Super-selective injection of propofol into the intracranial arteries enables Patient's self-evaluation of expected neurological deficit.

INTRODUCTION: It is hard to realize the extent of the expected postoperative neurological deficit for patients themselves. The provision of appropriate information can contribute not only to examining surgical indications but also to filling the gap between patient and expert expectations. We hypothesized that propofol infusion into the intracranial arteries (ssWada) could induce focal neurological symptoms with preserved wakefulness, enabling the patients to evaluate the postsurgical risk subjectively. METHODS: Presurgical evaluation using ssWada was performed in 28 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Based on anatomical knowledge, propofol was super-selectively infused into the intracranial arteries including the M1, M2, and M3 segments of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), A2 segment of the anterior cerebral artery, and P2 segment of the posterior cerebral artery to evaluate the neurological and cognitive symptoms. We retrospectively analyzed a total of 107 infusion trials, including their target vessels, and elicited symptoms of motor weakness, sensory disturbance, language, unilateral hemispatial neglect (UHN), and hemianopsia. We evaluated preserved wakefulness which enabled subjective evaluations of the symptoms and comparison of the subjective experience to the objective findings, besides adverse effects during the procedure. RESULTS: Preserved wakefulness was found in 97.2% of all trials. Changes in neurological symptoms were positively evaluated for motor weakness in 51.4%, sensory disturbance in 5.6%, language in 48.6%, UHN in 22.4%, and hemianopsia in 32.7%. Six trials elicited seizures. Multivariate analysis showed significant correlations between symptom and infusion site of language and left side, language and MCA branches, motor weakness and A2 or M2 superior division, and hemianopsia and P2. Transient adverse effect was observed in 8 cases with 12 infusion trials (11.2 %). CONCLUSION: The ssWada could elicit focal neurological symptoms with preserved wakefulness. The methodology enables specific evaluation of risk for cortical resection and subjective evaluation of the expected outcome by the patients.

Evaluation of the contribution of individual arteries to the cerebral blood supply in patients with Moyamoya angiopathy: comparison of vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling and digital subtraction angiography.

PURPOSE: Vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling (VE-ASL) is able to provide noninvasive information about the contribution of individual arteries to the cerebral perfusion. The aim of this study was to compare VE-ASL to the diagnostic standard digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with respect to its ability to visualize vascular territories. METHODS: In total, 20 VE-ASL and DSA data sets of 17 patients with Moyamoya angiopathy with and without revascularization surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Two neuroradiologists independently assessed the agreement between VE-ASL and DSA using a 4-point Likert scale (no- very high agreement). Additionally, grading of the vascular supply of subterritories (A1-A2, M1-M6) on the VE-ASL images and angiograms was performed. The intermodal agreement was calculated for all subterritories in total and for the subdivision into without and after revascularization (direct or indirect bypass). RESULTS: There was a very high agreement between the VE-ASL and the DSA data sets (median = 1, modus = 1) with a substantial inter-rater agreement (kw = 0.762 (95% CI 0.561-0.963)). The inter-modality agreement between VE-ASL and DSA in vascular subterritories was almost perfect for all subterritories (k = 0.899 (0.865-0.945)), in the subgroup of direct revascularized subterritories (k = 0.827 (0.738-0.915)), in the subgroup of indirect revascularized subterritories (k = 0.843 (0.683-1.003)), and in the subgroup of never revascularized subterritories (k = 0.958 (0.899-1.017)). CONCLUSION: Vessel-encoded ASL seems to be a promising non-invasive method to depict the contributions of individual arteries to the cerebral perfusion before and after revascularization surgery.

Evaluation of brain iron deposition in different cerebral arteries of acute ischaemic stroke patients using quantitative susceptibility mapping.

