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Purpose: To assess the utility of texture analysis of T1 and T2 maps for the detection of hepatic fibrosis in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis.Materials and Methods: Following Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval, a dietary model of hepatic fibrosis was used and 15 ex vivo murine livers were examined. Images were acquired using a 30 mm bore 11.7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner with a rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence. Texture analysis was then employed, extracting texture features including histogram-based, gray-level co-occurrence matrix-based (GLCM), gray-level run-length-based features (GLRL), gray-level gradient matrix (GLGM), and Laws' features. Areas under the curve (AUCs) were then calculated to determine the ability of texture features to detect hepatic fibrosis.Results: Texture analysis of T1 maps identified very good to excellent discriminators of hepatic fibrosis within the histogram and GLGM categories. Histogram feature interquartile range (IQR) achieved an AUC value of 0.90 (P < 0.0001) and GLGM feature variance gradient achieved an AUC of 0.91 (P < 0.0001). Texture analysis of T2 maps identified very good to excellent discriminators of hepatic fibrosis within the histogram, GLCM, GLRL, and GLGM categories. GLGM feature kurtosis was the best discriminator of hepatic fibrosis, achieving an AUC value of 0.90 (P < 0.0001).Conclusion: This study demonstrates the utility of texture analysis for the detection of hepatic fibrosis when applied to T1 and T2 maps in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis and validates the potential use of this technique for the noninvasive, quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis.Level Of Evidence: 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:250-259. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbo spin echo (TSE) pulse sequences have been applied to estimate T2 relaxation times in clinically feasible scan times. However, T2 estimations using TSE pulse sequences has been shown to differ considerable from reference standard sequences due to several sources of error. The purpose of this work was to apply voxel-sensitivity formalism to correct for one such source of error introduced by differing phase encoding profile orders with dual-echo TSE pulse sequences. The American College of Radiology phantom and the brains of two healthy volunteers were imaged using dual-echo TSE as well as 32-echo spin-echo acquisitions and T2 estimations from uncorrected and voxel-sensitivity formalism-corrected dual-echo TSE and 32-echo acquisitions were compared. In all regions of the brain and the majority of the analyses of the American College of Radiology phantom, voxel-sensitivity formalism correction resulted in considerable improvements in dual-echo TSE T2 estimation compared with the 32-echo acquisition, with improvements in T2 value accuracy ranging from 5.2% to 18.6%. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects of hepatic fibrosis on the multiexponential T2 (MET2) relaxation of ex vivo murine liver specimens using an 11.7 T MRI. This animal study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Eighteen male C57BL/6 mice were divided into control ( n = 3) and experimental ( n = 15) groups; the latter group was fed a 3,5-dicarbethoxy-1,4-dihydrocollidine-supplemented diet to induce hepatic fibrosis. Ex vivo liver specimens were imaged using an 11.7 T MRI scanner. A multi-echo spin-echo sequence was utilized for subsequent MET2 analysis. Degrees of fibrosis were determined by a pathologist, as well as by digital image analysis. Scatterplot graphs comparing various features of the MET2 signal decay with the degrees of fibrosis were generated, and correlation coefficients were calculated. Two distinct peaks of the MET2 signal decay were identified in all liver specimens: a short T2 component with a geometric mean T2 (GMT2) approximating 30 ms; and a long T2 component with GMT2 approximating 400 ms. Strong correlation was found between the degree of hepatic fibrosis and the amplitude of the short T2 component, with a higher degrees of fibrosis associated with a lower amplitude. Moderate correlation was also found between hepatic fibrosis and the GMT2 values of the long T2 component, with higher degrees of fibrosis associated with lower GMT2 values. The study of hepatic microenvironments using MET2 analyses offers potential utility in the ongoing development of the noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis using MRI. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of hepatic fibrosis on ADC and T2 values of ex vivo murine liver specimens imaged using 11.7 Tesla (T) MRI. Materials and Methods: This animal study was IACUC approved. Seventeen male, C57BL/6 mice were divided into control (n = 2) and experimental groups (n = 15), the latter fed a 3, 5-dicarbethoxy-1, 4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) supplemented diet, inducing hepatic fibrosis. Ex vivo liver specimens were imaged using an 11.7T MRI scanner. Spin-echo pulsed field gradient and multi-echo spin-echo acquisitions were used to generate parametric ADC and T2 maps, respectively. Degrees of fibrosis were determined by the evaluation of a pathologist as well as digital image analysis. Scatterplot graphs comparing ADC and T2 to degrees of fibrosis were generated and correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: Strong correlation was found between degrees of hepatic fibrosis and ADC with higher degrees of fibrosis associated with lower hepatic ADC values. Moderate correlation between hepatic fibrosis and T2 values was seen with higher degrees of fibrosis associated with lower T2 values. Conclusion: Inverse relationships between degrees of fibrosis and both ADC and T2 are seen, highlighting the utility of these parameters in the ongoing development of an MRI methodology to quantify hepatic fibrosis. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:140-146. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storage of lipid in ectopic depots outside of abdominal visceral and subcutaneous stores, including within the pericardium and liver, has been associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular risk. We sought to determine whether anatomically distinct ectopic depots were physiologically correlated and site-specific effects upon cardiovascular function could be identified. Obese subjects (n = 28) with metabolic syndrome but without known atherosclerotic disease and healthy controls (n = 18) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) to quantify pericardial and periaortic lipid volumes, cardiac function, aortic compliance, and intrahepatic lipid content. Fasting plasma lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and free-fatty acids were measured. Pericardial and intrahepatic (P < 0.01) and periaortic (P < 0.05) lipid volumes were increased in obese subjects vs. controls and were strongly and positively correlated (P ≤ 0.01) but independent of BMI (P = NS) among obese subjects. Intrahepatic lipid was associated with insulin resistance (P < 0.01) and triglycerides (P < 0.05), whereas pericardial and periaortic lipid were not (P = NS). Periaortic and pericardial lipid positively correlated to free-fatty acids (P ≤ 0.01) and negatively correlated to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (P < 0.05). Pericardial lipid negatively correlated to cardiac output (P = 0.03) and stroke volume (P = 0.01) but not to left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.46). None of the ectopic depots correlated to aortic compliance. In conclusion, ectopic storage of lipid in anatomically distinct depots appeared tightly correlated but independent of body size. Site-specific functional abnormalities were observed for pericardial but not periaortic lipid. These findings underscore the utility of MRI to assess individual differences in ectopic lipid that are not predictable from BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between neonatal cranial ultrasound (CUS) abnormalities among infants born extremely preterm and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 10 years of age.Study Design: In a multicenter birth cohort of infants born at <28 weeks of gestation, 889 of 1198 survivors were evaluated for neurologic, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes at 10 years of age. Sonographic markers of white matter damage (WMD) included echolucencies in the brain parenchyma and moderate to severe ventricular enlargement. Neonatal CUS findings were classified as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) without WMD, IVH with WMD, WMD without IVH, and neither IVH nor WMD.Results: WMD without IVH was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.7, 7.4), cerebral palsy (OR 14.3, 95% CI 6.5, 31.5), and epilepsy (OR 6.9; 95% CI 2.9, 16.8). Similar associations were found for WMD accompanied by IVH. Isolated IVH was not significantly associated these outcomes.Conclusions: Among children born extremely preterm, CUS abnormalities, particularly those indicative of WMD, are predictive of neurodevelopmental impairments at 10 years of age. The strongest associations were found with cerebral palsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine elevated neonatal inflammatory and neurotrophic proteins from children born extremely preterm in relation to later childhood brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging volumes and cognition.Study Design: We measured circulating inflammation-related proteins and neurotrophic proteins on postnatal days 1, 7, and 14 in 166 children at 10 years of age (73 males; 93 females). Top quartile levels on ≥2 days for ≥3 inflammation-related proteins and for ≥4 neurotrophic proteins defined exposure. We examined associations among protein levels, brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging volumes, and cognition with multiple linear and logistic regressions.Results: Analyses were adjusted for gestational age at birth and sex. Children with ≥3 elevated inflammation-related proteins had smaller grey matter, brain stem/cerebellar, and total brain volumes than those without elevated inflammation-related proteins, adjusted for neurotrophic proteins. When adjusted for inflammation-related proteins, children with ≥4 neurotrophic proteins, compared with children with no neurotrophic proteins, had larger grey matter and total brain volumes. Higher grey matter, white matter, and cerebellum and brainstem volumes were significantly correlated with higher IQ. Grey and white matter volumes were correlated with each other (r = -0.18; P = .021), and cerebellum and brainstem was highly correlated with grey matter (r = 0.55; P < .001) and white matter (r = 0.29; P < .001). Adjusting for other brain compartments, cerebellum and brainstem was associated with IQ (P = .016), but the association with white matter was marginally significant (P = .051). Grey matter was not associated with IQ. After adjusting for brain volumes, elevated inflammation-related proteins remained significantly associated with a