Published papers

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) has been considered a more reliable marker than others because of its specificity for bacterial infection. Methods: Case report and review of the literature. Results: A 50-year-old male was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, and intracerebral hemorrhage. We performed a ruptured aneurysm clipping and left unilateral external ventricular drainage. We also performed ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement in the course; however, VP shunt infection was indicated by fever, increased C-reactive protein concentration and leukocytosis. The cerebrospinal fluid culture showed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis but the serum PCT concentration was quite low. Conclusions: Although PCT is considered a more reliable serological marker of bacterial meningitis in several reports, the serum PCT concentration did not reflect the bacterial VP shunt infection that was present in our case.

Spontaneous occlusion is a rare manifestation of ruptured vertebral artery dissection (VAD). Its natural history and treatment strategy have yet to be established due to its rarity. Here, we report five lesions involving spontaneous occlusion of VAD after subarachnoid haemorrhage, among which three lesions showed recanalisation. Based on our experience and previous reports, spontaneous occlusion of ruptured VAD can be classified into two groups-one group with occlusion in the acute stage with a high incidence of recanalisation and another group with occlusion in the chronic stage with a relatively low incidence of recanalisation. The underlying mechanism is likely different in each group, and treatment strategies should also be tailored depending on the pathophysiology.

Meningiomas rarely cause CSF dissemination, and CSF seeding to the optic nerve (ON) is extremely rare. This is the first report of 2 cases of atypical meningioma with subacute visual loss due to ON seeding. The authors present the genetic characteristics of these atypical meningiomas with CSF dissemination. The patient in Case 1 was a 36-year-old woman with a 1.5-cm mass within the left ON, and the patient in Case 2 was a 70-year-old woman with a 0.9-cm mass around the right ON. Both individuals had undergone multiple surgeries for primary lesions and local recurrent lesions. They presented with subacute visual loss, and both tumors were completely resected. The pathological diagnosis was atypical meningioma with high MIB-1 indices and p53-positive cell ratios in each case. Comparative genomic hybridization showed significant chromosomal copy number alterations similar to the results of previous surgeries, confirming that the tumors were disseminated lesions. The present findings suggest that genetic characteristics, such as 1p and 10qcen-23 losses and 17q and 20 gains, shared by the 2 cases might be associated with CSF dissemination of meningiomas.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is a low-grade astrocytic tumor arising predominantly during the first two decades of life. Hemorrhagic onset of PAs is uncommon, and the etiology of hemorrhage remains unclear. Here we report a case of hemorrhagic onset of cerebellar PA in a 29-year-old man who presented with a week-long history of headache and gait instability. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hemorrhagic tumor located in the right cerebellar hemisphere, and total resection was performed. Histological examination showed bipolar glial cell proliferation in a biphasic pattern in a compact area and a loose microcystic area with Rosenthal fibers and eosinophilic granular bodies, indicating PA. Prominent changes in tumor vasculature, including aggregation of sclerotic thick-walled and ectatic thin-walled vessels, was observed, and nodules of thrombi containing complex vascular proliferation suggesting recanalized thrombi formed in partially ruptured vessels were also found. Thus, rupture of these abnormal vessels appeared to be the cause of hemorrhage. Review of the literature revealed that age distribution of patients with hemorrhagic PAs tends to be older than that of patients with general PAs. These findings imply a possibility that degenerative changes in blood vessels in long-standing PAs might be related to the mechanisms of spontaneous intratumoral hemorrhage.

The origin of moyamoya disease remains unknown. The onset of the angiographically apparent changes of typical moyamoya disease occurs in childhood, but de novo development of the disease has not been confirmed angiographically. The authors report on a case of de novo development of moyamoya disease in a middle-aged female whose cerebral angiography demonstrated no abnormal findings 5 years previously. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this case is the first reported instance of de novo development of definite moyamoya disease verified angiographically. This case demonstrates that the de novo development of moyamoya disease in a middle-aged adult did in fact occur, and angiographically visible features of the disease took < 5 years to complete. (DOI: 10.3171/2009.2.JNS081244)

