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A 42-year-old male had intractable hyperkinetic seizure since childhood. Bottom-of-sulcus dysplasia was shown by MRI to be most likely an ictal focus, whereas ictal semiology suggested possible focus in the left frontal cortex. Scalp-recorded EEG could not delineate ictal EEG change at all partly because of violent hyperkinetic seizure, and thus intracranial EEG study by epidural electrodes was conducted as the best procedure for the safety concern. It showed ictal focus over the bottom-of-sulcus dysplasia and thus it was completely resected with seizure free more then 20 years until now. It was concluded that epidural electrodes are regarded as safe invasive recording method especially for violent hyperkinetic seizure, and that can provide us with essential information before epilepsy surgery.

Clinical evidence of mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke(AIS)has been reported since 2015, and there is an urgent need for the preparation of medical treatment systems for AIS. The Japan Stroke Society and the Japan Circulation Society published a 5-year plan for stopping CVD in December 2016. In December 2018, the Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Control Act was enacted in Japan. In this review, we present the future plan of medical treatment systems for stroke.

In stroke, due to sudden onset, the patient's premorbid wishes cannot be confirmed in most cases. Specific guidelines for decisions regarding continuing treatment and care have not been established in cases where the patient's condition becomes irreversible due to a severe stroke, and decisions are left to the staff at the clinical site, except, until recently, in legally determined brain death cases assuming organ donation. The Japan Stroke Society has established "Guidelines for end-of-life care in stroke" for the purpose of supporting decision-making for treatment and care by the medical team at the clinical site.

Sulfonylureas, a potent stimulator of insulin release from pancreatic β cells, can cause hypoglycemia, which is apt to recur with a prolonged duration in elderly patients. Octreotide acetate, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, suppresses the secretion of insulin and is recognized as a possible treatment for sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia. However, there are few reports on its use in an actual clinical setting, especially in the elderly. We herein report a case in which subcutaneous injection of octreotide was effective for treating prolonged and recurrent hypoglycemia caused by sulfonylureas in an elderly man. An 89-year-old man was transported to the emergency department of our hospital for disturbance of consciousness in the morning. He had been treated for type 2 diabetes with 0.5 mg glimepiride, with the most recent HbA1c measurement being 5.7%. His plasma glucose level was low (22 mg/dL), and he was in a coma (Japan Coma Scale: 300). Under a diagnosis of hypoglycemic coma caused by sulfonylurea, we dripped 10% glucose solution and administered 50% glucose solution every 1 to 2 h through a peripheral vein, but his hypoglycemia recurred several times. Finally, 50 μg octreotide was subcutaneously injected. Thereafter, hypoglycemia did not recur, and additional injections of 50% glucose solution were not required. The same dose of octreotide was additionally administered after 8 h. In conclusion, the subcutaneous injection of octreotide can be an effective and safe method of treating prolonged hypoglycemia caused by sulfonylureas in the elderly.

Segmental arterial mediolysis(SAM)is a rare non-inflammatory and non-atherosclerotic arteriopathy associated with the occurrence of multiple aneurysms such as intracranial and intraperitoneal aneurysms. We report a case of intraperitoneal hemorrhage that occurred during the acute stage of subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH). An 82-year-old woman presented with a sudden onset of loss of consciousness with a diagnosis of SAH. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrated two consecutive vertebral artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysms. The larger aneurysm, which seemed to be ruptured, was successfully treated by coil embolization. On the 9th day after the onset of SAH, she developed aphasia secondary to the cerebral vasospasm. After selective intra-arterial infusion of fasudil hydrochloride, she was observed to maintain elevated systolic blood pressure. Her aphasia improved; however, on the 14th day, she suddenly developed hemorrhagic shock. An abdominal computed tomography scan demonstrated intraperitoneal hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured fusiform aneurysm of the right gastroepiploic artery. The lesion was successfully treated by coil embolization, although she became bedridden. Although a histopathological examination was not performed, her clinical, radiological, and serological presentation met the criteria of the clinical diagnosis of SAM. Elevated systolic blood pressure and excessive release of catecholamines in the acute stage of SAH might have caused the intraperitoneal hemorrhage. Non-saccular ruptured intracranial aneurysms should be considered among the differential diagnoses of SAM. In such cases, identifying and monitoring intraperitoneal aneurysms might be useful for earlier diagnosis and treatment of SAM, especially in the acute stage after SAH.

