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Background: Scavenger receptor A (SRA) can regulate immune response and is involved in pathophysiological processes of acute brain injury. We analyzed the prognostic role of serum soluble SRA in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)., Methods: In this prospective cohort study of 110 healthy controls and 110 patients with acute basal ganglia hemorrhage, serum soluble SRA concentrations were detected. Univariate analyses, followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses, were utilized to explore the relationship between serum soluble SRA concentrations and early neurologic deterioration (END) plus post-stroke 3-month poor prognosis (modified Rankin Scale scores of 3-6)., Results: Serum soluble SRA concentrations of patients were significantly higher than those of controls (median, 3.6 vs 0.9 ng/ml; P < 0.001). Serum soluble SRA concentrations of patients were independently correlated with hematoma volume (β, 0.201; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.093-0.309; P = 0.001), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (β, 0.118; 95 % CI, 0.024-0.213; P = 0.024), and 3-month modified Rankin Scale scores (β, 0.148; 95 % CI, 0.063-0.232; P = 0.001). Serum soluble SRA concentrations independently predicted END and poor 3-month prognosis with odds ratio values of 1.394 (95 % CI, 1.024-1.899; P = 0.035) and 1.441 (95 % CI, 1.016-2.044; P = 0.040) respectively. Serum soluble SRA concentrations were efficiently predictive of the development of END (ROC AUC 0.746; 95 % CI, 0.631-0.861) and poor 3-month prognosis (AUC, 0.773; 95 % CI, 0.685-0.861). Serum soluble SRA concentrations significantly improved AUCs of NIHSS score and hematoma volume to 0.889 (95 % CI, 0.829-0.948; P = 0.035) and 0.873 (95 % CI, 0.811-0.936; P = 0.036) for prognostic prediction. The END predictive ability of serum sSRA concentrations combined with NIHSS score and ICH volume (AUC, 0.900; 95 % CI, 0.835-0.965) was significantly superior to those of NIHSS score (P = 0.020) and hematoma volume (P = 0.022). The prognostic predictive capability of serum sSRA concentrations combined with NIHSS score and ICH volume (AUC, 0.907; 95 % CI, 0.852-0.962) substantially exceeded those of NIHSS score (P = 0.009) and hematoma volume (P = 0.005)., Conclusions: Serum soluble SRA concentrations may reflect illness severity and neurologic function after ICH, indicating serum soluble SRA may serve as a promising prognostic biochemical marker of ICH., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Visinin-like protein 1 (VILIP-1) appears as a biomarker of neuronal injury. We investigated the correlation of serum VILIP-1 concentrations with severity, early neurologic deterioration (END) and functional outcome of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)., Methods: In this prospective and observational study, serum VILIP-1 concentrations were quantified in 106 patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between serum VILIP-1 concentrations and END plus worse prognosis (modified Rankin Scale score of 3 or greater) at post-injury 3 months., Results: Serum VILIP-1 concentrations of patients were closely correlated with hematoma volume and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. Serum VILIP-1 concentrations were substantially elevated in patients with END or worse 3-month prognosis, as compared to other remainders. Also, serum VILIP-1 concentrations were independently associated with END and worse 3-month prognosis. Under ROC curve analysis, serum VILIP-1 concentrations exhibited marked accuracy for distinguishing patients with the development of END or worse 3-month prognosis. Its predictive ability was in the range of hematoma volume and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score., Conclusions: Serum VILIP-1 may be a good biomarker for assessing hemorrhagic severity and clinical outcomes after ICH., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Spontaneous simultaneous bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage (SSBBGH) is an extremely rare condition with only a few published case reports and series. However, there is no systematic review that has been published yet., Objective: The study aims to conduct a systematic review on spontaneous simultaneous bilateral basal ganglion bleeding and a descriptive statistical analysis of collected data on epidemiology, clinical features, etiology, therapeutic approach and prognosis. This review aims to be a clinical reference for busy clinicians when they are faced with such a rare condition., Methodology: This review has been carried out in accordance with recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines., Results: Review of 60 cases showed that SSBBGH affected predominantly male patients (70%) with an average age of 50.8 ± 15.33 years and the male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1. The female patients tend to be older with an average age of 54.22 ± 16.67 years. Location of SSBBGHwas more common in the putamen (90% vs 10% non-putaminal). SSBBGH posed a significant mortality rate (33.33%). Among patients who survived, only 40.6% (13/32 report) have had favorable outcomes (mRS ≤2) and the remaining 59.4% (19/32) ended up with poor functional status (mRS ≥3-5). The most common implicated etiologies were hypertension followed by alcohol intoxication., Conclusion: SSBBGH is a rare clinical entity with significant morbidity and mortality. Systemic approach can lead to early recognition of etiology and prompt treatment. Hypertension and the putamen are the most common etiology and location of SSBBGH, respectively. History of hypertension and age can help narrow differential diagnosis and limit unnecessary testing or intervention., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2022 Alhashim et al.)

