Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37831099›Full record

ArticleNeuroradiology2023

Diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

G Mackenzie, D Summers, J Mackenzie, R Knight

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuroradiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

G MackenzieNational CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Graeme.mackenzie3@nhs.scot.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7455-6883
D SummersDepartment of Neuroradiology, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
J MackenzieNational CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
R KnightNational CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study sought to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), a prion disease with significant public health implications on account of its transmissibility. The importance of this research stemmed from the first neuropathologically confirmed vCJD case in a PRNP heterozygous individual in 2016, which displayed DWI features typical of sporadic CJD (sCJD). The case was classified as 'probable' sCJD in life, predominantly based on these imaging findings. While DWI has proven valuable in diagnosing sCJD, its utility in vCJD diagnosis remains unclear.

methodsDWI and Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images from probable and definite vCJD cases referred to the National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit (NCJDRSU) were independently analysed by an expert neuroradiologist. Scans were reviewed within a mixed cohort of CJD cases including definite sCJD and non-CJD controls.

resultsFLAIR sequences demonstrated greater sensitivity in identifying the pulvinar sign in vCJD compared to DWI (73% vs 41%, p-value <0.001). Basal ganglia hyperintensities were more prevalent in DWI (84%) than FLAIR (64%), and cortical hyperintensities were exclusive to DWI (24%). The pulvinar sign showed a specificity of 98% for vCJD and was rare in sCJD.

conclusionDWI showed reduced sensitivity compared to FLAIR imaging in detecting the pulvinar sign in vCJD. Conversely, DWI can more distinctively identify basal ganglia and cortical hyperintensities, thus leading to imaging patterns more characteristic of sCJD. Therefore, DWI should be cautiously interpreted in vCJD diagnosis, with axial FLAIR potentially providing a more precise evaluation of the pulvinar sign.

Indexed as

Creutzfeldt-Jakob SyndromeBasal GangliaDiffusion Magnetic Resonance ImagingEncephalopathy, Bovine SpongiformHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingCJD, prion diseasesMRI, diffusion-weighted imagingVariant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Identifiers

PMID37831099
PMCPMC10654212

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.