In recent years, stereotactic electroencephalography(SEEG)has been focused on as a new invasive method for epileptic focus detection. Although the covering area of the brain surface is smaller than the invasive estimation with subdural electrodes, SEEG can evaluate foci that are deeply seated, noncontiguous leaves, and/or bilateral hemispheres. In addition, SEEG can capture consecutive changes in seizure activity in three dimensions. Due to the development of neuroimaging, computer-assisted, and robotic surgery technology, SEEG insertion began to be commonly used worldwide. Although the approximate complication rates of SEEG are estimated as 1% to 3%, which is lower than that of subdural electrode implantation, the risks of major complications, such as permanent neurological deficit and death, are equivalent. Therefore, meticulous procedure must be needed. To introduce SEEG for intractable partial epilepsy, we acquired approval from the institutional review board and concurrently imported surgical devices and electrodes from the manufacturer in the United States for two surgical candidates. We safely performed SEEG insertion, focal identification, and brain functional mapping by cortical electrical stimulation in two cases. Insertion was difficult for some electrodes, which could be due to the lack of adequate surgical device and large skull angle. Hopefully, the official installation of SEEG will be planned in the near future. We hereby reported tips and pitfalls of SEEG implantation through our own experience in a single institute.

Here, we report three cases of moyamoya disease with a history of Kawasaki disease. A 33-year-old man was found to have stenotic lesions of the internal carotid arteries(ICAs)on both sides at a nearby hospital where he visited complaining of headache and lisping. He had received immunoglobulin therapy for Kawasaki disease at the ages of 1, 2, and 6 years. MRI showed only a chronic ischemic lesion in the white matter. Angiography showed occlusion at the terminal portion of the ICAs on both sides. He was diagnosed with moyamoya disease, but as he had no symptoms and preserved cerebral blood flow (CBF), he was kept under observation. An 8-year-old boy was diagnosed with moyamoya disease and underwent right encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis at a nearby hospital. He had received immunoglobulin therapy for Kawasaki disease at the age of 1 year. His ischemic symptoms worsened. Although MRI detected no apparent ischemic lesion, angiography revealed severe stenosis at the terminal portions of the ICAs on both sides, and 123I-IMP SPECT showed CBF impairment. Bilateral direct bypass was performed. His father was subsequently also diagnosed with moyamoya disease. A 4-year-old girl with epilepsy was diagnosed with moyamoya disease at a nearby hospital. She had been treated with aspirin for Kawasaki disease at the age of 1 year. MRI detected no remarkable ischemic lesions, but angiography revealed mild stenosis at the terminal portions of the ICAs on both sides. Five months later, her ischemic symptoms were worsening with progressing stenotic lesions, and she underwent bilateral direct bypass.

Mixed pial-dural arteriovenous malformation(AVM) is currently defined as a malformation fed by both the pial and meningeal arteries. Although many cases of mixed pial-dural AVM have been reported, few papers have addressed its pathological locations. The authors report a case of a 43-year-old male patient with mixed pial-dural AVM in the occipital lobe, consisting of two distinct nidi located on the tentorium and in the cerebral parenchyma respectively. The lesions were surgically resected, and the pathological examination confirmed that both were indeed AVM. The authors discuss this rare type of AVM, focusing on the possible pathogenic mechanism thereof.

It is now recommended that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) be carried out in all patients with at least partial- and hopefully also generalized epilepsy to help identify intracranial lesions, such as hippocampal sclerosis, focal cortical dysplasia, brain tumor, cavernous malformation, and arteriovenous malformation. In order to identify epileptic focus, other neuroimaging tools, such as positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetoencephalography (MEG), are also useful, because an epileptogenic area is not necessarily located within these intracranial lesions. With regard to epilepsy surgery, neuroimaging is also required for the identification of functionally essential cortices, such as motor and language areas. MEG and functional MRI are noninvasively, and tractography with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is also useful for visualizing relevant white matter tracts. Recently, it has been reported that the cortico-cortical network plays an important role in preservation of brain function. Thus, cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEP) and resting state fMRI are candidate methods to help clarify brain network. While good seizure control is an important treatment outcome for patients with intractable partial epilepsy, the preservation of brain function is equally important. For this reason, further development and clinical application of sophisticated imaging technique are required.

