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Cerebral glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) accounts for approximately 60% of all primary brain tumors in adults [1,4]. The standard of care for this tumor is surgical resection followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy [5]. With this optimal treatment, the median survival time extends approximately from 9 to 12 months. In general, death is due to local progression of the tumor [3]. Metastasis of intracranial GBM by cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) dissemination has been described with increased frequency in recent years [4]. Autopsy series suggest that 25% of patients with cerebral GBM have evidence of CSF dissemination [5]. Symptomatic intramedullary metastases from GBM are rarely reported. We report a case of symptomatic cervical intramedullary metastasis from a temporal GBM treated 23 months before.

The authors present the case of an infant harboring a vein of Galen arteriovenous malformation with conspicuous cerebral calcifications that progressively regressed after staged endovascular obliteration of the lesion. The role of venous hypertension and hydrocephalus secondary to the arteriovenous shunt are discussed to explain the formation and regression of the cerebral calcifications.

Intracranial stenting is increasingly being used to treat intracranial aneurysms and stenoses. We wanted to assess the utility of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the follow-up of patients treated with various types of intracranial stents and to assess the utility of performing gadolinium-enhanced MRA. A total of 19 patients having undergone intracranial stenting for aneurysms were imaged by MRI at 1.5T. A total of 20 stents were placed in 19 patients. In addition to conventional T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI, 3D time-of-flight MRA was performed before and after contrast administration. In the case of metallic INX stents (N = 7), there was a signal drop at the level of the vessel. which did not allow to evaluating the parent vessel, whereas this was visible in Nitinol stents (N = 8). Additionally a stent with a wire had a small artifact (N = 3). Contrast administration also improved vessel lumen visualization. In the case of Nitinol stents, MRA can be used to reliably demonstrate the vessel lumen after intracranial stenting. The use of postcontrast 3D time-of-flight imaging helps improve the intraluminal definition.

The presence of portal venous gas (PVG) has been reported most often in association with bowel ischemia or infarction but may result from nonischemic conditions such as bowel trauma or surgery, inflammatory or tumoral ulcerative disease, or infectious or inflammatory bowel disease. 1 - 1 2 In a setting of mesenteric infarction, the presence of PVG has been reported to be an ominous finding; however, when PVG is related to nonischemic conditions, clinical outcome seems to be determined by the underlying disease and not by the presence of PVG. 6 Therefore, diagnosis of PVG is of clinical importance because quick medical or surgical treatment of the underlying condition may be warranted. Both computed tomography (CT) and gray scale or Doppler sonography contribute to the detection of PVG, with CT being more sensitive in identifying the underlying cause of PVG. 5 Recent reports suggest that sonography may be more sensitive in detecting PVG than CT. 1 3 - 1 5 We report a case of PVG detected on gray scale sonography that went undetected on CT. The cause of PVG in this case was acute appendicitis, which to our knowledge has never been reported in the literature.

Cerebral developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) are the most frequently encountered cerebral vascular malformation. As such, they are often observed incidentally during routine CT and MRI studies. Yet, what DVAs represent from a clinical perspective is frequently not common knowledge and DVAs, therefore, still generate uncertainty and concern amongst physicians. This article reviews our current understanding of developmental venous anomalies. In the majority of cases, DVAs follow a benign clinical course. On rare occasions, DVAs become symptomatic generally due to an underlying associated vascular malformation such as cavernous malformations or thrombosis of the collecting vein. Rare forms of DVAs include arterialized DVAs and DVAs involved in the drainage of sinus pericranii, which warrant additional investigation by digital subtraction angiography. Cerebral abnormalities such as atrophy, white matter lesions and calcifications within the drainage territory of asymptomatic DVAs, are often identified on CT or MR imaging studies and likely represent secondary changes due to venous hypertension. There is increasing evidence that DVAs have a propensity for developing venous hypertension, which is thought to be the cause of associated cavernous malformations and parenchymal abnormalities. DVAs represent variations of the normal cerebral venous angioarchitecture and by enlargement follow an uneventful clinical course. Complications can, however, occur and their management requires a thorough understanding of the nature of DVAs, including their frequent coexistence with other types of vascular malformation, and the existence of more complex but rare forms of presentation, such as the arterialized DVAs.

