Ultrasonography monitoring with Superb Microvascular Imaging during cerebrovascular surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasonography (US) is used as a real-time dynamic imaging modality during neurosurgery. A novel Doppler US technique, Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI), can be used to visualize low-velocity flow of small vessels at high resolution with high frame rates. We visualized vessel flow using this US SMI technique and contrast agent during cerebrovascular surgery. METHODS: Forty-three patients with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm (control), ischemic and hemorrhagic moyamoya disease, carotid artery stenosis, hemangioblastoma, severe stenosis of the middle cerebral artery, venous angioma, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) underwent neurosurgery with US SMI monitoring using a contrast agent. The diameter, length, and number of penetrating vessels were analyzed in patients with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm (control), moyamoya disease, and ICH. RESULTS: Diameter and length of cerebral penetrating vessels were significantly increased in patients with moyamoya disease and ICH compared to control patients. The number of penetrating vessels was increased in moyamoya disease patients compared to control and ICH patients. In hemorrhagic moyamoya disease, flow in the penetrating vessels originated from a deep periventricular point and extended to the cerebral surface. Pulsatile cerebral aneurysms during clipping surgery and carotid artery stenosis during carotid endarterectomy were easily identified by SMI. Drastically increased vessel flow in patients with a hemangioblastoma or a venous angioma was observed. CONCLUSION: Using the US SMI technique and contrast agent, we obtained useful flow information of the vascular disease structure and intracerebral deep small vessels during cerebrovascular surgery. Further quantitative analysis will be informative and helpful for cerebrovascular surgery.

Infective Arteritis Manifesting as an Acute Subdural Hematoma.

We encountered a 60-year-old man who had been diagnosed with heart failure of valvular disease and infective endocarditis; he was being treated with intravenous antibiotics and diuretics. On the 12th hospital day, he suddenly lost consciousness; computed tomography showed a right-sided huge subdural hematoma (SDH) with brain herniation. He died after invasive care was discontinued. A massive SDH was noted at autopsy, and microimaging demonstrated ruptured infective arteritis, without aneurysm, on the surface of the culprit lobe. Acute SDH usually occurs after head trauma, but an area of nonsaccular aneurysmal arteritis can also result in acute SDH.

Clinical outcomes of intracerebral hemorrhage in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with a high incidence of stroke. In particular, the mortality rate for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients with hemodialysis (HD) due to advanced stage CRF is high, and the annual number of such cases is increasing. Therefore, we retrospectively investigated 5 years of clinical data from patients with ICH in our institution to reveal differences in the clinical courses of HD and non-HD patients and to identify risk factors for poor outcomes in ICH patients with HD. METHODS: Three hundred sixty-six consecutive patients with nontraumatic spontaneous ICH, 91% of whom did not receive HD (non-HD group) and 9% of whom received HD for the treatment of CRF (HD group), were enrolled. Clinical data, including the presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), microbleeds, modified Rankin scale scores, previous medical disease history, the presence of HD, and the days on which ICH occurred, were evaluated. RESULTS: In a comparison of HD patients and non-HD patients, the HD patients had higher rates of hematomas in the basal ganglia, IVH, use of antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetic drugs, and antiplatelet/anticoagulants. The mortality rate was higher in the HD group (44%) than in the non-HD group (21%). In the HD group, the risk factors associated with mortality were hematoma volume, the presence of IVH, and lack of antihypertensive drug use. Eighty-five percent of the ICH occurred on intermittent HD days or before the HD procedure on an HD day. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality in ICH patients with HD was associated with lack of antihypertensive drug use. Therefore, strict control of blood pressure is needed in HD patients to prevent ICH, especially on intermittent HD days or before the HD procedure.