2/Let’s start at the top. At the vertex is the superior frontal gyrus. This is easy to remember, bc it’s at the top—and being at the top is superior. It’s like the superior king at the top of the vertex.
3/It is also easy to recognize on imaging. It looks like a big thumb pointing straight up out of the brain. I always look for that thumbs up when I am looking for the superior frontal gyrus (SFG)
4/The SFG contains the supplementary motor area or SMA. As the name suggests, SMA contains a motor region—but not as expected, it also contains a verbal area. I remember that the motor portion is behind the language area bc we all walk before we talk, so motor comes before verbal
5/Next to the superior frontal gyrus is the middle frontal gyrus. It is important for verbal memory. I think it looks like the knuckles of a hand
6/So every time I read a brain MRI, I look at the vertex for the hand giving me the thumbs up. The thumb is the superior frontal gyrus, and next to it, the curved knuckles of the middle frontal gyrus
7/The superior frontal gyrus crashes into the motor strip or pre central gyrus. This is how I like to find the motor cortex. I follow the thumb back until it crashes into a gyrus—and I know that gyrus is the motor strip
8/The motor area of the superior frontal gyrus is right next to the motor cortex. I remember this bc when two cars crash head on, it’s their motors that crash into each other—so the motor area of the SMA crashes into the main motor strip.
9/You can confirm the motor strip by looking for the hand motor region. This is uniquely shaped like an Omega. You can remember that the hand motor region is shaped like an Omega bc Omega is a fancy watch brand and you wear watches near your hand
10/Motor strip goes into to the paracentral lobule, which connects the motor strip & main sensory strip. I think it looks like the “C” on Coach brand purses. I remember this bc this is eloquent cortex, some might say elegant—& elegant people own fancy brands like Coach & Omega
11/Finally, the cortex behind the sensory strip is the superior parietal lobule. It is the butt of the functional regions at the vertex. It is important for spatial orientation and hand function—so it makes sense that it sits right behind the hand motor and sensory cortices
12/So on every brain MRI I read, I go to the vertex & look for:
1. A thumbs up
2. Luxury brands around the eloquent cortex
3. The functional cortex backside (superior parietal lobule)
Hopefully, you will now be eloquent when it comes to functional brain anatomy! 😜
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1/The 90s called & wants its carotid imaging back!
It’s been 30 years--why are you still just quoting NASCET?
Do you feel vulnerable when it comes to identifying plaque vulnerability?
Here’s a thread to help you identify high risk plaques with carotid plaque imaging
2/Everyone knows the NASCET criteria:
If the patient is symptomatic & the greatest stenosis from the plaque is >70% of the diameter of normal distal lumen, patient will likely benefit from carotid endarterectomy.
But that doesn’t mean the remaining patients are just fine!
3/Yes, carotid plaques resulting in high grade stenosis are high risk.
But assuming that stenosis is the only mechanism by which a carotid plaque is high risk is like assuming that the only way to kill someone is by strangulation.
1/I always say you can tell a bad read on a spine MR if it doesn’t talk about lateral recesses.
What will I think when I see your read? Do you rate lateral recess stenosis?
Here’s a thread on lateral recess anatomy & a grading system for lateral recess stenosis
2/First anatomy.
Thecal sac is like a highway, carrying the nerve roots down the lumbar spine.
Lateral recess is part of the lateral lumbar canal, which is essentially the exit for spinal nerve roots to get off the thecal sac highway & head out into the rest of the body
3/Exits have 3 main parts.
First is the deceleration lane, where the car slows down as it starts the process of exiting.
Then there is the off ramp itself, and this leads into the service road which takes the car to the roads that it needs to get to its destination
3/At its most basic, you can think of the PPF as a room with 4 doors opening to each of these regions: one posteriorly to the skullbase, one medially to the nasal cavity, one laterally to the infratemporal fossa, and one anteriorly to the orbit