[Subarachnoid Hemorrhage of Unknown Origin at Initial Imaging Investigation].

In some patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH), initial imaging investigations may not be able to detect a bleeding source;repeat imaging may be necessary to reveal these lesions. We reviewed a consecutive series of 45 patients with SAH and negative initial digital subtraction angiograms(DSA)during a 15-year period. The aims were to document the frequency and reason for the negative initial investigations, to determine the appropriate modality and timing of repeat examinations, and to investigate the identified bleeding sources. Twenty-eight(62%)patients underwent repeat DSA, 35(78%)underwent magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), and 33(73%)underwent computed tomography angiography(CTA). Nine lesions(5 small aneurysms, 2 craniocervical junction arteriovenous fistulas, 1 arteriovenous malformation, and 1 internal carotid artery dissection)were identified on subsequent DSA after 2-3 weeks. Most aneurysms were identified on an atypical vascular tree. CTA or MRI alone were unable to disclose the culprit lesions. In retrospect, human errors including oversight were the major reasons for the negative initial investigation results. It is, however, difficult to search for a tiny vascular lesion that might be anywhere in the cranium. Repeat DSA is still the gold standard for the inspection of hidden bleeding sources in patients with SAH of unknown origin.

Unusual Clinical Sequelae of Kawasaki Disease-Symptomatic Extracranial Internal Carotid Stenosis in Young Adult.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis that primarily affects the coronary artery, but it does not commonly affect the carotid artery. Cerebral infarction (CI) with internal carotid artery stenosis (ICS) in patients with KD has not been reported until now. We report a patient with CI as a remote-phase complication of KD. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old man presented with impaired consciousness. Magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography confirmed CI and ICS. He successfully underwent carotid endarterectomy. The resected plaque had pathologic findings of KD, which suggested that the internal carotid artery suffered from chronic inflammation. CONCLUSION: KD in childhood may cause symptomatic ICS as a sequela of a remote phase.

Strictly Limited Orbital Pain as Sentinel Headache of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The headache preceding an intracranial aneurysm rupture is called a sentinel headache (SH), and it is characterized by a sudden, intense, and persistent headache. As subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) often develops within several weeks of SH, its rapid diagnosis and treatment can improve the prognosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 52-year-old woman with migraine in her medical history visited the outpatient clinic due to left orbital pain. There was no neurologic deficit. Although magnetic resonance imaging examination found no SAH, a left internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery bifurcation aneurysm was detected by magnetic resonance angiography. Ten days after the onset of orbital pain, the patient consulted our hospital for a second opinion. We scheduled an elective clipping because the irregular shape of the aneurysm had a high risk of rupture. On the day before surgery, the aneurysm ruptured and led to SAH. Clipping was performed immediately. The patient was discharged with no neurologic deficit. CONCLUSION: Clinicians must take into consideration that unilateral orbital pain, though atypical, may be a symptom of SH.

[Endarterectomy for Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion, with an Aberrant Branch of the Internal Carotid Artery Maintaining Blood Flow Distal to the Complete Occlusion:A Case Report].

Doppler sonography accurately identifies occlusion of the internal carotid artery(ICA)and current surgical guidelines do not list an occluded ICA as an indication for carotid endarterectomy(CEA). We encountered an unusual case, for which we performed CEA. The left ICA was occluded by atherosclerosis, and was reconstituted via an aberrant branch of the occipital artery. A 71-year-old man was referred following brain infarction. Carotid duplex sonography(CDS)demonstrated occlusion of his left ICA, with flow in the distal ICA beyond the occlusion("Sandwich stump sign"). 3D computed tomography angiography and cervical angiography diagnosed ICA occlusion with flow in the distal ICA, and the patient underwent CEA. Careful evaluation is required when apparent occlusion of the ICA is detected to avoid overlooking a flow pattern beyond the occlusion and to determine whether repair is possible.

Microsurgical Removal of Snagged Stent Retriever During Endovascular Embolectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Catheter-based endovascular thrombectomy has gained popularity for use in patients with acute large-vessel occlusion; however, various complications have been reported. Herein, we present a unique, serious procedure-related complication. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 91-year-old woman with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion underwent endovascular thrombectomy with a stent retriever, but the device could not be retrieved from the horizontal segment of MCA during the procedure. Subsequently, she underwent emergency craniotomy. The lodged stent was extracted with microforceps using a counter-stretch of the vessels, so as not to avulse the perforating arteries. The stent device was retrieved uneventfully through a sheath introducer that was inserted through the femoral artery. Postprocedural indocyanine green video angiography showed complete recanalization of the MCA and internal cerebral artery. CONCLUSIONS: This is a rare case in which successful open surgery was performed to retrieve a snagged stent retriever, with successful recanalization of the large cerebral artery occlusion.

Direct Microsurgical Embolectomy for Acute Occlusion of the Internal Carotid Artery and Middle Cerebral Artery.

BACKGROUND: Surgical embolectomy is the most promising therapy for physically removing emboli from major cerebral arteries. However, it requires an experienced surgical team, time-consuming steps, and is not incorporated into acute stroke therapy. METHODS: We established seamless collaboration between services, refined surgical techniques, and conducted a prospective trial of emergency surgical embolectomy. Surgical indications included the presence of acute hemispheric symptoms, absence of low-density area on computed tomography, evidence of internal carotid artery terminus or proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion, and availability of resources to start surgery within 3 hours of symptom onset. The indications were confirmed by an interdisciplinary team. We assessed revascularization rates, time from admission to surgery and from surgery to recanalization, procedural complications, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Between 2005 and 2014, 14 consecutive patients with acute proximal middle cerebral artery or internal carotid artery terminus occlusion underwent emergency surgical embolectomy. All patients showed complete recanalization. Twelve patients survived and 7 had fair functional outcome (Rankin Scale score, ≤3). No significant procedural adverse events occurred. The mean times from admission to start of surgery, from surgery to recanalization, and from onset to recanalization were 14 minutes, 79 minutes, and 223 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that microsurgical embolectomy can rapidly, safely, and effectively retrieve clots and deserves reappraisal, although the choice largely depends on local institutional expertise.

Simultaneous determination of a pyridine-triphenylborane anti-fouling agent and its estimated degradation products using capillary zone electrophoresis.

A commercial organoborane compound, pyridine-triphenylborane (PTPB), is often applied to ship hulls as an anti-fouling agent. We developed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with direct UV detection for the simultaneous determination of PTPB and its estimated degradation products: diphenylborinic acid (DPB), phenylboronic acid (MPB), and phenol. The limits of detection (LODs) for PTPB, DPB, MPB, and phenol were, respectively, 25, 30, 50, and 29 microg/l at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. At concentrations of 0.5mg/l, values of the relative standard deviation (RSD, n=6, intra-day) of peak area were obtained, respectively, for PTPB, DPB, MPB, and phenol, as 4.1, 4.1, 4.7, and 3.4% for peak heights 3.6, 3.2, 1.7, and 1.4%, and for migration times 1.1, 1.1, 1.0, and 0.73%. The analytes were detected within 14 min. Simple photodegradation experiments were conducted to verify the usefulness of the proposed method for additional PTPB degradation investigations.