Cerebral developmental venous anomalies are the most frequently encountered cerebral vascular malformation, and as such, are frequently reported as fortuitous findings in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) are generally considered extreme anatomical variations of the cerebral vasculature, and follow a benign clinical course in the vast majority of cases. Here we review current concepts on DVAs with the aim of helping clinicians understand this complex entity. Morphological characteristics that are necessary to conceptualize DVAs are discussed in depth. Images modalities used in diagnosing DVAs are reviewed, including new MRI or CT techniques. Clinical presentation, association with other vascular malformations and cerebral parenchymal abnormalities, and possible physiopathological processes leading to associated imaging or clinical findings are discussed. Atypical forms of DVAs are also reviewed and their clinical significance discussed. Finally, recommendations as to how to manage asymptomatic or symptomatic patients with a DVA are advanced.

Classical anatomists have provided detailed description of the arterial collateral pathways found in the head and neck. The small branches building this intricate network are difficult to access. The arterial map inherited from the anatomists has been put to the test with detailed high-resolution vascular imaging. Superselective angiography has helped rediscover the complexity of the craniocervical arterial network. The concept of dangerous collaterals or dangerous anastomoses was born with the advent of endovascular therapy. Although dangerous anastomoses of the skull base are described in the literature, variations and collateral pathways have been overlooked or misunderstood. This article reviews normal orbital arterial vascularization and its principal variations.

To preliminarily evaluate the feasibility and potential diagnostic utility of whole-brain perfusion computed tomography (CT) performed with a prototype 256-detector row CT system over an extended range covering the entire brain to assess ischemic cerebrovascular disease.Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. Eleven cases in 10 subjects (six men, four women; mean age, 64.3 years) with intra- or extracranial stenosis were retrospectively evaluated with whole-brain perfusion CT. Three readers independently evaluated perfusion CT data. The diagnostic performance of perfusion CT was visually evaluated with a three-point scale used to assess three factors. Differences between four axial perfusion CT images obtained at the basal ganglia level (hereafter, four-section images) and whole-brain perfusion CT images were assessed with the paired t test. In four subjects, the interval between perfusion CT and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was 1-17 days (mean, 10.3 days). Correlation between perfusion CT findings and SPECT findings was assessed with the Spearman correlation coefficient.Three-dimensional perfusion CT images and axial, coronal, and sagittal whole-brain perfusion CT images were displayed, and the extent of ischemia was assessed. Mean visual evaluation scores were significantly higher for whole-brain images than for four-section images (4.27 +/- 0.76 [standard deviation] vs 2.55 +/- 0.87). The cerebral blood flow ratios of the ischemic lesions relative to normal regions scanned with perfusion CT (x) and SPECT (y) showed a significant positive correlation (R(2) = 0.76, y = 0.44 x + 0.37, P.001).Perfusion CT performed with a 256-detector row CT system can be used to assess the entire brain with administration of one contrast medium bolus. Thus, ischemic regions can be identified with one examination, which has the potential to improve diagnostic utility.

We present a novel access for transvenous embolization of a dural arteriovenous fistula of the laterocavernous sinus through the external jugular vein and the pterygoid plexus. The anatomy of the laterocavernous sinus is reviewed, and its clinical implications discussed in light of the case of a patient whose management was modified after identifying this anatomical variation.

OBJECTIVE. MDCT angiography allows fast imaging of the cerebral vessels, and its potential as a noninvasive technique to detect vascular abnormalities on the basis of morphologic changes is well established. We analyzed vascular enhancement patterns of cerebral venous structures on MDCT angiography, which enabled us to diagnose dural arteriovenous fistula.CONCLUSION. MDCT angiography performed during an early arterial phase showed asymmetrically higher contrast intensity in the transverse or sigmoid sinus, or both, in five patients. In all patients, digital subtraction angiography confirmed the presence of a dural arteriovenous fistula on the side on which the higher contrast intensity appeared. Radiologists should actively look for this sign in the imaging workup of patients presenting with nonspecific symptoms that might be related to a dural arteriovenous fistula.