An Epidemiological Case Control Multi-centre Trial on Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in Western Maharashtra, India.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral Sino-Venous thrombosis (CSVT) is common in India; this country has a heterogeneous population. Genetically and physio-gnomically this population differs in their diet as well as in their environment. Despite these differences CSVT has been described from all quarters of India; a common factor embracing all these patients could be nutrition. OBJECTIVES: An epidemiological, case- control, multi-centre trial was carried out in patients of CSVT. A common factor underlying this could be nutrition which has not been highlighted in several studies. Hence, we studied the nutritional aspects of these patients. METHOD: 63 patients of CSVT and 62 controls enrolled prospectively and followed for a year were investigated with special emphasis on their nutritional status. RESULTS: The triceps skin fold thickness, energy baseline, serum Proteins, Albumin, Hemogram and Platelet counts were lower in patients than in the controls while serum Homocysteine, carbohydrates and fats were higher in patients than in controls. CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirm nutritional deficiencies in patients of CSVT and it begs the question of whether nutrition in any way is causal in CSVT. Larger multi-centric trials will help establishing causality. The study also shows that routine evaluation of thrombophilia factors and immunological tests are not necessary in CSVT.

Balloon Angioplasty for Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease: A Multicenter Study.

AIM: To evaluate the role and efficacy of the balloon angioplasty in intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) in patients who presented with acute stroke due to vessel occlusion and in patients with symptomatic disease despite optimum medical management. METHODS: From 2013 to 2016, a total of 39 patients (24 males and 15 females with a mean age of 64.5 years) underwent balloon angioplasty over a period of 2 years and 8 months in three different institutions in India. Maverick balloon catheter (Boston scientific) is used in all the patients. MRI brain with MR angiogram was done in all the patients prior to intervention. Twenty-three patients who had underlying severe ICAD presented with acute stroke due to vessel occlusion. Sixteen patients presented with symptomatic ICAD with recurrent ischemic attack due to the progressing underlying disease despite optimum medical management. Technical success, peri-procedural events, and clinical outcomes were documented for all the patients. RESULTS: Technical success (residual stenosis < 50%) was achieved in 37 cases. Extra cranial carotid stenting was required in 2 patients. In patients with acute stroke presentation (NIHSS score median of 16.5), adjuvant intravenous and intra-arterial tissue plasminogen activator were given in 8 and 3 patients, respectively, and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with solitaire was used in 15 patients. Patients who underwent MT in acute stroke without ICAD were not included in the study. Reocclusion occurred in one patient who developed disabling stroke and one patient died of intra-cerebral hemorrhage. Thus, the mortality of this study is 2%. Clinical outcome was assessed based on mRS. One-month, three-month, and six-month follow-up was available in >90% of the patients. MR angiogram on follow-up of nine months was done in 26 patients, and none of them had restenosis. CONCLUSION: Balloon angioplasty is a safe option and can be effectively used in patients of ICAD with acceptable risks and promising outcomes.

A call for neurologists to take up stroke intervention.

Recent data have provided overwhelming evidence in favor of benefits of emergent endovascular intervention in large vessel acute ischemic stroke (AIS). India with its large population has a huge burden of AIS. Hence, neurologists need to gear up to the new challenge of providing interventional care to huge populations of AIS in the country. The best way to cover this unprecedented unmet need is to encourage neurologists to take up interventional subspecialty interests through new but sound training pathways.

Panvascular Disease in Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Treated with Endovascular Simultaneous Bilateral Carotid Stenting.

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a monogenic autosomal dominant disorder affecting 1 in 500 individuals. We report a case of 32-year-old female with FH, previously not on any treatment, who presented with recurrent bilateral Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) territory strokes and dyspnoea on exertion due to severe panvascualar disease involving descending aorta, innominate, subclavian, common carotid, internal carotid and coronary vessels. Her complete clinical work up was done and was started on lipid lowering drug treatment and low calorie diet. She underwent simultaneous bilateral carotid stenting followed by coronary artery bypass surgery at a later date. In the present scenario we want to emphasize the importance of early detection and treatment of individuals with FH, failing of which results in premature and accelerated atherosclerosis causing multisystemic vascular disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Screening of first degree relatives is important owing to the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern of the FH.

Congenital Absence of Internal Carotid Artery with Rare Type of Intercavernous Anastamosis and Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm.

