ADDED UTILITY OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY PERFUSION STUDY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EARLY ISCHEMIC STROKE IN COMPARISON WITH NON- CONTRAST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY - A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Objective: 1. T o study the added utility of computed tomography perfusion study in the assessment of early ischemic stroke in comparison with non-contrast computed tomography. 2. To study the role of computed tomography perfusion study in deciding thrombolytic treatment/ therapeutic protocols aimed at reversing the cerebral ischemic insult. Conclusions and Results: It was observed that 15 (46.68%) patients were in the 61-70 years of age group followed by 8 (25%) in the age group of 51-60 years. The mean age of the patients was 58.87 ±12.14 years. Ÿ Females were affected more i.e. 18 (56.25%) compared to the male patients 14 (43.75%). Ÿ Most observed co-morbid condition was hypertension in 9 (28.13%) patients followed by hypertension and diabetes in 7 (21.87%) patients and diabetes in 6 (18.75%) patients. Ÿ Among the study participants 4 (12.50%) were smokers followed by 6 (18.75%) were alcoholic and smokers & alcoholic (15.62%) respectively. Ÿ It was observed that the symptoms of palsy were present among 23 (71.88%) patients Ÿ The most commonly observed time of onset of symptoms was 3-5 hours in 23 (71.88%) patients followed by 1-3 hours (21.87%) and >5 hours in 2 (6.25%) patients. Ÿ NCCT ?ndings observed was de?nite signs of stroke in 12 (37.5%) patients followed by suspected signs of stroke on NCCT (25%) Ÿ It was observed that no sign of stroke was observed in 12 (37.5%) patients. Ÿ CT perfusion ?ndings observed was increased mean transient time (MTT) in all (100%) patients followed by decreased blood ?ow in all (100%) patients. It was observed that cerebral blood volume decreased in 12 (37.5%) patients, increased in 8 (25%) and normal in 12 (37.5%) patients. Ÿ The correlation of NCCT and CT perfusion ?ndings observed that out of total 32 patients NCCT study identi?es 20 patients while all 32 patients were identi?ed by CT perfusion study with sensitivity of 100%. Ÿ CT perfusion provides early diagnosis of ischemic stroke thus helps in management of stroke patients. Inference : The present study concludes that CT-perfusion had more sensitivity compared to NCCT in identifying early ischemic stroke. CT perfusion has additional utility in management of early ischemic stroke. CT Perfusion study provides important information to the neurologist and neuro-interventionalist when evaluating patients for endovascular reperfusion therapy by identifying the size of core infarction and penumbra

An Uncommon Presentation of a Common Etiology : Tubercular Cerebral Abscess in Pulmonary TB

A patient, recently diagnosed with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and on ATT for the last 1 month, was initially admitted in a primary care setup with severe headache and altered consciousness for 5 days and then referred to our institute for further management. Extensive investigations and imaging led to the conclusion that the patient had a massive Tubercular Brain Abscess (TBA) in the background of Pulmonary TB

A rare case report: successful outcome of a patient at near term pregnancy with maternal chronic obstructive hydrocephalus due to tubercular meningitis

The incidence of tubercular meningitis leading to obstructive hydrocephalus is extremely rare accounting for 1% cases and is even rarer during pregnancy. A 20-year-old 2nd Gravida presented at 32 weeks gestation with complaints of intermittent headache, decreased vision since 3 months and irrelevant talks and agitated behavior since 1 day. On examination patient had stable vital signs but constant irritable behavior. Obstetric examination revealed a pregnancy corresponding to 32 weeks with a live fetus. Patient had a past history of Anti-tubercular therapy taken 2 years back for tubercular meningitis. Neurological examination revealed a GCS of 12/15 and Ophthalmologic examination revealed patient to be having only Perception of Light with optic atrophy on fundoscopy. NCCT head revealed moderate dilatation of bilateral ventricles and 3rd ventricle without any periventricular ooze suggestive of Chronic Obstructive Hydrocephalus. Supportive therapy was instituted with Dexamethasone and Mannitol infusion after Neurosurgical consultation along with antenatal care. Decision for termination of pregnancy was taken at 35 weeks by an elective caesarean section with simultaneous ventriculo-peritoneal shunt insertion by neurosurgical team under general anesthesia. A live male baby of 2.25 kg was delivered. Patient with baby was discharged on 10th post-operative day. Obstructive hydrocephalous developing post tubercular meningitis in pregnancy is a rare event. Caesarean section was done along with shunt surgery in our case. Very few cases have been reported in the medical literature so far.

