Biomedical subjects

Alexander C Guo

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander C Guo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Peritumoral brain regions in gliomas and meningiomas: investigation with isotropic diffusion-weighted MR imaging and diffusion-tensor MR imaging.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively measure the diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging characteristics of peritumoral hyperintense white matter (WM) and peritumoral normal-appearing WM, as seen on T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images of infiltrative high-grade gliomas and meningiomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with biopsy-proved glioma and nine patients with imaging findings consistent with meningioma and an adjacent hyperintense region on T2-weighted MR images were examined with DW and diffusion-tensor MR imaging. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were measured on maps generated from isotropic DW images of enhancing tumor, hyperintense regions adjacent to enhancing tumor, normal-appearing WM adjacent to hyperintense regions, and analogous locations in the contralateral WM corresponding to these areas. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in similar locations on maps generated from diffusion-tensor imaging data. Changes in ADC and FA in each type of tissue were compared across tumor types by using a two-sample t test. P <.05 indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: Mean ADCs in peritumoral hyperintense regions were 1.309 x 10(-3) mm2/sec (mean percentage of 181% of normal WM) for gliomas and 1.427 x 10(-3) mm2/sec (192% of normal value) for meningiomas (no significant difference). Mean ADCs in peritumoral normal-appearing WM were 0.723 x 10(-3) mm2/sec (106% of normal value) for gliomas and 0.743 x 10(-3) mm2/sec (102% of normal value) for meningiomas (no significant difference). Mean FA values in peritumoral hyperintense regions were 0.178 (43% of normal WM value) for gliomas and 0.224 (65% of normal value) for meningiomas (P =.05). Mean FA values for peritumoral normal-appearing WM were 0.375 (83% of normal value) for gliomas and 0.404 (100% of normal value) for meningiomas (P =.01). CONCLUSION: The difference in FA decreases in peritumoral normal-appearing WM between gliomas and meningiomas was significant, and the difference in FA decreases in peritumoral hyperintense regions between these tumors approached but did not reach significance. These findings may indicate a role for diffusion MR imaging in the detection of tumoral infiltration that is not visible on conventional MR images.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Multiple sclerosis: diffusion tensor MR imaging for evaluation of normal-appearing white matter.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) regions surrounding and remote from multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques have abnormal diffusional anisotropy and to compare anisotropy maps with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps for sensitivity in the detection of white matter (WM) abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations were performed in 26 patients with MS and in 26 age-matched control subjects. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and ADC maps were generated and coregistered with T2-weighted MR images. Uniform regions of interest were placed on plaques, periplaque white matter (PWM) regions, NAWM regions in the contralateral side of the brain, and WM regions in control subjects to obtain FA and ADC values, which were compared across the WM regions. RESULTS: The mean FA was 0.280 for plaques, 0.383 for PWM, 0.493 for NAWM, and 0.537 for control subject WM. The mean ADC was 1.025 x 10(-3) mm(2)/sec for plaques, 0.786 x 10(-3) mm(2)/sec for PWM, 0.739 x 10(-3) mm(2)/sec for NAWM, and 0.726 x 10(-3) mm(2)/sec for control subject WM. Significant differences in anisotropy and ADC values were observed among all WM regions (P <.001 for all comparisons, except ADC in NAWM vs control subject WM [P =.018]). CONCLUSION: The anisotropy and ADC values were abnormal in all WM regions in the patients with MS and were worse in the periplaque regions than in the distant regions. Diffusion tensor MR imaging may be more accurate than T2-weighted MR imaging for assessment of disease burden.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Lymphomas and high-grade astrocytomas: comparison of water diffusibility and histologic characteristics.

PURPOSE: To determine if water diffusivity within lymphomas and high-grade astrocytomas correlates with cellularity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Echo-planar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images obtained in 11 patients with brain lymphomas (19 lesions) and in 17 patients with astrocytomas (19 lesions) were retrospectively reviewed. Regions of interest were drawn on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps in enhancing tumor. ADC values were normalized by dividing ADC values of tumors by those of normal-appearing regions and expressing the quotient as a ratio. Histologic samples from 11 patients with astrocytomas (11 lesions) and seven patients with lymphoma (seven lesions) were reviewed. Cellularity was measured by calculating the percentage of nuclear area and the percentage of cytoplasmic area and expressing the results as the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio. The ADC and N/C ratios of both tumor types were compared by using a two-tailed t test. RESULTS: Mean ADC ratio of lymphomas was 1.15 (SD, 0.33; standard error of the mean [SEM], 0.10), and that of high-grade astrocytomas was 1.68 (SD, 0.48; SEM, 0.11) (P <.01). Mean N/C ratio of lymphoma was 1.45 (SD, 0.94; SEM, 0.36), and that of high-grade astrocytomas was 0.24 (SD, 0.18; SEM, 0.05) (P <.01). CONCLUSION: Measurements of water diffusivity and cellularity suggest that higher cellularity contributes to more restricted diffusion.

Adult↗