lower IQ, and elevated neurotrophic proteins remained associated with a higher IQ.Conclusions: Newborn inflammatory and neurotrophin protein levels are associated with later brain volumes and cognition, but their effects on cognition are not entirely explained by altered brain volumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that higher blood levels of neurotrophic proteins (proteins that support neuronal survival and function) in the first 2 weeks of life are associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment at 10 years.Study Design: We evaluated 812 10-year-old children with neonatal blood specimens enrolled in the multicenter prospective Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn Study, assessing 22 blood proteins collected on 3 days over the first 2 weeks of life. Using latent profile analysis, we derived a cognitive function level based on standardized cognitive and executive function tests. We defined high exposure as the top quartile neurotrophic protein blood level on ≥2 days either for ≥4 proteins or for a specific cluster of neurotrophic proteins (defined by latent class analysis). Multinomial logistic regression analyzed associations between high exposures and cognitive impairment.Results: Controlling for the effects of inflammatory proteins, persistently elevated blood levels of ≥4 neurotrophic proteins were associated with reduced risk of moderate (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.18-0.67) and severe cognitive impairment (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.09-0.53). Children with a cluster of elevated proteins including angiopoietin 1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted had a reduced risk of adverse cognitive outcomes (OR range, 0.31-0.6). The risk for moderate to severe cognitive impairment was least with 0-1 inflammatory and >4 neurotrophic proteins.Conclusions: Persisting elevations of circulating neurotrophic proteins during the first 2 weeks of life are associated with lowered risk of impaired cognition at 10 years of age, controlling for increases in inflammatory proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of cognitive, neurologic, and behavioral outcomes at 10 years of age in 428 girls and 446 boys who were born extremely preterm.Study Design: A total of 889 of 966 eligible children previously enrolled in the multicenter Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns Study from 2002-2004 were evaluated at 10 years of age. Children underwent a neuropsychological battery and testing for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and parents reported on their child's behavior, development, and seizures.Results: Of the children, 28% of boys and 21% of girls exhibited moderate to severe impairment on summary measures of cognitive abilities. Boys had a higher prevalence of impairment than girls in nearly all measures of cognition, were more than twice as likely to have microcephaly (15% in boys, 8% in girls), and require more often assistive devices to ambulate (6% in boys, 4% in girls). In contrast, boys and girls had comparable risk for a history of seizure (identified in 10% of the cohort) or epilepsy (identified in 7% of the cohort). The boy-to-girl ratio of ASD (9% in boys, 5% in girls) was lower than expected compared with the overall US autism population.Conclusions: In this contemporary cohort of children born extremely premature and evaluated at school age, boys had higher prevalence of cognitive, neurologic, and behavioral deficits than girls. The ratio of boys to girls among those with ASD deserves further study as does the perinatal environmental-genetic interactions that might contribute to male preponderance of deficits in this high-risk sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to determine the prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairments at age ten years among children born extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks gestational age) and to offer a framework for categorizing neurological limitations.Methods: A multicenter, prospective cohort follow-up study recruited 889 ten-year-old children born from 2002 to 2004. We assessed prevalence of cognitive impairment, measured by intelligent quotient and tests of executive function, cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and epilepsy singly and in combination. The three levels of impairment severity were: category I-no major neurodevelopmental impairment; category II-normal cognitive ability with CP, ASD, and/or epilepsy; and category III-children with cognitive impairment.Results: A total 214 of 873 children (25%) had cognitive impairment, 93 of 849 children (11%) had CP, 61 of 857 children (7%) had ASD, and 66 of 888 children (7%) had epilepsy. Further, 19% of all children had one diagnosis, 10% had two diagnoses, and 3% had three diagnoses. Decreasing gestational age was associated with increasing number of impairments (P < 0.001). Half the children with cognitive impairment and one third of children with CP, ASD, or epilepsy had a single impairment. Six hundred one (68% [95% CI, 64.5%-70.7%]) children were in category I, 74 (8% [95% CI, 6.6%-10.3%]) were in category II, and 214 (24% [95% CI 21.7%-27.4%]) were in category III.Conclusions: Three quarters of children had normal intellect at age ten years; nearly 70% were free of neurodevelopmental impairment. Forty percent of children with impairments had multiple diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Gadolinium retention after repeated gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) exposure has been