Objectives: There is substantial information on the morphometric differences of the pathways passing through the internal capsule according to the dominant extremity; however, the diameters of the internal capsule in the horizontal plane have not been previously evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diameters of parts of the internal capsule (anterior limb, posterior limb and genu) and angle in between these parts in healthy subjects. Methods: MRI images of 80 females and 37 males (age: 18-65) with no obvious intracranial pathology were evaluated. The diameters of the anterior and posterior limb and the genu of the internal capsule and the angle between the anterior and posterior limbs were measured. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in measurements of internal capsule when compared bilaterally in all individuals (p>0.05). The right and left genu angles were significantly wider in females. This angle in the present study was found as 122°, while the classical knowledge reveals it as around 90°. Conclusion: Understanding the normal morphometry of this region may help clinicians in the diagnosis and follow-up of some neurological diseases. Some morphometric characteristics of this region have shown differences from the classical knowledge. Further studies in larger samples should be done for re-evaluating the normal ranges of these morphometric values.

Background/aim: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by neurodegeneration or demyelination; the relapsing-remitting phase of MS is characterized by acute exacerbation of disease activity. The most commonly used noninvasive approach to assess autonomic function is the determination of heart rate turbulence (HRT) and heart rate variability (HRV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction using HRT and HRV parameters determined via 24-h Holter ECG monitoring in patients with relapsing-remitting MS without known heart disease. Materials and methods: The study included 26 patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and 22 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. HRT and HRV parameters were analyzed via 24-h Holter ECG monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were reevaluated to identify any demyelinating lesions in the brain stem. Results: The HRV parameters of SDNNI (mean of the standard deviations of all normal sinus RR intervals in all 5-min segments), rMSSD (root-mean-square successive difference), and sNN50 (percentage of successive normal sinus RR intervals >50 ms) were significantly lower in the MS group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed that the patients with MS had reduced HRV; this was demonstrated by dysfunction with regard to parasympathetic and sympathetic parameters in HRV analysis.

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Purpose Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the only pulmonary hypertension that can be treated surgically. Multidedector computerized tomography angiography (MDCTA) is considered as an important tool. In this study, the important CT findings of CTEPH and the vascular MDCTA findings of CTEPH were classified as central, peripheral, central and peripheral. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between these groups with parenchymal and hemodynamic findings. Materials and Methods MDCTA examinations of 26 patients who had been diagnosed with CTEPH were retrospectively reviewed. Vascular, cardiac and parenchymal findings were examined in MDCTA. Patients were divided into three groups as peripheral, central and peripheral and central chronic thromboembolism. The relationship between these groups with demographic, vascular, parenchymal and hemodynamic findings was investigated. Results The most common vascular finding was the wall filling defects attached to the lobar and/or segmental arterial walls, while the parenchymal finding was the fibrotic shrinkage. There were no statistically significant differences between the three groups compared to parenchymal findings which are mosaic pattern, brochiectasis, fibrotic changes and atelectasis, pulmonary artery diameter, right atrial diameter and RV/LV ratio. Age and sex were not different in patients between the three groups. Conclusion The results of the this study confirm the important role of MDCTA in the evaluation of vascular, cardiac and parenchymal findings in the patients with CTEPH and identifying patients that would most benefit from surgical treatment by visualization of the segmental and subsegmental branches of the pulmonary arteries.