Handbook of clinical neurology
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Developmental venous anomalies (DVAs) are relatively common lesions, present in up to 3% of the population. The defining characteristic of these lesions is the confluence of radially oriented veins into a single dilated venous channel. DVAs are also known as cerebral venous angiomas, cerebral venous malformations, and cerebral venous medullary malformations. ⋯ DVAs are congenital lesions thought to arise from aberrations that occur during venous development, but continue to provide the normal venous drainage to the cerebral territory in which they reside. Although the natural history of DVAs is benign, they may be associated with cavernous malformations or other vascular abnormalities, which can lead to hemorrhage in the vicinity of the DVA. Surgical or endovascular obliteration of DVAs carries a significant risk of venous infarction; thus, conservative management is the treatment of choice for patients with these lesions.
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Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain are diverse lesions that vary widely in location, size, and complexity. Treatment options for AVMs are correspondingly complex. Complete elimination of an AVM is required to protect patients from future hemorrhage. ⋯ Some AVMs can be managed conservatively, whereas others can be managed with microsurgical resection, radiosurgical ablation, or endovascular embolization, either individually or in combination. Some AVMs may also be treated with partial therapy to reduce the risk of hemorrhage or to ameliorate symptoms. In this chapter, we review the key factors that influence whether and how to manage AVMs with multimodality treatment.
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A neurocatastrophe or severe brain injury (SBI) is a central nervous system insult associated with a high likelihood of death or severe disability. While many etiologic processes may lead to SBI, the most common and best-studied clinical paradigms are traumatic brain injury and anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy following cardiac arrest. Clinical phenotypes following SBI include acute and chronic disorders of consciousness as well as a range of cognitive and behavioral impairments. ⋯ Yet existing scores fail to classify outcomes with the accuracy that would support individual patient-level decision making. Improved prognostication will likely depend on the use of molecular and imaging data that capture unique biologic features in individual patients with SBI. The integration of these additional layers of information will require iterative computational approaches.
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This chapter aims to provide an up-to-date review of the science and clinical practice pertaining to neurologic injury after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The past two decades have seen a major shift in the science and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, with a major emphasis on postresuscitation neurologic care. ⋯ Guidance to practice evidence-based clinical care when able and thoughtful, pragmatic suggestions for care where evidence is lacking are also provided. This chapter serves as both a useful clinical guide and an updated, thorough, and state-of-the-art reference on the topic for advanced students and experienced practitioners in the field.
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Primary or nontraumatic spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 10-15% of all strokes, and has a poor prognosis. ICH has a mortality rate of almost 50% when associated with intraventricular hemorrhage within the first month, and 80% rate of dependency at 6 months from onset. Neuroimaging is critical in identifying the underlying etiology and thus assisting in the important therapeutic decisions. ⋯ A review of the current imaging approach, as well as a differential diagnosis of etiologies and imaging manifestations of primary versus secondary intraparenchymal hemorrhage, is presented. Active bleeding occurs in the first hours after symptom onset, with early neurologic deterioration. Identifying those patients who are more likely to have hematoma expansion is an active area of research, and there are many ongoing therapeutic trials targeting this specific patient population at risk.