Anatomical characteristics of the styloid process in internal carotid artery dissection: Case-control study.

Introduction Pathophysiology of cervical artery dissection is complex and poorly understood. In addition to well-known causative and predisposing factors, including major trauma and monogenic connective tissue disorders, morphological characteristics of the styloid process have been recently recognized as a possible risk factor for cervical internal carotid artery dissection. Aims To study the association of the anatomical characteristics of styloid process with internal carotid artery dissection. Methods Retrospective, multicenter, case-control study of patients with internal carotid artery dissection and age- and sex-matched controls. Consecutive patients with internal carotid artery dissection and controls with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack of any etiology excluding internal carotid artery dissection, who had performed computed tomography angiography, diagnosed between January 2010 and September 2016. Two independent observers measured styloid process length and styloid process distance to internal carotid artery. Results Sixty-two patients with internal carotid artery dissection and 70 controls were included. Interobserver agreement was good for styloid process length and styloid process-internal carotid artery distance (interclass correlation coefficient = 0.89 and 0.76, respectively). Styloid process ipsilateral to dissection was longer than left and right styloid process in controls (35.8 ± 14.4 mm versus 30.4 ± 8.9 mm and 30.3 ± 8.2 mm, p = 0.011 and p = 0.008, respectively). Styloid process-internal carotid artery distance ipsilateral to dissection was shorter than left and right distance in controls (6.3 ± 1.9 mm versus 7.2 ± 2.1 mm and 7.0 ± 2.3 mm, p = 0.003 and p = 0.026, respectively). Internal carotid artery dissection was associated with styloid process length (odds ratio = 1.04 mm-1, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.08, p = 0.015) and styloid process-internal carotid artery distance (OR = 0.77 mm-1, 95% confidence interval = 0.64-0.92, p = 0.004). Conclusion Longer styloid process and shorter distance between styloid process and cervical internal carotid artery are associated with cervical internal carotid artery dissection.

An Unusual Differential Diagnosis of Orbital Cavernous Hemangioma: Ancient Schwannoma.

Schwannomas are rare lesions of the orbit that can be confused with cavernous hemangioma on imaging studies. We report the case of an 84-year-old woman with a 9-year history of a tumoral lesion in the inferolateral left orbit. The imaging studies did not reveal specific characteristics, only bone remodeling due to the long evolution of the tumor. The patient underwent complete excision of the tumor by anterior orbitotomy via the inferior conjunctival fornix. The histopathological examination revealed an ancient schwannoma, a variant of schwannoma with uncommon histological features. The follow-up was uneventful. The present case emphasizes the importance of considering neural tumors in the differential diagnosis of orbital masses with bone changes and degenerative alterations such as hemorrhagic areas, cysts, and/or calcifications.

Treatment of an internal carotid artery aneurysm with a flow diverter through a double lumen balloon catheter.

Background Double lumen balloon catheters (DLBCs) are currently used in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms, especially when involving balloon or stent-assisted coiling. The existing DLBCs allow the delivery of self-expandable stents but do not offer the possibility to deploy flow-diverters. Despite the increasing use and success of flow-diverters, there have been numerous reports of procedural complications such as early in-stent thrombosis or delayed distal embolization. It seems that these complications can be avoided by correct stent positioning and adequate wall apposition, achieved either by manoeuvres with the microguidewire and/or microcatheter or by performing balloon angioplasty following an exchange guidewire manoeuvre. Objective Report the use of a new DLBC able to deliver a flow-diverter. Methods A 41-year-old woman presented to our hospital with binocular horizontal diplopia for two weeks and reduced visual acuity. A left internal carotid artery aneurysm involving the cavernous and ophthalmic segments was found, with a maximum height of 19 mm and a broad 8 mm neck. It presented extra- and intra-dural components and the parent vessel was significantly narrowed. A decision was made to perform endovascular treatment of the aneurysm with placement of a flow diverter through a DLBC. Results Patency and adequate expansion of the flow diverter with evident intra-aneurysmal contrast stasis was observed in the final angiogram. No peri-procedural complications were observed. Conclusion This is a technical note demonstrating the feasibility of a new device to deploy a flow diverter, aiming to improve wall apposition and stent configuration without the need of additional devices or exchange manoeuvres.