Background: The a-secretase A disintegrin and metalloprotease-10 (ADAM-10) may have deleterious effects in acute brain injury. This study was designed to discern if a relationship between plasma ADAM-10 levels and functional outcome exists in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)., Methods: A total of 109 patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage and 100 healthy controls were included. Their plasma ADAM-10 levels were gauged. Ninety-day prognosis was assessed and poor outcome was defined as death or major disability (modified Rankin Scale score of 3 or greater)., Results: Plasma ADAM-10 levels were substantially elevated in patients, as compared to controls. ADAM-10 levels were independently correlated with hematoma size and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Plasma ADAM-10, NIHSS score and hematoma size emerged as the independent predictors for 90-day poor outcome. Under receiver operating characteristic curve, plasma ADAM-10 levels exhibited similar prognostic capability, as compared to hematoma size and NIHSS score; moreover, it significantly improved prognostic abilities of NIHSS and hematoma size., Conclusions: Rising plasma ADAM-10 levels are independently related to increasing severity and poor long-term functional outcome after hemorrhagic stroke, substantializing serum ADAM-10 as a useful prognostic biomarker of ICH., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To evaluate potential bleeding sources and predictive variables for basal ganglia hemorrhage. Fifty-seven patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage admitted to our neurosurgical ICU between 2005 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to assess predictive variables for identifying the bleeding source and outcome. ROC curves were plotted for a cutoff value for age and hematoma volume in patients with a vascular pathology and patients without a vascular pathology. In 19 patients, a vascular pathology was found as a bleeding source for basal ganglia hemorrhage (33.3%; 95% CI 0.33 [0.21; 0.47]). Most of the arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were small sized (61.1%) with deep venous drainage (94.4%). A single vein was found in 17 (77.8%) AVMs. Patients younger than 50 years were more likely to have a vascular pathology (AUC of 0.85 [95% CI 0.73; 0.98]; p = 0.001; cutoff value 46.5 years). Four (21.1%) patients older than 50 years suffered an AVM hemorrhage; 75% of them were located ventricular or thalamic. Hematoma volume in patients with AVM hemorrhage was predominantly less than 30 cm 3 (AUC of 0.86 [95% CI 0.76; 0.96]; p = 0.001; cutoff value 12.6 cm 3 ). Outcome in patients with a vascular pathology was more often favorable as in patients with a spontaneous hemorrhage (92.9% vs. 7.1%; p = 0.001). Young age and hematoma volume are significant predictors for presence of a bleeding source and outcome in basal ganglia hemorrhage. These criteria must be taken into account in the emergency diagnostics and therapy in order to achieve a rapid and sufficient result. Outcome in patients with AVM hemorrhage in basal ganglia is more often favorable.

Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is often used as a solvent in paints, paint thinners, glues, disinfectants and as an industrial solvent for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, paints and chemicals. Metabolic acidosis is a recognized complication of toluene poisoning. However, we here report an unusual case of toluene poisoning presenting with bilateral intracerebral haemorrhage., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

It is important to estimate motor recovery in the early phase after stroke. Many studies have demonstrated that both diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) and motor-evoked potentials (MEP) are valuable predictors of motor recovery, but these modalities do not directly reflect the status of the injured gray matter. We report on 2 subjects with basal ganglia hemorrhage who showed similar DTT and MEP findings, but had markedly different clinical outcomes. Specifically, Subject 1 showed no improvement in motor function, whereas Subject 2 exhibited substantial improvement 7 weeks after onset. To determine if differences in gray matter might lend insight into these different outcomes, we analyzed gray matter lesions of the 2 subjects using a novel voxel-based lesion mapping method. The lesion of Subject 1 mainly included the putamen, thalamus, and Heschl's gyri, indicating extension of the hemorrhage in the posterior direction. In contrast, the lesion of Subject 2 mainly included the putamen, insula, and pallidum, indicating that the hemorrhage extended anterior laterally. These differential findings suggest that voxel-based gray matter lesion mapping may help to predict differential motor recovery in subjects with basal ganglia hemorrhage with similar DTT and MEP findings.

Objective: To explore the therapeutic effect of neuronavigation-assisted minimally invasive operation on hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhage patients with hematoma volume less than 30 mL., Patients and Methods: 25 hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhage patients with hematoma volume varied from 15 to 30 mL were enrolled. 13 patients were recuited to undertook puncture aspiration and catheter drainage under real-time neuronavigation. The operations were carried out under CT imaging guidance. Twelve patients with conservative treatment were recruited as control., Results: Neuronavigation operation group was superior to the conservative treatment group in terms of hematoma clearance time, duration of hospitalization, 6-month Glasgow coma score (GCS) scores and neurological deficiency scores., Conclusions: Neuronavigation-assisted minimally invasive operation is suitable for low volume hypertensive basal ganglia hemorrhage and improves the prognosis of these patients significantly.

