Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Fig 1.
Classification by cases (left image) with positive, negative, and indeterminate findings on the bSSFP and postcontrast T1WI. Classification by nodules (right image) with positive, negative, and indeterminate findings.
- Fig 2.
A 6-year-old boy with a history of medulloblastoma. Sagittal bSSFP images A and C demonstrate numerous nodular drop metastases (white arrows). B and D, Corresponding enhancing nodules along the cauda equina nerve roots. The axial bSSFP image (E) demonstrates a nodular drop metastasis along the cauda equina nerve roots (white arrow).
- Fig 3.
A 4-year-old boy with a history of medulloblastoma and diffuse leptomeningeal disease. The bSSFP image of the cervical spine (A) demonstrates subtle irregularity of the cervicothoracic spinal cord. Abnormal, confluent enhancement is more pronounced on the sagittal postcontrast T1WI of the cervicothoracic spine (B). The axial bSSFP image (C) demonstrates abnormal, crescentic signal abnormality along the dorsal spinal cord.
- Fig 4.
An 8-year-old boy with a history of germinoma. Sagittal bSSFP sequence (A) demonstrates a nodular drop metastasis within the cauda equina nerve roots (white arrowhead). No corresponding enhancement is seen on the postcontrast T1WI (B). The axial bSSFP sequence (C) demonstrates a nodular drop metastasis along the cauda equina nerve roots (white arrow) within the left lateral aspect of the thecal sac.
- Fig 5.
A 7-year-old boy with a history of ependymoma. A, Sagittal bSSFP sequence demonstrates a dominant, ventral spinal metastasis at the T5 level (white arrow) with multiple, additional, smaller metastases (white arrowhead). B, Axial bSSFP sequence at the T5 level demonstrates a left ventral metastasis (white arrowhead). C, Postcontrast T1WI in the same patient does not demonstrate abnormal enhancement or detectable drop metastases.
Tables
Patient Demographics Sex Male 27 Female 17 Age (yr) Mean 7.21 SD 4.24 Min 1 Max 18 Primary intracranial tumor type Medulloblastoma 15 Germinoma 11 Ependymoma 8 Astrocytoma 4 ATRT 3 Glioblastoma 2 Pineoblastoma 1 Note:—Min indicates minimum; max, maximum; ATRT, atypical rhabdoid tumor.
- Table 2:
Number of cases with nodules meeting the criteria for drop metastases (positive cases), cases with no evidence of drop metastases (negative cases), and cases with indeterminate findingsa
Sequence Positive Cases Negative Cases Indeterminate Cases bSSFP 10 34 0 Postcontrast T1WI 8 32 4 ↵a This classification was performed for both the bSSFP and postcontrast T1WI, which were evaluated independently.
- Table 3:
Total number of lesions, lesion size, and number of lesions of ≤3 mm detected on the bSSFP sequence compared with postcontrast T1WI
bSSFP Postcontrast T1WI P Value No. of lesions per patient Mean 6.3 2.1 .002 SD 3.9 1.2 Min 2 1 Max 13 4 Lesion size (mm) Mean 3.9 4.9 .43 SD 4.6 6.8 Min 1 1 Max 25 24 Lesions ≤3 mm Mean 3.9 1.2 .03 SD 2.1 1.7 Note:—Min indicates minimum; max, maximum.
- Table 4:
Number of nodules seen on the bSSFP and postcontrast T1WI classified as positive nodules, indeterminate nodules, and discordant nodulesa
Nodule Classification bSSFP Postcontrast T1WI Positive nodules 36 14 Indeterminate nodules 0 10 Discordant nodules 0 22 ↵a Discordant or “missed” nodules are nodules not seen on the sequence being evaluated but present on the corresponding sequence. In this case, 22 nodules were not seen on postcontrast T1WI that were seen on the bSSFP sequence. No nodules were seen on the postcontrast T1WI but not the bSSFP sequence.
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