The neuroradiology journal
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We describe an unusual and rare case of isolated left hypoglossal nerve palsy secondary to compression from a prominent degenerative osteophyte from the left atlanto-occipital joint. The hypoglossal nerve is a purely motor cranial nerve innervating the tongue musculature. Palsy of the hypoglossal nerve is frequently associated with other cranial nerve palsies and can be related to vascular, neoplastic, infectious or traumatic conditions. Isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy is quite rare and very few cases have been reported in the literature to date.
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The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of individual radiologists in detection of vascular injury in patients after penetrating brain injury (PBI) based on head CT findings at admission. We retrospectively evaluated 54 PBI patients who underwent admission head CT and digital subtraction angiography (DSA), used here as a reference standard. Two readers reviewed the CT images to determine the presence or absence of the 29 CT variables of injury profile and quantified selected variables. ⋯ The area under ROC curve (AUC) was higher for CT scores obtained from the sixth set (average of five sets of scores) of variable rank score 0.75 (95% CI 0.62-0.88) and for the rest of the data sets, the value ranged from 0.70 (95% CI 0.56-0.84) to 0.74 (95% CI 0.6-0.88). In conclusion, radiologists may be able to recommend DSA with a fair accuracy rate in selected patients, deemed 'high-risk' for developing intracranial vascular injuries after PBI based on admission CT studies. A better approach needs to be developed to reduce the false positive rate to avoid unnecessary emergency DSA.
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Case Reports
Symptomatic anterior cerebral artery vasospasm after brainstem hemangioblastoma resection. A case report.
Diffuse cerebral vasospasm is a rare complication after brain tumour resection as opposed to that following an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Sellar tumours are among the most common pathologies and locations associated with this complication. ⋯ We describe a case of diffuse symptomatic vasospasm mainly involving the right anterior cerebral artery, angiographically confirmed, after resection of a haemangioblastoma of the medulla in an adult patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease. The possible pathogenesis of this phenomenon is discussed.
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Review Case Reports
Monitoring balloon test occlusion of the internal carotid artery with transcranial Doppler. A case report and literature review.
Angiographic balloon test occlusion (BTO) allows preoperative risk evaluation of patients undergoing permanent therapeutic occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA). The sensitivity of the BTO can be increased using different complementary techniques. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) stands out as a non-invasive, bedside method providing real-time monitoring of cerebral haemodynamics, therefore accurately identifying patients at risk of stroke. ⋯ This case illustrates the potential of TCD monitoring during temporary BTO of the ICA. It highlights its ability to provide a complete preclinical evaluation of collateralization and autoregulatory adaptation to unilateral ICA occlusion. TCD may also decrease the time of occlusion required for the BTO.
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A 74-year-old man was admitted to the Emergency Room of our institution with worsening dysarthria, left-side weakness and hypoesthesia (NIHSS score: 5) since his awakening at 7:30 a.m. The evening before, he had gone to sleep at 10:30 p.m. Brain computed tomography (CT) and cervicocranial CT angiography showed low density attenuation of the right caudate nucleus head and lenticular nucleus and sub-total occlusion of ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) pre-bi/trifurcation M1 segment. ⋯ At six months, modified Rankin scale score was 3. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Italian case report describing a patient who underwent successful neuroendovascular treatment for a "wake-up stroke" without clinical worsening nor major complications and an acceptable clinical outcome. This was possible thanks to an extension of the therapeutic window guided by CT perfusion.