Background: Visfatin, a proinflammatory mediator, has been associated with poor clinical outcomes after acute brain injury. The present study is designed to investigate the potential association between plasma visfatin levels and the risk of hematoma growth (HG) and early neurologic deterioration (END) after intracerebral hemorrhage., Methods: There were 85 patients as cases who presented with first-time hemorrhagic stroke that were assessed within 6h after the incident. The control group consisted of 85 healthy volunteers. HG was defined as hematoma enlargement >33% at 24h. END was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 points in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at 24h from symptoms onset. Plasma visfatin levels were determined using enzyme immunoassay., Results: Plasma visfatin levels were significantly higher in patients compared to controls. Plasma visfatin level emerged as an independent predictor of HG [odds ratio (OR), 1.154; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.046-3.108; P=0.009] and END (OR, 1.195; 95% CI, 1.073-3.516; P=0.005). For predicting HG, area under curve (AUC) of plasma visfatin level (0.814; 95% CI: 0.715-0.890) was similar to that of hematoma volume (0.839; 95% CI, 0.743-0.909) (P=0.703). For predicting END, AUC of plasma visfatin level (0.828; 95% CI: 0.730-0.901) was similar to that of hematoma volume (0.863; 95% CI, 0.771-0.928) (P=0.605). Visfatin did not improve AUC of hematoma volume for predicting HG and END (both P>0.05)., Conclusion: Plasma visfatin level represents a novel biomarker for predicting HG and END., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Higher plasma leptin levels have been associated with poor clinical outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage. Nevertheless, their links with hematoma growth and early neurological deterioration are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma leptin levels, hematoma growth, and early neurological deterioration in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage. We prospectively studied 102 consecutive patients with acute spontaneous basal ganglia hemorrhage presenting within 6h from symptoms onset. Significant hematoma growth was defined as hematoma enlargement >33% at 24h. Early neurological deterioration was defined as an increase of ≥4 points in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at 24h from symptoms onset. We measured plasma leptin levels on admission using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a blinded fashion. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, plasma leptin level emerged as the independent predictor of hematoma growth (odds ratio, 1.182; 95% confidence interval, 1.061-2.598; P=0.008) and early neurological deterioration (odds ratio, 1.193; 95% confidence interval, 1.075-2.873; P=0.004). Using receiver operating characteristic curves, we calculated areas under the curve for hematoma growth (area under curve, 0.844; 95% confidence interval, 0.759-0.908) and early neurological deterioration (area under curve, 0.857; 95% confidence interval, 0.774-0.918). The predictive performance of leptin was similar to, but did not obviously improve that of hematoma volume. Thus, leptin may help in the prediction of hematoma growth and early neurological deterioration after intracerebral hemorrhage., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is an increasingly recognized acute cerebrovascular condition that may produce myriad transient and sustained neurologic deficits as well as a host of radiologic features. We report the case of a woman with RCVS and a severe clinical syndrome with bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhages, cerebral infarctions, and marked vascular abnormalities. The patient made a near complete clinical recovery, representing an extreme and illustrative form of RCVS., (Copyright © 2011 by the American Society of Neuroimaging.)

Twenty patients with traumatic basal ganglia hematoma (TBGH) were studied. Of the 20 patients, 16 were male and 4 were female, with an age range of 4-89 years (mean, 54.4 years). The causes of injury were traffic accidents in 12 patients and falls in 8. The mean admission GCS score was 7.5. Skull fractures were revealed in five patients (25 %). The hematoma was found in the putamen in 15 patients (80 %), the thalamus in 4, and the caudate in 1. The mean hematoma volume was 10.7 mL. The CT findings indicated focal contusions in 9 patients, subdural hematoma in 5, intraventricular hemorrhage in 4, subarachnoid hemorrhage in 10, and diffuse axonal injury in 5. Six patients (30 %) underwent surgery. The final outcomes were poor: 7 patients (35 %) died, 1 was in a vegetative state, 4 experienced severe disabilities, and 8 patients (40 %) made a favorable recovery. The statistical analysis identified the GCS score and midline shift as prognostic factors.Our study revealed interesting characteristics of TBGH, including a high frequency of putaminal involvement, a low frequency of skull fractures, a high frequency of associated intracranial lesions, and a high poor outcome and mortality rate.

Background: Bilateral traumatic basal ganglia haematoma is an extremely rare event in traumatic brain injuries, with only five reported cases. The presumed mechanism is due to shearing forces leading to haemorrhage from the lenticulostriate or anterior choroidal artery. The prognosis appears to be dependent on the extent and severity of underlying brain injury., Case Study: A case of a 38 year old fully conscious male, who presented with bilateral basal ganglia haematoma and extradural haematoma, is presented and the relevant literature is briefly reviewed.

