1/14. Cerebral lymphomatoid granulomatosis. A report of two cases, with disseminated necrotizing leukoencephalopathy in one.Neuropathologic findings in 2 cases of cerebral lymphomatoid granulomatosis with sequelae are presented. A 30-year old male with macular rash and pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis responded to prednisone terapy but developed acute intracranial hypertension with coma. A necrotizing hemorrhagic lesion was evident in the left putamen surrounded by diffuse and perivascular atypical lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. An 18-year old girl developed pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis, diplopia, slurred speech and right hemiparesis. brain scan, angiography and EEG suggested a left fronto-parietal mass assumed to represent lymphomatoid granulomatosis. She responded well to cerebral irradiation, intrathecal methotrexate and cytoxan but relapsed with seizures and increasing respiratory insufficiency. At autopsy, stigmata of cerebral lymphomatoid granulomatosis were absent but a parenchymatous degeneration consistent with disseminated necrotizing leukoencephalopathy following antileukemic therapy in children, was found.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/14. L-dopa-resistant parkinsonism syndrome following cerebral radiation therapy for neoplasm.A bradykinetic form of parkinsonism, unresponsive to levo-dopa therapy developed in four patients two to eight weeks after completion of external beam irradiation (39.2 Gy to 59.4 Gy) of their intracranial neoplasm. In the absence of other causative factors, we relate the movement disorder to radiation-induced changes within the basal ganglia. At post-mortem examination one patient had putamenal gliosis and thickened vessels with loss of nigral neurons.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/14. dopamine deficiency in rubral tremor caused by midbrain hemangioma: case report.To elucidate the nigrostriatal involvement in rubral tremor, we studied single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with [2-[[2-[[[3-(4-chlorophenyl)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2- yl]methyl](2-mercaptoethyl)amino]ethyl]amino]ethanethiolato(3-)- N2,N2',S2,S2']oxo-[1R-(exo-exo)]-[99mTc]technetium ([99mTc]TRODAT-1) in a 70-year-old woman with a midbrain hemangioma. She had developed a slow tremor in her right arm and leg after an episode of hemorrhage at the age of 28. The tremor was 3 to 5 Hz in frequency at rest, which was enhanced by outstretching the limb and action. There was no rigidity or bradykinesia. Neurological examination also revealed mild palsy of the left oculomotor nerve. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed a small hemangioma in the left midbrain localized mainly in the substantia nigra. The [99mTc]TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging revealed significantly reduced [99mTc]TRODAT-1 uptake in the left caudate and putamen, but it was only mildly reduced in the right striatum. This reduction in uptake was even more severe than that of patients with Parkinson's disease, and indicated that the dopamine function was markedly impaired in the left nigrostriatal system. The tremor had not progressed over the years, and she responded moderately to treatment with levodopa. We concluded that the rubral tremor in the right extremities was probably caused by a dopamine deficiency in the left nigrostriatal system. This suggests that a dopamine deficiency secondary to the midbrain hemangioma might have contributed to the development of the rubral tremor in this patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/14. Delayed ischemic deficit after resection of a large intracranial dermoid: case report and review of the literature.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: A unique case of delayed ischemic deficit after resection of a large intracranial dermoid is presented. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 23-year-old woman, 36 hours after the uneventful gross total resection of a large intracranial dermoid cyst, slowly developed a progressive mixed aphasia and right hemiparesis. magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography revealed small infarcts of the left putamen and temporal-occipital junction and a vasospastic tapering of the left M1 segment. INTERVENTION: Angiography confirmed severe vasospastic tapering of the left M1 and M2 segments. Endovascular treatment successfully restored flow in the left superior division. However, the initial attempt at low-pressure dilation of the inferior division led to vessel rupture. Seven months after reoperation for emergent trapping of the M1 segment, the patient made an excellent recovery, with only mild right-hand incoordination. CONCLUSION: Ruptured dermoid cysts are a risk for early and delayed cerebral ischemia, and endovascular treatment of dermoid-encased vessels may carry a higher risk for rupture.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/14. High uptake on 11C-methionine positron emission tomographic scan of basal ganglia germinoma with cerebral hemiatrophy.We herein describe a 12-year-old male patient with a germinoma of the basal ganglia who presented with progressive hemiparesis. MR imaging showed ipsilateral cerebral hemiatrophy predominantly in the left basal ganglia, whereas no mass or enhancement was depicted. Single photon emission CT revealed no significant uptake of thallium, whereas (11)C-methionine positron emission tomography showed clearly discernible uptake in the left putamen. Stereotactic biopsy, referencing the results of (11)C-methionine positron emission tomography, was performed, allowing histologic verification of germinoma to be established. (11)C-methionine positron emission tomography was the only technique that indicated the precise localization of the tumor in our patient and enabled biopsy-based final diagnosis of the basal ganglia germinoma without any overt mass formation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/14. Subcortical pathways serving cortical language sites: initial experience with diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking combined with intraoperative language mapping.The combination of mapping functional cortical neurons by intraoperative cortical stimulation and axonal architecture by diffusion tensor MRI fiber tracking can be used to delineate the pathways between functional regions. In this study the authors investigated the feasibility of combining