Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Vertebral artery dissection (VAD) is one of the most important etiologies in young stroke patients. VAD causes ischemic stroke by embolism and transcranial Doppler (TCD) monitoring can detect microemboli originating from the dissection point as high intensity transient signals (HITS). We developed a simple but novel method of TCD monitoring at the vertebrobasilar junction in VAD patients. ⋯ We successfully detected HITS at the vertebrobasilar junction in VAD patients, which may lead not only to an appropriate choice of antithrombotic drugs but also to individual evaluation of early risk of ischemic recurrence.
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Recurrence following endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysm is attributed to either coil compaction or aneurysm growth but these processes have not been studied as distinct processes. ⋯ This is one of the first studies to differentiate coil compaction and aneurysm growth as distinct etiologies for aneurysm recurrence.
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Case Reports
Neuroblastoma with a solitary intraventricular brain metastasis visualized on I-123 MIBG scan.
Although metastatic skull lesions of neuroblastoma are not uncommon, brain involvement is infrequent and prompt diagnosis is of utmost importance in such cases. Previous studies have shown that Meta-Iodo-Benzyl-Guanidine (MIBG) scans were not always reliable in detecting central nervous system metastases, however most published reports referred to the Iodine-131 ((131)I)-MIBG scans. Herein, we report an intraventricular metastasis of neuroblastoma diagnosed using an Iodine-123 ((123)I)-MIBG scan, which is increasingly being used in clinical practice and reported as a more accurate method for detecting metastatic lesions. ⋯ Our case shows that (123) I-MIBG scintigraphy can be useful in detecting intraventricular brain metastases of neuroblastoma. Although the (123)I-MIBG scintigraphy has been reported to have a significantly superior sensitivity in monitoring asymptomatic patients with neuroblastoma compared with (131)I-MIBG scans, bone marrow histology, bone scan, CT, and urinary catecholamine levels, further studies may be necessary to evaluate its sensitivity in detecting brain lesions.
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Multicenter Study
Prevalence of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis in Caucasians: a prospective, multicenter, transcranial Doppler study.
There are limited data available regarding symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (SIA) prevalence in Caucasians. We sought to investigate SIA prevalence among Caucasian patients hospitalized with acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) in a prospective, multicenter Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) study. ⋯ SIA was identified in almost 10% of patients admitted with symptoms of ACI. These preliminary findings support further collaborative initiatives among stroke physicians to increase the yield of SIA detection in Caucasian patients with ACI.
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Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a disabling neurological disorder characterized by inflammatory changes in the spinal cord. We used a semiautomatic technique to quantify spinal cord volume from 3-dimensional MR images of patients with HAM/TSP. ⋯ Semiautomatic spinal cord volume quantification is a sensitive technique for quantifying the extent of spinal cord involvement in HAM/TSP.