A 57-year-old man was admitted with right arm weakness and numbness on the background of intermittent headaches. On examination he was found to have mildly decreased sensation, power was 4/5 on the right side. He had dyspraxia in the right hand and was unable to spell his name. His speech was hesitant and he had left-sided visual field impairment as well as some photophobia. MRI and CT revealed multiple areas of haemorrhage and infarctions raising the possibility of primary angitis of brain. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. The patient responded to steroids and immunosuppressants partially.

Bilaterally progressive tinnitus and hearing impairment occurred in a hypertensive patient shortly after an episode of right ganglionic hemorrhage. Audiometric tests showed a mixed sensorineural and conduction hearing loss. When low-dose gabapentin was administrated for the pre-existing postherpetic thoracic neuralgia, the tinnitus dramatically improved but recurred after discontinuation of the drug. Hearing function did not change. In view of a controversy of gabapentin and tinnitus in previous trials, the findings in this patient support that low-dose gabapentin benefits the subgroup of tinnitus patients with secondary contributing factors, such as stroke., (Copyright © 2012 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Brain microbleeds (BMBs) can be detected on the gradient-echo T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and are considered a risk factor for cognitive impairment and intracerebral hemorrhage. Detailed radiologic findings on the etiology of BMBs and their changes remain scarce. We present a case of subacute change in a BMB in the basal ganglia that mimicked a subacute lacunar infarct. Our findings underscore the need for physicians to be careful to not erroneously diagnose BMBs as lacunar infarctions and prescribe unnecessary antiplatelet medication., (Copyright © 2012 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is a disease with high morbidity, high disability rate, high mortality, and high economic burden. Whether patients can benefit from surgical evacuation of hematomas is still controversial, especially for those with moderate-volume hematomas in the basal ganglia. This study is designed to compare the efficacy of endoscopic surgery and conservative treatment for the moderate-volume hematoma in spontaneous basal ganglia hemorrhage., Methods: Patients meet the criteria will be randomized into the endoscopic surgery group (endoscopic surgery for hematoma evacuation and the best medical treatment) or the conservative treatment group (the best medical treatment). Patients will be followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months after initial treatment. The primary outcomes include the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Modified Rankin Scale. The secondary outcomes consist of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the mortality. The Barthel Index(BI) will also be evaluated. The sample size is 100 patients., Discussion: The ECMOH trial is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate if endoscopic surgery is better than conservative treatment for patients with moderate-volume hematomas in the basal ganglia., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-TRC-11001614(http://www.chictr.org/en/proj/show.aspx?proj=1618).

The risk of basal ganglia hemorrhage (BGH) increases in patients of older age and with hypertension. Current guidelines do not recommend routine vascular imaging. However, a proportion of patients with BGH have underlying vascular abnormalities, and these patients may require a different treatment approach. We aimed to assess the proportion of underlying vascular abnormalities in patients with BGH. In this retrospective study, we included all patients who presented with BGH between January 2007 and December 2009 at a single institution. The following data were collected: patient demographics, vascular risk factors, medications, volume of hematoma, CT scans, CT angiogram, magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography. We determined the proportion of underlying vascular abnormalities and correlated these findings with risk factors for BGH. A total of 113 consecutive patients with BGH were identified, and vascular imaging was performed in 61. The median age was 62 years and 48 (78.7%) of these patients were male. Forty-two (68.9%) of 61 patients had hypertension. Positive vascular imaging findings were identified in eight of 61 patients (13.1%): three intracranial aneurysms, three cavernous malformations, one Moyamoya disease and one arteriovenous malformation. There were no significant associations between demographic features, vascular risk factors and the hematoma volume between patients with positive and negative vascular imaging. Specifically, an underlying vascular abnormality was not associated with age (≥ 60 years, 6/36 patients had an underlying vascular abnormality, compared with 2/25 patients< 60 years; p=not significant [n.s.]). There was no relationship with hypertension (5/42 hypertensive patients and 3/19 normotensive patients (n.s.) had an underlying vascular abnormality). We concluded that there is a significant proportion of relevant underlying vascular abnormalities in patients with BGH. This likelihood is not predicted by risk factors such as hypertension and age. These findings indicate the importance of vascular imaging in patients with BGH who are not neurologically devastated., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hypertension-associated intracerebral hemorrhage, when compared with cerebral infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage, is associated with worse clinical outcomes or major disability. Worse clinical outcomes have been observed in the elderly population though age as a factor influencing physicians' final treatment decision is not well determined., Materials and Methods: We studied 199 patients diagnosed with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICD code: ICD-9-CM-431) who visited a tertiary medical center from January 2003 to March 2006. Baseline characteristics, major medical histories (including co-morbidities), vital signs, neurological assessment (evaluated by the Glasgow Coma Scale), location of the hemorrhage, and the amount of hemorrhaging were all included as variables. A multivariate logistic regression model was chosen to evaluate the significant independent factors that could influence the physician's choice of treatment approach., Results: There were totally 110 patients meeting the inclusion criteria for enrollment. We observed that worse neurological function on-arrival (chi2 = 8.57, p = .01) and larger amount of bleeding (chi2 = 9.29, p = .01) were more likely to receive surgery. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that age, neurological function on-arrival, and the amount of hemorrhage were significant independent factors influencing the physicians' treatment decision (all p < .05)., Conclusion: Age, after adjustment for clinical variables representative of clinical severity, was an important factor in the final therapeutic decision. Our data suggest that a comprehensive evaluation of the patients' on-arrival status may be made and that advanced age should not be a determining factor in the choice of final treatment methods.