these techniques to yield connectivity associated with motor speech and naming. Diffusion tensor MRI fiber tracking provides maps of axonal bundles and was combined with intraoperative mapping of eloquent cortex for a patient undergoing brain tumor surgery. Tracks from eight stimulated sites in the inferior frontal cortex including mouth motor, speech arrest, and anomia were generated from the diffusion tensor MRI data. The regions connected by the fiber tracking were compared to foci from previous functional imaging reports on language tasks. Connections were found between speech arrest, mouth motor, and anomia sites and the SMA proper and cerebral peduncle. The speech arrest and a mouth motor site were also seen to connect to the putamen via the external capsule. This is the first demonstration of delineation of subcortical pathways using diffusion tensor MRI fiber tracking with intraoperative cortical stimulation. The combined techniques may provide improved preservation of eloquent regions during neurological surgery, and may provide access to direct connectivity information between functional regions of the brain.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/14. germinoma: unusual imaging and pathological characteristics. Report of two cases.Primary germ cell neoplasms of the central nervous system typically develop as midline mass lesions during the first three decades of life. The authors present two cases with atypical clinicopathological features that stimulate discussion on the diagnosis and management of these tumors. The first patient was an 11-year-old boy of Japanese-American heritage who presented with a 6-month-long history of cognitive decline, difficulty swallowing, unsteady gait, and intermittent right-sided posturing. The initial magnetic resonance (MR) image of the brain displayed a mildly increased T2 signal in the cerebral peduncles, putamen, and globus pallidus bilaterally. Follow-up MR images showed an increase in the T2 signal abnormality in the left basal ganglia. The second patient was a 10-year-old Caucasian boy who presented with diabetes insipidus and subsequently displayed progressive fatigue, involuntary eye and mouth movements, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. An MR image demonstrated signs of mineral deposition and foci of increased T2 signal in both basal ganglia. Follow-up MR images demonstrated a progressive increase in the T2 signal (which was then located within the mesial temporal lobe). A biopsy performed on the left thalamic lesion in the first patient revealed a germinoma. The patient was treated with chemotherapy and died 2 years later. The second patient underwent a lumbar puncture, which demonstrated an elevated level of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin. Despite the lack of a mass on MR images in this child, the need for a tissue diagnosis prompted the authors to perform an anterior temporal lobectomy. The diagnosis of diffuse germinoma was confirmed, and the patient was treated with adjunctive chemotherapy. Although uncommon, germ cell tumors can present outside the midline and exhibit a multifocal growth pattern.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/14. Pathological report of four patients presenting with cranial dystonias.Secondary dystonias and experimental models of dystonia suggest that mechanisms responsible for primary dystonias may lie in the basal ganglia or brainstem. A histological study has been done in three patients with cranial dystonia (blepharospasm with oromandibular dystonia in two, blepharospasm alone in one), and one patient with craniocervical dystonia (oromandibular dystonia with retrocollis). In the patient with blepharospasm alone, an angioma, 0.5 mm in diameter, was found in the dorsal pons at the site of the central tegmental tract, confirming that some patients presenting with primary dystonias may have longstanding lesions in the brainstem. In the three other cases, the striatum, pallidum, thalamus, and brainstem were examined and cell populations in the putamen, substantia nigra, and inferior olives were compared with age-matched controls, but no significant abnormality was found.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/14. The anatomical basis of symptomatic hemidystonia.Twenty-eight patients with focal (arm or leg) or hemidystonia due to tumour, arteriovenous malformation, infarction, haemorrhage or hemiatrophy are described. All had typical dystonic movements and/or postures, identical to those seen in idiopathic (primary) torsion dystonia. The site(s) of the lesion responsible, as defined by CT (computerized tomography) scan or pathological examination, was in the contralateral caudate nucleus, lentiform nucleus (particularly the putamen) or thalamus, or in a combination of these structures. review of 13 other patients in the literature with hemidystonia and lesions defined by CT scan, and of 7 other patients with pathologically discrete lesions associated with hemidystonia, also indicated involvement of these structures. dystonia may be due to abnormal input from thalamus to premotor cortex, due to lesions either of the thalamus itself, or of the striatum projecting by way of the globus pallidus to the thalamus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/14. A case of Huntington's chorea with unilateral ectopic gray matter.The authors report a single case of Huntington's chorea associated with a unilateral focus of ectopic gray matter. The patient's symptoms began at age 45 and included typical involuntary jerking movements of all extremities and face. Mental deterioration may have proceeded the choreiform movements. The family history was positive for Huntington's chorea. Pneumoencephalogram showed atrophy of the caudate nuclei bilaterally early in the disease. The patient improved transiently with haloperidol therapy. The major pathologic features included mild generalized cerebral atrophy with marked atrophy of the caudate nuclei and putamen. Within the white matter of the left frontal lobe, there were irregular nodules of ectopic gray matter with an overall diameter of 2 cm. The rarity of either unilateral ectopia or Huntington's chorea alone, makes it impossible to judge if the two lesions might be linked by a common pathologic mechanism. The significance such a linkage might hold is discussed in light of several currently postulate pathologic mechanisms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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