Neuroradiology
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Case Reports
Treatment of a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula by deep orbital puncture of the superior ophthalmic vein.
In a patient with progressive ophthalmological problems, including uncontrolled intraocular pressure related to a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula, urgent intervention may be necessary to prevent permanent visual loss. We report a case in which inadequate transarterial embolisation and lack of access for transvenous catheterisation, including a direct approach through the superior ophthalmic vein, preceded percutaneous puncture of the superior ophthalmic vein deep within the orbit, permitting venous occlusion without complications. This case demonstrates that deep orbital puncture of the vein is feasible for occlusion of a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula.
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Our purpose was to verify the histological appearance of the dural tail accompanying meningiomas on MRI. We studied seven patients such a dural tale. We examined the point of attachment of the tumour and the adjacent dura mater histologically. ⋯ We therefore suggest that the mechanism of the dural tail sign is as follows. First, tumour cells invade vessels and pack them at the point of tumour attachment. Then, vessel congestion is induced in the adjacent dura mater, as a result of which it enhances markedly, giving rise to the dural tail sign.
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We reviewed the MRI of seven patients with syringomyelia associated with surgically proven adhesive spinal arachnoiditis to describe clinical and MRI findings in this condition. Using 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 tesla units, we obtained sagittal T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo and axial T1-weighted images. Additional sagittal T2-weighted images were obtained without using motion-artefact suppression. ⋯ Focal blurring of the syrinx wall on axial images was seen in six patients. Flow voids were seen in the syrinx fluid in all cases on T2-weighted images obtained without motion-artefact suppression. No abnormal contrast enhancement was demonstrated.
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Cavernous malformations are usually intraparenchymal, extra-axial lesions being uncommon. They have very rarely been reported as the cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. ⋯ First, it is rare for an intracranial cavernous malformation to present with massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. Secondly, this cavernous malformation lay in the chiasmatic cistern.
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We describe an MRI technique for quantifying optic nerve atrophy resulting from a single episode of unilateral optic neuritis. We imaged 17 patients, with a median time since onset of optic neuritis of 21 months (range 3-81 months), using a coronal-oblique fat-saturated short-echo fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (sTE fFLAIR) sequence. The mean cross-sectional area of the intraorbital portion of the optic nerves was calculated by a blinded observer from five consecutive 3 mm slices from the orbital apex forwards using a semiautomated contouring technique and compared with data from 16 controls. ⋯ The measurement coefficient of variation was 4.8%. The sTE fFLAIR sequence enables measurement of optic nerve area with sufficient reproducibility to show optic nerve atrophy following a single episode of unilateral optic neuritis. The correlation of increasing optic nerve atrophy with disease duration would be consistent with ongoing axonal loss in a persistently demyelinated lesion, or Wallerian degeneration following axonal damage during the acute inflammatory phase.