High plasma copeptin levels are associated with mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, there is a paucity of data available on whether copeptin is an independent prognostic marker of mortality. Thus, we sought to furthermore evaluate this relation. Thirty healthy controls and 86 patients with acute ICH were included. Plasma samples were obtained on admission and at days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 after ICH. Its concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After ICH, plasma copeptin level in patients increased during the 6-h period immediately, peaked in 24h, decreased gradually thereafter, and was substantially higher than that in healthy controls during the 7-day period. A multivariate analysis showed plasma copeptin level was an independent predictor for 1-week mortality (odds ratio, 1.013; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.003-1.023; P=0.009) and positively associated with hematoma volume (t=6.616, P<0.001). A receiver operating characteristic curve identified that a baseline plasma copeptin level >577.5pg/mL predicted 1-week mortality with 87.5% sensitivity and 72.2% specificity (area under curve (AUC), 0.873; 95% CI, 0.784-0.935). The AUC of the copeptin concentration was similar to those of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and hematoma volumes (P=0.136 and 0.280). However, copeptin did not statistically significantly improve the AUCs of GCS scores and hematoma volumes (P=0.206 and 0.333). Hence, increased plasma copeptin level is associated with hematoma volume and an independent prognostic marker of mortality after ICH., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Xenon-CT is a quantitive technique for estimating cerebral blood flow. To investigate whether penumbra exists around hematoma, regional cerebral blood flow (ICBF) was measured by Xenon-CT in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)., Methods: Xenon-CT was performed on 15 patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage and hematoma volume < 50 mL. rCBF was measured within 36 h of onset and an average of 13 days later by 27-pixel rings in perihematomal area and its enantiomorph in contralateral hemisphere. Penumbra was defined as rCBF 8-20 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1)., Results: Average ICH volume was 13 +/- 7 mL (6.4-23.7 mL). First rCBF examination was conducted at 21.7 +/- 9.4 h (5-37 h), second rCBF examination was conducted at 13.4 +/- 1.8 days (11-18 days) after onset. Within 36h of onset, mean perihematomal rCBF was 28.4 +/- 7.8 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1); contralateral region was 34.2 +/- 12.2 mL x 100 g(-l) x min(-1) (p = 0.11). Average 13 days after onset, mean rCBF close to hematoma was 19.4 +/- 8.1 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1); rCBF in contralateral region was 40.1 +/- 11.3 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1) (p < 0.0001). rCBF in distal perihematomal region was 27.8 +/- 9.5 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1); the difference was significant compared to contralateral region (p = 0.0003). One patient's rCBF in area of edema around hematoma was less than 20 mL x 100 g(-1) x min(-1) at first examination. At second examination, 6 patients had same occurrence in region adjacent to hematoma and 2 patients experienced it in distal perihematomal region., Conclusions: Reduced perihematomal rCBF was shown after ICH; this phenomenon lasted at least 14 days. A number of ICH patients experienced penumbra around hematoma.

Intracranial bleeding is rare in patients with low-grade gliomas, above all in adult population. We reviewed the literature of such cases and reported another case of a haemorrhagic low-grade glioma in a 54-year-old woman presenting with a left hemiparesis. Computer tomography (CT) images showed a right basal ganglia haemorrhage with no mass effect. Vascular malformations were ruled out by angiography. Eighteen fluoro-fluoro deossiglucosio (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET/CT) showed a large hypometabolic area corresponding to the lesion. We waited for patient's improvement. Late magnetic resonance images revealed a low-grade glioma at the bleeding site. Tumour was removed and histopathologic examination revealed a WHO grade II mixed glioma. The authors emphasize that this evidence has to be kept in mind since it has important therapeutic implications.

