[A case of intraventricular meningioma manifesting akinetic mutism after complicated management of hydrocephalus].

A 26-year-old male with large intraventricular meningioma developed acute hydrocephalus postoperatively, which was difficult to manage. After a repeated course of dilated and slit-like ventricle, he gradually presented a disturbance of consciousness, which was recovered by the use of bromocriptine, suggesting akinetic mutism. At the chronic stage, he suffered from symptoms of hydrocephalus again. Time-slip MRI revealed the stasis of CSF flow around the third ventricle. Neuroendoscopy disclosed that the foramen of Monro was occluded with membrane. After endoscopic third ventriculostomy as well as penetration of the foramen, the symptoms disappeared and hydrocephalus was resolved. This is a rare case of akinetic mutism after complicated management of hydrocephalus associated with intraventricular meningioma.

Diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke based on time-to-peak and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

Rapid and accurate diagnosis of the hemodynamics of the brain is essential for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. This study investigated whether time-to-peak and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are useful for predicting the course of stroke. Fourteen patients with non-lacunar acute ischemic stroke underwent emergent MR imaging within 24 hours from the onset followed by cerebral angiography and xenon-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Serial CT was obtained to monitor changes in the size and nature of the infarct. Volumes of the abnormal lesions demonstrated on time-to-peak (VT) or diffusion-weighted (VD) images were measured, and the ratio of VT to VD was calculated. Based on this ratio, patients were classified into three groups: Group 1 (VT/VD 0.5-1.5, n = 9), Group 2 (VT/VD > 1.5, n = 3), and Group 3 (VT/VD < 0.5, n = 2). The size of the infarct detected as a low-density area on serial CT scans did not change significantly throughout the course in Group 1 patients, but showed enlargement in all three patients in Group 2. Two patients in Group 3 had major trunk occlusion followed by spontaneous reperfusion, and both developed hemorrhagic transformation. Our study showed that classification of ischemic stroke based on the VT/VD ratio was predictive of the time course of the infarct, and may be useful in selecting the initial therapeutic procedure immediately after the onset of stroke.