Dual Invasive Fungal Infection Presenting with Cervical Myelopathy.

Disseminated fungal infections are often seen in immunocompromised patients. Here we present a case of a previously healthy woman presenting with cervical myeloradiculopathy found to have two separate fungal infections in the setting of depressed CD4 cell counts and a genetic mutation predisposing to invasive fungal infections.

Treatment of Moyamoya Disease and Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm in Floating-Harbor Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: This is the first report of the successful treatment of moyamoya disease and an unruptured intracranial aneurysm in a patient with Floating-Harbor syndrome. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 35-year-old, phenotypically syndromic woman presented with signs and symptoms consistent with ischemic stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging and catheter angiography confirmed diagnosis of moyamoya and a 6-mm basilar apex artery aneurysm (BAA). She underwent right-sided craniotomy for direct and indirect revascularization by means of superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery bypass and encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis. Three months later, she underwent stent-assisted coiling of the BAA. At 9 months, the patient remains without her preoperative neurological deficits. Interval catheter angiography confirms revascularization of her right hemisphere and obliteration of her BAA. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first case of diagnosis and treatment of moyamoya disease and BAA in a patient with Floating-Harbor syndrome. Due to a paucity of literature on this rare disorder, there has not been an associated link between Floating-Harbor syndrome and cerebrovascular disease. Our report and literature review suggest that these patients may be prone to cerebrovascular disorders and should be followed closely with neurovascular imaging.

Flexible tip guides and intermediate catheters: two center experience and a proposed taxonomy.

BACKGROUND: Stable access to target lesions is foundational to endovascular therapy, be it in hemorrhagic or ischemic disease. Continued evolution in access technology has resulted in next generation catheters that afford improved trackability and proximal support. OBJECTIVE: Assess safety and patterns of use at two high volume centers, and conceptualize usage patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 608 cases in which a 'next generation' catheter was used during 2008-2010 at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) and throughout 2009-2010 at Emory University Hospital (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) was conducted, and the cases classified by indication. Catheter placement, distal most location, and related complications were recorded and experience summarized. We also reviewed the differences in the catheters and the rationale for catheter selection, as well as relative costs for each approach. RESULTS: 311 Neuron 053, 166 Neuron 070, 36 distal access catheter (DAC) 3.9 F, 61 DAC 4.3 F, and 34 DAC 5.2 F catheters were deployed. Of these, 459 placements were in the anterior circulation, 130 in the posterior circulation, 11 in the external carotid artery, and eight were used intravenously. Complication rates were 9/131 (6.9%) for the DAC catheter group, 16/311 (5.1%) for the Neuron 053 group, and 14/166 (8.4%) for the Neuron 070 group (p=0.37, χ(2) test). CONCLUSIONS: Next generation access catheters possess characteristics that blend qualities of traditional microcatheters and stiff guide catheters. There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates between the various catheter families in this small retrospective review, and the complication rates were similar to historical complication rates.