Paroxysmal dystonia as a manifestation of multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Paroxysmal dystonia is a rare manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). CASE REPORT: A 41-year-old man presented to our Emergency Department with sudden and repeated episodes of left upper limb flexion and lower limb extension. His medical history included an episode of left facial palsy a year earlier. Neurological examination demonstrated only brisk deep tendon reflexes on the left upper limb. Routine blood and urine analyses were normal. Computed tomography of the brain and cervical Doppler were normal. Aspirin and sodium valproate were started, without improvement. Video-EEG monitoring revealed no electrographic abnormality synchronous with these paroxysmal events, excluding epileptic nature. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple T2 white matter lesions at the midbrain, right diencephalon, corpus callosum, cervical, and thoracic spinal cord. The right diencephalic lesion enhanced with gadolinium. Complete basic and immunologic analysis and serological studies were normal or negative. Oligoclonal bands were positive in cerebrospinal fluid (negative in serum). Methylprednisolone (1 g/d for 5 d) was started without clinical improvement. Carbamazepine (400 mg/d) was promptly effective, and discontinued after 1 month without recurrence. DISCUSSION: The patient met the criteria for the diagnosis of MS according to the 2010 McDonald criteria. The timely and accurate diagnosis of MS requires the recognition of its varied and atypical clinical manifestations.

Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization among patients and healthcare workers in a Portuguese hospital: a pre-intervention study toward the control of MRSA.

This two-year study investigated the epidemiology of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) in two wards with a high frequency of MRSA isolation, at Hospital Geral de Santo António (HGSA), Portugal. Three point-prevalence surveys per year were carried out. A case-control approach was used to identify potential risk factors associated with MRSA carriage among patients. Incidence rates and risk factors of MRSA carriage among HCWs who were negative at the baseline observation were estimated. Prevalence of MRSA carriage among 276 patients screened was 5.1%. Admission to HGSA or attendance to the Diabetic Foot Outpatient Unit (DFOU) of HGSA within the past 12 months, and previous MRSA isolation were significant risk factors for MRSA carriage. Among HCWs (n = 126), the prevalence of MRSA carriage was 4.8% and the incidence rate was 61/1000 person-years. Nurses and nurse aids were the HCW categories with the highest risk of becoming colonized with MRSA over time (p = 0.01). One HCW chronically colonized was detected. Molecular typing revealed a clonal identity for isolates recovered from patients and HCWs of the same wards, with 88.6% of isolates belonging to the EMRSA-15 (ST22-MRSA-IV) clone.

Acquisition and cross-transmission of Staphylococcus aureus in European intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE: To study the acquisition and cross-transmission of Staphylococcus aureus in different intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS: We performed a multicenter cohort study. Six ICUs in 6 countries participated. During a 3-month period at each ICU, all patients had nasal and perineal swab specimens obtained at ICU admission and during their stay. All S. aureus isolates that were collected were genotyped by spa typing and multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis typing for cross-transmission analysis. A total of 629 patients were admitted to ICUs, and 224 of these patients were found to be colonized with S. aureus at least once during ICU stay (22% were found to be colonized with methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA]). A total of 316 patients who had test results negative for S. aureus at ICU admission and had at least 1 follow-up swab sample obtained for culture were eligible for acquisition analysis. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients acquired S. aureus during ICU stay (31 acquired methicillin-susceptible S. aureus [MSSA], and 14 acquired MRSA). Several factors that were believed to affect the rate of acquisition of S. aureus were analyzed in univariate and multivariate analyses, including the amount of hand disinfectant used, colonization pressure, number of beds per nurse, antibiotic use, length of stay, and ICU setting (private room versus open ICU treatment). Greater colonization pressure and a greater number of beds per nurse correlated with a higher rate of acquisition for both MSSA and MRSA. The type of ICU setting was related to MRSA acquisition only, and the amount of hand disinfectant used was related to MSSA acquisition only. In 18 (40%) of the cases of S. aureus acquisition, cross-transmission from another patient was possible. CONCLUSIONS: Colonization pressure, the number of beds per nurse, and the treatment of all patients in private rooms correlated with the number of S. aureus acquisitions on an ICU. The amount of hand disinfectant used was correlated with the number of cases of MSSA acquisition but not with the number of cases of MRSA acquisition. The number of cases of patient-to-patient cross-transmission was comparable for MSSA and MRSA.