Tanja Djurdjevic

PURPOSE Pararadicular injections are widely used for alleviation of back pain. Injections are preferentially performed with fluoroscopy or computed tomography (CT) guidance. Ultrasound guidance has the potential advantages of real-time monitoring, broad availability and lack of radiation. This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound-guided pararadicular injections. METHOD AND MATERIALS 32 adult patients with chronic low back pain were consecutively enrolled and randomly assigned to an ultrasound or a CT- group. Exclusion criteria were BMI>35 and postsurgical state. Accuracy of ultrasound interventions was controlled with CT. Time savings, radiation doses and pain relief were evaluated for both groups. RESULTS In all 18 patients of the ultrasound group the intertransverse ligament (the lead-structure for ultrasound guidance) was clearly visible and the pararadicular injection was technically feasible. CT control showed correct placement of injection in all 18...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may represent a prodromal stage of dementia and confers a particularly high annual risk of 10-15% for conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent findings suggest that white matter lesion pathology (WML) can negatively influence conversion from MCI to AD. In this study, we examined the predictive value of neuropsychological test results and WML pathology on conversion of MCI to AD. Retrospective neuropsychological and magnetic resonance imaging data were collected for MCI patients seen at the University Clinic of Innsbruck between 2005 and 2011. WML were visually rated using the Fazekas and Scheltens scales. Of the 60 subjects, 31 converted to AD during a follow-up of 18.3 ± 7.4 months and 29 remained stable. Orientation, MMSE score, word list learning and recall, visual memory, and naming scores were significantly lower in MCI patients converting to AD than in non-converters. Converters had significantly higher Fazekas scores and more WML in p...