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Biomedical subjects

G Scialfa

Publications and source records attributed to G Scialfa.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging in Fahr disease.

The calcifications of Fahr disease that are detected by CT in the dentate nuclei of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and white matter of the cerebral hemispheres displayed three patterns with magnetic resonance imaging using the multiple echo technique: (a) cerebellar calcifications were undetected; (b) basal ganglia calcifications displayed low or no signal and appeared as "black" areas in four echoes; and (c) white matter calcifications displayed a high signal in the four echoes and appeared intensely white. The different behavior of the three calcified sites probably reflects different stages of the disease or different metabolic states with predominance of inert calcium deposits in the basal ganglia. In the white matter there is probably a higher concentration of binding proteins and mucopolysaccharides.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR imaging of intradural extramedullary tumors of the cervical spine.

Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in eight patients with extramedullary cervical tumors; two were studied with a 0.15 T resistive system and six with a 0.5 superconductive unit. All tumors were verified surgically: Five meningiomas and three schwannomas were found. Magnetic resonance demonstrated the location and size of the tumors as well as their relationship with and mass effect on the adjacent spinal cord. Meningiomas showed a tendency to have relaxation times close to those of the normal parenchyma; in multiple echo sequences their signal tends to decay in a way similar to that of the spinal cord. The different signal from the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid sometimes provides a visual cleavage to define the extramedullary location of the neoplasm. Schwannomas and neurofibromas have a less constant behavior; their T2 relaxation time may be slightly longer than that of the spinal cord and the tumor may display a more intense signal in the T2 weighted images. Usually, however, the signal intensity of the extramedullary tumors is lower than that of the intramedullary.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and supportive care of metastatic brain cancer.

Brain metastases (BrM) are tumours that originate in tissues outside the central nervous system and spread secondarily to involve mainly the brain. The management of patients with cerebral metastases is complex, costly, and in some instances controversial. Furthermore, even in patients with widespread systemic cancer, the symptoms of the disease are often controllable while the symptoms of the BrM may be disabling. The treatment of BrM is one of the few areas of neuro-oncology where real progress has been made in the last twenty years. Moreover, the costs of managing this disease are rising, as therapies become more intensive and the number of patients with BrM increases. Modern neuroradiological imaging techniques, which are able to discover BrM earlier in the course of systemic cancer, and the greater efficacy of specific treatments, which lengthens survival, have increased the prevalence. The aggressive treatment of BrM may add some benefits to the patient, but its excessive cost leads to the necessity for accurate cost-effectiveness analysis. The latter begins with a complete understanding of the disease: its diagnosis, natural history and results of various modalities of treatment. While the development of BrM usually indicates a poor prognosis for the patient, advances in supportive care have made it possible to reverse most of the neurological symptoms and to give patients a meaningful extension of useful life.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Magnetic resonance in the diagnosis of diseases of the brain and spinal cord].

More than 1300 patients have been examined with MR for diseases of the CNS since October 1983. Eight hundred patients were studied with a resistive 0.15 Tesla system and the remaining with a superconductive 0.5 Tesla system. Lesions of the cervical spinal cord, syringomyelia and intra or extra-axial tumors, were perfectly demonstrated. The absence of artefacts in the posterior fossa, as well as sagittal and coronal slices, allow an excellent demonstration of lesions, particularly of brain stem tumors. In a large group of patients with multiple sclerosis, MR has proven to be diagnostically superior to CT, evoked potentials and CSF examination. Sensitivity is very high but specificity may be low in infra- and supratentorial gliomas. Differentiation of tumor from oedema may be difficult.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Embolization of vascular malformations of the spinal cord.

Twelve patients with vascular malformations of the spinal cord have been treated by embolization at the Neuroradiological Department of the Ospedale Maggiore Niguarda Cà Granda from September 1981 to February 1984. Different materials and techniques have been used, including liophylised dura, Ivalon (PVA) and Isobutyl Cianoacrylate. All types of malformations have been encountered: dural AV fistulae, intramedullary AVMs, intradural extramedullary AV fistulae, extradural AVMs with intradural venous drainage. Nine patients improved following treatment and three remained unchanged. Embolization can be an alternative treatment to surgery and it is the treatment of choice in dural AV fistulae.

Adolescent↗