A Staged Therapy for Internal Carotid Artery Dissection Caused by Vascular Eagle Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Eagle syndrome with stroke onset is a rare condition. Carotid stenting of dissected arteries and/or surgical resection of the elongated styloid process are frequently performed; however, there are no definitive criteria for selecting these treatments. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 46-year-old man presented with left hemiplegia. Acute infarction in the right frontal and parietal lobes and bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection due to the elongated styloid process were diagnosed via magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography angiography. He was treated with stenting of the left ICA dissection, with observation of the right ICA dissection. However, the right ICA dissection deteriorated 4 days after the initial event, and additional stenting was performed. He underwent bilateral prophylactic styloidectomy with an extraoral approach 8 months after symptom onset. At >3 years after the styloidectomy, he has not experienced recurrence of the infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Stenting in the acute phase prevented the recurrence of stroke, and styloid process resection in the chronic phase cured vascular Eagle syndrome. This staged therapy could be beneficial in the treatment of vascular Eagle syndrome.

Staged Endovascular Treatment of Ruptured Vertebral Artery Dissection Involving the Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery.

In the treatment of vertebral artery (VA) dissection involving the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), the prevention of rebleeding and the preservation of VA and PICA patency are challenging. We report a case with ruptured VA dissection involving the origin of the PICA. In the acute stage, the fusiform dilatation of the dissection was first treated by means of stent-assisted coil embolization. Dual-antiplatelet therapy was administered just before stent placement. Seven days after the first treatment, two additional stents without coils were added. Rebleeding did not occur, and the lesion was thrombosed successfully 4 days after the second treatment, with the preservation of VA and PICA patency. This staged therapy appears to be beneficial in preventing rebleeding and in preserving VA and PICA patency.

Follow-up after undersized dilatation of targeted lesions in carotid artery stenting.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We assessed whether intentional undersized dilatation of targeted lesions during carotid artery stenting (CAS) carried a higher risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and correlation to subsequent ischemic stroke in qualifying arteries in the follow-up period. METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing CAS between April 2003 and May 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. The use of a filter device as a distal embolic protection device (EPD) was first approved by Japanese governmental health insurance in April 2008; previously, transient balloon occlusion was used off-label. Until March 2008 (Group A), the target diameter of balloon dilatation was 80-100% of the normal vessel diameter just distal to the stenotic lesion. Moderately undersized dilatation (70-80% of the normal vessel diameter) using the distal EPD was adopted in April 2008 (Group B) in an attempt to reduce the amount of released plaque debris. RESULTS: We analyzed 132 CAS procedures (125 patients) in Group A and 53 CAS procedures (52 patients) in Group B. The mean follow-up period was 35.4 months (35.3 months in Group A and 36.0 months in Group B). Eight lesions (4.3%; 7 in Group A and 1 in Group B) developed ISR. None of the patients had symptomatic ISR, and ISR did not increase in Group B (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-2.86; p = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Undersized dilatation of targeted lesions did not increase the risk of developing ISR, and we suggest it as a viable treatment option to prevent ischemic events during CAS.

Recipient targeting for revascularization using pulsed Doppler ultrasonography for the treatment of an intracranial giant aneurysm.

Aneurysmal occlusion after blood flow revascularization is a promising management strategy for the treatment of intracranial giant aneurysms. However, it is necessary to design robust revascularization for preventing postoperative flow-related infarctions caused by abrupt occlusion of the parent vessels. Since direct anastomosis of donor vessels to recipient vessels near giant aneurysms is often difficult, it is preferable to select cortical recipient branches away from the aneurysm, thus providing a sufficient working space for the surgeon. In this paper, the authors' goal was to identify distal cortical recipient arteries on the brain surface, based on pulsed Doppler ultrasonography analysis of blood flow alteration after temporary closure of the efferent vessels. This method is used to visualize the area around the sacrificed vessels, omits intraoperative arteriography or the risk of a surgical trace of the vessels by dissecting the distal sulci, and could be advantageous for necessary and sufficient revascularization.

Successful use of prolonged mild hypothermia in a patient with severe head injury and diffuse brain swelling. Case report.

A 19-year-old female was admitted to our hospital after severe head injury in a traffic accident. On admission, she had no spontaneous respiration, but did have heart beat with a blood pressure of 100/60 mmHg. Neurological examination demonstrated that the Glasgow Coma Scale score was 3 and her pupils were fixed and dilated. Computed tomography (CT) showed diffuse brain swelling with disappearance of the perimesencephalic cistern. Chest CT showed bilateral lung contusions. Mild hypothermia with a target temperature of 33 degrees C was immediately induced, and was continued for 28 days to control the persistent increase in intracranial pressure (ICP). Subsequently, she recovered, and 20 months after admission, could speak and walk with slight hemiparesis on the left. Prolonged mild hypothermia may be effective to control persistent increase in ICP due to diffuse brain swelling.

Effects of a new extracorporeal system using CTR on mortality and inflammatory responses to bacterial toxin-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in rabbits.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the pathogenesis of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) caused by bacterial infection, a complex series of systemically secreted bacterial toxins and cytokines are intensely associated. Our previous study demonstrated that a new adsorbent, CTR, was capable of removing cytokines and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) in vitro. Moreover, extracorporeal treatment with CTR reduced the high mortality rate and inhibited inflammatory responses in endotoxin-induced shock in rats. However, it is unclear whether CTR treatment will be an effective therapy for MODS. Here, we demonstrated the efficacy of a new extracorporeal system using CTR on MODS induced by bacterial toxins in rabbits. METHODS: Direct hemoperfusion (DHP) apheresis with or without CTR for 120 min was performed in rabbits that had been intravenously infused with endotoxin and TSST-1. The mean arterial pressure was recorded and the plasma toxin and cytokine concentrations were measured during the treatment period. Mortality was assessed up to 7 days after exposure to the toxins. In addition, tissues specimens were examined using microscopy. RESULTS: The mortality rates at 7 days after the injection of the toxins were 90 and 10% for the control and CTR groups, respectively. The plasma concentrations of TSST-1, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 beta in the CTR group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Histopathological examination revealed that tissue damage, such as necrosis and depletion of lymphocytes in the spleen and mesenteric lymph node, was reduced in the CTR group, compared with that in the control group, at 24 h after toxin infusion. CONCLUSION: The new adsorbent CTR improved the mortality rate in a MODS rabbit model by adsorbing TSST-1 and cytokines. Further development of CTR may expand the scope of extracorporeal therapies for patients with MODS.

Olfactory groove schwannoma--case report.

A 30-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of intermittent headache. No neurological deficit was detected. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumor with a diameter of 2.5 cm in the left anterior skull base associated with bone scalloping on three-dimensional CT. Angiography showed a hypovascular tumor. Craniotomy demonstrated a tumor in the region of the left olfactory groove attached to the anterior part of the cribriform plate. The histological diagnosis was schwannoma. Schwannoma arising from near the olfactory groove is rare, with only 13 other cases reported. The precise origin of these tumors is not well understood, but the tumor in this case probably arose from the fila olfactoria, because the olfactory bulb was involved in the tumor, whereas the olfactory tract remained intact.