Mycotic Aneurysm of the Left Subclavian Artery Presenting as Mediastinal Abscess: Case Report

Mycotic aneurysms most commonly occur in femoral arteries or the abdominal aorta. Mycotic aneurysm arising from the left subclavian artery is very rare. The morbidity and mortality of ruptured mycotic aneurysms, regardless of their location, remain high despite the current practice of administering an intensive antibiotic regimen. We encountered a case of mycotic aneurysm presenting as mediastinal abscess and arising from in the left subclavian artery. Therefore, we report this case with radiologic findings to remind readers of the possibility of this unusual location of mycotic aneurysm.

Stent Assisted Coil Embolization of a Dissecting Aneurysm of the Vertebral Artery: A Case Involving a Patient with Hypoplasia of the Contralateral Vertebral Artery

A dissecting aneurysm of the vertebral artery may be treated conservatively, surgically, or using an endovascular approach. Proximal clipping, wrapping or trapping are surgical treatment methods, and endovascular treatment with coils and balloons is performed where a dissecting aneurysm is located near the midline or the appropriate surgical manipulation is difficult. As the contralateral vertebral artery of this patient was hypoplastic, the stent-assisted coil embolization technique was employed to preserve the ipsilateral vertebral artery. We describe a clinical case of dissecting aneurysm of the vertebral artery occurring in a patient in whom a hypoplastic contralateral vertebral artery was successfully treated.

MR Findings of Spinal Angiolipoma: A Case Report

Angiolipomas are usually found in the soft tissues of the extremity, trunk, or neck. Spinal angiolipomas are rare, accounting for between 0.14% and 1.2% of spinal axis tumors, and the majority are extradural. We report a case of surgically proven extradural spinal angiolipoma with a high vascular content and involving the thoracic level.

MRI Findings of Multiple Sclerosis Involving the Brainstem

PURPOSE: To describe MRI findings of multiple sclerosis involving the brainstem. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 35 cases of clinically definite multiple sclerosis, the authors retrospectively analysed 20 in which the brainstem was involved. MR images were analysed with regard to involvement sites in the brainstem or other locations, signal intensity, multiplicity, shape, enhancement pattern, and contiguity of brainstem lesions with cisternal or ventricular CSF space. RESULTS: The brainstem was the only site of involvement in five cases (25%), while simultaneous involvement of the brainstem and other sites was observed in 15 cases (75%). No case involved only the midbrain or medulla oblongata, and simultaneous involvement of the midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata was noted in 12 cases (60%). The most frequently involved region of the brainstem was the medulla oblongata (n=18; 90%), followed by the pons (n=17; 85%) and the midbrain (n=16; 80%). Compared with normal white matter, brainstem lesions showed low signal intensity on T1 weighted images, and high signal intensity on T2 weighted, proton density weighted, and FLAIR images. In 17 cases (85%), multiple intensity was observed, and the shape of lesions varied: oval, round, elliptical, patchy, crescentic, confluent or amorphous areas were seen on axial MR images, and in 14 cases (82%), coronal or sagittal scanning showed that lesions were long and tubular. Contiguity between brainstem lesions and cisternal or ventricular CSF space was seen in all cases (100%) involving midbrain (16/16) and medulla oblongata (18/18) and in 15 of 17 (88%) involving the pons. Contrast enhancement was apparent in 7 of 12 cases (58%). CONCLUSION: In the brainstem, MRI demonstrated partial or total contiguity between lesions and cisternal or ventricular CSF space, and coronal or sagittal images showed that lesions were long and tubuler.

Myoepithelioma of the Lung: A Case Report

Myoepithelioma is a rare tumor composed of cells that are morphologically similar to myoepithelial cells. Myoepithelial tumors usually occur in major and minor salivary glands, though have also been found in sweat and mammary glands. Myoepithelioma very rarely originates in lung parenchyma, though can arise from tracheobronchial submucosal glands. We encountered a case of myoepithelioma originating in lung parenchyma, and report the CT findings, including the pathologic characteristics of the disease.