Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: Comparison of two different blood pressure targets on neurological recovery.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists whether blood pressure augmentation therapy benefits patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI). This retrospective comparative study was designed to assess the impact of two different mean arterial pressure (MAP) targets (85-90 mmHg vs. 65-85 mmHg) on neurological recovery after traumatic cervical SCI. METHODS: Fifty-one adult patients with traumatic cervical SCI were retrospectively divided into two groups according to their intensive care unit (ICU) MAP targets: 85-90 mmHg (higher MAP group, n = 32) and 65-85 mmHg (lower MAP group, n = 19). Invasive MAP measurements were stored as 2-min median values for 3-7 days. The severity of SCI (AIS grade and neurological level) was evaluated upon ICU stay and during rehabilitation. Neurological recovery was correlated with individual mean MAP values and with the proportion of MAP values ≥85 mmHg upon the first 3 days (3d-MAP%≥85 ). RESULTS: The initial AIS grades were A 29.4%, B 17.6%, C 31.4%, and D 21.6%. AIS grade improved in 24 patients (47.1%). During ICU care, 82.0% and 36.8% of the measured MAP values reached ≥85 mmHg in the higher and the lower MAP groups, respectively (p < .001). The medians of individual mean MAP values were different between the groups (90.2 mmHg vs. 81.4 mmHg, p < .001). Similarly, 3d-MAP%≥85 was higher in the higher MAP group (85.6% vs. 50.0%, p < .001). However, neurological recovery was not different between the groups, nor did it correlate with individual mean MAP values or 3d-MAP%≥85 . CONCLUSION: The currently recommended MAP target of 85-90 mmHg was not associated with improved outcomes compared to a lower target in patients with traumatic cervical SCI in this cohort.

Stability of infundibular dilatations: a single center follow-up study and systematic review of the literature.

PURPOSE: Although infundibular dilatations (IDs) have been thought to be benign anatomical variants, case reports suggest that they can grow and rupture. The aim of this study was to determine whether IDs have a tendency to grow or rupture. METHODS: The study population was collected from the Tampere University Hospital (TAUH) Aneurysm Database. The presence of IDs was screened from the medical records and imaging studies of 356 intracranial aneurysm patients left to follow-up from 2005 to 2020. The imaging studies were reviewed to confirm the IDs, and their clinical course. Finally, we performed a systematic review of published cases of ID leading to aneurysmatic rupture from PubMed. RESULTS: We found 97 typical IDs in 83 patients and 9 preaneurysmal lesions resembling ID in 9 patients. Out of the typical cone-shaped IDs, none grew or ruptured in a total follow-up of 409 patient-years. One preaneurysmal lesion ruptured during a follow-up: this lesion had components of both infundibular dilatation and aneurysm at the beginning of follow-up. In the systematic literature search, we found 20 cases of aneurysmatic SAHs originating from an ID. Of those, only 7 had imaging available prerupture. All 7 IDs were typically cone-shaped, but a branching vessel originating from the apex of ID was only seen in 4/7. CONCLUSION: Typical infundibular dilatations seem to be benign anatomical variants that are stable and, thus, do not need prophylactic treatment or imaging follow-up. Likely, the SAHs reported from IDs were actually caused by misdiagnosed preaneurysmal lesions.

The clinical course and outcomes of non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages in a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAHs) are thought to have a benign clinical course compared to aneurysmal SAHs. The aim of this study is to report the clinical course and outcomes of non-aneurysmal SAHs in a large single-center study. METHODS: The patients with non-aneurysmal SAHs were screened from Tampere University Hospital from 2005 to 2020. The clinical data were collected from the patient's medical records and from the imaging studies. The primary interest was the neurological outcome assessed by dichotomized GOS at 2 months. Multivariable logistic regression was used to study the factors associated with unfavorable outcome. RESULTS: We found 216 non-aneurysmal SAHs in 214 patients (2 patients with > 1 bleed). Ninety-seven percent of patients with a typical perimesencephalic bleeding pattern SAH (PSAH) (75/77) had a favorable outcome, while 86% of patients with non-perimesencephalic SAH (NPSAH) had a favorable outcome (84/98). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, loss of consciousness (LOC) (aOR 214.67, 95% CI 17.62-2615.89) and Fisher grade 4 bleeding pattern (aOR 23.32, 95% CI 1.40-387.98) were associated with increased risk for unfavorable outcome (GOS 1-3). Vasospasm was seen in 20% of non-aneurysmal SAH patients, hydrocephalus in 17%, and 13% needed ventriculostomy. CONCLUSIONS: Non-aneurysmal SAH seems to have a good prognosis for majority of patients, especially for patients with a PSAH. Non-aneurysmal SAH patients are however affected by vasospasm and hydrocephalus and have similar risk factors for poor outcome as patients with aneurysmal SAH. This suggests that it is the severity of the bleed rather than the etiology that associates with poor outcome.

Facial nerve function and hearing after microsurgical removal of sporadic vestibular schwannomas in a population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a benign tumor originating from the vestibulocochlear nerve. The optimal treatment strategy is debated, since surgery may result in iatrogenic facial nerve injury. We report the results of VS surgery in a population-based unselected cohort in a center with access to Cyber Knife (CK) radiosurgery. METHODS: We reviewed 117 consecutive operations and found 95 patients who had their primary operation due to vestibular schwannoma between 2001 and 2017. Facial nerve function was evaluated with the House-Brackmann (HB) scale and hearing with the EU classification. RESULTS: The population consisted of 37 males and 58 females with a median age of 54 years (range 19-79). One year after surgery 67% of patients had a good outcome (HB 1-2). The rate of good outcome was 90% if no facial nerve damage was observed during intraoperative monitoring, the size of the tumor was under 30 mm and no hydrocephalus was present. During the study period, the treatment strategy changed from total to near-total resection after the introduction of CK radiosurgery, which could be used as a second-line treatment in case of residual tumor regrowth. This resulted in an improvement of outcomes (0% HB 5-6) despite the larger tumor sizes (25 ± 14 mm vs. 31 ± 9 mm, p < 0.05). Hearing preservation rates did not increase. CONCLUSIONS: Near-total resection and subsequent CK radiosurgery in case of residual tumor regrowth during follow-up seems to provide a good outcome of facial nerve function even in large VSs.

Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: recovery of penetration/aspiration and functional feeding outcome.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVES: This prospective cohort study aims to evaluate the recovery of penetration/aspiration and functional feeding outcome in patients with acute TCSCI. SETTING: Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland METHODS: Forty-six patients with TCSCI were enrolled. All the patients received speech therapeutic interventions based on their clinical needs and were examined with a videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) at enrollment. The incidence of VFSS-verified laryngeal penetration/aspiration according to Rosenbek's Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) served as the primary outcome. The secondary outcome was the level of functional oral intake (as per the Functional Oral Intake Scale; FOIS). Based on the PAS results, the patients were divided into two groups: (i) penetrator/aspirators (PAS score ≥3) and (ii) non-penetrator/aspirators (PAS score ≤2). Follow-up VFS studies were primarily conducted on the patients with penetration/aspiration in prior VFS studies. The follow-up VFS studies were scheduled on the basis of clinical demand. RESULTS: Of the 46 patients, 48% had penetration/aspiration in the first VFSS. The second VFSS was conducted on 20 patients, of whom 6 patients (30%) had penetration/aspiration. The third VFSS was conducted on 9 patients. Of these, only two (22%) patients were still penetrator/aspirators. The majority (n = 37, 88%) of the patients presented a total oral intake without restrictions at the time of the final follow-up. Only one patient (2%) was still tube-dependent with consistent oral intake. CONCLUSION: Swallowing physiology in patients with TCSCI improved during the first months after injury, and the number of penetrator/aspirators decreased progressively.

Procedural complications of endovascular treatment in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage treated at a single centre.

BACKGROUND: We present a single-centre experience of procedural complications suffered by patients undergoing endovascular treatment for a ruptured saccular intracranial aneurysm at Tampere University Hospital, Finland, between 2000 and 2014. METHOD: From 2000 to 2014, we treated 1,253 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, 491 of whom received endovascular treatment. Clinical data were collected retrospectively from the hospital's aneurysm database. A procedural complication was defined as having occurred whenever there was a documented new event in the patient's medical records or a note of a technical complication written by an interventionist after endovascular treatment. Procedural complications could be with or without clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Nearly 40% (491/1253) of the patients were treated with the endovascular method. Procedural complications occurred in 11.4% (56/491) of cases. The morbidity rate was 4.5% (22/491) and the mortality rate was 0.2% (1/491). Of the 56 complications, ischaemic complications occurred in 52% (29/56), haemorrhagic complications occurred in 27% (15/56) and technical complications occurred in 21% (12/56) of cases. In 61% (34/56) of the cases, the procedural complication did not cause any clinical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The total risk for procedural complications leading to postoperative disability or death at our institute was 4.7%. The complication frequency is in accordance with previous reports. Endovascular treatment of ruptured intracranial aneurysms is a safe treatment method when patient selection is carefully performed.

High risk population isolate reveals low frequency variants predisposing to intracranial aneurysms.

3% of the population develops saccular intracranial aneurysms (sIAs), a complex trait, with a sporadic and a familial form. Subarachnoid hemorrhage from sIA (sIA-SAH) is a devastating form of stroke. Certain rare genetic variants are enriched in the Finns, a population isolate with a small founder population and bottleneck events. As the sIA-SAH incidence in Finland is >2× increased, such variants may associate with sIA in the Finnish population. We tested 9.4 million variants for association in 760 Finnish sIA patients (enriched for familial sIA), and in 2,513 matched controls with case-control status and with the number of sIAs. The most promising loci (p<5E-6) were replicated in 858 Finnish sIA patients and 4,048 controls. The frequencies and effect sizes of the replicated variants were compared to a continental European population using 717 Dutch cases and 3,004 controls. We discovered four new high-risk loci with low frequency lead variants. Three were associated with the case-control status: 2q23.3 (MAF 2.1%, OR 1.89, p 1.42×10-9); 5q31.3 (MAF 2.7%, OR 1.66, p 3.17×10-8); 6q24.2 (MAF 2.6%, OR 1.87, p 1.87×10-11) and one with the number of sIAs: 7p22.1 (MAF 3.3%, RR 1.59, p 6.08×-9). Two of the associations (5q31.3, 6q24.2) replicated in the Dutch sample. The 7p22.1 locus was strongly differentiated; the lead variant was more frequent in Finland (4.6%) than in the Netherlands (0.3%). Additionally, we replicated a previously inconclusive locus on 2q33.1 in all samples tested (OR 1.27, p 1.87×10-12). The five loci explain 2.1% of the sIA heritability in Finland, and may relate to, but not explain, the increased incidence of sIA-SAH in Finland. This study illustrates the utility of population isolates, familial enrichment, dense genotype imputation and alternate phenotyping in search for variants associated with complex diseases.

Regional differences in the incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage in Finland.

BACKGROUND: Over the years, the consensus has generally been that Finland is a country with a significantly high incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) when compared to the rest of the world, excluding Japan. Most of the traditionally cited Finnish incidence studies are several decades old and have clear differences in their methodology and study design. The objective of this study was to determine the hospital-admitted incidence of aneurysmal SAH at Tampere University Hospital between 1990 and 2014. We also compared the incidence to other geographical regions in Finland. METHODS: The material for this study consists of patients admitted to Tampere University Hospital between 1990 and 2014 with the presentation of aneurysmal SAH. There was a total of 1965 patients with aneurysmal SAH in our data. RESULTS: The mean hospital-admitted aneurysmal SAH incidence over the period was 7.41 per 100,000 person-years. The hospital-admitted aneurysmal SAH incidence in the Eastern Finland region was two-thirds greater than in the Tampere University Hospital region. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a relatively steady hospital-admitted incidence of aneurysmal SAH (7.41 per 100,000 person-years) in the Tampere University Hospital region. This result is parallel to a recent study looking into the incidence of aneurysmal SAH for the whole of Finland. Compared to the Tampere University Hospital region, the incidence was 64% greater in the Eastern Finland region.

Risk Variants Associated With Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Genome-Wide Association Study in the FinnGen Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Large-scale genome-wide studies of chronic hydrocephalus have been lacking. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). METHODS: We used a case-control study design implementing FinnGen data containing 473,691 Finns with genotypes and nationwide health records. Patients with NPH were selected based on ICD-10 G91.2 diagnosis. To select patients with idiopathic NPH (iNPH) for sensitivity analysis, we excluded patients with a potentially known etiology of the condition using an algorithm on their disease history. The controls were the remaining non-hydrocephalic participants. For a replication analysis, the NPH cohort from UK Biobank (UKBB) was used. RESULTS: We included 1,522 patients with NPH (mean age 72.2 years, 53% women) and 451,091 controls (mean age 60.5 years, 44% women). In the GWAS comparing patients with NPH with the controls, we identified 6 gene regions significantly (p < 5.0e-8) associated with NPH that replicated in a meta-analysis with UKBB (NPH n = 173). The top loci near the following genes were rs7962263, SLCO1A2 (odds ratio [OR] 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.78, p = 1.0e-14); rs798495, AMZ1/GNA12 (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.20-1.39, p = 2.9e-12); rs10828247, MLLT10 (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.71-0.83, p = 1.5e-11); rs561699566 and rs371919113, CDCA2 (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.70-0.82, p = 1.5e-11); rs56023709, C16orf95 (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33, p = 3.0e-9); and rs62434144, PLEKHG1 (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.14-1.32, p = 1.4e-8). In the sensitivity analysis comparing only patients with iNPH (n = 1,055) with the controls (n = 451,091), 4 top loci near the following genes remained significant: rs7962263, SLCO1A2 (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.63-0.78, p = 2.1e-11); rs10828247, MLLT10 (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62-0.82, p = 4.6e-10); rs798511, AMZ1/GNA12 (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17-1.39, p = 1.7e-8); and rs56023709, C16orf95 (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17-1.39, p = 1.7e-8). DISCUSSION: We identified 6 loci significantly associated with NPH in the thus far largest GWAS in chronic hydrocephalus. The genes near the top loci have previously been associated with blood-brain barrier and blood-CSF barrier function and with increased lateral brain ventricle volume. The effect sizes and allele frequencies remained similar in NPH and iNPH cohorts, indicating the identified loci are risk determinants for iNPH and likely not explained by associations with other etiologies. However, the exact role of these loci is still unknown, warranting further studies.

[Update on current care guidelines: spinal cord injury]. / Selkäydinvamma.

Traumatic spinal cord injury is most common among men between 16 and 30 years. Prevention should be targeted both on traffic safety and individual behaviour Key issues in patient care are safe transfer from the place of injury to a hospital, diagnostic imaging (primarily CT, MRI if needed) and assessment of neurological injury by AIS-questionnaire, early surgical decompression and stabilisation for most cases, and treatment and rehabilitation starting from the emergency room and extending to life-long care carried out by a multi-professional team.