AIM: To investigate differences in iron deposition between infarct and normal cerebral arterial regions in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty healthy controls and 40 AIS patients were recruited, and their QSM images were obtained. There were seven regions of interest (ROIs) in AIS patients, including the infarct regions of responsible arteries (R1), the non-infarct regions of responsible arteries (R2), the contralateral symmetrical sites of lesions (R3), and the non-responsible cerebral arterial regions (R4, R5, R6, R7). For the healthy controls, the cerebral arterial regions corresponding to the AIS patient group were selected as ROIs. The differences in corresponding ROI susceptibilities between AIS patients and healthy controls and the differences in susceptibilities between infarcted and non-infarct regions in AIS patients were compared. RESULTS: The susceptibilities of infarct regions in AIS patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in non-infarct regions between the two groups (p>0.05). The susceptibility of the infarct regions in AIS patients was significantly higher than those of the non-infarct region of responsible artery and non-responsible cerebral arterial regions (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal iron deposition detected by QSM in the infarct regions of AIS patients may not affect iron levels in the non-infarct regions of responsible arteries and normal cerebral arteries, which may open the door for potential new diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Cerebral arterial stiffness is linked to white matter hyperintensities and perivascular spaces in older adults - A 4D flow MRI study.

White matter hyperintensities (WMH), perivascular spaces (PVS) and lacunes are common MRI features of small vessel disease (SVD). However, no shared underlying pathological mechanism has been identified. We investigated whether SVD burden, in terms of WMH, PVS and lacune status, was related to changes in the cerebral arterial wall by applying global cerebral pulse wave velocity (gcPWV) measurements, a newly described marker of cerebral vascular stiffness. In a population-based cohort of 190 individuals, 66-85 years old, SVD features were estimated from T1-weighted and FLAIR images while gcPWV was estimated from 4D flow MRI data. Additionally, the gcPWV's stability to variations in field-of-view was analyzed. The gcPWV was 10.82 (3.94) m/s and displayed a significant correlation to WMH and white matter PVS volume (r = 0.29, p < 0.001; r = 0.21, p = 0.004 respectively from nonparametric tests) that persisted after adjusting for age, blood pressure variables, body mass index, ApoB/A1 ratio, smoking as well as cerebral pulsatility index, a previously suggested early marker of SVD. The gcPWV displayed satisfactory stability to field-of-view variations. Our results suggest that SVD is accompanied by changes in the cerebral arterial wall that can be captured by considering the velocity of the pulse wave transmission through the cerebral arterial network.

Visualization of the lenticulostriate arteries, long insular arteries, and long medullary arteries on intra-arterial computed tomography angiography with ultrahigh resolution in patients with glioma.

PURPOSE: The anatomical association between the lesion and the perforating arteries supplying the pyramidal tract in insulo-opercular glioma resection should be evaluated. This study reported a novel method combining the intra-arterial administration of contrast medium and ultrahigh-resolution computed tomography angiography (UHR-IA-CTA) for visualizing the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs), long insular arteries (LIAs), and long medullary arteries (LMAs) that supply the pyramidal tract in two patients with insulo-opercular glioma. METHODS: This method was performed by introducing a catheter to the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery. The infusion rate was set at 3 mL/s for 3 s, and the delay time from injection to scanning was determined based on the time-to-peak on angiography. On 2- and 20-mm-thick UHR-IA-CTA slab images and fusion with magnetic resonance images, the anatomical associations between the perforating arteries and the tumor and pyramidal tract were evaluated. RESULTS: This novel method clearly showed the relationship between the perforators that supply the pyramidal tract and tumor. It showed that LIAs and LMAs were far from the lesion but that the proximal LSAs were involved in both cases. Based on these results, subtotal resection was achieved without complications caused by injury of perforators. CONCLUSION: UHR-IA-CTA can be used to visualize the LSAs, LIAs, and LMAs clearly and provide useful preoperative information for insulo-opercular glioma resection.

Anatomical information of the lenticulostriate arteries on high-resolution 3D-TOF MRA at 3 T: comparison with 3D-DSA.

PURPOSE: As the lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) perfuse neurologically important areas, it is necessary to accurately assess the origin and number of the LSAs before surgery. Although three-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography (3D-TOF MRA) is a non-invasive procedure, it requires high-resolution (HR) images to depict the LSAs with a small diameter. Therefore, we performed 3D-TOF MRA with the maximum HR (HR-MRA) using a 3 T scanner to examine whether a good depiction of the LSAs, equivalent to that of digital subtraction angiography (DSA), could be obtained. METHODS: Our study group comprised 16 consecutive patients who underwent HR-MRA and 3D-DSA. In both studies, we evaluated the localization of the origin from M1, M2, or A1 segments, their number of stems, and depiction. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the visualization of the LSAs between HR-MRA and 3D-DSA (P values; M1, M2, and A1 = 0.39, 0.69, and 0.69, respectively), and both the number of stems and the localization of the origin of the LSAs corresponded between the two examinations. CONCLUSION: HR-MRA at 3 T can depict the LSA well. It reveals the number of the LSA stems and the LSA origin comparatively with DSA.