Correlation of Glasgow Coma Scale with Non-Contrast Computed Tomography findings in immediate post traumatic brain injury

Background: This study was undertaken to correlate Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score with Non-Contrast Computed Tomography (NCCT) findings in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) attending tertiary care Shree Narayana Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 100 patients of acute traumatic head injury (those presenting to hospital within 24 hours of injury) over a period of six months. The patient’s GCS score was determined and NCCT Brain scan was performed in each case immediately (within 30 minutes) after presenting to casualty of the hospital. A 16 slice siemens Somatom CT scan was utilized and 5mm and 10mm sections were obtained for infratentorial and supratentorial parts respectively.Results: The age range of the patients was 0 to 76 years and male: female ratio was 2.85:1. Younger age group was more commonly involved, with 61% of cases seen in 11-40 years of age group. The most common causes of head injury were road traffic accident (RTA) (65%) and fall from height (25%). The distribution of patients in accordance with GCS was found to be 55% with mild TBI (GCS 12 to 14), 25% with moderate TBI (GCS 11 to 8) and 20% with severe TBI (GCS 7 or less).Conclusions: The presence of multiple lesions and midline shift on CT scan were accompanied with lower GCS, whereas patients having single lesion had more GCS level. There was significant correlation between GCS and NCCT findings in immediate post TBI.

A fuzzy approach for feature extraction of brain tissues in Non-Contrast CT / Un enfoque difuso para la extracción de características de tejidos cerebrales en TC no contrastada

Abstract: In neuroimaging, brain tissue segmentation is a fundamental part of the techniques that seek to automate the detection of pathologies, the quantification of tissues or the evaluation of the progress of a treatment. Because of its wide availability, lower cost than other imaging techniques, fast execution and proven efficacy, Non-contrast Cerebral Computerized Tomography (NCCT) is the most used technique in emergency room for neuroradiology examination, however, most research on brain segmentation focuses on MRI due to the inherent difficulty of brain tissue segmentation in NCCT. In this work, three brain tissues were characterized: white matter, gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid in NCCT images. Feature extraction of these structures was made based on the radiological attenuation index denoted by the Hounsfield Units using fuzzy logic techniques. We evaluated the classification of each tissue in NCCT images and quantified the feature extraction technique in synthetic images from real tissues with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 96% for images from cases with slice thickness of 1 mm, and 96% and 98% respectively for those of 1.5 mm, demonstrating the ability of the method as feature extractor of brain tissues.

Resumen: En neuroimagen, la segmentación de tejidos cerebrales es una parte fundamental de las técnicas que buscan automatizar la detección de patologías, la cuantificación de tejidos o la evaluación del progreso de un tratamiento. Debido a su amplia disponibilidad, menor costo que otras técnicas de imagen, rápida ejecución y eficacia probada, la tomografía computarizada cerebral sin contraste (TCNC) es la técnica mayormente utilizada en emergencias para el examen neurorradiológico, sin embargo, la dificultad inherente que representa la segmentación de los tejidos cerebrales, hace que la mayoría de las investigaciones sobre la segmentación del cerebro se centren en la resonancia magnética. En este trabajo se realizó la caracterización de tres tejidos cerebrales: sustancia blanca, sustancia gris y líquido cefalorraquídeo en imágenes TCNC. Dichas estructuras fueron caracterizadas con base en el índice de atenuación radiológica denotadas por las Unidades Hounsfield utilizando técnicas de lógica difusa. Se evaluó la caracterización de cada tejido en diversos cortes de TCNC y se cuantificó la técnica de extracción de características en imágenes sintéticas a partir de tejidos reales con una sensibilidad de 92% y una especificidad de 96% para tejidos en cortes de 1 mm de grosor y 96% y 98% para los de 1.5 mm demostrando la habilidad del método como extractor de características de los tejidos cerebrales.

Meckel's Cave Lipoma.

Meckel's cave tumors are uncommon intracranial tumours. Lipoma in meckel's cave is a rare entity. CT & MRI imaging are modialities used to evaluate meckel's cave lesion. We report a case of Meckel's cave lipoma presenting with trigeminal neuralgia.

Gitelman Syndrome with Normal Serum Magnesium

Gitelman syndrome is an autosomal recessive renal tubular disorder characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, and it is distinguished from Batter syndrome by hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria. This disorder is caused by mutation in SLC12A3 gene which encodes thiazide-sensitive Na(+)-Cl(-)cotransporter (NCCT) which is expressed in the apical membrane of cells, lining distal convoluted tubule. A 8-year old boy who presented with Rolandic epilepsy, and horseshoe kidney accidentally showed clinical features of metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, hypocalciuria without hypomagnesemia. So we identified a heterozygote mutation and an abnormal splicing in the SLC12A3 gene, encoding NCCT. The mutation was detected in the exon 15 and 22 of SLC12A3 gene.

A Case of Gitelman Syndrome Presented with Epileptic Seizure

Both Gitelman syndrome and Bartter syndrome are autosomal recessively inherited renal tubular disorders characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis, salt wasting and normal to low blood pressure. Gitelman syndrome is caused by mutations in the thiazide-sensitive Na- Cl cotransporter (NCCT) and distinguished from Bartter syndrome, which is associated with mutations of several genes, by the presence of hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria. In most of the patients with Gitelman syndrome, the disease manifests with transient episodes of muscular weakness and tetany in the adult period, but, often, is asymptomatic. We report here an 11 years-old female with Gitelman syndrome who presented with aggravation of epileptic seizure. The diagnostic work-up showed typical clinical features of metabolic alkalosis, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and hypocalciuria. We also identified a heterozygote mutation(642CGC(Arg)>TGC(Cys)) and an abnormal splicing in the SLC12A3 gene encoding NCCT.