1/8. Acute traumatic posteroinferior cerebellar artery aneurysms: report of three cases.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Posterior fossa subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to blunt head trauma is rarely associated with traumatic aneurysms of the posterior circulation. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present three cases of posterior fossa subarachnoid hemorrhage from ruptured posteroinferior cerebellar artery (pica) aneurysms after blunt head trauma. In each case, there was no associated penetrating injury or cranial fracture. All three patients presented with acute hydrocephalus requiring ventriculostomy. Two of the three patients had a proximal pica aneurysm visible on emergent angiography. The remaining patient's aneurysm, although not visible on his initial angiogram, was detected on a subsequent angiogram 72 hours later. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent successful surgical clipping of their aneurysms. Two cases required sacrificing of the parent vessels because of the friable nature of the false aneurysms. In each case, severe symptomatic vasospasm occurred, requiring angioplasty. All three patients also required a ventriculoperitoneal shunt for persistent hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION: Features of these three cases and similar cases reported in the literature support the theory that vascular ruptures and traumatic aneurysms of the proximal pica may be related to anatomic variability of the pica as it transverses the brainstem. This variability predisposes individuals to vascular lesions, which occur in a continuum based on the severity of the injury. Posterior fossa subarachnoid hemorrhage after head injury requires a high index of suspicion and warrants aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Traumatic basal subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery--case report.A 20-year-old male presented with traumatic basal subarachnoid hemorrhage after being involved in a fight. Antemortem clinical examinations could not exclude the possibility of rupture of abnormal blood vessels because of the absence of external injuries. Careful postmortem examination of the head and neck regions and histological examination of the intracranial arteries demonstrated traumatic rupture of the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery due to a fist blow to the jaw. This case indicates the need for careful autopsy examination for the differentiation of traumatic and non-traumatic basal subarachnoid hemorrhages.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Bone defect associated with middle meningeal arteriovenous fistula treated by embolization--case report.A 57-year-old male presented with a frontal bone defect associated with a middle meningeal arteriovenous fistula (AVF) manifesting as headache. The patient had a history of head injury 19 years previously. Skull radiography and computed tomography demonstrated a left frontal bone defect. Left external carotid angiography demonstrated a middle meningeal AVF at the frontal region, at the same location as the bone defect. The AVF was fed by the bilateral middle meningeal and left deep temporal arteries, and drained by the superior sagittal and ipsilateral cavernous sinuses. The minor feeding artery, the left deep temporal artery, was embolized with polyvinyl alcohol particles, then 0.4 ml of a 1:3 mixture of n-butyl cyanoacrylate and lipiodol was injected from the left middle meningeal artery. Follow-up angiography 3 months after the embolization revealed complete obliteration of the fistula. The bone defect may have been caused by erosion of the frontal bone by the pulsating effect of the feeding and draining vessels of the fistula, or by inadequate nutrition to the bone tissue because of the arteriovenous shunt.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. Blunt basal head trauma: aspects of unconsciousness.Two cases of street violence directed to the skull base level and transverse to the cervical axis are described. No skeletal damage. The violence resulted in the so-called "traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage", an often used, unspecified forensic "diagnosis"; it was here revealed to be due to rupture of the wall of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (p.i.c.a). However, this was only one of the possible explanations for the acute symptoms of unconsciousness (concussion) and almost immediate death. The careful examination of these two cases and of a series of control cases revealed that at the trauma, stress and strain may have occurred to arterial branches serving as feeding perforant vessels to the medulla oblongata; in these cases they were coursing directly from the p.i.c.a. region.--The type of direct impact has often been regarded as mild! However, its location suboccipitally as in these cases can become dangerous. The resulting direct or indirect deficit of brain stem functions are discussed in these cases as well as "concussion-related symptoms" resulting after other types of head and neck injury.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Fistula of the posterior communicating artery and cavernous sinus.A 24-year-old man was admitted with conjunctival hyperemia of the left eye and progressive chemosis and proptosis 1 month after a head injury. An angiogram showed an arterial-cavernous sinus fistula of the posterior communicating artery, which was treated with minicoils. The atypical configuration, transvenous embolization, and unusual nature of the communication suggested that communication developed through a newly generated vessel in granulation tissue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. Infantile subdural fluid collection: diagnosis and postoperative course.The authors reviewed 47 cases of infantile subdural fluid collection with regard to diagnosis and postoperative course after placement of a subdural-peritoneal shunt. CT scan with contrast enhancement proved to be an important diagnostic modality, showing vessels in the subarachnoid space as high-density spots. Utilizing this technique, we were able to differentiate the following varieties of fluid collection: (1) subdural fluid collection, in which enhancing vessels were seen on the brain surface, (2) subarachnoid fluid collection, in which vessels were on the inner table of the cranium, and (3) coexistence of subdural and subarachnoid fluid collections, in which vessels were between the inner table of the cranium and the brain surface. The postoperative course of subdural fluid collection was characterized as follows: (1) the subdural fluid collection decreased first, with increased subarachnoid fluid collection; (2) the subarachnoid fluid collection remained after the disappearance of subdural fluid collection; and (3) the brain expanded again later. Subdural fluid collection disappeared about 1 month after the shunt operation, which could lead occlusion of the shunt system. Postoperative enlargement of the subarachnoid space was an early indicator of the efficacy of the subdural-peritoneal shunt.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Cerebral intraventricular haemorrhage in a young adult.A case of a 26-year-old man who suffered a fatal intraventricular cerebral haemorrhage following an episode of trauma is described. The initial appearance at necropsy suggested a traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage and initial investigation was directed towards the anterior neck structures and the vertebral arteries with negative results. dissection of the fixed brain showed a massive intraventricular bleed with secondary involvement of the subarachnoid space and dissection into the cerebral parenchyma. No bleeding points or natural disease of the cerebral vessels could be identified. The practical aspects of diagnosis and the cautious approach necessary in interpreting subarachnoid bleeding is emphasised. The significance of intraventricular haemorrhage following trauma has become more apparent with the advent of computed tomographic scanning. The implications for this and similar cases are considered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. Tentorial edge traumatic aneurysm of the superior cerebellar artery. Case report.The authors report an unusual case of a traumatic aneurysm of the right superior cerebellar artery (SCA). A 22-year-old woman presented with continuous headaches that appeared 15 days after she experienced closed head trauma as a result of a cycling accident. Computerized tomography scanning performed 3 months later showed a nodular lesion on the free edge of the tentorium, which mimicked a meningioma. The aneurysm was identified on magnetic resonance angiography, which showed the SCA as the parent vessel. The parent vessel was trapped, and the aneurysm sac was excised via right temporal craniotomy. Pathological examination of the sac revealed a false aneurysm. The patient's outcome was excellent. The pathophysiology of traumatic aneurysm at such a location suggests that surgery may be the treatment of choice.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |