The Safety and Feasibility of Image-Guided BrainPath-Mediated Transsulcul Hematoma Evacuation: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: Subcortical injury resulting from conventional surgical management of intracranial hemorrhage may counteract the potential benefits of hematoma evacuation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and potential benefits of a novel, minimally invasive approach for clot evacuation in a multicenter study. METHODS: The integrated approach incorporates 5 competencies: (1) image interpretation and trajectory planning, (2) dynamic navigation, (3) atraumatic access system (BrainPath, NICO Corp, Indianapolis, Indiana), (4) extracorporeal optics, and (5) automated atraumatic resection. Twelve neurosurgeons from 11 centers were trained to use this approach through a continuing medical education-accredited course. Demographical, clinical, and radiological data of patients treated over 2 years were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients were identified. The median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at presentation was 10 (range, 5-15). The thalamus/basal ganglion regions were involved in 46% of the cases. The median hematoma volume and depth were 36 mL (interquartile range [IQR], 27-65 mL) and 1.4 cm (IQR, 0.3-2.9 cm), respectively. The median time from ictus to surgery was 24.5 hours (IQR, 16-66 hours). The degree of hematoma evacuation was ≥90%, 75% to 89%, and 50% to 74% in 72%, 23%, and 5.0% of the patients, respectively. The median GCS score at discharge was 14 (range, 8-15). The improvement in GCS score was statistically significant ( P < .001). Modified Rankin Scale data were available for 35 patients. Fifty-two percent of those patients had a modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2. There were no mortalities. CONCLUSION: The approach was safely performed in all patients with a relatively high rate of clot evacuation and functional independence.

Successful Onyx embolization of life threatening traumatic posterior jugal artery fistula following mandibular fracture.

The mandible is one of the most frequently fractured bones of the face. However, vascular injuries associated with mandibular fractures are exceedingly rare. If they do occur, they usually involve branches of the internal maxillary artery. In this article, a unique case of delayed, life threatening oropharyngeal hemorrhage, secondary to traumatic fistula of the posterior jugal artery, is reported, that was successfully treated using a neuroendovascular Onyx embolization technique.

Chemical shift imaging of mannitol in acute cerebral ischemia. Case report.

The effectiveness of mannitol for the treatment of cerebral edema after stroke has long been debated, and the diffusion of mannitol through a disrupted blood-brain barrier has been the focus of many contradictory studies. The authors present a unique case in which chemical shift imaging was used to demonstrate the accumulation of mannitol in an area of stroke underlying a subdural hematoma in a patient with end-stage renal disease being treated with hemodialysis. A metabolite map for the xenobiotic mannitol was created from the data and demonstrated the accumulation of mannitol when hemodialysis was interrupted prematurely. Metabolite maps were also used to show removal of the mannitol with the reestablishment of hemodialysis. It is concluded that mannitol can accumulate in an area of infarction, and that chemical shift imaging can be used to illustrate this process.