Purpose: In the nine years since the posterior reversible (leuc) encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) was first described, a number of causes have been under discussion. These not only include arterial hypertension, i. e. hypertensive crises, but also various toxic substances, i. e. immunosuppressive or chemotherapeutic agents, that are responsible for the formation of the symptoms and characteristic MR tomographic brain findings., Materials and Methods: Initial and follow-up MRI examinations of 8 patients were analyzed. All patients had acute neurological symptoms (headaches, seizures, visual disorders and vigilance disturbances) together with a detectable hypertensive crisis., Results: MRI disclosed increased signal intensity in subcortical and some cortical lesions in all patient FLAIR sequences. These changes were particularly extensive in the posterior circulation (occipital, cerebellum and brain stem) although they were also detected in brain areas supplied by the carotid artery. However, a cytotoxic genesis of the changes was ruled out in each patient by means of a normal DWI. Furthermore, when the blood pressure was normalized, reversibility of the lesions as proof of the diagnosis was detectable., Conclusion: The imaging findings can be typically analyzed as a predominantly posterior distribution of encephalopathic lesions with a high probability of reversibility after lowering blood pressure was patients suffering from a critical increase in blood pressure with corresponding neurological symptoms. The exact pathophysiology remains unclear, but the cause currently most favored is a vasculopathy of the posterior circulation due to diminished adrenergic autoregulation in combination with a dysfunction of the endothelial cells. In conclusion, we suggest designating this subpopulation from the non-uniform pool of patients with posterior (leuc) encephalopathy as "hypertensive encephalopathy". "Hypertensive encephalopathy" has to be distinguished from "toxic encephalopathy", particularly due to different therapeutic and prognostic consequences.

Background: This prospective study aimed to evaluate the safety, neurological outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of 3 surgical procedures for spontaneous basal ganglia hemorrhage., Methods: Ninety noncomatose patients with basal ganglia hemorrhages were randomized into 3 groups. Group A (n = 30) underwent endoscopic surgery, group B (n = 30) underwent stereotactic aspiration, and group C (n = 30) underwent craniotomy. Waiting time of surgery, length of operation time, and blood loss were compared between all groups. On the second operative day, we evaluated the amount of residual hematoma and the hematoma evacuation rate by computed tomography scan. Surgical mortality and complications were recorded 3 months after the procedure. Neurological outcomes were evaluated by functional independence measure (FIM) score, Barthel index score, and muscle power (MP) of affected limbs 6 months after surgery. We also evaluated the cost-effectiveness of each procedure., Results: There was significant delay in waiting timing of the stereotactic aspiration (172.56 +/- 93.18 minutes; P < .001). Craniotomy had the longest operation time (229.96 +/- 50.57 minutes; P < .001). Blood loss was most significant in the craniotomy (236.13 +/- 137.45 mL; P < .001). The highest hematoma evacuation rate was seen in the endoscopic surgery (87% +/- 8%; P < .01). The mortality rate was 0% in group A, 6.7% in group B, and 13.3% in group C (P = .21). The complication rate was 3.3% in group A, 10% in group B, and 16.6% in group C (P = .62). The most major complications were rebleeding and infection. The FIM score was higher in the endoscopic surgery (79.90 +/- 36.64) than in the craniotomy (33.84 +/- 18.99; P = .001). The Barthel index score was also significantly better in the endoscopic surgery (50.45 +/- 28.59) than in the craniotomy (16.39 +/- 20.93; P = .006). There was more improvement in MP of affected limbs in endoscopic surgery than in craniotomy (P = .004). Endoscopic surgery was more cost-effective than craniotomy using FIM and Barthel index (P < .02 and P < .05, respectively)., Conclusions: Both endoscopic surgery and stereotactic aspiration are minimally invasive and are effective procedures with low complication and mortality rates; however, the waiting timing of stereotactic aspiration is usually longer. Endoscopic surgery may be an appropriate substitute for stereotactic aspiration. It produces good neurological outcomes and aids in rapid hematoma evacuation. Craniotomy may be used for emergency decompression of enlarged hematoma if endoscopic surgery or stereotactic aspiration is not available.

The paper is based on the analysis of 235 young and middle-aged patients with nontraumatic hemorrhage, with hypertensive disease and atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels having been by far the commonest cause of the trouble (82.9%). In all observations, diagnoses were verified with computerized tomography, magnetic resonance tomography and angiography and during surgery and in autopsy as well. Basically, in the clinical course of nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhages, there have been identified three syndromes that reflect to a considerable extent the time-related course of dislocation-type changes. Depending on the site of hemorrhage and in accordance with the WHO classification, a comparative description is given for groups of patients presented with blood in the basal ganglia and of those with caudad-capsular, striocapsular hemorrhage, medial, mixed, and intralobar ones, with certain prognostic criteria established.