Unilateral cerebral arterial tortuosity: Associated with aneurysm occurrence, but potentially inversely associated with aneurysm rupture.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of tortuosity of the main cerebral arteries with intracranial aneurysm (IA) occurrence and rupture. To investigate the relationship between arterial tortuosity and aneurysm morphology as well as conventional risk factors of vascular diseases. METHODS: Three subject groups were analyzed in this study: Patients with ruptured IAs, patients with unruptured IAs, and healthy subjects. The groups were matched by sex and age using tendency score matching. Their intracranial magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) images were collected retrospectively. The intracranial arterial structures were segmented from the MRA images. Arterial tortuosity was measured and statistically compared between the different subject groups and different vessels. Correlation analysis was conducted between arterial tortuosity and clinical risk factors as well as aneurysm morphology. RESULTS: 120 patients were included in the study (average age: 67.5 years; 60% female), 40 for each group after matching. The tortuosity of the aneurysm-bearing artery was significantly greater than that of the contralateral artery in both the ruptured and unruptured IA groups (p < 0.001). There was no significant association between clinical risk factors (history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use) and arterial tortuosity. There were significant negative correlations between aneurysm-bearing artery tortuosity and aneurysm morphological features such as maximal diameter (p = 0.0011), neck diameter (p < 0.0001), maximum height (p = 0.0024), and size ratio (p = 0.0269). CONCLUSION: The occurrence of cerebral aneurysms correlates to increased unilateral arterial tortuosity, but the risk of aneurysm enlargement/rupturing decreases with greater arterial tortuosity. Abnormal tortuosity may be congenital as tortuosity has no clear connection with acquired common risk factors of vascular diseases.

Large persistent trigeminal artery variant that supplied the subtotal cerebellar hemisphere and caused trigeminal neuralgia, which was diagnosed by magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and MR cisternography.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of large persistent trigeminal artery (PTA) variant that caused trigeminal neuralgia, which was diagnosed by magnetic resonance (MR) angiography and MR cisternography. CASE REPORT: An 82-year-old woman with left trigeminal neuralgia underwent cranial MR imaging, MR angiography and MR cisternography. MR imaging revealed no significant abnormality. MR angiography showed that a relatively large artery arose from the precavernous segment of the left internal carotid artery (ICA) without connection to the basilar artery, which is indicative of a PTA variant. This artery supplied the left cerebellar arteries, except for the rostral branch of the superior cerebellar artery. MR cisternography showed that the inferior surface of the left trigeminal nerve was compressed by the PTA variant. She was treated by microvascular decompression surgery and her symptoms disappeared. DISCUSSION: According to a meta-analysis, the prevalence of the PTA variants is reported to be 0.2%. The majority of PTA variants are small arteries and are classified as the anterior inferior cerebellar artery type. The present case involved a relatively large artery that supplied large territories of the cerebellar hemisphere. PTA and PTA variants rarely cause trigeminal neuralgia. CONCLUSION: Using MR angiography and MR cisternography, the author diagnosed a case of large PTA variant that caused trigeminal neuralgia. No similar case has been reported in the relevant English language literature.

Variations in the branching patterns of the anterior choroidal artery: an angiographic study with special reference to temporal lobe epilepsy surgery.

BACKGROUND: The preservation of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA) is essential for avoiding neurological sequelae after mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) surgery. The purpose of this study is to reveal the anatomical variation in which the perforating branches arise from the plexal segment of the AChA by using a modern neuroimaging modality. METHODS: This study analyzed 3D rotational angiography (3DRA) images from 56 subjects. The AChA and perforating branches were visualized using slab MIP. We analyzed branching patterns, courses of the perforating arteries arising from the plexal segment of the AChA, and the anastomosis of the AChA with other cerebral arteries. RESULTS: The slab MIP applied to 3DRA visualized one or more perforating branches from the AChA in 92.9% of cases. The presence of perforating branches arising from the AChA plexal segment was 17.3%. Most of the branching points of plexal perforators were likely located in the operative field during hippocampal resection. The course of the AChA plexal perforators included the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Anastomosis with other cerebral arteries was visualized in 25% of the AChA with plexal perforators. CONCLUSIONS: 3DRA slab MIP was useful for visualizing the perforating branches of the AChA. Our results showed the possibility that surgical manipulation of the choroid plexus may cause infarction in the AChA territory. We suggest that the existence of the AChA plexal perforators should be recognized to further enhance the safety of hippocampal resection for mTLE.

