Objective: to investigate changes in grey matter volume in patients with classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and lower motor neuron syndrome (LMNS) with voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Material and methods. 30 patients with classical ALS, 22 patients with LMNS and 23 age and gender matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All participants underwent a T1MPR (multiplanar reconstruction) magnetic resonance imaging with post-processing included spatial normalization, segmentation and smoothing. VBM was used to investigate changes in grey matter volume across the groups.

Results. There was a significant decrease in grey matter volume of middle part of left pre- and postcentral gyri, middle part of right precentral gyrus, right and left occipital lobes in patients with classical ALS compared to healthy subjects. There was no difference in grey matter volume between patients with LMNS and healthy controls. Patients with classical ALS showed a significant decrease in grey matter volume of middle part of left preand postcentral gyri, upper part of left precentral gyrus, middle and upper parts of right precentral gyrus, right and left occipital lobes compared to patients with LMNS. There was no significant correlation between grey matter volume and clinical findings in patients with ALS and LMNS.

Conclusion. VBM reveals a decrease in grey matter volume of motor and nonmotor brain regions in patients with classical ALS, but not in patients with LMNS.

Objective. To compare diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) measures in different anatomic regions of the brain in patients with an isolated Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with AD and small-vessel disease (SVD).

Material and methods. 20 AD patients, aged 66 (±10), of whom 11 AD patients had an isolated neurodegenerative process and 9 patients, who were diagnosed with AD+SVD, were examined. A research was made on a 3 T Siemens Magnetom Skyra MR-scanner. All participants underwent the same imaging protocol, which included standard clinical- and diffusion tensor pulse sequences. With an MR-image processing software package Olea Medical Sphere 3.0, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial and radial diffusivity (AxD and RxD) were measured in different brain regions.

Results. Significant differences in DTI measures (FA, MD, AxD, RxD), indicating more severe white matter microstructural damage in AD+SVD patients, compared with patients with an isolated AD, were observed in middle thalamic radiation, upper and lower longitudinal bundles, posterior part of cingulate gyrus and genu of corpus callosum.

Conclusion. DTI is an informative method, highly sensitive in detecting difference in white matter microstructural integrity of brain tissue in individuals with an isolated AD and patients with AD+SVD.

Objective. To evaluate the efficiency of ASL-perfusion as a method of estimating of hemodynamics and detection of residual tumor tissue after surgical treatment of glioblastoma.

Material and methods. 56 patients after brain tumor’s surgical resection of glioblastoma (GRADE IV). CBF values were determined in 3 different areas - in the presumed tumor tissue with maximum perfusion, in the postoperative scar tissue and in the deep white matter of the opposite hemisphere. All patients were divided into 2 groups according to CBF value.

Results. 1st group: 38 (67.9%) patients - the average CBF in suspected tumor was 137.6±35.2 (79.6-227.6) ml/100 g/min. It was 6-8 times higher than CBF in the deep white matter of the opposite hemisphere, and 5-6 times higher than in the postoperative scars.

2nd group: 18 (32.1%) patients with no pathological elevation of CBF in postoperative scar tissue. CBF there was 22.3±5.9 (13.9-37.1) ml/100 g/min. CBF in white matter in the contralateral hemisphere was similar.

There was no significant differences in CBF of scar tissue (p=0,52) and in white matter of contralateral hemisphere (p=0,96) in both groups.

Conclusion. The possibilities of ASL-perfusion are enough to estimating of hemodynamics and detection of residual tumor tissue after surgical removed glioblastoma.

Objective. To estimate the density of calcium deposits of atherosclerotic plaques of coronary and carotid arteries in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 using multislice computed tomography (MSCT).

Material and methods. 251 patients with multifocal atherosclerosis (MA) were examined using MSCT. Determined equivalent density of calcium deposits (EDCD) atherosclerotic plaque of coronary and carotid arteries.

Results. According to the data of MSCT in patients with MA irrespective of concomitant diabetes was a high incidence of calcification of the coronary and carotid arteries. In Group 1 EDCD coronary arteries was 0.235 (0.214; 0.254) mg/mm³, in the group 2 - 0,219 (0,192; 0,242) mg/mm³. EDCD of carotid arteries in patients with diabetes was 0.183 (0.171; 0.193) mg/mm³, in patients without diabetes - 0.226 (0.199; 0.247) mg/mm³. There was a significant difference in the groups EDCD values for coronary (p = 0.017), and the carotid (p = 0.000003) artery.

Conclusion. Using index EDCD obtained on the basis of routine MSCT coronary and carotid arteries in patients with MA with DM compared with those without diabetes had significantly higher density calcifications in projection of coronary and low density of calcium deposits carotid arteries without regard to the degree of Agatston calcification scale.

Objective: to evaluate the informativeness of ultrasonography and radiography in the early diagnosis of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children.

Material and methods. Children (from 3 weeks to 1 year old) with suspected acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (n = 40) were examined and X-rays and ultrasound scan of the affected skeleton were performed. 39 (97.5%) of children underwent surgery.

Results. Radiography in the first 3 days of the disease gave only false-negative results. On the 5th-7th day of the disease, the fuzziness of the outline of the growth zone, the uneven contour of the ossification core, was found, which resulted in 33% sensitivity. X-ray symptoms of bone destruction were obtained in the second week of the disease in 83% of the subjects.

The results of ultrasound examination in the first 3 days of the disease exceeded the radiographic parameters and corresponded to 66.7% of sensitivity based on the definition of increased vascularization of edematous parasal soft tissues, epiphyseal cartilage. On the 5th-7th days of the disease, local hyperechoic areas were found in the epiphyseal cartilage, with additional color signals around it, an uneven contour of the ossification nucleus, which almost equalized the sensitivity parameters of X-ray and ultrasound studies (83.33% and 88.8%, respectively).

The most sensitive, specific and accurate are the studies in the third week from the onset of the disease, in determining the sites of destruction in the metaphysis and the nucleus of ossification of the epiphysis, both in X-ray and ultrasound studies.

Conclusion. X-ray and ultrasound studies should be considered complementary modalities for obtaining optimally complete information about the morphological substrate of the pathological inflammatory process.

The article describes a rare case of metastatic pulmonary choriocarcinoma manifested with hemoptysis. Obstacles and pitfalls of the diagnosis of uterine choriocarcinoma with atypical manifestation were discussed. The patterns of pulmonary metastases of uterine choriocarcinoma and contribution of cross-sectional imaging modalities to diagnostic work-up were described. For the first time diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the chest was used for the follow-up examination and diagnosis of the recurrence of the disease.

This case is of interest due to unusual clinical and radiological presentation of uterine choriocarcinoma. The article is aimed to radiologists to be familiar with this disease to provide its early diagnosis and timely treatment.

The current approaches to diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis, а form of IgG4-related disease, are being discussed. The pathology, clinical presentation and radiological features of different imaging modalities (CT, MRI) have been described. Difficulties of differential diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis with some malignant tumors are reviewed.