1/186. basilar artery occlusion due to spontaneous basilar artery dissection in a child.basilar artery occlusion (BAO) causing brainstem infarction occurred in a 7-year-old boy without any basic disorders. A diagnosis of BAO due to basilar artery dissection (BAD) was suspected at angiography, and this was confirmed by gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These investigations clearly showed all the typical diagnostic signs such as a pseudolumen, double lumen and intimal flap, and a pseudolumen in resolution. The spontaneous healing of the dissection was clearly demonstrated during 10 months of follow-up. We stress that BAD can occur in young children and that combined diagnosis with gadolinium-enhanced MRI and angiography is conclusive for diagnosis of dissecting aneurysms. Wider use of these combined diagnostic methods will allow the detection of less severe basilar artery dissection, thus extending the spectrum of presentation and prognosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/186. Positional vertebrobasilar transient ischaemic attacks treated with vertebral angioplasty.We report the case of a man presenting with a brain-stem stroke from which he recovered fully, who developed right-sided weakness and numbness on walking despite no demonstrable postural fall in arterial blood pressure. Angiography revealed an occluded left vertebral artery, a tight stenosis at the origin of the right vertebral artery and non-patent left posterior communicating artery. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty to the right vertebral stenosis results in a good angiographic result, and remission of symptoms which has persisted for 1 year. Identification of such patients with vertebrobasilar positional haemodynamic symptoms due to a focal stenosis is important as angioplasty offers an effective therapeutic option.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/186. Successful cerebral artery stent placement for total occlusion of the vertebrobasilar artery in a patient suffering from acute stroke. Case report.A 64-year-old man suffering from crescendo brainstem symptoms due to acute total occlusion of the vertebrobasilar artery was successfully treated by cerebral artery stent placement. The total occlusion of a long segment of the vertebrobasilar artery was completely recanalized by implanting two flexible, balloon-expandable coronary stents. The patient's clinical outcome 30 days later was favorable. No complications occurred during or after the procedure. This therapeutic option may prove to be a useful means to revascularize an acute total occlusion of the vertebrobasilar artery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 819.69655770311keywords = cerebral, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/186. Direct surgery of basilar trunk and vertebrobasilar junction aneurysms via the combined transpetrosal approach.Surgical access to aneurysms of the basilar trunk and vertebrobasilar junction is hampered by their direct proximity of these lesions to highly vulnerable neural structures like the brain stem and cranial nerves, as well by the bony structure of the petrous bone blocking the direct surgical approach to these aneurysms. Only recently lateral approaches directed through parts of the petrous bone have been reported for surgery of basilar trunk and vertebrobasilar junction aneurysms like the anterior transpetrosal, the retrolabyrinthine transsigmoid, as well as the combined supra-infratentorial posterior transpetrosal approach. As experience in the use of this approach is limited in the neurosurgical literature we present our surgical experiences in 11 patients with basilar trunk and vertebrobasilar junction aneurysms, operated on using the supra-infratentorial posterior transpetrosal approach. In 10 patients, including one patient with a giant partially thrombosed basilar trunk aneurysm, direct clipping of the aneurysm via the transpetrosal route was possible. In one patient with a giant vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm, the completely calcified aneurysm sac was resected after occlusion of the vertebral artery. Of the whole series, one patient died and in three patients postoperative accentuation of preexisting cranial nerve deficits occurred. Except transient cerebrospinal fluid leak in two patients, the postoperative course was uneventful in the remaining patients. Postoperative angiography demonstrated complete aneurysm clipping in ten patients and relief of preoperative brain stem compression in the patient with the giant vertebrobasilar junction aneurysm. It is concluded, that the supra-infratentorial posterior transpetrosal approach allows excellent access to the basilar artery trunk and vertebrobasilar junction and can be considered the approach of choice to selected aneurysms located in this area.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/186. Local intra-arterial fibrinolysis without arterial occlusion?Local intra-arterial fibrinolysis (LIF) is the best choice at present for treatment of acute vessel occlusion in the vertebrobasilar territory and also, in selected cases, in the carotid territory. In almost all cases angiography demonstrates the site of occlusion exactly and gives information about collateral circulation. Contrary to this common approach, we report five patients with severe acute thromboembolic stroke in whom angiography revealed no occlusion of relevant arteries or their main branches. Under the hypothesis of persisting occlusion of perforating arteries to the brain stem we performed LIF in patients with a clinical basilar artery syndrome. Outcome in all but one of them was good following LIF. The clinical details are described and possible reasons discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/186. Persistent primitive hypoglossal artery associated with cerebral aneurysm and cervical internal carotid artery stenosis--case report.A 71-year-old female had vertigo attacks once or twice a day secondary to vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Left carotid angiography revealed persistent primitive hypoglossal artery (PPHA) associated with a large internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm and severe stenosis of the ICA. The bilateral vertebral arteries were hypoplastic. The basilar artery was opacified via the PPHA but not via vertebral arteries. Clipping of the aneurysm was performed first because the risk of rupture of the aneurysm was not negligible. One month after clipping, carotid endarterectomy using a T-shaped shunt system was successfully performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and the vertebrobasilar ischemic attacks did not recur. Left carotid angiography demonstrated complete obliteration of the aneurysm and disappearance of the carotid artery stenosis. Low ICA flow (70 ml/min) and low stump pressure of the PPHA (25 mmHg) strongly suggested low perfusion of the posterior circulation. Carotid endarterectomy may be essential for augmentation of the posterior circulation in patients with PPHA associated with ICA stenosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 654.95724616249keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/186. Tandem intracranial stent deployment for treatment of an iatrogenic, flow-limiting, basilar artery dissection: technical case report.