Acute pontine infarction in a patient with 8-shaped basilar artery fenestration malformation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebrovascular fenestration malformation is a relatively rare vascular dysplasia, and an 8-shaped basilar artery fenestration malformation is even rarer. The characteristics of transcranial Doppler cerebral blood flow in cerebrovascular fenestration malformations have rarely been studied or reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 58-year-old woman presented with hypertension, diabetes, with no history of smoking or drinking. The patient had no relevant family history. The patient experienced left limb weakness for 2 days, which gradually worsened. DIAGNOSIS: Head and neck computed tomography angiography revealed an 8-shaped fenestration deformity of the lower segment of the basilar artery with multiple stenoses of the local vessels. Transcranial Doppler cerebral blood flow examination at a depth of 85 cm revealed an eddy current in the lower segment of the basilar artery. INTERVENTIONS: Tirofiban was administered intravenously for 3 days and subsequently changed to oral clopidogrel antiplatelet treatment. OUTCOMES: The modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months after disease onset was 0, indicating that the patient recovered well after treatment. CONCLUSION: A basilar artery 8-shaped fenestration is extremely rare and has seldom been reported. Cerebral vascular fenestration can lead to an acute cerebral infarction and its pathogenesis may include local hemodynamic abnormalities and thrombosis. Eddy currents can be detected by transcranial Doppler cerebral blood flow examination.

Automated segmentation of multiparametric magnetic resonance images for cerebral AVM radiosurgery planning: a deep learning approach.

Stereotactic radiosurgery planning for cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) is complicated by the variability in appearance of an AVM nidus across different imaging modalities. We developed a deep learning approach to automatically segment cerebrovascular-anatomical maps from multiple high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging/angiography (MRI/MRA) sequences in AVM patients, with the goal of facilitating target delineation. Twenty-three AVM patients who were evaluated for radiosurgery and underwent multi-parametric MRI/MRA were included. A hybrid semi-automated and manual approach was used to label MRI/MRAs with arteries, veins, brain parenchyma, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), and embolized vessels. Next, these labels were used to train a convolutional neural network to perform this task. Imaging from 17 patients (6362 image slices) was used for training, and 6 patients (1224 slices) for validation. Performance was evaluated by Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). Classification performance was good for arteries, veins, brain parenchyma, and CSF, with DSCs of 0.86, 0.91, 0.98, and 0.91, respectively in the validation image set. Performance was lower for embolized vessels, with a DSC of 0.75. This demonstrates the proof of principle that accurate, high-resolution cerebrovascular-anatomical maps can be generated from multiparametric MRI/MRA. Clinical validation of their utility in radiosurgery planning is warranted.

Radiologic and Neurosurgical Diagnosis of Arterial Neurovascular Conflict on Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Trigeminal Neuralgia in Routine Clinical Practice.

