Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging
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Case Reports
Emergency endovascular treatment of cerebral sinus thrombosis with a rheolytic catheter device.
Severe thrombosis of the superior sagittal, transverse, and straight sinuses developed in a 53-year-old woman. This resulted in extensive multifocal hemorrhagic venous infarction and severe intracranial hypertension refractory to intensive management. ⋯ The patient not only survived but also left the hospital with minimal neurologic deficit. The rheolytic catheter endovascular treatment is, in the opinion of the authors, the treatment of choice for patients with life-threatening cerebral sinus thrombosis.
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Because examinations of the intracranial vessels using conventional transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) lack spatial orientation and reproducibility, development of a three-dimensional (3-D) imaging technique is required. Three patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis, three with suspected intracranial aneurysm, two with vascular malformation, and one healthy volunteer were investigated by 3-D TCCS using a magnetic spatial positioning sensor mounted on the transducer for simultaneous recording of the probe coordinates to create a volumetric data set. ⋯ However, it failed to detect morphological details in vascular malformations. In conclusion, 3-D TCCS is a promising technique that opens new perspectives in depicting intracranial vessels and provides volume measurement of intracranial aneurysms.
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In a prospective study, 55 patients were examined by transcranial duplex sonography (TCCS) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) to determine whether additional transcranial duplex examination on the middle cerebral artery M2 segments would aid in the examination of the MCA stem segment. The mean blood flow velocities and pulsatility index were correlated to the occurrence of delayed ischemic neurologic deficits (DIND). Out of 47 patients included, 21 did not experience any delayed deficit (group I), 15 did (group II), and in 11 the extent to which vasospasm contributed to a neurologic deficit was unclear (group III). ⋯ In 10 patients in group II, where the onset day of DIND was known exactly, Doppler data indicating ischemia before or at the time of DIND were observed in nine. In eight patients, Doppler of the MCA stem alone would have provided enough information to recognize the risk of symptomatic vasospasm; in one patient, only the M2 Doppler gave an indication of ischemic complication. Transcranial duplex sonography may provide additional information to TCD by accurate delineation of M1/M2 vasospasm and therefore may help plan cerebral angiography and neurointerventional treatment.
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Comparative Study
Gender-related differences in acetazolamide-induced cerebral vasodilatory response: a transcranial Doppler study.
Cerebrovascular reactivity, cerebrovascular reserve capacity, and velocity acceleration can be easily and reliably assessed by measuring acetazolamide-induced changes using transcranial Doppler. The authors' aim was to determine whether there are gender-related differences in these parameters. Fifty-six healthy subjects (27 males, 29 females) were examined using transcranial Doppler. ⋯ The baseline mean flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery was significantly higher in women than in men (p < 0.02). After acetazolamide administration, significantly higher cerebrovascular reactivity, cerebrovascular reserve capacity, and velocity acceleration were observed in females than in males (p < 0.001 in all cases). Subgroup analysis showed that women before menopause responded with higher cerebrovascular reserve capacity and velocity acceleration than age-matched men (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively), but no significant difference was found between females after menopause and men of similar age.