Munir Antonio Gariba

A computer tool for the fusion and visualization of thermal and magnetic resonance images.

The measurement of temperature variation along the surface of the body, provided by digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI), is becoming a valuable auxiliary tool for the early detection of many diseases in medicine. However, DITI is essentially a 2-D technique and its image does not provide useful anatomical information associated with it. However, multimodal image registration and fusion may overcome this difficulty and provide additional information for diagnosis purposes. In this paper, a new method of registering and merging 2-D DITI and 3-D MRI is presented. Registration of the images acquired from the two modalities is necessary as they are acquired with different image systems. Firstly, the body volume of interest is scanned by a MRI system and a set of 2-D DITI of it, at orthogonal angles, is acquired. Next, it is necessary to register these two different sets of images. This is done by creating 2-D MRI projections from the reconstructed 3-D MRI volume and registering it with the DITI. Once registered, the DITI is then projected over the 3-D MRI. The program developed to assess the proposed method to combine MRI and DITI resulted in a new tool for fusing two different image modalities, and it can help medical doctors.

Hematoma volumes of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: the ellipse (ABC/2) method yielded volumes smaller than those measured using the planimetric method

OBJECTIVE To compare two different methods for measuring intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) volume: the ellipse volume (called ABC/2), and the software-aided planimetric. METHODS Four observers evaluated 20 brain computed tomography (CT) scans with spontaneous ICH. Each professional measured the volume using the ABC/2 and the planimetric methods. The average volumes were obtained, and the intra- and inter-rater variability was determined. RESULTS There is an absolute 2.24 cm3 average difference between both methodologies. Volumes yielded by the ABC/2 method were as much as 14.9% smaller than by the planimetric one. An intra-observer variability rate of 0.46% was found for the planimetric method and 0.18% for the ABC/2. The inter-observer rates were 1.69 and 1.11% respectively. CONCLUSIONS Both methods are reproducible. The ABC/2 yielded hemorrhage volumes as much as 14.9% smaller than those measured using the planimetric methodology.

T1 GRE e T1 IR GRE na identificação das estruturas anatômicas da face lateral do cérebro

Objective To compare brain structures using volumetric magnetic resonance imaging with isotropic resolution, in T1-weighted gradient-echo (GRE) acquisition, with and without inversion recovery (IR). Materials and methods From 30 individuals, we evaluated 120 blocks of images of the left and right cerebral hemispheres being acquired by T1 GRE and by T1 IR GRE. On the basis of the Naidich et al. method for localization of anatomical landmarks, 27 anatomical structures were divided into two categories: identifiable and inconclusive. Those two categories were used in the analyses of repeatability (intraobserver agreement) and reproducibility (interobserver agreement). McNemars test was used in order to compare the T1 GRE and T1 IR GRE techniques. Results There was good agreement in the intraobserver and interobserver analyses (mean kappa > 0.60). McNemars test showed that the frequency of identifiable anatomical landmarks was slightly higher when the T1 IR GRE technique was employed than when the T1 GRE technique was employed. The difference between the two techniques was statistically significant. Conclusion In the identification of anatomical landmarks, the T1 IR GRE technique appears to perform slightly better than does the T1 GRE technique.

Especificidade e sensibilidade da radiografia digital da coluna lombar como ferramenta de auxílio ao diagnóstico da osteoporose

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is considered an osteometabolic disorder that is characterized by the reduction of bone mineral density and deterioration of bone microarchitecture resulting in an increase of bone fragility and fracture risk. The technique considered as gold standard to measure bone mineral density is Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Nevertheless, high cost and consequently the limited access to the modality by the population make the diagnosis difficult, leading to a higher number of patients with fracture and its consequences. OBJECTIVE: The general objective of this paper is to study the viability of digital radiography of lumbar spine as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for osteoporosis. METHODOLOGY: This study was carried out with 64 patients (4 male and 60 female) assessed by digital radiography and densitometry concerning the presence of osteoporosis or osteopenia. The radiographies were analyzed independently by three experienced radiologists, and modal classification was considered in case of report divergence. RESULTS: According to the Kappa coefficient, the agreement level between these two techniques is low. Radiography sensitivity and specificity for osteopenia/osteoporosis diagnosis was estimated as 85% and 16.7%, respectively, considering densitometry as the gold standard. CONCLUSION: Digital radiography showed to be a sensitive technique to verify if vertebra condition is normal or altered, however, it is little specific in the distinction between osteopenia and osteoporosis. Densitometry was more specific in the diagnosis of osteopenia and osteoporosis, but in cases with complication such as vertebra fracture, the radiography showed to be the best method.

Morphometric effects of different energy densities of diode laser on adipose tissue in rats

The aim of this study consisted in evaluating the influence of low power laser on the morfometry of white adipose cells in rats. The sample consisted of 20 adult female rats, from Wistar strain, randomized in four groups. All groups were submitted to tricotomy of the dorsal thoracic area and the first three groups were exposed to a InGaAlP laser (660 nm wavelength) with fluencies of 2, 8 and 16 J/cm2 for groups L1, L2 and L3, respectively. L4 was the control. The groups were submitted to the protocols three times a week, for three weeks. The irradiated tissue was excised and submitted to histological treatment by HE for optical microscopy and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the statistical analysis. The average morphometry, in number of pixels, was: 3741 ± 704, 3762 ±947, 3737 ±1076 and 4619 ±781 for L1, L2, L3 and L4, respectively. There was no significant difference among groups L1 to L3 for the variable tested. From these results, it can be concluded that the application of low power laser - under the conditions proposed and for the fluency values chosen - influence the morphometry of white adipose cells in rats in the same manner, producing similar results.