Search results for " Nuclear Medicine and Imaging"

Differential impact of continuous theta-burst stimulation over left and right DLPFC on planning

2011

Most neuroimaging studies on planning report bilateral activations of the dorsolateral prefron- tal cortex (dlPFC). Recently, these concurrent activations of left and right dlPFC have been shown to dou- ble dissociate with different cognitive demands imposed by the planning task: Higher demands on the extraction of task-relevant information led to stronger activation in left dlPFC, whereas higher demands on the integration of interdependent information into a coherent action sequence entailed stronger activa- tion of right dlPFC. Here, we used continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) to investigate the supposed causal structure-function mapping underlying this double dissociation. Two grou…

Somatostatin-receptor scintigraphy in Graves' disease: reproducibility and variance of orbital activity.

2000

Somatostatin-receptor (SSTR) scintigraphy using the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) technique allows the assessment of orbital inflammation in patients with Graves' disease. Previous studies showed differences in orbital octreotide uptake already 4 hr after injection. In this study, analysis of inter-/intra-observer variance and reproducibility in the evaluation of orbital SPECT images was performed. First, SPECT data of one representative female patient with clinically active Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO), obtained 4 hr after intravenous injection of 110 MBq 111In-pentetreotide and processed by filtered backprojection, were analyzed. Transverse SPECT images were reconstruc…

[18F]5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine-PET for imaging of malignant tumors and for measuring tissue proliferation

2003

The nucleoside 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine is a pyrimidine analogue accumulating in proliferative cells. We prospectively evaluated biodistribution of the PET tracer [(18)F]5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine (FdUrd), its value for imaging malignant tumors, and its correlation to both [(18)F]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG)-PET findings and histological proliferation indices. In 11 previously untreated patients (5 lung carcinoma; 3 soft tissue sarcoma; 2 gastrointestinal carcinoma; 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL]), mean doses of 290 MBq FdUrd and 390 MBq FDG were administered intravenously on subsequent days. Static PET scans were initiated 50-70 min after administration and the mean standardized uptake values (…

A Putatively Functional Haplotype in the Gene Encoding Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 as a Potential Biomarker for Radiosensitivity

2011

Purpose To determine whether genetic variability in TGFB1 is related to circulating transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plasma concentrations after radiotherapy and to radiosensitivity of lymphoid cells. Patients and Methods Transforming growth factor-β1 plasma concentrations ( n = 79) were measured in patients 1 year after radiotherapy and chromosomal aberrations ( n = 71) ex vivo before therapy start. Furthermore, TGF-β1 secretion and apoptosis were measured in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 55 healthy volunteers. These phenotypes were analyzed in relation to five germline polymorphisms in the 5′ region of the TGFB1 gene. Because of high linkage disequilibrium, these fi…

Rectal cancer: mucinous carcinoma on magnetic resonance imaging indicates poor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation.

2010

Purpose To assess response of locally advanced rectal carcinoma to chemoradiation with regard to mucinous status and local tumor invasion found at pretherapeutic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods and Materials A total of 88 patients were included in this prospective study of patients with advanced mrT3 and mrT4 carcinomas. Carcinomas were categorized by MRI as mucinous (mucin proportion >50% within the tumor volume), and as nonmucinous. Patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation consisting of 50.4 Gy (1.8 Gy/fraction) and 5-fluorouracil on Days 1 to 5 and Days 29 to 33. Therapy response was assessed by comparing pretherapeutic MRI with histopathology of surgical specimens (minimum…

Stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy in patients with optic nerve sheath meningioma.

2002

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy (SFRT) in the treatment of optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM). Methods and Materials: Between 1994 and 2000, a total of 39 patients with either primary ( n = 15) or secondary ( n = 24) ONSM were treated with SFRT and received a median total tumor dose of 54 Gy using 1.8 Gy/fraction. Results: The radiographic response to SFRT was documented in all patients as stable disease (no change) except for 1 patient with a partial response. After a median follow-up of 35.5 months, all patients with ONSM were alive without recurrence. The visual fields and visual acuity were improved in 6 of 15 and 1 of 16 exami…

Protective effect of amifostine on dental health after radiotherapy of the head and neck.

2000

Abstract Purpose: The cytoprotective agent amifostine has been shown to reduce the radiation-induced acute and chronic xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not amifostine also reduces the incidence of dental caries associated with the radiation-induced xerostomia. Methods and Materials: The dental status before and 1 year after radiotherapy was retrospectively compared in 35 unselected patients treated as part of the prospective randomized and multicenter open-label Phase III study (WR-38) at the University Hospitals of Heidelberg, Freiburg, and Erlangen. The WR-38 study compared radiotherapy in head and neck cancer with and witho…

Clinical application of a new rheolytic thrombectomy catheter system for massive pulmonary embolism

1999

Quantitative assessment of aortic stenosis by three-dimensional echocardiography

1997

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of three-dimensional echocardiography in aortic stenosis. Planimetric determination of valve area and dynamic volume-rendered display were performed. Three-dimensional echocardiography permits display of any desired plane of the cardiac structure. Thus in the case of aortic stenosis, the plane used for planimetric evaluation can be positioned exactly through the valve orifice. Dynamic volume-rendered display may provide a spatial demonstration of the stenotic valve. In 48 patients aortic valve area was measured by planimetry. The three-dimensional data set was acquired by a workstation in the course of a multiplane transesophageal exam…

Volume flow in the common carotid artery does not decrease postprandially.

2003

Background and Purpose. A commonplace explanation for postprandial fatigue is the assumption of the redistribution of perfusion from the cerebral to the mesenterial territory. However, this assumption has never been scientifically proven. Methods. Because approximately 70% of the blood flow in the common carotid artery (CCA) is directed to the internal carotid artery, this vessel can be seen as a major brain-supplying artery. Flow volume in the CCA can be measured by color M-mode duplex sonography. The authors investigated the flow volume rate in 20 healthy volunteers before and after the intake of a high-energy meal. Heart rate, blood pressure, and expiratory CO2 were also measured at both…