Latin American Consensus Statement for the Use of Contrast-Enhanced Transcranial Ultrasound as a Diagnostic Test for Detection of Right-to-Left Shunt.

BACKGROUND: The role of patent foramen ovale is a field of debate and current publications have increasing controversies about the patients' management in young undetermined stroke. Work up with echocardiography and transcranial Doppler (TCD) can aid the decision with better anatomical and functional characterization of right-to-left shunt (RLS). Medical and interventional strategy may benefit from this information. SUMMARY: a group of experts from the Latin American participants of the Neurosonology Research Group (NSRG) of World Federation of Neurology created a task force to review literature and describe the better methodology of contrast TCD (c-TCD). All signatories of the present consensus statement have published at least one study on TCD as an author or co-author in an indexed journal. Two meetings were held while the consensus statement was being drafted, during which controversial issues were discussed and voted on by the statement signatories. The statement paper was reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee of the NSRG of the World Federation of Neurology. The main objective of this consensus statement is to establish a standardization of the c-TCD technique and its interpretation, in order to improve the informative quality of the method, resulting in expanding the application of TCD in the clinical setting. These recommendations optimize the comparison of different diagnostic methods and encourage the use of c-TCD for RLS screening and complementary diagnosis in multicenter studies.

Doppler microvascular associado a neuronavegação para identificação e localização de arteria carótida interna em cirurgia endoscópica transfenoidal de macroadenomas pituitarios / Microvascular doppler associated with neuronavigation to intraoperative identification and location of internal carotid artery in transsphenoidal endoscopic pituitary macroadenomas surgery

Os avanços em técnicas de doppler pulsado facilitaram sua utilização na Neurocirurgia, especialmente para o acesso às artérias envolvidas por tumores, através da identificação e localização das mesmas. O objetivo desse estudo é descrever a técnica de doppler microvascular associado à neuronavegação em cirurgia endoscópica transesfenoidal para remoção demacroadenomas pituitários em três pacientes. Material e Métodos: Uma sonda de 16 MHz (2 mm) foi inserida em uma cânula de 17 cm de comprimento e anexada a um indicador de neuronavegação. O planejamento pré-operatório foi realizado com RM e angiotomografia. Resultados: O doppler microvascular intraoperatório identificou fluxo arterial compatível com a localização anatômica da porção cavernosa da artéria carótida interna, conforme demonstrado pelo sistema de neuronavegação,possibilitando a manipulação do tumor sem risco de danos à artéria. Em todos os três casos ocorreu a remoção total de tumor sem o comprometimento da artéria carótida interna. Conclusão: O método com doppler microvascular associado à neuronavegação foi essencial ao diagnóstico vascular intraoperatório, permitindo ressecções tumorais radicais e, ao mesmo tempo, evitando danos arteriais.

Moyamoya syndrome in an adolescent with essential thrombocythemia: successful intracranial carotid stent placement.

BACKGROUND: Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder with increased frequency of thrombotic events, including transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and stroke. Moyamoya syndrome is a rare cerebrovascular disease characterized by progressive occlusion of intracerebral arteries with a typical "puff of smoke" angiographic pattern. We report the development of moyamoya syndrome in a patient with ET. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient is an 18-year-old female who presented at age 13 with recurrent TIAs. Persistent thrombocytosis was found, a diagnosis of ET was made, and treatment with anagrelide was started. Despite normal platelet counts, she experienced recurrent TIAs and stroke. Severe stenosis of the supraclinoid segment of the left internal carotid artery (LICA) and abnormal collateral vessels were found, and moyamoya syndrome was diagnosed on the basis of the characteristic angiographic appearance. An intracranial stent was placed in the LICA, and since then, she has had an uneventful outcome after a 46-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, the development of moyamoya phenomenon has not been reported in ET, and the relationship between these 2 disorders remains unclear. Besides, this is the first intracranial carotid stent implanted successfully in a patient with moyamoya.

Sindrome cerebeloso por amiodarona / Cerebellar syndrome by amiodarone

La amiodarona (AMD) es una droga antiarritmica cuyos efectos adversos pueden comprometer el sistema nervioso central y periferico. La aparicion de un sindrome cerebeloso es infrecuente. Se presenta un paciente masculino de 56 años de edad que desarolla un sindrome pancerebeloso de 4 meses de evolución, que revieste luego de la suspensión de la AMD. El cuadro reaparece meses mas tarde luego de un periodo de automedicación con la droga. Los mecanismos toxicos por los cuales la AMD afecta al cerebelo permanecen inciertos. Esta droga de amplia difusion en nuestro medio, como otros antiarritmicos, posee efectos sobre el sistema nervioso que deben ser tenidos en cuenta a fin de poder detectarlos precozmente