METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: This was a retrospective review on patients' medical record from 2016 to 2023. Seven patients underwent endoscopic cauterization at our centre, a tertiary academic institution. Five of the patients (71.5%) achieved complete remission. Two patients experienced recurrence within 6 months that necessitated re-cauterization once but subsequently recovered completely. Currently, endoscopic management is the preferred approach compared to the typical open neck excision surgery as it is significantly less invasive, resulting in lesser morbidity and similar success rates. At presentation, all of them had ultrasound neck that suggestive of neck abscess. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging unable to provide adequate information about the side of internal opening of fistula where only 3 out of 7 patients demonstrated tract up to the ipsilateral region of pyriform fossa.
DISCUSSION: Management outcomes of this limited case series showed the potential benefits of endoscopic cauterization as the minimally invasive therapeutic method for recurrent neck abscesses caused by third and fourth branchial cleft fistulas but also to suggest the possibility as the first diagnostic tool prior to imaging studies.
METHODS: Anatomical MRI and structural DTI were performed cross-sectionally on 26 normal children (newborn to 48 months old), using 1.5-T MRI. The automated processing pipeline was implemented to convert diffusion-weighted images into the NIfTI format. DTI-TK software was used to register the processed images to the ICBM DTI-81 atlas, while AFNI software was used for automated atlas-based volumes of interest (VOIs) and statistical value extraction.
RESULTS: DTI exhibited consistent grey-white matter contrast. Triphasic temporal variation of the FA and MD values was noted, with FA increasing and MD decreasing rapidly early in the first 12 months. The second phase lasted 12-24 months during which the rate of FA and MD changes was reduced. After 24 months, the FA and MD values plateaued.
CONCLUSION: DTI is a superior technique to conventional MR imaging in depicting WM maturation. The use of the automated processing pipeline provides a reliable environment for quantitative analysis of high-throughput DTI data.
KEY POINTS: Diffusion tensor imaging outperforms conventional MRI in depicting white matter maturation. • DTI will become an important clinical tool for diagnosing paediatric neurological diseases. • DTI appears especially helpful for developmental abnormalities, tumours and white matter disease. • An automated processing pipeline assists quantitative analysis of high throughput DTI data.
METHODS: This study included 33 women who underwent HIFU treatment. Tissue characteristics of leiomyomas were assessed based on T2- and T1-weighted MRI. The immediate nonperfused volume (NPV) ratio and the treatment effectiveness of MRI-guided HIFU on the basis of the degrees of volume reduction and improvement in transformed symptom severity score (SSS) were assessed.
RESULTS: The median immediate NPV ratio was 89.8%. Additionally, the median acoustic sonication power and HIFU treatment durations were 150 W and 125 min, respectively. At six-month follow-up, the median leiomyoma volume had decreased from 139 mL at baseline to 84 mL and the median transformed SSS had decreased from 56.2 at baseline to 18.8. No major adverse events were observed.
CONCLUSION: The preliminary results demonstrated that volumetric MRI-guided HIFU therapy for the treatment of symptomatic leiomyomas in ASEAN patients appears to be clinically acceptable with regard to treatment effectiveness and safety.