reported in subcortical gray matter. However, gadolinium retention in the cerebral cortex has not been systematically investigated. Purpose To determine whether and where gadolinium is retained in rat and human cerebral cortex. Materials and Methods The cerebral cortex in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with gadopentetate dimeglumine (three doses over 4 weeks; cumulative gadolinium dose, 7.2 mmol per kilogram of body weight; n = 6) or saline ( n = 6) was examined with antemortem MRI. Two human donors with repeated GBCA exposure (three and 15 doses; 1 and 5 months after exposure), including gadopentetate dimeglumine, and two GBCA-naive donors were also evaluated. Elemental brain maps (gadolinium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron) for rat and human brains were constructed by using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results Gadopentetate dimeglumine-treated rats showed region-, subregion-, and layer-specific gadolinium retention in the neocortex (anterior cingulate cortex: mean gadolinium concentration, 0.28 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.04 [standard error of the mean]) that was comparable ( P > .05) to retention in the allocortex (mean gadolinium concentration, 0.33 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.04 in piriform cortex, 0.24 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.04 in dentate gyrus, 0.17 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.04 in hippocampus) and subcortical structures (0.47 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.10 in facial nucleus, 0.39 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.10 in choroid plexus, 0.29 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.05 in caudate-putamen, 0.26 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.05 in reticular nucleus of the thalamus, 0.24 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.04 in vestibular nucleus) and significantly greater than that in the cerebellum (0.17 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.03, P = .01) and white matter tracts (anterior commissure: 0.05 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.01, P = .002; corpus callosum: 0.05 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.02, P = .001; cranial nerve: 0.02 µg ∙ g -1 ± 0.01, P = .004). Retained gadolinium colocalized with parenchymal iron. T1-weighted MRI signal intensification was not observed. Gadolinium retention was detected in the cerebral cortex, pia mater, and pia-ensheathed leptomeningeal vessels in two GBCA-exposed human brains but not in two GBCA-naive human brains. Conclusion Repeated gadopentetate dimeglumine exposure is associated with gadolinium retention in specific regions, subregions, and layers of cerebral cortex that are critical for higher cognition, affect, and behavior regulation, sensorimotor coordination, and executive function. © RSNA, 2019 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Kanal in this issue.

Objective: To describe the accuracy of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (BSID-II) Mental Development Index (MDI) at 2 years of age for prediction of cognitive function at school age of children born extremely preterm., Design: Study participants were enrolled in the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn Study between 2002 and 2004. Two-thirds of surviving children (n = 795) were assessed at 2 years with the BSID-II and at 10 years with an intelligence quotient (IQ) test. We computed test characteristics for a low MDI (<70), including predictive value positive., Results: Almost two-thirds of children with a low MDI had a normal IQ (≥ 70) at 10 years. Concordance between MDI and IQ was highest among children with major motor and/or sensory impairment, and when MDI was adjusted for gestational age., Conclusion: Most children born extremely preterm with low BSID-II MDI at 2 years have normal intelligence at school age.

Continued improvements in diagnostic accuracy using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging will require development of methods for tissue analysis that complement traditional qualitative MR imaging studies. Quantitative MR imaging is based on measurement and interpretation of tissue-specific parameters independent of experimental design, compared with qualitative MR imaging, which relies on interpretation of tissue contrast that results from experimental pulse sequence parameters. Quantitative MR imaging represents a natural next step in the evolution of MR imaging practice, since quantitative MR imaging data can be acquired using currently available qualitative imaging pulse sequences without modifications to imaging equipment. The article presents a review of the basic physical concepts used in MR imaging and how quantitative MR imaging is distinct from qualitative MR imaging. Subsequently, the article reviews the hierarchical organization of major applicable pulse sequences used in this article, with the sequences organized into conventional, hybrid, and multispectral sequences capable of calculating the main tissue parameters of T1, T2, and proton density. While this new concept offers the potential for improved diagnostic accuracy and workflow, awareness of this extension to qualitative imaging is generally low. This article reviews the basic physical concepts in MR imaging, describes commonly measured tissue parameters in quantitative MR imaging, and presents the major available pulse sequences used for quantitative MR imaging, with a focus on the hierarchical organization of these sequences. © RSNA, 2017.

