[en] Retrograde flow in the left dural sinuses is sometimes detected by three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D-TOF) magnetic resonance (MR) angiography. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of this phenomenon and its characteristic features on 3D-TOF MR angiograms. We retrospectively reviewed cranial MR angiography images of 1,078 patients examined at our institution. All images were obtained by the 3D-TOF technique with one of two 1.5-T scanners. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) images in the horizontal rotation view were displayed stereoscopically. We reviewed the source images, inferosuperior MIP images, and horizontal MIP images and identified retrograde flow in the dural sinuses. We found retrograde flow in the dural sinuses of 67 patients on the source images from 3D-TOF MR angiography; the incidence was 6.2%. In 47 of the 67 patients, retrograde flow was identified in the left inferior petrosal sinus, in 13, it was seen in the left sigmoid sinus, and in 6, it was seen in the left inferior petrosal and left sigmoid sinuses. The remaining patient had retrograde flow in the left inferior petrosal and left and right sigmoid sinuses. The mean age of the patients with retrograde flow was slightly greater than that of the patients without this phenomenon (70 years vs 63 years). Retrograde flow in the dural sinuses frequently occurs on the left side in middle-aged and elderly patients during 3D-TOF MR angiography performed with the patient in the supine position. This phenomenon should not be misdiagnosed as a dural arteriovenous fistula. (orig.)

[en] The Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is the world's first heavy ion accelerator complex dedicated to medical use in a hospital environment. Heavy ions have superior depth-dose distribution and greater cell-killing capability than other forms of radiation. In June 1996, clinical research for the treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas was begun using carbon ions generated by the HIMAC. As of February 2010, a total of 507 patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma were enrolled in these clinical trials. Most of the patients had locally advanced and/or medically inoperable sarcomas. The clinical trials revealed that carbon ion radiotherapy provided definite local control and offered a survival advantage without unacceptable morbidity for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas that were hard to cure using other modalities. (author)

[en] We report a case of multiple small, presumably iatrogenic, cortical infarctions detected incidentally on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 5 days after preoperative cerebral angiography but not apparent 12 days after the angiography on noncontrast MRI including a fast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence. However, the lesions showed marked contrast enhancement with gadolinium on postcontrast T1-weighted images. Cortical laminar necrosis was observed on MRI 35 days after the initial angiographic study. This case shows that the MRI fogging effect may prevent detection of small cortical infarctions in the subacute stage even on fast FLAIR sequences. Postcontrast images should be studied to reduce diagnostic errors associated with this effect. (orig.)