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Biomedical subjects

K K Kwong

Publications and source records attributed to K K Kwong.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of human brain activity during primary sensory stimulation.

Neuronal activity causes local changes in cerebral blood flow, blood volume, and blood oxygenation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques sensitive to changes in cerebral blood flow and blood oxygenation were developed by high-speed echo planar imaging. These techniques were used to obtain completely noninvasive tomographic maps of human brain activity, by using visual and motor stimulus paradigms. Changes in blood oxygenation were detected by using a gradient echo (GE) imaging sequence sensitive to the paramagnetic state of deoxygenated hemoglobin. Blood flow changes were evaluated by a spin-echo inversion recovery (IR), tissue relaxation parameter T1-sensitive pulse sequence. A series of images were acquired continuously with the same imaging pulse sequence (either GE or IR) during task activation. Cine display of subtraction images (activated minus baseline) directly demonstrates activity-induced changes in brain MR signal observed at a temporal resolution of seconds. During 8-Hz patterned-flash photic stimulation, a significant increase in signal intensity (paired t test; P less than 0.001) of 1.8% +/- 0.8% (GE) and 1.8% +/- 0.9% (IR) was observed in the primary visual cortex (V1) of seven normal volunteers. The mean rise-time constant of the signal change was 4.4 +/- 2.2 s for the GE images and 8.9 +/- 2.8 s for the IR images. The stimulation frequency dependence of visual activation agrees with previous positron emission tomography observations, with the largest MR signal response occurring at 8 Hz. Similar signal changes were observed within the human primary motor cortex (M1) during a hand squeezing task and in animal models of increased blood flow by hypercapnia. By using intrinsic blood-tissue contrast, functional MRI opens a spatial-temporal window onto individual brain physiology.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Visualization of water movement in the living rabbit eye.

Water enriched with the stable isotope 17O (H2(17)O) shortens the transverse relaxation time (T2) of protons in water and can therefore be used as the contrast agent for proton magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. This agent can be given topically or intravenously to demonstrate water movement in the eye. Topical H2(17)O (0.05-0.1 ml/eye, 10% enrichment) entered the anterior chamber within 5 min and dissipated from the chamber in a single-exponential fashion (flow-rate constant k = 0.1 min-1), principally due to an exchange with the iridic circulation. No H2(17)O was detected in the vitreous. Intravenous administration of H2(17)O (1 ml/kg, 10% enrichment) resulted in rapid entry (less than 20 min) of the agent into the aqueous chamber. Again, no H2(17)O was detected in the vitreous. The lens region, on the other hand, showed an increase in image intensity with time that reached a plateau after 40 min. Although these findings are preliminary, acetazolamide (20 mg/kg injected intravenously) appeared to affect iridic circulation, possibly through vasoconstriction. Potential application of this H2(17)O-enhanced MR imaging technique is discussed.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1992

Magnetic resonance microscopy of rabbit eyes.

Magnetic resonance (MR) micro-imaging was performed on enucleated eyes from rabbits previously injected with perfluoropropane gas (C3F8), with or without the surgical creation of retinal detachment. Condensed vitreous, which exhibited shortened longitudinal relaxation time (T1), could be differentiated with proton-density and T1-weighted imaging. Gradient-echo imaging could in addition detect vitreo-retinal tractions. The detached retina itself was also seen. Further, proton-density but not T1-weighted imaging showed lens opacities appearing as high-intensity regions. MR microscopy is a convenient method for gross morphological examination of intact eyes.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Magnetic resonance imaging mapping of brain function. Human visual cortex.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of human brain activity are described. Task-induced changes in brain cognitive state were measured using high-speed MRI techniques sensitive to changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV), blood flow (CBF), and blood oxygenation. These techniques were used to generate the first functional MRI maps of human task activation, by using a visual stimulus paradigm. The methodology of MRI brain mapping and results from the investigation of the functional organization and frequency response of human primary visual cortex (V1) are presented.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1992

Shape of the myopic eye as seen with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging.

We have obtained multislice magnetic resonance (MR) images of the eye and calculated ocular dimensions along the three cardinal axes: antero-posterior (A-P), equatorial, and vertical. We found no difference in the shape of hyperopic (average refractive error: +3.72 D) and emmetropic eyes, both of which had an equatorial diameter longer than the A-P and vertical diameters. Myopic eyes (average refractive error: -6.54 D) were larger than hyperopic eyes, and most had the same spheroelliptical shape as that of the emmetropic and hyperopic eyes. The results suggest that during myopic progression an overall enlargement or a radial volume expansion has occurred.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Comparison between B-scan ultrasound and MRI in the detection of diabetic vitreous hemorrhage.

The efficacy of proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was evaluated and compared with that of B-scan ultrasound in the detection and differentiation of diabetic vitreous hemorrhage. Although conventional spin-echo MRI could not locate vitreous hemorrhages, gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) MRI readily did so. The aberrant signals appeared to originate from the interfacing between hemorrhages and the vitreous, and possibly also from the paramagnetic effect of the ferrous ion. The information provided by boundary/susceptibility detection, unique to the GRE sequence, is useful in delineating the extent of vitreous hemorrhage and hemolysis. However, for the diagnosis and follow up of diabetic vitreous hemorrhages, MRI appears no more informative than B-scan ultrasonography.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

GdDTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the aqueous flow in the rabbit eye.

Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid complex (GdDTPA) as the contrast agent was used to image the aqueous chamber of the eye. This method, in addition to providing spatial information, permits quantitative study of the aqueous flow. GdDTPA solution was applied either topically or intravenously, entering the anterior chamber via different pathways. The wash-in and wash-out of GdDTPA follow a two-compartment model which enables determination of the aqueous flow rate by multiplying the aqueous chamber volume by the wash-out rate constant. Rabbit eyes showed a flow rate of 1.5-2 microliters/min which was retarded by the systemic administration of acetazolamide (Diamox).

Acetazolamide↗
PubMed1991

Contrast agents and cerebral hemodynamics.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of regional cerebral hemodynamics is discussed. Techniques for measuring cerebral blood volume (CBV) have been validated in animal models and have recently been applied to human studies. Factors affecting CBV measurement in pathologic tissue are addressed. Extension of these techniques to the measurement of cerebral blood flow is presented.

Blood Volume↗
PubMed1991

Proton NMR imaging of cerebral blood flow using H2(17)O.

Cerebral blood flow was quantitatively mapped by monitoring the cerebral washout of H2(17)O using rapid, single-shot proton NMR imaging. H2(17)O acts as a freely diffusible contrast agent for proton imaging via its scalar-coupled term, enhancing T2 relaxation. Measured values for CBF ranged from 29 to 106 ml/min/100 g over a range of arterial pCO2 between 23 and 81 Torr.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Measurement of water movement in the rabbit eye in vivo using H2(17)O.

Topically applied (eyedrop) H2(17)O (10% enrichment) was used in magnetic resonance studies to quantify intraocular water dispersion in vivo. The rate of H2(17)O removed from the aqueous chamber is in the order of 0.1 ml/min/ml of tissue. Similar results are obtained with either proton imaging or 17O spectroscopy. Parallel experiments of direct injection of H2(17)O into the aqueous chamber supported the topical data. Proton MR imaging of H2(17)O dissipation from the aqueous chamber with clinical imagers, coupled with eyedrop application, suggests clinical possibilities.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Water movement in the rabbit eye.

The intraocular distribution of topically applied D2O was quantified using deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. D2O appeared in all tissues with the highest concentration in the aqueous humor (1.2 M); however, it rapidly dissipated from the eye. Surface coil NMR spectroscopy on D2O-treated eyes in vivo showed that the flow pattern was best described by a single exponential decay plus a constant. This suggests that the D2O flow consisted of a flow component representing vascular circulation (with a flow rate constant of 0.101 min-1), and a reservoir-like component. Topical D2O in conjunction with the surface-coil NMR technique can be used to examine the movement of water in the anterior segment of the living eye.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Magnetic resonance imaging of intraocular tamponades.

The efficacy of proton magnetic resonance imaging in differentiating vitreous from C3F8 gas and silicone oil tamponades, and in detecting fresh hemorrhages and condensed vitreous was tested in rabbits in vivo. The results suggest that this imaging method could provide a useful alternative to ultrasonography, especially in eyes with opaque media.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dynamic signal intensity changes in liver with superparamagnetic MR contrast agents.

The dynamic effects of three different superparamagnetic magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents on liver signal were evaluated with an echo-planar imaging technique. The contrast agents were (a) USPIO (ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide), which has a long blood half-life and was developed for MR imaging of lymph nodes and bone marrow; (b) AG (arabinogalactan)-USPIO, an asialoglycoprotein receptor--directed iron oxide with hepatocyte uptake; and (c) AMI-25, a conventional reticuloendothelial iron oxide agent. Dynamic liver signal intensity (SI) curves reflect different uptake mechanisms for the different agents. Receptor blocking experiments indicate that intracellular redistribution or clustering of the AG-USPIO (known to occur from electron microscopy studies) does not contribute to the decrease in liver SI. Monitoring liver SI over time with echo-planar imaging may provide a better understanding of the kinetics of the growing number of MR contrast agents and allow optimization of imaging protocols to exploit peak enhancement.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR diffusion imaging of the human brain.

Magnetic resonance diffusion imaging reflects the water mobility at each point in a tomographic image. We have studied brain water diffusion in 18 normal volunteers to identify the different factors that can influence diffusion measurements in vivo. Our results show that both the measurement accuracy and the measured diffusion coefficient strongly depend on the experimental parameters, in particular, echo and diffusion time, cardiac gating, and diffusion encoding gradient direction.

Body Water↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR diffusion imaging of cerebral infarction in humans.

PURPOSE: MR diffusion imaging was performed to investigate changes in water diffusion in patients with cerebral infarction. METHODS: Diffusion maps of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were created to show local water mobility in the brain tissue in 15 patients. These ADC maps were compared with conventional T2-weighted images. RESULTS: Distinct subregions with different water diffusions were detected, even when the infarcted area appeared homogeneous on a T2-weighted image. The results also show that stroke lesions of the same age can have very different water diffusions. A trend towards an increasing diffusion coefficient in a lesion during the first several days following an acute event was observed in a group of patients imaged at multiple timepoints. CONCLUSION: The measurement of diffusion coefficients in vivo now offers an opportunity for greater understanding of the biophysical changes that occur during the evolution of infarction in humans.

Adult↗