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Intimal dissection constitutes one of the complications associated with angioplasty of intracranial vessels. We present a case of iatrogenic dissection of the entire basilar artery, which was induced by angioplasty and stenting of symptomatic, focal, intracranial vertebral artery stenosis, and its successful treatment with tandem deployment of a downstream stent. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old, hypertensive, renal transplant recipient presented with orthostatic vertebrobasilar insufficiency that was refractory to medical management, including anticoagulation therapy. Angiography revealed an occluded right vertebral artery and focal, high-grade, left intracranial vertebral artery stenosis. magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple posterior fossa infarctions. The left intracranial vertebral artery stenosis was successfully treated with primary stent deployment and balloon angioplasty, with symptom resolution. On postprocedure Day 2, the patient noted worsening right hemiparesis. INTERVENTION: Subsequent angiography revealed a flow-limiting, windsock-type, basilar artery dissection beginning at the distal end of the left vertebral artery stent and extending to the origin of the left posterior cerebral artery. A tandem stent was navigated intracranially and deployed past the first one, successfully sealing the dissection inflow zone and reconstituting normal flow to the top of the basilar artery. A clinical follow-up examination at 3 months revealed no further orthostatic symptoms and only mild residual right-sided weakness. CONCLUSION: This is the first description of iatrogenic stent-induced dissection of the entire basilar artery that was successfully treated by inflow zone control via tandem intracranial stent deployment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 163.73931154062keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/186. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting of midbasilar stenoses: three technical case reports and literature review.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Symptomatic basilar artery stenosis is a highly morbid disease process. Recent technological and pharmaceutical advances make endovascular treatment of this disease process possible. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report three cases of patients with a symptomatic basilar artery stenosis despite anticoagulation. INTERVENTION: All patients were successfully treated with a flexible coronary stent and perioperative antiplatelet medications without incident. Poststenting angiography demonstrated a normal-caliber artery with patent perforators. In one case, a poststenting cerebral blood flow study revealed improved perfusion. CONCLUSION: A new generation of stents and balloons makes access to intracranial intradural arterial pathological abnormalities possible. Such devices may well revolutionize the management of ischemic and hemorrhagic intracranial cerebrovascular disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 163.73931154062keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/186. Ondine's curse in association with diabetes insipidus following transient vertebrobasilar ischemia.Ischemic lesions of the brainstem can lead to complex neurologic deficits. Failure of the automatic control of ventilation (Ondine's curse syndrome) is a possible but rare syndrome following localized brainstem dysfunction. We report on a 49-year-old man with intermittent bradycardia, cranial nerves' dysfunctions and a slight right-sided hemiparesis. An acute brainstem ischemia was diagnosed and treated immediately with high-dose heparin. cerebral angiography revealed a proximal occlusion of the left vertebral artery but a normal right vertebral artery and a hyperplastic right posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Cranial Computed tomography and MRI scan demonstrated multiple ischemic lesions in the posterior circulation. During a 4-week treatment course the patient underwent six episodes of acute severe hypoxia and hypercapnia requiring orotracheal intubation twice and manual ventilation by air mask over a few minutes for four times after a tracheostomy had been performed. Twice a short-term episode of hypothalamic diabetes insipidus was observed following hypoventilation. We conclude that both Ondine's curse syndrome and diabetes insipidus were due to transient vertebrobasilar ischemia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/186. Bow hunter's stroke associated with atlantooccipital assimilation--case report.A 39-year-old male presented with bow hunter's stroke manifesting as repeated vertebrobasilar ischemic attacks induced by head rotation 45 degrees to the left. Three-dimensional computed tomography angiography clearly showed the occluded right vertebral artery (VA) between the axis and atlas. Single photon emission computed tomography study showed diffuse hypoperfusion of the brain stem and bilateral cerebellar hemispheres, suggesting hemodynamic compromise of these regions. He refused surgery and was treated conservatively. The most likely mechanism is that the affected VA was fixed by the ossification of the atlantooccipital membrane, vascular groove, and transverse foramen of the atlas, and therefore became elongated and compressed by head-turning.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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