Summary: Formation of de novo intracranial aneurysms is rare. Their etiology is not known, but they are seen in patients with inherited collagen disorders, polycystic kidney disease, and familial history of aneurysms. Most de novo intracranial aneurysms are found 3-20 years after diagnosis of the initial aneurysm. We report the imaging findings in a 46-year-old man who developed a de novo intracranial aneurysm only 3 months after surgical clipping of another aneurysm.

The authors report four cases of aneurysm of the lenticulostriate arteries, three idiopathic and one with underlying MoyaMoya disease. This unusual pathology, which often affects young patients, is revealed by a meningeal syndrome and sometimes focal neurological signs. The bleeding is highlighted by a CT scan without contrast injection, even by MRI, these examinations making it possible to evaluate its repercussion. Arteriography or MRA show the aneurysm and eliminate vascular malformation. According to literature (15 cases published) and our experience, considering the difficulty of a surgical or endovascular approach, morbidity and the frequency of spontaneous thromboses, it seems that a conservative management is justified after a negative etiologic check-up and under radio-clinical monitoring.

Objectives: The authors report the results of gamma knife (GK) radiosurgery on a clinical series of selected patients with basal ganglia arteriovenous malformations (BGAVMs) in the brain. Clinical, epidemiological, anatomical and functional characteristics of BGAVMs and of supratentorial cortical AVMs are comparatively analyzed, and their influence on radiosurgical outcome is discussed., Methods: At our Department, 33 BGAVMs (21 with FU > 2 years) and 209 cortical AVMs (110 with FU > 2 years) with a radiosurgical volume

This report describes a novel imaging technology for the evaluation of stroke patients. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging can visualize hyperacute ischemic stroke which cannot be seen on computed tomography; moreover, it only takes few minutes to scan. We believe that diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, rather than routine computed tomography, should be considered when the emergency physician evaluates a patient with acute ischemic stroke., (Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.))

The term "tourettism" has been used to describe Tourette syndrome (TS)-like symptoms secondary to some specific cause. Tics associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or both, are commonly present in TS, but this constellation of symptoms has been rarely attributed to stroke. We describe two boys who suffered a subcortical stroke and subsequently developed hemidystonia, tics, and behavioral comorbidities. Both had right hemispheric stroke involving the basal ganglia at 8 years of age, and in both the latency from the stroke to the onset of left hemidystonia was 2 weeks. In addition to ADHD and OCD, both exhibited cranial-cervical motor tics but no phonic tics. The temporal relationship between the stroke and subsequent TS-like symptoms, as well as the absence of phonic tics and family history of TS symptoms in our patients, argues in favor of a cause and effect relationship, and the observed association provides evidence for an anatomic substrate for TS and related symptoms., (Copyright 2002 Movement Disorder Society)

Purpose: The authors present a prospective study on 10 patients with stereotactic infusion of tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) intraparenchimal hemorrhage., Methods: Between 1999 and 2000, 10 patients with deep seated hematomas in the basal ganglia were selected for stereotactic infusion of rtPA and spontaneous clot drainage., Results: All cases had about 80% reduction of the hematoma volume in the CT scan at the third day. The intracranial pressure was normalized by the third day too. There were no local or systemic complications with the use of this thrombolytic. The results were shown by the Glasgow Outcome Scale with six patients in V, three in IV and one in III after 3 months., Conclusion: Early treatment and drainage with minimally invasive neurosurgery, can make these patients with deep-seated hematomas recover the consciousness and they can be rehabilitated earlier avoiding secondary complications.

Background and Purpose: We investigated serial metabolic changes in frontal lobes of patients with deep intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) to examine the correlation between N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and degree of motor impairment or clinical outcome., Methods: - Twenty patients with deep ICH were examined with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy with the application of a multivoxel method (1 voxel=10x10x20 mm; 64 voxels). NAA/creatine ratios in the white matter of the primary motor and premotor areas on both sides were measured sequentially: within 48 hours, at 2 weeks, and 1 month after onset. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Barthel Index for disability were measured for each patient., Results: - In the primary motor area on the affected side, where the hematoma did not extend, the NAA/creatine ratio decreased sequentially. At 48 hours and 2 weeks after onset, a negative correlation was detected between NAA/creatine and hematoma volume, but there was no correlation 1 month later. At 2 weeks, NAA/creatine correlated negatively with motor impairment (r=-0.750), and there was a significant correlation with clinical outcome as early as 2 weeks after onset (r=0.954). These sequential changes of NAA/creatine varied according to patients' long-term clinical outcome. Patients with poor outcome demonstrated notable reduction of NAA/creatine over the bilateral frontal lobes., Conclusions: - The delayed gradual reduction of NAA/creatine ratio in the frontal lobes correlates with motor deficit and clinical outcome after deep ICH, suggesting that the neural networks in the frontal lobe could be important for recovery.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the outcome and outcome predictors of caudate hemorrhage and role of external ventricular drainage in acute hydrocephalus., Methods: Clinical data from 36 consecutive patients with hypertensive caudate hemorrhage was used in the present study. Age, gender, volume of parenchymal hematoma, hematoma in the internal capsule, initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), hydrocephalus, severity of intraventricular hemorrhage, and hemorrhagic dilatation of the fourth ventricle were analyzed for effect on outcome. Effect of external ventricle drainage for hydrocephalus was evaluated by comparing preoperative and postoperative GCS scores., Results: By univariate analyses, poor outcome was associated with a poor initial GCS score (P=0.016), hydrocephalus (P<0.001), intraventricular hemorrhage severity (P<0.01), and hemorrhagic dilatation of the fourth ventricle (P=0.02). By multivariate analysis, stepwise logistic regression revealed that hydrocephalus was the only independent prognostic factor for poor outcome (P<0.001). Postoperative 48-hour GCS score was better than the preoperative score by use of paired-sample t test (P<0.001)., Conclusions: Hydrocephalus is the most important predictor of poor outcome. External ventricular drainage response for hydrocephalus was good in the present study, whereas an early decision should be made regarding preoperative neurological condition.