Purpose: Although involvement of the osseous component with an anterior condylar dural arteriovenous fistula (AC-DAVF) has been frequently described, osseous venous structures in which AC-DAVFs develop have not been fully elucidated. We investigated osseous venous structures adjacent to the hypoglossal canal in normal controls and patients with AC-DAVFs. Methods: The study included 50 individuals with unruptured aneurysms as normal controls and seven patients with AC-DAVFs. Osseous venous structures adjacent to the hypoglossal canal in normal controls were analyzed using computed tomography (CT) digital subtraction venography. In patients with AC-DAVFs, the fistulous pouches, draining veins, and surrounding venous structures were examined using cone beam CT. Results: In 46.0% of laterals in normal controls, osseous venous structures were visualized within the jugular tubercle superomedially to the hypoglossal canal. We named these structures the jugular tubercle venous complex (JTVC). The JTVC was always continuous with the anterior condylar vein and was sometimes connected to surrounding venous channels. We detected nine fistulous pouches in the seven patients with AC-DAVFs. The fistulous pouches were in the JTVC (33.3%), anterior condylar vein (33.3%), and other venous channels within the exoccipital region (33.3%). Conclusion: Although the JTVC is a venous structure frequently found in normal people, it had not been investigated until now. The venous channel between the anterior condylar vein and JTVC is a common origin site for AC-DAVFs, and it was associated with 66.6% of the AC-DAVF cases in the current study.

We report a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a rupture of an aneurysm at the right internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery in a patient with Marfan syndrome. Since the patient had a history of aortic dissection that was treated conservatively, we selected clipping rather than coil embolization as the surgical strategy for the patient. She was surgically treated successfully, and discharged from our hospital without neurological sequelae 18 days postoperatively. From the findings of the present case in combination with a review of the literature, cerebral aneurysms in patients with Marfan syndrome may be developed due to the fragility of elastic membranes of major cerebral arteries, and we emphasize the importance of developing surgical strategy based on the fragility of elastic membranes.

A dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is an arteriovenous shunt in the dura and is associated with a risk of intracranial hemorrhage and neurologic deficit. The morbidity of this disease depends on venous hypertension, and the classification of this disease is based on the pattern of venous drainage. The pattern of venous drainage relates to the clinical features of the disease, especially to the probability of intracranial hemorrhage. We report 1 case of dural AVF with retrograde leptomeningeal venous drainage. Cerebral hemodynamics were monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy imaging before, during, and after the 2-stage operative treatment. Preoperative functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) showed an increase in deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) during a motor task. After partial coil embolization of the shunt points (stage 1), HbR increased during the first half of the task and decreased later, whereas oxyhemoglobin (HbO(2)) decreased in the first half of the task and increased later. After complete embolization (stage 2), fNIRS showed a pattern similar to that of a normal adult. The patient's symptoms improved gradually, and angiography showed a reduction of the retrograde venous drainage and venous congestion after this 2-stage operation. The reduction in venous hypertension may be the underlying mechanism behind the changes observed with fNIRS.

Objective: We report a case of maxillary arterio-venous malformation (AVM) with recurrent palatal hemorrhages successfully treated with direct puncture and injection of n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA).Case presentation: A 47-year-old female had been followed up for multiple craniofacial AVMs. Endovascular treatment was planned because of exacerbation of recurrent bleeding from dilated abnormal vessels on the palate surface. Pre-treatment angiography revealed an intramaxillary AVM, part of which bulged into oral cavity suggesting a bleeding point. Direct puncture embolization was selected inasmuch as effective transarterial embolization might be made difficult by the presence of narrow and tortuous feeders. Diluted NBCA was directly injected into the lesion and complete hemostasis was achieved without any complications.Conclusion: NBCA injection directly into a bleeding point of an AVM on the palate surface can be performed safely and effectively and therefore should be considered a primary treatment option.

A 49-year-old man presented with nontraumatic bilateral intracranial vertebral artery dissections without subarachnoid hemorrhage manifesting as Wallenberg's syndrome on the right. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an infarct in the right dorsolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata. Antiplatelet therapy was administered. Vertebral angiography performed on the 9th hospital day (Day 9) revealed pearl and string sign in the right vertebral artery and narrowing of the left vertebral artery. Second angiography performed on Day 25 showed no change, but third angiography performed on Day 74 revealed spontaneous resolution of the bilateral vertebral artery dissections. Magnetic resonance angiography performed on Day 250 showed no evidence of dissection. However, magnetic resonance imaging revealed a small infarct in the splenium of the corpus callosum. Spontaneous resolution of stenotic dissections of the bilateral vertebral arteries is extremely unusual. Serial cerebral angiography and magnetic resonance angiography are very important for monitoring the time course of changes in patients with vertebral artery dissections.