Aim: Early breast cancer detection is important for intervention and prognosis. Advances in treatment and outcome require diagnostic tools with highly positive predictive value., Purpose: To study the potential role of quantitative MRI (qMRI) using T1/T2 ratios to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 69 women with 69 known or suspicious breast lesions were scanned with mixed-turbo spin echo pulse sequence. Patients were grouped according to histopathological assessment of disease stage: untreated malignant tumor, treated malignancy and benign disease., Results & Discussion: Elevated T1/T2 means were observed for biopsy-proven malignant lesions and for malignant lesions treated prior to qMRI with chemotherapy and/or radiation, as compared with benign lesions. The qMRI-obtained T1/T2 ratios correlated with histopathology. Analysis revealed correlation between elevated T1/T2 ratio and disease stage. This could provide valuable complementary information on tissue properties as an additional diagnostic tool., Competing Interests: Financial & competing interests disclosure The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Purpose: To assess the utility of texture analysis of T 1 and T 2 maps for the detection of hepatic fibrosis in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis., Materials and Methods: Following Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval, a dietary model of hepatic fibrosis was used and 15 ex vivo murine livers were examined. Images were acquired using a 30 mm bore 11.7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner with a rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence. Texture analysis was then employed, extracting texture features including histogram-based, gray-level co-occurrence matrix-based (GLCM), gray-level run-length-based features (GLRL), gray-level gradient matrix (GLGM), and Laws' features. Areas under the curve (AUCs) were then calculated to determine the ability of texture features to detect hepatic fibrosis., Results: Texture analysis of T 1 maps identified very good to excellent discriminators of hepatic fibrosis within the histogram and GLGM categories. Histogram feature interquartile range (IQR) achieved an AUC value of 0.90 (P < 0.0001) and GLGM feature variance gradient achieved an AUC of 0.91 (P < 0.0001). Texture analysis of T 2 maps identified very good to excellent discriminators of hepatic fibrosis within the histogram, GLCM, GLRL, and GLGM categories. GLGM feature kurtosis was the best discriminator of hepatic fibrosis, achieving an AUC value of 0.90 (P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: This study demonstrates the utility of texture analysis for the detection of hepatic fibrosis when applied to T 1 and T 2 maps in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis and validates the potential use of this technique for the noninvasive, quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis., Level of Evidence: 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:250-259., (© 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Background and Objective: Despite reductions in mortality and morbidity among children born extremely preterm, they remain at high risk of neurocognitive deficits, with up to 40% having significant cognitive deficits at school age. We assessed the rate of neurocognitive impairment in a contemporary US cohort of 873 children aged 10 years who were born <28 weeks' gestation., Methods: The families of 889 of 966 (92%) children enrolled from 2002 to 2004 at 14 sites in 5 states returned at age 10 years for a comprehensive assessment of IQ, language, attention, executive function, processing speed, visual perception, visual-motor function, and academic achievement., Results: A total of 873 children were assessed with well-validated tests of cognitive and academic function. Distributions of test scores were consistently and markedly shifted below normative expectation, with one-third to two-thirds of children performing >1 SD below age expectation. The most extreme downward shifts were on measures of executive control and processing speed. Multivariate analyses, adjusted for socioeconomic status, growth restriction, and other potential confounders, revealed that the risk of poor outcome was highest at the lowest gestational age across all 18 measures., Conclusions: More than half of our extremely preterm cohort exhibited moderate or severe neurocognitive deficits at age 10 years, with the most extensive impairments found among those born at the lowest gestational age. Children born extremely preterm continue to be at significant risk of persistent impairments in neurocognitive function and academic achievement, underscoring the need for monitoring and remediating such outcomes beginning in early childhood., (Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Objectives: Clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD) can affect the orbit with prior reports describing changes in the lacrimal gland potentially related to chronic vaso-occlusion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate lacrimal gland volumes and quantifiable shifts in MR-relaxation times in patients with SCD., Methods: Thirteen patients with SCD and 12 age-matched control subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the orbits with 1.5-T MRI. Lacrimal glands were segmented manually; and gland volumes, peak, and mean T1- and T2-relaxation times were obtained from histogram analysis., Results: In patients with SCD, significant peak and mean T2 shortening (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) and increased gland volume (P = 0.008) were observed. Significant correlations were seen between gland volumes in the patients SCD and peak T1 and T2 values (r = 0.6, P = 0.017; r = 0.56; P = 0.031) as well as between gland volumes and mean T1 and T2 values (r = 0.54, P = 0.039; r = 0.57, P = 0.026)., Conclusion: Significant differences in MR relaxometry and lacrimal gland enlargement provide evidence of subclinical lacrimal gland pathology and chronic lacrimal gland changes patients with SCD.

Objective: This article outlines artifactual findings commonly encountered in neuroradiologic MRI studies and offers clues to differentiate them from true pathology on the basis of their physical properties. Basic MR physics concepts are used to shed light on the causes of these artifacts., Conclusion: MRI is one of the most commonly used techniques in neuroradiology. Unfortunately, MRI is prone to image distortion and artifacts that can be difficult to identify. Using the provided case illustrations, practical clues, and relevant physical applications, radiologists may devise algorithms to troubleshoot these artifacts.