Carotid web as a cause of recurrent ischaemic strokes.

This case report presents a 37-year-old woman with two episodes of temporary left-sided hemiparesis. Brain scans (CT and MRI) showed multiple ischaemic lesions in the right hemisphere. During the next two months, the patient had four additional ischaemic events in the right hemisphere, also localised within the anterior circulation. An extensive diagnostic workup was done, and the patient was ultimately diagnosed with carotid web (CW) in the right internal carotid artery. Treatment of CW should be considered in cryptogenic, recurrent, unihemispheric stroke in younger patients to prevent recurrent stroke.

Preclinical cerebral cryoablation in non-tumor bearing pigs.

Patients with brain metastases, the most common intracranial tumor, have an average survival ranging from a few months to 40 months, and new treatment initiatives are needed. Cryoablation is a minimally invasive, well-tolerated, and effective procedure commonly applied for treatment of renal tumors and certain other malignancies. We aimed to examine the clinical usefulness of this procedure in a step-by-step program starting with cerebral cryoablation in healthy pigs. In four terminal and four non-terminal non-tumor bearing pigs, we studied immediate and delayed effects of cerebral cryoablation. Safety was assessed by computed tomography (CT), and clinical observation of behavior, neurological deficits, and wellbeing. Effects were assessed by histological and immuno-histochemical analyses addressing structural and metabolic changes supported by additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) in the non-terminal animals. Using CT-guidance, cryoablation probes were successfully inserted without complications, and ice formation could be monitored real-time with CT. No animal developed neurological deficits or signs of discomfort. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses, MRI, and PET revealed profound structural and biological damage within the lesion. MRI and PET revealed no long-term damage to healthy tissue outside the cryoablation zone. Cerebral cryoablation appears to be a feasible, safe, and controllable procedure that can be monitored successfully with CT. The net effect is a dead brain lesion without damage of either nearby or remote healthy structures. Immediate changes are local hemorrhage and edema; delayed effects are perfusion defects, immune system activation, and astrogliosis.

Mild trauma causing cervical fracture through transverse foramen leading to a vertebral arteriovenous fistula.

Vertebral arteriovenous fistula (vAVF) is an uncommon vascular disease defined as abnormal connections between the vertebral artery or its branches extracranially with nearby venous structures. This case report outlines the case of a man in his late 70s presenting with C1-C3 fractures after a mild trauma falling down a small staircase. CT angiogram (CTA) gave suspicion of vertebral artery dissection and pseudoaneurysm; however, digital subtraction angiography revealed a fracture-induced vAVF successfully treated endovascularly with coils. In conclusion, cervical fractures involving the transverse foramen regardless of trauma mechanism should result in a CTA. Endovascular treatment with ipsilateral vertebral artery closure is preferred due to its feasibility and safety.

The Validity of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Diagnoses in the Danish Patient Registry and the Danish Stroke Registry.

PURPOSE: To establish the validity of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) diagnoses in the Danish Stroke Registry (DSR) and the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Based on discharge summaries and brain imaging reports, we estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) of a first-ever diagnosis code for ICH (ICD-10, code I61) for all patients in the Region of Southern Denmark (1.2 million) during 2009-2017 according to either DNPR or DSR. We estimated PPVs for any non-traumatic ICH (a-ICH) and spontaneous ICH (s-ICH) alone (ie, without underlying structural cause). We also calculated the sensitivity of these diagnoses in each of the registers. Finally, we classified the location of verified s-ICH. RESULTS: A total of 3,956 patients with ICH diagnosis codes were studied (DSR only: 87; DNPR only: 1,513; both registries: 2,356). In the DSR, the PPVs were 86.5% (95% CI=85.1-87.8) for a-ICH and 81.8% (95% CI=80.2-83.3) for s-ICH. The PPVs in DNPR (discharge code, primary diagnostic position) were 76.2% (95% CI=74.7-77.6) for a-ICH and 70.2% (95% CI=68.6-71.8) for s-ICH. Sensitivity for a-ICH and s-ICH was 76.4% (95% CI=74.8-78.0) and 78.7% (95% CI=77.1-80.2) in DSR, and 87.3% (95% CI=86.0-88.5) and 87.7% (95% CI=86.3-88.9) in DNPR. The location of verified s-ICH was lobar (39%), deep (33.6%), infratentorial (13.2%), large unclassifiable (11%), isolated intraventricular (1.9%), or unclassifiable due to insufficient information (1.3%). CONCLUSION: The validity of a-ICH diagnoses is high in both registries. For s-ICH, PPV was higher in DSR, while sensitivity was higher in DNPR. The location of s-ICH was similar to distributions seen in other populations.

[Thermal ablation of brain tumours].

The diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour is often associated with a poor prognosis. Current treatment is surgical resection followed by radio-chemotherapy. Surgical resection is most favourable in relation to survival time. Unfortunately, many patients are not suitable for surgical resection, due to inoperable tumour location or the patients' poor state. Minimally invasive thermal ablation may pose an interesting new treatment alternative. In this review, we describe the evolution, the underlying physiology and the clinical applications of cryo- and laser-induced thermal therapy of primary and secondary brain tumours.

[MR-guided focused ultrasound for treatment of essential tremor].

Essential tremor can be a debilitating disease. In many cases, medical treatment is ineffective and/or holds significant side effects. Surgical treatment using deep brain stimulation is only possible in few and selected cases. The introduction of MR-guided focused ultrasound enables surgeons to make small and specific lesions in the thalamus with few side effects and limited risk for the patient. The effectiveness has been documented in several international studies and is summarised in this review.

[Vestibular schwannoma as possible cause for auditory hallucinations in a woman with schizophrenia].

In this case report, a female patient with schizophrenia was diagnosed with a cystic vestibular schwannoma, at the age of 28 years. Since her teenage years, the patient had been showing psychiatric symptoms and had suffered from vertigo and auditory hallucinations, and since adulthood the symptoms were unilateral perceptive hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. In patients with psychiatric disorders, clinicians should be especially aware of changes in persistent symptoms or onset of new symptoms not to overlook any organic disease.

Obstructive hydrocephalus caused by colloid cyst presenting as a schizophrenia-like psychosis.

This report presents a young woman with psychotic symptoms that were highly suspicious of schizophrenia. Previous attempts of antidepressant therapy of mood symptoms had been ineffective. However, she also presented with discrete signs of an underlying neurological condition, and as a part of the diagnostic workup, neuroimaging revealed ventriculomegaly. She was diagnosed with obstructive hydrocephalus and experienced full remission of psychotic symptoms after neurosurgical intervention with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. This atypical presentation of obstructive hydrocephalus underlines the importance of neuroimaging in psychiatric differential diagnostics. Otherwise, this young woman had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, instead of organic delusional disorder secondary to a neurological condition, with possible irreversible damage to brain tissue as a consequence.

[A stroke mimic: hemichorea associated with non-ketotic hyperglycaemia].

An 85-year-old man with a history of diabetes was admitted with acute onset hemichorea. Laboratory findings confirmed poorly controlled diabetes. A brain computed tomography (CTC) revealed contralateral striatal hyperdensity. The findings were compatible with hyperglycaemia-induced hemichorea, and antidiabetic and symptomatic treatment was initiated. The symptoms remitted completely after six days, and a follow-up CTC showed partial resolution of the striatal changes. This case illustrates the importance of considering if hyperglycaemia is the cause of hemichorea, as early diagnosis and treatment yield an excellent prognosis.