positively correlated with the malignancy of DN and HCC (r=0.418 and 0.634, P<0.01). There were significant differences in the increase rate of T₁ value between well-differentiated HCC and moderately-differentiated, well-differentiated HCC and poorly-differentiated HCC, respectively (P<0.05). The area under ROC curve of T₁ value and the increase rate of T₁ value for differentiating DN from well-differentiated, moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated HCC was 0.933, 0.928, 0.939 and 0.867, 0.961, 0.961, respectively. The area under ROC curve of the increase rate of T₁ value for differentiating well-differentiated HCC from moderately-differentiated, well-differentiated HCC from poorly-differentiated HCC was 0.770 and 0.844, respectively. Conclusions Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI combined with T₁ mapping can provide valuable diagnostic information for identifying DN and HCC with different degrees of differentiation.

Objective To explore the value of MRI T2*quantification of visceral iron deposition in patients with β-thalassemia major. Methods A total of one hundred and two patients with β-thalassemia major were retrospectively analyzed. They underwent genetic testing and the cardiac and (or) abdominal MRI scanning. Among them, 47 patients underwent splenectomy operation, 95 patients underwent cardiac MRI scanning, 102 underwent abdominal MRI scanning for their livers, pancreases and kidneys, and 55 underwent splenic MRI scanning. The T2* values of the hearts, livers, pancreases and kidneys were measured, meanwhile the liver iron concentrations (LIC) were measured. The levels of serum ferritin (SF) patients were measured in 81 patients. The Spearman rank correlation was employed to analyze the relationship between SF, LIC, age and each organs T2* values. Independent sample t test (normal distribution) or the Mann- Whitney U test (non-normal distribution) were used to compare the hepatic, cardiac, renal and splenic T2* values differences between patients with splenectomy and those without. Results Serum ferritin were highly positively correlated with LIC, moderately correlatied with age, moderately negatively correlated with hepatic and pancreatic T2* values, with r values of 0.833, 0.537,-0.623 and -0.403, respectively (P<0.05). There was significantly negative correlation between hepatic T2*value and LIC (r=-0.925, P<0.01). There were moderately correlations between hepatic and splenic T2*values (r=0.634, P<0.01), hepatic and pancreatic T2*values (r=0.530, P<0.01). However, those T2*values of other organs had no correlation (P>0.05). The hepatic and pancreatic T2*values were reduced (P<0.05), the renal T2* value was increased (P<0.05) in the patients with splenectomy. The cardiac T2* value was not statistically different (P>0.05). Conclusions The patients with β-thalassemia major have prone to suffer from excessive iron deposition in the heart and abdominal organs. The technology of MRI quantification of T2*values could reflect the body iron overload.

Objective Study the apply of diffusional kurtosis imaging(DKI) value to assess liver cancer and tumoral cell invasion of peritumoral liver zone. Methods This research belonging to prospective study which included 24 patients with liver cancer and confirmed by clinical history and imaging features(liver cancer group), 10 healthy volunteers as control group. The liver cancer group underwent MRI plain and contrast enhanced scan, and DKI examination, while control group underwent MRI plain scan and DKI scan. The signal features of liver parenchyma and liver cancer lesion could be observed from the routine MRI and DKI. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), axial diffusivity (Da), radial diffusivity (Dr), fractional anisotropy kurtosis (Fak), mean kurtosis (MK), kurtosis anisotropy (Ka) and radial kurtosis (Kr) value of four groups, the distant liver parenchyma(far away from the tumor>2 cm), peritumoral liver parenchyma(the distance≤2 cm around the tumor) and liver cancer were recorded. The differences of DKI parameters were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results The signal of liver cancer in MR plain scan showed mild long T1 and mild long T2 signal, fast in and fast out enhanced feature of the neoplasms could be observed from the enhanced MRI and signal of liver cancer would not lower in DKI with b value up to top. The difference of DKI parameters including FA, MD, Da, Dr and Ka value had statistical significance in these four groups excepted for MK and Kr value. MD, Da and Dr value of normal parenchyma were higher than that of peritumoral parenchyma and liver cancer,while the Ka value was reverse. The differences of MD, Da, Dr and Ka value only had no statistical significance between the distant liver parenchyma and peritumoral liver parenchyma(P>0.05),and the differences of them had statistical significance among the rest group(P<0.05). Conclusion The DKI quantitative parameters can reflect the differences of different tissue, meaning that they can provide molecular imaging information for evaluating liver cancer and peritumoral zone.

Objective To investigate the value of high-resolution 3.0T MR in the assessment of local infiltration of preoperative rectal cancer.Methods A total of 168 patients pathologically proved rectal cancer underwent both conventional pelvic and rectal high-resolution before operation, and the imaging findings were reviewed retrospectively.The accuracy of preoperative high-resolution 3.0T MR in prediction of pathological staging was assessed,and the characteristic imaging features of local infiltration in preoperative rectal cancer were discussed.Results The relationship between circumference invasion of colorectal cancer and the pathological T staging was moderately positive (rs=0.530,P=0.003).Compared the staging of colorectal cancer on MRI with pathologic T staging,the overall diagnostic accuracy was 84.52%,and there was a stronger correlation between MRI findings and pathological staging (rs=0.837,P=0.001).The best single parameters for diagnosing T3 stage rectal cancer on MRI were nodular convex of the tumor and muscular signal interruption,with 91.1% specificity and 89.7% sensitively respectively.And the best combination of parameters was the cord appearence of intestinal wall and muscular signal interruption,with 89.3% specificity and 78.0% sensitively respectively.Conclusion High-resolution 3.0T MR can be preferable to evaluating local infiltration of rectal cancer, showing a higher clinical value to asseee T staging of preoperative rectal cancer.