Effect of xenon on brain injury, neurological outcome, and survival in patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage-study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a neurological emergency, affecting a younger population than individuals experiencing an ischemic stroke; aSAH is associated with a high risk of mortality and permanent disability. The noble gas xenon has been shown to possess neuroprotective properties as demonstrated in numerous preclinical animal studies. In addition, a recent study demonstrated that xenon could attenuate a white matter injury after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: The study is a prospective, multicenter phase II clinical drug trial. The study design is a single-blind, prospective superiority randomized two-armed parallel follow-up study. The primary objective of the study is to explore the potential neuroprotective effects of inhaled xenon, when administered within 6 h after the onset of symptoms of aSAH. The primary endpoint is the extent of the global white matter injury assessed with magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging of the brain. DISCUSSION: Despite improvements in medical technology and advancements in medical science, aSAH mortality and disability rates have remained nearly unchanged for the past 10 years. Therefore, new neuroprotective strategies to attenuate the early and delayed brain injuries after aSAH are needed to reduce morbidity and mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04696523. Registered on 6 January 2021. EudraCT, EudraCT Number: 2019-001542-17. Registered on 8 July 2020.

Increased relative risk of lung cancer in 2,904 patients with saccular intracranial aneurysm disease in eastern Finland.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term incidence of cancer after the first diagnosis of saccular intracranial aneurysm (sIA) disease. METHODS: The Neurosurgery Department of the Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) solely serves a defined Eastern Finnish population. The Kuopio sIA database contains 2,904 consecutive sIA cases from 1980 to 2007, 618 unruptured (170 familial and 448 sporadic) and 2,286 ruptured aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) cases (308 familial and 1,978 sporadic). They were followed for the incidence of cancer (Finnish Cancer Registry) until death (n = 1,176) or until December 31, 2008, giving a total of 26,844 person-years. Their standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of different cancers were calculated as compared to the corresponding KUH population (year of follow-up, gender, age). RESULTS: Lung cancer after the first sIA diagnosis occurred in 30 of the 1,340 male patients [SIR = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-2.9], and in 10 of the 1,564 female patients (SIR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.2-4.7). Poisson regression analysis identified male gender and increasing diameter of the ruptured sIA as independent risk factors for lung cancer, while familial sIA disease, age at aSAH, site of ruptured sIA, or the presence of associated unruptured sIAs had no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: Carriers of the sIA disease have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Their long-term smoking habits after the sIA diagnosis should be elucidated for preventive purposes.

Platelet count is not associated with delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage as defined by the 2010 consensus definition.

BACKGROUND: Although delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) commonly complicates recovery in survivors of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), its pathophysiology is incompletely understood. Previous studies examining the association of DCI and platelet count have demonstrated contradictory results. This study aimed to investigate this association in a cohort of aSAH patients using the 2010 consensus definition of DCI. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center observational study of consecutive adult aSAH patients admitted to the intensive care unit from January 2010 to December 2014. Platelet count and DCI evaluations were performed daily in the first 14 days after admission. DCI was defined according to the 2010 consensus criteria. RESULTS: A total of 340 patients were included for analysis. DCI incidence was 37.1%. Platelet count was not significantly associated with occurrence of DCI on any day. Mean platelet count was lowest on day 3 after aSAH and then increased to exceed the count at admission on day 6. Treatment modality and use of dual antiplatelet therapy were not associated with DCI. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet count was not associated with DCI as defined by the 2010 consensus criteria. Future studies adhering to the 2010 consensus definition of DCI are needed to clarify the role of platelets and platelet function in DCI pathophysiology.

Increased incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage on Sundays and Mondays in 1,862 patients from Eastern Finland.

BACKGROUND: Temporal patterns of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) from saccular intracranial aneurysm (sIA) were studied in a consecutive series of 1,862 patients. METHODS: Neurosurgery of Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) solely serves a defined catchment population in Eastern Finland. Kuopio's sIA database contains 1,596 sporadic and 266 familial patients admitted to KUH within 72 h from the onset of aSAH between 1980 and 2007. The distributions by the weekday of the onset of aSAH, admission to KUH, and occlusive therapy of the ruptured sIA were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to search for clinical variables (patients, sIA disease, clinical condition) that would independently correlate with each distribution. RESULTS: The onset of aSAH occurred significantly most often (p < 0.001) on Sundays (n = 330) and Mondays (n = 309) and least frequently on Saturdays (n = 231). None of the clinical variables tested associated significantly and independently with the Sunday and Monday peaks. The admissions to KUH after aSAH were most frequent (p < 0.001) on Mondays (n = 331) and least frequent on Thursdays (n = 221) and Saturdays (n = 221). Overall, 1,655 patients underwent occlusive therapy, most frequently on Mondays (n = 318) and least frequently on Saturdays (n = 189) and Sundays (n = 197). CONCLUSIONS: Sundays and Mondays were the most frequent and Saturdays the least frequent days of aSAH in a defined Eastern Finnish population. We could not identify any etiology to this temporal pattern. Binge drinking is frequent in Finland, especially among young males, but age and gender did not correlate with the Sunday and Monday peaks.

Prognostic value of the 2010 consensus definition of delayed cerebral ischemia after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) complicates the recovery of approximately 30% of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The definition of DCI widely varies, even though a consensus definition has been recommended since 2010. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the 2010 consensus definition of DCI in a cohort of patients with aSAH. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, observational study that included consecutive adult patients with aSAH who were admitted to the intensive care unit from January 2010 to December 2014. DCI was evaluated 48 h to 14 days after onset of aSAH symptoms using the 2010 consensus criteria and outcome was assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at discharge from hospital. RESULTS: A total of 340 patients were analyzed and the incidence of DCI was 37.1%. The median time from primary hemorrhage to the occurrence of DCI was 97 h. Neurological deterioration was observed in most (89.7%) of the patients who fulfilled the DCI criteria. The occurrence of DCI was strongly associated with an unfavorable outcome (GOS 1-3) at hospital discharge (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.69-4.22, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of DCI after aSAH is high and its occurrence is strongly associated with an unfavorable neurological outcome. This finding adds to the previous literature, which has shown that DCI appears to be a major contributor affecting the functional ability of survivors of aSAH. To further advance reliable knowledge of DCI, future studies should adhere to the consensus definition of DCI.

The impact of endovascular management on the outcome of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the elderly in eastern Finland.

BACKGROUND: The International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) concluded that "there is currently no reason to doubt that the reduction of dependent survival or death after endovascular coiling seen in all patients in the ISAT cohort should not be valid in the elderly". We feel that this generalization requires further investigation to assess its validity. METHODS: We studied the impact of treatment era and independent risk factors for outcome in 179 consecutive elderly (> or =70 years) aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients admitted to Kuopio University Hospital either between 1983 and 1992 (Era I, n = 56), prior to the introduction of endovascular management, or between 1995 and 2004 (Era II, n = 123) when the endovascular treatment was established at our institute. Altogether 150 patients underwent occlusive aneurysm treatment, 47 clipping in the Era I as against 49 clipping, 49 endovascular therapy, and five combination therapy in the Era II. RESULTS: The 12-month survival (n = 179) did not improve from the Era I to the Era II. The proportion of good outcome (GOS IV-V) after occlusive therapy (n = 150) was equal in the Era I and Era II (n = 27/47; 57% vs. n = 56/103; 54%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of poor outcome were age, poor grade (Hunt&Hess IV-V), hydrocephalus, hypertension, and intraventricular hemorrhage, but not the mode of occlusive therapy (microsurgical vs. endovascular) CONCLUSION: Clinical severity of the SAH was the most significant predictor of outcome. Integration of coil treatment in clinical practice has not improved the overall outcome of aSAH in the elderly at our institute.

Diabetes is associated with familial idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a case-control comparison with family members.

