Computed Tomography in its transmission (CT), emission (PET, SPECT), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) modalities, represents the main research area of the Neuroimaging Section. CT: Ongoing clinical and experimental research projects in transmission CT, include studies of tumoral, degenerative, demyelinating and atrophic processes of the brain, plus hydrocephalus, brain edema, postradiation necrosis, and surgically correctable lesions in young patients affected by chronic epilepsy. NMR: Our NMR imaging research is developing along seven main lines: 1) assessment of pulsatile CSF flow using longitudinal imaging; 2) recognition of artifactual linear regions of abnormal signal intensity along the length of the spinal cord; 3) study of patients with spinal cord pathology, particularly arteriovenous malformations (AVM); 4) continuing the in vivo and in vitro investigation of the relaxation times (T1,T2) of extravasated intracranial blood; 5) trying to learn more about the NMR signal of various abnormal tissues; 6) comparing clinical MRI imaging results with those of CT and particularly PET; 7) successful initial imaging with an experimental, small bore (animal studies), 2 Tesla imaging-spectroscopy device.