OBJECTIVE: The most common cause of trigeminal neuralgia is neurovascular conflict, particularly arterial compression of the trigeminal nerve (ACTN). It is possible to show this condition preoperatively on fine-cut constructive interference in steady state magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supplemented by time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. We have noticed significant variability in the interpretation of these studies between radiologists and the treating neurosurgeon. We have assessed the sensitivity and specificity of these 2 styles of interpretation compared with the intraoperative observations. METHODS: We studied 68 patients who underwent de novo microvascular decompression from 2011 to 2018 under the care of a single neurosurgeon in Melbourne, Australia. Data was recorded prospectively in the radiology reports, operation reports, hospital admission records and neurosurgeon correspondence from the perioperative clinic reviews. In particular, the surgical interpretation of the MRI was clearly described prospectively and preoperatively in the correspondence. The presence or absence of ACTN was recorded prospectively in the operation report. These data were collated retrospectively by the first author. RESULTS: Of patients, 83.8% (57/68) had clear ACTN confirmed at surgery. Radiologists detected this abnormality in 50.9% (29/57) of these patients, with a sensitivity of 50.9% and specificity of 81.8%. The operating neurosurgeon detected ACTN in 87.7% (50/57) of the positive cases with a sensitivity of 87.7% and a specificity of 72.7%. Statistical analysis showed a significant disagreement between both styles of interpretation, with a radiologic accuracy of 55.9% compared with 85.3% neurosurgically (P < 0.0001). Follow-up review of the patient's response to surgery further supported the neurosurgical diagnosis of ACTN. CONCLUSIONS: There was a strong tendency for radiologists to underreport ACTN on the preoperative MRI compared with the intraoperative findings. In this series, the neurosurgeon was able to accurately detect ACTN in 88% of patients preoperatively. However, the diagnosis of absent ACTN was still associated with a false-negative rate of 46.7% when the neurosurgeon performed the interpretation. At the current standard of fine-cut constructive interference in steady state MRI in Melbourne, underdetection of ACTN remains common. Clinicians using this test need to be acutely aware of its limitations in deciding whether to proceed to microvascular decompression.

Occipital Artery -Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Bypass Combined with Aneurysm Trapping for a Recurrent Ruptured Vertebral Artery-Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm: Two-Dimensional Operative Video.

Vertebral artery-posterior inferior cerebellar artery (VA-PICA) aneurysm is challenging owing to its variable anatomy and interference of lower cranial nerves. A recurrent ruptured VA-PICA aneurysm was successfully treated by occipital (OA)-PICA bypass with aneurysm trapping (Video 1). Informed consent was obtained from the patient. A ruptured right VA aneurysm was found in a 47-year-old man and treated by endovascular treatment. Follow-up angiography at 1 month revealed aneurysm recurrence with migration of endovascular materials. The patient was placed in a park-bench position for the far-lateral approach. A J-shaped incision was used for craniotomy. A 1-piece myocutaneous flap was raised, and the OA was skeletonized in a distal-to-proximal fashion. After craniotomy, the VA-PICA aneurysm with endovascular material inside was located under the vagoaccessory triangle. The tonsillomedullary segment or P3 of the PICA was robust and long enough as the recipient candidate for anastomosis. A linear arteriotomy was performed on the recipient artery, and an end-to-side OA-PICA bypass was achieved. Occlusion of the aneurysm was achieved by placing permanent clips on the VA proximal and distal to the aneurysm and the PICA next to the aneurysm sac without occluding the perforator. The postoperative course was uneventful with bypass patency. We believe this case demonstrates the surgical tenet of OA-PICA bypass for VA-PICA aneurysm.

Single-Institute Experience of Bypass Surgery for Complex Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysms: Paying Special Attention to the Spatial and Diameter Relationship Between the Efferent Arteries.

OBJECTIVE: To present a retrospective review of a single-institute experience with bypass surgery of complex anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. METHODS: Eight patients (5 females and 3 males; mean age, 34.2 years) with complex anterior cerebral artery aneurysms were treated with bypass. There were 3 precommunicating aneurysms, 1 communicating artery aneurysm, and 4 postcommunicating aneurysms (2 in A2 and 2 in A3). A3-A3 side-to-side in situ bypass was performed in 6 cases. A3-radial artery-A3 interpositional bypass was performed in 1 case with A3 segments located far apart, and A3-A3 transplantation was performed in 1 case with nonparallel aligned A3 segments. Of the 8 aneurysms, 3 were secured with proximal clipping, 1 was secured with distal clipping, 1 was secured with direct clipping, 1 was secured with isolation, and 2 were secured with embolization. RESULTS: Aneurysm obliteration was achieved in all cases. Only 1 in situ bypass from a smaller donor artery to a larger recipient artery failed with minor postoperative infarction. Intraoperative bleeding from the site of anastomosis occurred in 1 case during embolization. All patients had complete recovery with normal neurological function during follow-up at outpatient clinics. CONCLUSIONS: We established a simplified surgical algorithm for complex anterior cerebral artery aneurysms based on the geometrical and spatial relationship between efferent arteries. The reasons for bypass failure and hemorrhagic complication were also discussed.

