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Intraoperative indocyanine green(ICG)videoangiography is simple, less invasive, and enables real-time observation of hemodynamics during neurovascular surgery. In this article, we describe a case of ruptured distal middle cerebral artery aneurysm, which was unclippable and required parent artery occlusion with extracranial-intracranial bypass. Under temporary clipping of the proximal vessel, ICG videoangiography demonstrated the proper target vessel for bypass through delayed and retrograde filling of the dye. In this operation, ICG videoangiography contributed to simpler and less invasive procedures, by avoiding dissection of the tight cerebral fissure and intraoperative angiography.

Carotid artery stenting (CAS) has been covered by the health insurance system in Japan since 2008. There have been few studies concerning medical costs and charges for patients who received CEA or CAS in Japan. The aim of this study was to elucidate the difference in the costs between the patients who received CEA and those who received CAS in Japan. Between 2010 and 2011, 19 patients who received CEA and 20 patients who received CAS were retrospectively reviewed. Age, sex, symptomatic/asymptomatic, emergent/scheduled, length of stay, outcome, cost for the procedure (professional fee), supply for the operation, the total medical service fee, and copayment of the patients was compared between the two treatment groups. No significant difference was detected between the two groups except for the supply of the operation and the total medical service fee (CEA:mean 1,565,580 yen vs CAS 2,758,360 yen, p=0.0001). On the other hand, no significant difference was obtained in the copayment of the patients (CEA 71,895 yen, CAS 72,458 yen). Even when limited to the scheduled cases, similar results were obtained. There is a monthly copayment limit in the health insurance system in Japan, which results in a reasonable charge for patients who received CAS, despite the fact that the rest of the fee including high costs for the supplies was paid by the company and the nation. To reduce the medical costs, Japanese have to be aware of the high costs in CAS, most of which is due to the supplies.

We retrospectively reviewed the mortality rate of the patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) who received initial treatment in Kurashiki Central Hospital, for the 10-year period from 1999 through 2008. The overall mortality was 18.1% (120/662). The average fatality rate in such cases has shown a decreasing trend, from 24.2% in 1999-2002 to 15.9% in 2005-2008 (p=0.016). Transition in initial diagnostic modality from the time-consuming digital subtraction angiography to the less-invasive computed tomographic angiography, appropriate indication for the operation, and improvement in postoperative management might affect this decline in fatality cases.

Background and Purpose: The optimal therapeutic approach for chronic carotid occlusion with contralateral carotid stenosis (ICO-ICS) remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to elucidate the safety and efficacy of initial vascular reconstruction for ICS in patients with ICO-ICS., Patients and Methods: Eleven patients with ICO-ICS who demonstrated severe cerebral hypoperfusion in the hemisphere ipsilateral to ICO were treated in our institution between February 2003 and November 2007. Revascularization for ICS after measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was performed either by carotid endarterectomy or carotid stenting. External carotid artery-internal carotid artery (EC-IC) bypass for ICO was also performed when SPECT after revascularization for ICS still demonstrated marked hypoperfusion., Results: In 6 patients with collateral flow via the anterior communicating artery and/or who had high-grade ICS (>70%), sufficient improvement of CBF solely by revascularization for ICS was confirmed. With regard to perioperative complications, 2 patients suffered bradycardia and hypotension and another 2 showed asymptomatic cerebral infarction on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging., Conclusions: Overall results for revascularization of ICS prior to that for ICO in patients with ICO-ICS were acceptable. CBF of bilateral hemispheres was sufficiently improved in more than half of the patients solely by revascularization for ICS. This strategy might be both efficient and effective for ICO-ICS.

The evaluation of plaque characteritics as well as the degree of luminal narrowing is important in the management of carotid stenosis. Several reports have shown that intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), which plays a pivotal role in plaque vulnerability, emits high signal intensity on T1-weighted images of high-resolution black-blood (BB) MRIs. When an MRI is used to screen for vulnerable plaque, a short scanning duration and a simple MRI protocol are required. This study assessed the utility of screening BB-MRI to detect IPH. Ninety-three consecutive cases with atherosclerotic carotid stenosis scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting between January 2005 and December 2007 were included. High-resolution BB-MRI scans were obtained with 2D double-inversion recovery fast spin-echo sequences with cardiac gating. Screening BB-MRIs were performed with 3D gradient-echo sequences suppressing blood flow signals by radiofrequency wave spatial saturation over the scanning field of 3D time-of-flight MRA. The relative overall plaque signal intensities with reference to the sternocleidomastoid muscle were calculated, and the correlation of intensities on T1-weighted images between high-resolution BB-MRI and screening BB-MRI was investigated. We excluded 50 cases because of restenosis following CEA, use of a pacemaker, a long interval (>10 days) between high-resolution and screening BB-MRI examinations, or poor-quality images. Among the 43 cases included, the relative overall plaque signal intensity of high-resolution BB-MRI and screening BB-MRI were closely correlated (r = 0.568, p < 0.001). Screening BB-MRI can be an alternative to high-resolution BB-MRI in the assessment of IPH and may be a useful tool for detection of vulnerable plaque.