Congenital absence of Internal Carotid Artery (ICA) is a rare anomaly seen in <0.01% of the population. Various collateral circulations develop in these cases to maintain adequate cerebral perfusion. High incidence of aneurysms is reported in these cases. Complete evaluation is required to detect other abnormalities usually seen in these patients. We report a case of congenital absence of right ICA in a 39-year-old female who presented with Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (SAH) and had a Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm (MCA). The right MCA got supply from the intercavernous communication from the left internal carotid artery. Skull base Computed Tomogram (CT) confirmed the congenital absence of right ICA. She underwent successful surgical clipping for the aneurysm. The high incidence of aneurysms, collateral circulations, embryological development and postulated mechanisms of this anomaly were discussed. The exact aetiology behind the absence of ICA remains unclear. It is important to differentiate this condition from acquired stenosis/occlusion due to atherosclerosis and carotid dissection. Recognising the anomaly is important and gains even more significance during surgical planning in cases of direct aneurysm clipping, carotid endarterectomy and transphenoidal surgeries.

Endovascular treatment of frontopolar artery aneurysm.

Traumatic intracranial aneurysms are rare and usually present with subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, or intraventricular hemorrhage. These are usually not true aneurysms; hence treatment of these cases poses a therapeutic challenge. In this case report, we describe a young Asian male who presented with a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the distal branch of the anterior cerebral artery. It was treated successfully with endovascular embolization. To our knowledge, there are few reports of this entity in the literature.

Intracranial Pial Arteriovenous Fistulae: Diagnosis and Treatment Techniques in Pediatric Patients with Review of Literature.

Pial arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are rare vascular lesions comprising single or multiple arterial feeders draining directly into the venous channel without intervening tangle of blood vessels as in brain AV malformations. In our present paper, we describe three cases of pial AVF in the pediatric age group with different presentations treated successfully with endovascular and surgical methods. Two patients underwent treatment for pial AVF by the endovascular technique and one by surgical clipping. The treatments were successful with good clinical outcome. We did not encounter any peri-procedural complications in any of the cases. Pial AVF is a rare entity and high degree of suspicion and adequate clinical and imaging knowledge is required to make the diagnosis. Exclusion of the fistula from the cerebral circulation should be done at the earliest to prevent devastating complications that result during the natural course of the disease.

Endovascular treatment of fusiform A2 aneurysm with parent artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND: A2 aneurysms are rare with a reported incidence of <1% of the intracranial aneurysms. These aneurysms are located between the anterior communicating artery and genu of the corpus callosum. Fusiform aneurysms in this location are even rarer and we present one such case of fusiform A2 aneurysm treated with endovascular technique. CASE DESCRIPTION: In this report, we present a case of ruptured fusiform A2 or proximal pericallosal artery aneurysm in a middle-aged female who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. She subsequently underwent endovascular parent artery occlusion, and post-procedure angiogram showed good pial collaterals filling the distal territory. She developed transient lower limb weakness which improved over the next 24 h with supportive inotrope management to maintain adequate cerebral flow. CONCLUSION: We report a rare unique case of ruptured fusiform proximal pericallosal artery aneurysm. Endovascular treatment of this type of aneurysm is a feasible method and can be considered as an effective alternative to surgical technique.

Endovascular treatment of basilar artery stenosis due to cerebral vasculopathy related to neurofibromatosis (NF1).

BACKGROUND: Cerebrovascular lesions are uncommon in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of 34-year-old man with NF1 who developed posterior circulation stroke. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed acute infarcts in the right vertebra basilar artery territory. Digital subtraction angiography demonstrated significant stenosis of the basilar artery in the mid segment that was identified as the etiology of the symptoms. The vertebral arteries were tortuous and the basilar artery was ectatic. Subsequently endeavour resolute stent was placed across the lesion and post-procedure angiogram showed resolution of stenosis. CONCLUSION: Selective stenotic involvement of the basilar artery with ectatic vertebrobasilar circulation associated with NF1, which was successfully treated with endovascular method, was not been reported previously to our knowledge.

Endovascular coil occlusion of traumatic intradural aneurysm with presentation as carotid cavernous fistula.

Carotid cavernous fistulae (CCF) are abnormal communication between cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus. These entities are usually encountered in 0.2-0.8% of patients with traumatic skull base fractures. Traumatic cerebral aneurysms are rare and account for less than 1% of intracranial aneurysms. CCF due to ruptured intradural traumatic aneurysm is very rare and difficult to treat by surgical methods. We present one such case of a 40-year-old man with post-traumatic CCF due to a ruptured intradural aneurysm successfully treated with endovascular embolization.