Cerebral arterial fenestration associated with stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral arterial fenestration is a rare vascular malformation that has not been fully understood. Whether it is related to cerebrovascular diseases remains to be determined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the imaging characteristics of cerebral fenestrations, the clinical characteristics of fenestrations complicated with cerebrovascular diseases, and the correlation between fenestrations and cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: We reviewed the magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (CT) imaging findings of patients with cerebrovascular fenestrations in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2016 to December 2020, mainly focused on the shape and location of fenestrations. According to the location of fenestrated arteries, patients were divided into the internal carotid arterial system (ICAS) group and the vertebrobasilar arterial system (VAS) group. For patients complicated with cerebrovascular diseases, detailed data about the demographics and clinical characteristics were recorded. Stroke patients with injured lesions located in the territories of fenestrated arteries were further screened out and analyzed. Moreover, the proportions of cerebrovascular diseases including stroke between the ICAS group and the VAS group were compared. RESULTS: A total of 280 cerebrovascular fenestrations were found in 274 patients (six patients had two fenestrations). The most frequently involved vessels were the anterior cerebral artery (123/280), the basilar artery (76/280) and the vertebral artery (35/280). As to the shape of fenestrations, slit-like fenestrations accounted for 63.2% (177/280), followed by convex-lens-like type 26.1% (73/280) and duplicated type 10.7% (30/280). A total of 70 patients were complicated with cerebrovascular diseases, including ischemic stroke 64.3% (45/70), hemorrhagic stroke 22.9% (16/70), aneurysm 10% (7/70), arteriovenous malformation 1.4% (1/70) and cavernous hemangioma 1.4% (1/70). There were no significant differences between the ICAS group and the VAS group in terms of the demographics and clinical characteristics. Furthermore, among the 61 patients complicated with stroke, 16 patients' stroke lesions were located in the territories of fenestrated arteries, including 12.5% (2/16) in the ICAS and 87.5% (14/16) in the VAS. In addition, compared with the ICAS group, the proportions of cerebrovascular diseases including stroke in patients with fenestrations were higher in the VAS group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral arterial fenestrations are most commonly found in the anterior cerebral artery, the basilar artery and the vertebral artery. Vertebrobasilar fenestrations are more related to cerebrovascular diseases, especially stroke.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors Affect Specific Segments of the Intracranial Vasculature in High-Resolution (HR) Vessel Wall Imaging (VWI).

OBJECTIVES: Luminal-based imaging have identified different risk factors for extracranial and intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS), but these techniques are known to underestimate the true extent of the disease. High-resolution (HR) vessel wall imaging (VWI) has recently gained recognition as a valuable tool in the assessment of ICAS. The aim of this study is to determine the association between cardiovascular risk factors and specific intracranial vessel segment involvement using HR-VWI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2017 to January 2020, consecutive patients ≥ 18 years-old undergoing HR-VWI of the brain were identified. Patients with history of primary or secondary vasculitis, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, or moya-moya were excluded. The presence of vessel wall thickening and enhancement were assessed in the perpendicular plane for each vessel segment by two neuroradiologists. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess associations between imaging findings and cardiovascular risk factors. Interrater reliability was calculated. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients (39 men; mean age: 55.9 years) were included. Vessel wall enhancement was seen in 39/71 (55%). A total number of 105 vessel segments demonstrated abnormal enhancement and 79/105 (75%) had an eccentric pattern. Eccentric vessel wall enhancement was independently associated with age >65 years-old in the ICA (OR 9.0, CI 2.1 - 38.2, p < 0.01) and proximal MCA (OR 4.0, CI 1.2 - 13.2, p = 0.02), and with hyperlipidemia in the posterior circulation (OR 44.0, CI2.9-661.0, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: There is a significant association between eccentric vessel wall enhancement of the ICA and proximal MCA in patients with age > 65; and of the proximal posterior circulation (basilar - PCA1) with hyperlipidemia.

Cerebral arterial air embolism after endobronchial electrocautery: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Endobronchial electrocautery is a common and safe therapeutic endoscopic treatment for malignant airway obstruction. Cerebral arterial air embolism (CAAE) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of endobronchial electrocautery. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the first case of cerebral arterial air embolism after endobronchial electrocautery. A 56-year-old male with a pulmonary tumour in the right upper lobe received repeated endobronchial electrocautery. During the procedure, he experienced unresponsiveness, hypoxemia and bradycardia, and he developed tetraplegia. Brain computed tomography showed several cerebral arterial air emboli with low-density spots in the right frontal lobe. He received hyperbaric oxygen therapy with almost full recovery, except for residual left-sided weakness. CONCLUSIONS: General physicians should realize that CAAE may be a possible complication of endobronchial electrocautery. Several measures, including avoiding positive pressure, lowering ventilatory pressures if possible, avoiding advancing the bronchoscope to occlude the bronchus and using the non-contact technique, should be used to prevent this devastating complication.

Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome Following Exposure to Oleoresin Capsicum "Pepper Spray".

OBJECTIVES: To report a case associating the use of Oleoresin Capsicum Pepper Spray (OCPS) during law enforcement training with development of Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: RCVS is radiographically characterized by multifocal smooth narrowing of cerebral arteries heralded by clinical manifestations of recurrent thunderclap headaches. 70% of cases with RCVS have a clear precipitating factor and agents commonly implicated were cannabis, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, nasal decongestants, cocaine, postpartum state, eclampsia and strenuous physical/sexual activity.1 RESULTS: 24-year-old female police officer with no past medical history who presented with thunderclap headaches after exposure to pepper spray to her face during work training. Neurological examination was unremarkable. CT angiogram (CTA) of the head and neck and subsequent conventional angiogram revealed multifocal mild arterial narrowing of bilateral middle cerebral arteries (MCA), bilateral posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) and left anterior cerebral artery (ACA) concerning for RCVS. Eight weeks later, she had a repeat MRA head and neck demonstrating complete resolution of the previously noted narrowing of her cerebral arteries. CONCLUSIONS: OCPS is widely used in law enforcement training as well as by general population as a self- defense tool. It is generally assumed to be safe, although the consequences of its use can never be predicted with certainty.2 As our case highlights, use of OCPS may be associated with development of RCVS and awareness needs to be raised regarding this rare but serious complication.

Influence of cardiovascular risk-factors on morphological changes of cerebral arteries in healthy adults across the life span.

Cerebral artery morphological alterations have been associated with several cerebrovascular and neurological diseases, whereas these structures are known to be highly variable among healthy individuals. To date, the knowledge about the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the morphology of cerebral arteries is rather limited. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the regional cerebroarterial radius and density. Time-of-Flight magnetic resonance angiography from 1722 healthy adults (21-82 years) were used to extract region-specific measurements describing the main cerebral artery morphology. Multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of cardiovascular risk factors, including clinical and life behavioural factors, on each region-specific artery measurement. Increased age, blood pressure, and markers of obesity were significantly associated with decreased artery radius and density in most regions, with aging having the greatest impact. Additionally, females showed significantly higher artery density while males showed higher artery radius. Smoking and alcohol consumption did not show any significant association with the artery morphology. The results of this study improve the understanding of the impact of aging, clinical factors, and life behavioural factors on cerebrovascular morphology and can help to identify potential risk factors for cerebrovascular and neurological diseases.

Childhood arterial ischemic stroke due to mineralizing angiopathy: an 18-year single-center experience.

Mineralizing angiopathy is a unique, age-specific stroke syndrome characterized by basal ganglia infarction and lenticulostriate calcification after minor head injury in early childhood. There is limited understanding of the pathophysiology, course, and clinical outcome of this syndrome. We describe the clinical and radiographical phenotype of a single-center, consecutively enrolled cohort of children with mineralizing angiopathy from January 2002 to January 2020 and provide a comparative analysis to previously published literature. Fourteen children were identified. Previously unreported findings include: stroke onset in eight children older than 18 months; presence of basal ganglia hemorrhage in four; multifocal basal ganglia infarcts in three; presence of additional non-basal ganglia calcifications in three; and presence of thrombophilia in one. Seven children had moderate-to-severe neurological deficits. There was no symptomatic stroke recurrence (mean follow-up 3y 7mo, SD 1y 7mo). Our expanded phenotype highlights distinct characteristics of mineralizing angiopathy in children and has the potential to inform future research. What this paper adds Children with mineralizing angiopathy are often misdiagnosed as having a limb fracture despite normal x-rays. A magnetic resonance imaging-only approach may miss this entity. Non-contrast computed tomography, in addition to MRI is recommended to identify calcifications in idiopathic arterial ischemic stroke. Most children have moderate-to-severe neurological sequela.