Management of atherosclerotic carotid arteries requires both plaque characterization and determination of the degree of stenosis, especially when carotid stenting (CAS) is being considered for severe carotid stenosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that high-resolution MRI can identify plaque components, such as the lipid-rich necrotic core, intraplaque hemorrhage, fibrous tissue, and the calcification present in human carotid atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of black blood MRI (BB-MRI) for accurately identifying the plaque components in vivo. Twenty-six consecutive patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) underwent a BB-MRI examination within 2 weeks before the surgical procedure using a 1.5-T Philips scanner with a protocol that generated 2 contrast weightings (T1 and T2). The MR images were acquired using cardiac gating to minimize motion artifact and fat suppression to reduce MR signals from subcutaneous fatty tissue. The plaque evaluations obtained by BB-MRI were compared with the intra-operative video recordings, the excised specimens, and the histological sections. With BB-MRI, the combination of the signal intensities in the T1- and T2-weighted images for each component (lipid deposits, intra-plaque hemorrhage, fibrous plaque, and calcification) showed findings that corresponded with the excised specimens. Complex morphological features could also be assessed by BB-MRI. BB-MRI is a useful method for noninvasively imaging and characterizing atherosclerotic carotid arteries. This MRI technique can provide valuable information that can be used to decide whether to perform a CEA or a CAS in patients with severe carotid stenosis. Furthermore, BB-MRI appears to be a useful tool for the investigation of the pathogenesis and natural history of carotid atherosclerosis.

It has been well recognized that neurovascular compression can elicit trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and microvascular decompression surgery has become popular as a radical treatment of this clinical symptom. Cerebellopontine (C-P) angle tumors, however, as well known, can also cause TN. Four hundred fifty six patients with TN underwent posterior fossa exploration between 1984 and 1992 in our clinic, and among them, 45 (9.9%) patients harbored C-P angle tumors which were causative of TN. They included 22 epidermoids, 18 meningiomas and 5 neurinomas. The patient population consisted of 35 women and 10 men, ranging in age from 28 to 73 years, with a mean age of 51.7 years. The mean age of the patients of TN with tumors is considerably lower than that of neurovascular compression patients (61.0 years), particularly in cases of neurinomas (44.4 years) and epidermoids (48.0 years) (p < 0.01). Such difference in ages at the onset of symptom may be explained by the fact that the tumor growth in the C-P angle develops earlier than changes of the vasculature of the vertebrobasilar artery system by aging. Anatomical relationships between the 5th cranial nerve and offending arteries or tumors verified at surgery are as follows; Type A: The nerve is totally encased by the tumor. Type B: The axis of the nerve is distorted by the tumor. Type C: The nerve is shifted by the tumor and is compressed by the artery contralaterally. Type D: The nerve is compressed by the artery which was displaced by the tumor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adriamycin, an anthracycline antineoplastic agent, can swiftly be transported to the sensory or somatic motor neurons by way of axoplasmic transport when injected into the subepineurium of the trigeminal nerve or sciatic nerve in experimental animals, and is consequently able to induce degeneration of the neurons without any systemic side effects. Intraneural injection of this agent was carried out for the treatment of a total of 22 patients presenting with intractable neural dysfunction (12 with neuralgia, including 7 with post-herpetic neuralgia and 10 with facial dystonia). The nerve which innervated the affected site was exposed under local anesthesia and approximately 10-60 microliters of 1-20% adriamycin was injected into the subepineurium. Results of the treatment after average follow-up periods of 21.5 months were as follows: Out of 12 patients with neuralgia, good results were obtained in 2 cases (16.7%), fair results in 6 cases (50.0%) (overall effective rate 67.7%). There were no changes in symptoms in 4 cases (33.3%). Out of 10 patients with facial dystonia, good results were obtained in 2 cases (20.0%), fair in 2 cases (20.0%) (overall effective rate 40.0%), and no changes in symptoms in 6 cases (60.0%). No major complications were encountered during these procedures and, once symptoms had disappeared after the treatment, no recurrence of symptoms was experienced. This method clearly differs from other various kinds of simple peripheral neurotomy, since transection of the peripheral nerve does not cause any, destructive changes in the sensory ganglion or motor nucleus and, hence, symptoms may recur.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An unusual case of a congenital petrous bone epidermoid which resulted in a sudden deafness is reported. The patient was a 25-year-old man who suddenly developed a right deafness and tinnitus. Neurological examination on admission revealed slight hearing disturbance in the high sound area. Plain craniogram showed a destructive bone lesion in the middle portion of the petrous bone on the right side. Bone-window CT scan disclosed a bony destructive mass in the petrous bone, and enlargement of the internal auditory canal. The mass lesion was almost isodense on plain CT scan and was not enhanced by contrast media. T1 weighted imaging of MRI demonstrated an isointense mass in the petrous bone, and T2 weighted imaging demonstrated hyperintensity. Gd-DTPA MRI revealed no enhancement. Angiogram did not reveal abnormal findings. Right lateral suboccipital craniectomy was performed to remove the posterior wall of the internal auditory canal. The tumor existed extradurally originating from the dipole of petrous bone. The tumor appeared pearly and fragile. The pathological examination of the specimen was diagnosed as epidermoid. The postoperative course was uneventful except for right hearing loss on the 4th postoperative day. Epidermoid arising in the middle portion of the petrous bone is quite rare, so this case was hereby reported with some references.