Asymptomatic small hemorrhages were identified in hypertensive patients by T2*-weighted gradient echo magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to investigate the relationship between hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage and asymptomatic minute hemorrhages. Forty-eight patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction with hypertension (these diseases were defined as stroke) were treated in National Defense Medical College from April 1998 to February 2000. All patients had no past history of stroke or head injury, underwent MR imaging within 6 months of the stroke attack, were aged from 40 to 80 years, and had no diagnosis of aneurysm, angioma, or moyamoya disease. Patients were divided into the infarction group and hemorrhage group. All foci over 2 mm in size appearing as hypointense on T2*-weighted MR imaging and unrelated to stroke areas were defined as minute hemorrhages. There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to sex, age, and history of diabetes mellitus. The incidence of minute hemorrhages in the hemorrhage group (21/26) was greater than in the infarction group (9/22, p < 0.01). The incidence of minute hemorrhages in the basal ganglia (18/26) was greater in the hemorrhage group than in the infarction group (4/22, p < 0.001). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage may be preceded by asymptomatic minute hemorrhage.

Introduction: Hemichorea is uncommon in acute cerebrovascular accidents. Its appearance is in relation to the contralateral involvement of the basal ganglia, particularly the striate ganglion. With current neuroimaging techniques it is possible to identify the lesions responsible for these abnormal movements. Magnetic resonance (MR) is the technique of choice for detection of small sized lesions., Objective: We have analysed our series of patients to try to relate the site of the lesion to the appearance of chorea., Patients and Methods: We made a retrospective study of the cases of hemichorea of vascular origin admitted between January 1993 and April 1999. In all cases, cerebral CAT and/or MR had been done to find the site of the lesion., Results: A total of 10 patients with an average age of 72.5 years (range: 55-85) was found. In eight of them (80%) lesions were found in the basal ganglia, half of which were of ischemic type and the other half hemorrhagic. The sites were: caudate nucleus in one case (10%), thalamus in two cases (20%) and capsulo-lenticular lesions in five cases (50%). All lesions were contralateral to the side of the body affected except in one case with a left thalamic haematoma and homolateral hemichorea., Conclusions: The lesions found were very varied in site. In 20% of the cases they were not detected by conventional neuroimaging techniques. This fact supports the concept of a functional global network of the basal ganglia which may be interrupted at several points and lead to the same clinical findings.

In order to address the question of whether the basal ganglia are involved exclusively in regulation of motor sequence learning, or if they are involved in non-motor sequence learning as well, two versions of the serial reaction time (SRT) task were administered: First is the standard version of the SRT task in which the sequence is executed motorically, and the second is a non-motor version of the task which requires response only to a particular position of the sequence. Sixteen patients with damage restricted to the region of the basal ganglia and 16 matched control subjects participated in this study. In addition to the motor and non-motor SRT tasks, two declarative memory tests (Visual Paired Associates and Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test) were administered to the participants. Results indicate that the two groups did not differ either on learning rate of the two declarative tasks, or on the declarative component of the SRT tasks (i.e., 'generate'). However, the control group was significantly superior to the basal ganglia (BG) group in learning a specific sequence in the motor and non-motor SRT tasks. Results suggest that the basal ganglia are involved in the regulation of non- motor as well as motor sequence learning.

We report bilateral oedema and haemorrhagic transformation in the basal ganglia of a 59-year old woman with severe diabetic ketoacidosis. Lack of cerebral vascular autoregulation, followed by blood-brain barrier disruption due to the so-called breakthrough mechanism is presumed to be the cause.