BACKGROUND: The pathophysiological basis of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is still unclear. Previous studies have shown a familial aggregation and a potential heritability when it comes to iNPH. Our aim was to conduct a novel case-controlled comparison between familial iNPH (fNPH) patients and their elderly relatives, involving multiple different families. METHODS: Questionnaires and phone interviews were used for collecting the data and categorising the iNPH patients into the familial (fNPH) and the sporadic groups. Identical questionnaires were sent to the relatives of the potential fNPH patients. Venous blood samples were collected for genetic studies. The disease histories of the probable fNPH patients (n = 60) were compared with their ≥ 60-year-old relatives with no iNPH (n = 49). A modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to measure the overall disease burden. Fisher's exact test (two-tailed), the Mann-Whitney U test (two-tailed) and a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis were used to perform the statistical analyses. RESULTS: Diabetes (32% vs. 14%, p = 0.043), arterial hypertension (65.0% vs. 43%, p = 0.033), cardiac insufficiency (16% vs. 2%, p = 0.020) and depressive symptoms (32% vs. 8%, p = 0.004) were overrepresented among the probable fNPH patients compared to their non-iNPH relatives. In the age-adjusted multivariate logistic regression analysis, diabetes remained independently associated with fNPH (OR = 3.8, 95% CI 1.1-12.9, p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is associated with fNPH and a possible risk factor for fNPH. Diabetes could contribute to the pathogenesis of iNPH/fNPH, which motivates to further prospective and gene-environmental studies to decipher the disease modelling of iNPH/fNPH.

Microneurosurgical management of internal carotid artery bifurcation aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Internal carotid artery bifurcation aneurysms form 2% to 9% of all IAs. They are more frequent in younger patients than other IAs. In this article, we review the practical microsurgical anatomy, the preoperative imaging, surgical planning, and the microneurosurgical steps in the dissection and the clipping of ICAbifAs. METHODS: This review and the whole series on IAs are mainly based on the personal microneurosurgical experience of the senior author (JH) in 2 Finnish centers (Helsinki and Kuopio), which serve, without patient selection, the catchment area in Southern and Eastern Finland. RESULTS: These 2 centers have treated more than 11 000 patients with IAs since 1951. In the Kuopio Cerebral Aneurysm Database of 3005 patients with 4253 IAs, 831 (28%) patients had altogether 980 ICA aneurysms, of whom 137 patients had 149 (4%) ICAbifAs. Ruptured ICAbifAs, found in 78 (52%) patients, with median size of 8 mm (range, 2-60 mm), were associated with ICH in 15 (19%) patients. Ten (7%) ICAbifAs were giant (> or = 25 mm). Multiple aneurysms were seen in 59 (43%) patients. The ICAbifAs represented 18% of all IAs ruptured before the age of 30 years. CONCLUSIONS: The main difficulty in microneurosurgical management of ICAbifAs is to preserve flow in all the perforators surrounding or adherent to the aneurysm dome. This necessitates perfect surgical strategy based on preoperative knowledge of 3D angioarchitecture and proper orientation during the microsurgical dissection.

How often does an incomplete circle of Willis predispose to cerebral ischemia during closure of carotid artery? Postmortem and clinical imaging studies.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of anatomical variations in the circle of Willis predisposing to cerebral ischemia during intraoperative closure of a carotid artery. MATERIALS: Anatomy of the cerebral arteries of 92 deceased was assessed by angiography and permanent silicone casts. Cerebral ischemia during closure of a carotid artery with patent contralateral internal carotid artery (ICA) was considered possible in cases of simultaneous nonfunctioning anterior communicating artery (diameter <0.5 mm) and ipsilateral posterior communicating artery (PComA) (diameter <0.5 mm or fetal type posterior cerebral artery). In cases of contralateral ICA occlusion, cerebral ischemia was considered possible if ipsilateral PComA was nonfunctioning. RESULTS: Cerebral ischemia during closure of the right or left carotid artery with patent contralateral ICA was estimated to be possible in 16 (17.4%) and 13 (14.1%) cases. In cases of occluded contralateral ICA, the corresponding numbers were 55 (59.8%) and 49 (53.3%). A review of magnetic resonance and catheter angiographies also identified other variants of the circle of Willis with increased risk. CONCLUSIONS: Incomplete circle of Willis predisposes approximately one-sixth of individuals to cerebral ischemia during transient closure of carotid artery but the risk is more than threefold in case of contralateral ICA occlusion.