The authors report a rare case of a large cystic cervical neurinoma. A 45-year-old female was admitted to our clinic because of motor weakness of the right upper extremity, numbness of the right fingers and right posterior cervical pain. Metrizamide CT myelography demonstrated the outline of a low density mass. MRI showed a mass revealing low signal intensity on T1-weighted image, high signal intensity on T2-weighted image and marginal enhancement on contrast image with Gd-DTPA. The mass which was diagnosed as cystic tumor, was located in the intradural extramedullary space between C4 to C5 segments. After C4 through C5 laminectomy, the tumor was found to originate from the C5 anterior motor root. The tumor consisted mostly of a cystic part with a very thin solid compartment beneath the capsule. Postoperative course of the patient was uneventful. Although spinal neurinoma is one of the most common spinal tumors, an almost completely degenerated large cystic spinal neurinoma is extremely rare. MRI with Gd-DTPA was useful for the diagnosis of the cystic neurinoma by clearly enhancing the margin of the tumor.

Therapies and prognoses covering fifteen cases of intracranial hematoma (ICrH) accompanying various types of bleeding tendency (BTD) were studied along with a secondary analysis of the pertinent references. Fifteen cases were divided into two groups, Group A comprising 11 cases of ICrH accompanying primary BTD, and Group B comprising four cases of ICrH accompanying secondary BTD caused by various underlying diseases. Group A included four cases of hemophilia A (Hp-A), two cases of factor XIII deficiency (FXIII-d), three cases of thrombocytopenia (Th-p) and two cases of vitamin K deficiency (VK-d). The four cases of Hp-A responded favorably, with good prognoses, to a supplementary therapy alone. This result was endorsed by the development of therapy as documented in the references. The combined five cases of FXIII-d and Th-p tended without exception, to show good prognoses in the wake of a combination therapy of supplementary treatment and surgical procedure. As regards FXIII-d, there was an inter-reference difference in supplementary doses. Many references shared the view that splenectomy was essential to the treatment of Th-p in general, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in particular. The current study also suggested that gammaglobulin in large doses would serve as an effective therapy. The two cases of VK-d suffered from a serious degree of lingering neurologic manifestations, although their lives were saved. Even though there is an established therapy for it, VK-d was found to be a problem with poor functional prognosis showing the importance of the preventive approach. Group B was classified into the acute type and the subacute type depending on the rate of pathologic development. As underlying diseases DIC and myelofibrosis due to acute myeloblastic leukemia, and Th-p due to aplastic anemia were noted in two cases in each group. Of these, two cases of the subacute type were able to be saved, while two cases of the acute type followed poor prognostic courses resulting, eventually, in death. The following were found to be responsible fatal factors: 1) causes of BTD which involved both mechanisms of coagulation and hemostasis, 2) non-removal of the underlying disease, in which case supplementary therapy tended to be futile, and 3) the underlying disease per se as a danger to the life of the patient. In conclusion, therapeutic rationale and prognosis in ICrH accompanying primary type of BTD will benefit from the implementation of an adequate augmentative therapy as in the ordinary type of ICrH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

We present a rare case of thalamic germinoma with crossed aphasia in a dextral. A patient, 17-year-old righat-handed male, was admitted to Nippon Medical School Hospital with chief complaints of headache, abnormality of visual field and speech disturbance. There were pigmentations on the back of hand, foot and the perineum. Neurological examination revealed left homonymous hemianopsia, right slight degree of ptosis, left facial palsy, a mild paresis of the left upper extremity and motor aphasia. Right carotid angiography showed marked unrolling and midline shift of right anterior cerebral artery. CT scan revealed ring-like high density area in the right thalamic region, which was enhanced after constant infusion. Brain scintigraphy also showed an abnormal accumulation at the same site. The hen-egg sized tumor of 40 g. weight was almost totally removed by the right fronto-parietal craniotomy. The tumor was characterized histologically by the so-called two cell pattern with teratomatous components. As postoperative treatment local injection of adriamycine, irradiation and immunotherapy with picibanil were performed, and then left hemiparesis was markedly improved without sign of recurrence. Language evaluation was performed after operation. There were dysarthria, remarkable word amnesia, paraphasia and perseveration. Repetition was also impaired. His speech function was concluded to be a mixed type aphasia mainly composed of Broca's aphasia. The speech function of thalamus and crossed aphasia with dextrales were discussed.