1/Kids now out of school? Headache already?? Usually neuroimaging doesn’t add much in headaches, but in occipital neuralgia MR neurography can add a lot.
2/ There are actually 3 occipital nerves:greater, lesser and least. They arise from the upper cervical nerves and innervate various areas of the dorsal scalp. The greater occipital nerve is the only one large enough to image and it arises from C2
3/The greater occipital nerve is the largest cutaneous nerve in the body and can be traced from its origin at the dorsal ramus of C2 along the scalp in MR neurography
4/Many pathologies can affect the greater occipital nerve, but most commonly, it is compression between muscles, resulting in occipital neuralgia. This is the basis behind Botox treatment for occipital neuralgia. Decompressive surgery can also be used to provide relief
5/Where is it compressed? Usually between the multifidus and semispinalis capitis. We can use MR neurography to rule out other pathologies of the nerve and confirm compressive injury
6/MR neurography can confirm unilateral dz preop or post op neuromas w/persistent pain. This is a pt w/unilateral right dz w/a brighter larger right nerve, indicating Sunderland 1 injury from compression
Not all headaches have to be a diagnostic headache with MR neurography 😉
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MMA fights get a lot of attention, but MMA (middle meningeal art) & dural blood supply doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
A thread on dural vascular anatomy!
2/Everyone knows about the blood supply to the brain.
Circle of Willis anatomy is king and loved by everyone, while the vascular anatomy of the blood supply to the dura is the poor, wicked step child of vascular anatomy that is often forgotten
3/But dural vascular anatomy & supply are important, especially now that MMA embolizations are commonly for chronic recurrent subdurals.
It also important for understanding dural arteriovenous fistulas as well.
2/Aneurysm rupture is a devastating even, as it results in subarachnoid hemorrhage & complications such as hydrocephalus, vasospasm, infarcts, & death.
Preventing it by treating aneurysms before they rupture is key. But you also don’t want to overtreat.
3/To remember what features make an aneurysm more likely to rupture, think what makes that guy at the bar that you angered more likely to rupture & start a fight.
What makes him more likely to rupture are the same things that make aneurysms more likely to rupture
1/Need help reading spine imaging? I’ve got your back!
It’s as easy as ABC!
A thread about an easy mnemonic you can use on every single spine study you see to increase your speed & make sure you never miss a thing!
2/A is for alignment
Look for: (1) Unstable injuries
(2) Malalignment that causes early degenerative change. Abnormal motion causes spinal elements to abnormally move against each other, like grinding teeth wears down teeth—this wears down the spine
3/B is for bones.
On CT, the most important thing to look for w/bones is fractures. You may see focal bony lesions, but you may not
On MR, it is the opposite—you can see marrow lesions easily but you may or may not see edema associated w/fractures if the fracture is subtle