RSNA 2024 Building Intelligent Connections

Take a look at the latest discoveries in medical imaging research, education and technology that will be presented at RSNA 2024.

Common Thyroid Medicine Linked to Bone Loss

Levothyroxine, the second most prescribed medication among older adults in the U.S., may be associated with bone loss, according to a study out of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Levothyroxine is commonly prescribed to treat hypothyroidism. The study group included 81 levothyroxine users and 364 non-users. The results showed that levothyroxine use was associated with greater loss of total body bone mass and bone density—even in participants whose thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were within the normal range—over a median follow-up of 6.3 years. This remained true when accounting for other risk factors. Approximately 23 million Americans—about 7% of the U.S. population—take levothyroxine daily.

Vaping Causes Immediate Effects on Vascular Function

Using MRI, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have identified acute effects of cigarette and e-cigarette smoking on vascular function. A total of 31 healthy smokers and vapers ranging in age from 21 to 49 years have been included in the study to date. Following inhalation of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, there was a significant decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. The decrease in vascular function was most pronounced after inhalation of e-cigarettes containing nicotine, followed by e-cigarettes without nicotine. Decreased venous oxygen saturation was also present in e-cigarette users, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine.

Concussions Slow Brain Activity of High School Football Players

High school football players who sustain concussions exhibit slowed aperiodic brain signals, according to a new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Not much is known about how concussions affect aperiodic brain signals, or brain signals that are not rhythmic. The researchers collected pre- and post-season resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) data from 91 high school football players, of whom 10 were diagnosed with a concussion. High school football players who sustained concussions displayed slowed aperiodic activity. Aperiodic slowing was strongly associated with worse post-concussion cognitive symptoms and test scores. The results highlight the importance of protective measures in contact sports.

Long COVID Brain Fog Linked to Lung Function

In patients with long COVID, lower pulmonary gas exchange may be associated with impaired cognitive function, according to a study from the University of Iowa. Hyperpolarized Xe pulmonary MRI, structural and functional brain MRI, pulmonary function tests and cognitive tests were acquired for 12 long COVID patients. The results showed that lower pulmonary gas exchange may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, as well as lower gray matter and white matter volumes in patients with long COVID. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately 17.6% of adults in the U.S. have experienced long COVID.

Soccer Heading Damages Brain Regions Affected in CT

Soccer heading may cause more damage to the brain than previously thought. Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center utilized a new approach to diffusion MRI to analyze microstructure close to the surface of the brain. To identify how repeated head impacts affect the brain, the researchers compared brain MRIs of 352 male and female amateur adult soccer players to brain MRIs of 77 non-collision sport athletes. Soccer players who headed the ball at high levels showed abnormality of the brain’s white matter adjacent to sulci, which are deep grooves in the brain’s surface. Abnormalities in this region of the brain are known to occur in very severe traumatic brain injuries. Abnormalities were most prominent in the frontal lobe of the brain. More repetitive head impacts were also associated with poorer verbal learning.

Hidden Fat Predicts Alzheimer’s 20 Years Ahead of Symptoms

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have linked visceral fat (fat surrounding the internal organs) to the abnormal proteins in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease up to 20 years before the earliest symptoms of dementia appear. A total of 80 cognitively normal midlife individuals were included in the study. Approximately 57.5% of participants were obese. The participants underwent brain PET, body MRI, metabolic assessment and a lipid panel. The findings revealed that higher levels of visceral fat were related to increased amyloid. Other types of fat did not explain obesity-related increased Alzheimer’s pathology. In a second study to be presented at RSNA 2024, the same researchers demonstrated how obesity and visceral fat reduce blood flow in the brain. They emphasized that lifestyle modifications targeted at reducing this fat could influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Countertop Workers Exposed to Serious Lung Disease

Silicosis is caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust produced in construction, coal mining and other industries. In recent years, a resurgence of silicosis has been reported in engineered countertop workers. The prognosis is poor, with gradually worsening lung function leading to respiratory failure. Researchers at University of California Los Angeles studied 55 engineered stone countertop workers diagnosed with silicosis using available CT and pulmonary function tests. A preliminary analysis of 21 workers revealed atypical and advanced features of silicosis. Primary clinicians recognized silicosis at the initial encounter in only four of 21 cases (19%). The researchers warned that silicosis with atypical imaging features may be missed by doctors and lead to delays in diagnosis.

Muscle Loss Could Increase Dementia Risk

Because age-related skeletal muscle loss is often seen in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine aimed to examine whether temporalis muscle loss (a measure of skeletal muscle loss) is associated with an increased risk of AD dementia in older adults. They used baseline brain MRI exams from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative cohort to quantify skeletal muscle loss in 621