Role of balloon-expandable stents in intracranial atherosclerotic disease in a series of 182 patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To demonstrate the safety and efficacy of balloon-expandable intracranial stents in patients with intracranial atherosclerotic lesions (>70% stenosis) who were symptomatic despite being on optimum medical therapy. METHODS: Between April 2004 and May 2012, 182 patients underwent intracranial stenting in our institution. All patients had symptoms despite being on optimum medical therapy. Clinical follow-up was done at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Angiographic follow-up was done at 1 year in 121 patients. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in 97.44% of the cases. The incidence of all strokes at 1 month after procedure was 11 (5.64%), of which 2 (1.02%) were major, both related to stent thrombosis not responding to tirofiban, and 9 (4.61%) were minor. Periprocedural minor stroke was seen in 9 patients. There were 2 deaths in our study (mortality=1.09%). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of intracranial atherosclerotic disease with balloon-expandable intracranial stents is a safe and effective method with acceptable adverse events, especially in patients who failed medical therapy and were symptomatic despite being on optimum medical therapy.

Stent-assisted coiling in ruptured wide-necked aneurysms: A single-center analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stent-assisted coiling of ruptured intracranial wide-necked aneurysms in a setting of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, without compromising on the antiplatelet regimen. METHODS: Forty-two consecutive patients who underwent stent-assisted coiling for ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms from August 2008 to May 2012 were studied. Demographic data like age, sex, Hunt & Hess grade, Fischer scale, and location, and size of the aneurysms were noted. Complications such as aneurysmal rupture, bleeding complications, thromboembolic events, etc. were documented. Also, 30-day and 1-year outcome was measured using modified Rankin scale (mRS). RESULTS: Forty-four wide-necked aneurysms were treated in 42 patients with stent-assisted coiling from August 2008 to May 2012 in our institution, out of a total of 248 aneurysms treated endovascularly in the same period. All these patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with varying grades and were treated in the acute phase, i.e. within 1 week of the ictus. There were 24 males and 18 females in the age group ranging from 12 to 78 years, with a mean of 45 years. Technical success was achieved in 39 patients with complete angiographic cure (93%). Intraprocedural stent thrombosis was seen in two patients, which resolved with intra-arterial bolus of tirofiban, and both the patients did not have any neurological deficit. Rebleed occurred in two patients of which one patient succumbed. Six patients required external ventricular drain because of worsening hydrocephalus on computed tomography (CT) scan with clinical deterioration. There was one death in our series due to rebleed. Three other patients died in a period of 1 month due to complications not related to the coiling procedure which include vasospasm, pulmonary embolism, and respiratory infection. All the patients were clinically followed up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Also, angiographic follow- up was done at 1 year in 25 patients (72%). All the patients were maintained on clopidogrel 75 mg per day and ecospirin 150 mg per day for a period of 1 year and were advised to continue ecospirin 150 mg per day lifelong. CONCLUSION: Even in a setting of acute SAH, stent-assisted coiling can be an effective and safe treatment option with acceptable risks in experienced hands.

Spontaneous thrombosis of basilar tip aneurysm: Role of neuroimaging and follow-up with review of literature.

The incidence of pediatric aneurysms is rare compared to that of the adults. The natural history and the course of these aneurysms were not well understood. We present a rare case of spontaneously thrombosed basillar tip nongiant aneurysm in a 9-year-old male child who presented with symptoms of mass effect and subsequently followed up by imaging over a period of 1 year.

Corkscrew angiopathy of intracranial vessels in a young stroke patient: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: We present a rare finding of a 'corkscrew appearance' of the distal cerebral vessels in a young Asian woman who presented with acute stroke. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old Asian woman presented with a 3-month history of recurrent right-sided transient ischemic attacks. Her clinical workup and brain imaging results were normal. A digital subtraction angiogram revealed an abnormal corkscrew appearance of all intracranial distal vessels. She was discharged on a single antiplatelet drug. She had no further transient ischemic attacks on clinical follow-up. A digital subtraction angiogram performed 1 year later revealed no changes in the appearance of these vessels. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge no similar previous reports exist in the literature. The present report describes a unique case of an unusual corkscrew appearance of the distal intracranial vessels. However, the underlying etiology in the present case remains unknown.

Endovascular management of fusiform superior cerebellar artery aneurysms: a series of three cases with review of literature.

Distal superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysms are rare. Fusiform aneurysms of SCA are rarer and more challenging to treat. Parent artery occlusion by endovascular coiling is the treatment option for these cases. Presence of good collateral circulation and paucity of perforators from S1 and S2 segments makes this a feasible option. From 2007 to 2010, we treated three patients (two men and one woman between the ages of 42 to 64 years) with distal fusiform SCA aneurysms using endovascular coiling. All the patients presented with symptoms of rupture and were treated in the acute phase. Informed and written high-risk consent was given by all patients prior to the procedure. Successful angiographic and clinical outcome was achieved in all three patients. Endovascular treatment of fusiform SCA aneurysms with coils is a safe and feasible option in the management of this rare entity.