Objectives: Postoperative courses in "coil-protruded" cases in embolization of unruptured cerebral aneurysms remain unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate postoperative complications after coil protrusions., Methods: From May 2003 to December 2007, 90 consecutive cases with unruptured cerebral aneurysm treated by coil embolization were examined at National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center. All patients received antiplatelet therapy prior to the procedure. The patterns of protrusions were classified into three; tail (T), loop (L), unraveled (U)., Results: Coil protrusions were observed in 17 cases (18.9%). Symptomatic ischemic complications occurred in 7 cases (7.8%). One case occurred in coil protrusions (group P) and 6 cases occurred in no coil protrusions (group N). Infarctions on MR diffusion-weighted image within 7 days after embolization were found in 10 cases (58.8%) in group P and in 28 cases (38.4%) in group N. Infarction on MR fluid attenuated inversion recovery 7 days or later were found in 0 in group P, and in 4 (5.5%) in group N. There were no significant differences. The number of each protrusion pattern was as follows: T was 12 cases, L was 3 cases and U was 2 cases. Symptomatic ischemia was observed in one case (8.3%) in T. Infarctions on MR diffusion-weighted image within 7 days after embolization were found in 7 (58.3%), 1 (33.3%) and 2 (100%), respectively. There were no significant differences between the three morphological patterns., Conclusion: In this retrospective study, coil protrusion after embolization of unruptured cerebral aneurysms on antiplatelet therapy, did not increase the incidence of ischemic complications.

There is a significant difference in the number of stroke neurologist between the prefectures in Japan. The fact suggests that some departments of neurology have been not so positive for the training stroke neurologist. Stroke is one of the most common diseases in Japan. The people are eager to be cared by the physicians who are specialized for stroke prevention and treatment. To respond to the social needs, neurologists and neurosurgeons should join to make a stroke team to study each other and to bring along the stroke neurologists.

Purpose and Methods: To evaluate the outcome and lesion characteristics in patients with radiation induced carotid stenoses (RI-CS) treated by carotid artery stenting (CAS), a total of five patients with RI-CS (six lesions) were retrospectively analyzed., Results: Four lesions had their most stenotic site at the common carotid artery (CCA). All cases had contralateral carotid or vertebral artery stenosis (>50%). All patients had risk factors of atherosclerosis and all lesions contained unstable plaques at the stenotic site. A total of seven procedures were carried out and procedural success was obtained in all cases. Asymptomatic embolic infarctions associated with procedure were observed in four cases by diffusion-weighted MR imaging. In-stent thrombi were observed in two cases, one of which developed a neurological symptom three days after the procedure., Conclusion: CAS is a technically successful intervention for RI-CS. Care should be taken according to the characteristics of the plaque, which usually is vulnerable and long. Appropriate choice of a protection method could help in the reduction of unfavorable embolic complications and close postoperative follow up is mandatory.

Intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are congenital lesions that can cause serious neurological deficits or even death. They can manifest as intracranial hemorrhage, epileptic seizure, or other symptoms such as headache or tinnitus. They are detected by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Recently there have been significant developments in the management of AVMs. In this paper, the authors represent an overview of the epidemiology of AVMs and the existing treatment strategies. AVMs are ideally excised by standard microsurgical techniques. The grading scale which was proposed by Spetzler and Martin is widely used to estimate the risk of direct surgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery such as that using a gamma knife is very useful for small lesions located in eloquent areas. Technological advances in endovascular surgery have provided new alternatives in the treatment of AVMs. Currently indications for embolization can be divided into (1) presurgical embolization in large AVMs to occlude deep arterial feeding vessels and (2) embolization before stereotactic radiosurgery to reduce the size of the nidus. Palliative embolization can be also applied for patients with large, inoperable AVMs who are suffering from progressive neurological deficits secondary to venous hypertension and/or arterial steal phenomenon.

Dissecting aneurysm of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) is a relatively rare disease and its treatment has not been well established. The authors analyzed the clinical and anatomical features of 38 reported lesions and three of our cases to clarify the "best therapeutic modality". The average age was 45.0 years old and 27 patients were male. Left-sided predominance (26 cases) was noted. As to the mode of onset, 23 cases were subarachnoid hemorrhage, 16 were ischemia, and 6 were Wallenberg's syndrome. Anatomically, the sites of dissection were located in the proximal segment of PICA in 31 lesions (75.6%). Review of the cases show that 30 (75%) patients underwent surgical therapy, and 7 (17.5%) patients underwent endovascular treatment. Twenty six patients who took surgical therapy and 5 patients who took endovascular treatment had excellent or good outcome. The critical point in therapeutic procedure is the preservation of perforating branches arising from PICA, therefore surgical trapping with the revascularization of PICA (usually extracranial-PICA anastomosis), in which these tiny branches are secured under microscopic manipulation, has the advantage in principle.