Usefulness of External Carotid Artery Angiogram with Manual Carotid Compression in Ophthalmic Artery Aneurysm

OBJECTIVE: Identifying collaterals from external carotid artery (ECA) is necessary before treatment of ophthalmic artery (OphA) aneurysm. We present a manual carotid compression test to verify collaterals in ophthalmic artery aneurysms, and evaluate its usefulness.MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2013 to December 2017, endovascular coiling was performed 19 consecutive patients with 20 OphA aneurysms. We performed manual carotid compression test for patients who had aneurysms incorporating entry of OphA. Clinical and angiographic outcomes were investigated.RESULTS: Of 13 cases underwent manual carotid compression test, 12 cases were confirmed collateral flow from ECA to OphA. During the coil embolization, we tried to maintain the original OphA flow even if it has a collateral anastomosis. Among them, OphA occlusion occurred in one patient during coiling. Recurrence of aneurysm was occurred in a ruptured case and additional embolization was required.CONCLUSIONS: The manual carotid compression test is useful method to identify the collaterals from ECA in patients with OphA aneurysm. This test can be used as a screening test for confirming collateral flow in OphA aneurysms or as an alternative for patients who are difficult to perform BTO.

Circle Of Willis: Variant Forms and their Embryology Using Gross Dissection and Magnetic Resonance Angiography.

Background: The circle of Willis is a large arterial anastomotic ring present at the base of the brain uniting the internal carotid and the vertebrobasilar systems. Branches from the internal carotid and vertebral arteries anastomose to form an arterial circle in the basal cisterns and then distribute to supply the brain. The anatomy of the circle is known to vary significantly; the vessels may be absent or sufficiently narrowed altering the hemodynamics of the circle of Willis and affecting its role as a collateral route. These variant forms can be correlated to their phylogeny and embryology. Prior knowledge of these variant forms is important in pathologies and treatment (e.g. parent artery occlusion for carotid aneurysms) resulting occlusion of carotid and vertebral arteries. Context and purpose: Our study was undertaken to observe and compare the morphology of circle of Willis using two entirely different methods; gross dissection (GD) and Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and to correlate the variant patterns encountered with the possible underlying developmental events. Gross dissection was carried out in 70 human cadavers and equal numbers of MRA’s of healthy individuals were studied retrospectively. Results: Only 31 cases (22.14%) presented with a complete circle of Willis, out of which 14 (20%) were cadaveric specimen and 17 (24.18%) were in MRA group. Unilateral hypoplastic posterior communicating artery was the most common variation observed in our study (19.28%). Conclusions: The wide variation in completeness of the circle of Willis in general population is similar to earlier observations. Review of phylogeny and embryology makes us familiar with variant forms which would be otherwise difficult to recognize and may be misinterpreted. MRA and gross dissection findings despite certain variations are comparable.

Facilitating coronary collateral recruitment by isometric exercise during acute coronary occlusion / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective To determine whether isometric handgrip exercise can increase collateral flow to the ischemic myocardium in acute coronary occlusion patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).Methods Sixty-five patients with one-vessel CAD were randomly assigned to either an isometric exercise (IME) group or no-exercise (NE) group.Patients in the IME group performed isometric handgrip exercises (50％ of the maximum voluntary contraction) during 1 min of coronary balloon occlusion.Patients in the NE group remained sedentary during the procedure.The collateral flow index (CFI),heart rare (HR),systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were determined prior to and at the end of 1 min of coronary occlusion.Results In the IME group the average CFI improved significantly more during the occlusion than in the NE group.The differences in HR,SBP and DBP were also significantly grcatcr in the CFI group than in the NE group controls.Conclusion Isometric exercise can induce significantly increased coronary collateral flow in CAD patients during acute vessel occlusion.

Two Stage Operation for Chronic Dissecting Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Associated with True Lumen Obstruction of the Abdominal Aorta / 日本心臓血管外科学会雑誌

A 64-year-old man who had chronic aortic dissecting aneurysm with true lumen obstruction of the abdominal aorta was referred to our hospital for surgery. He underwent total aortic arch replacement with the elephant trunk technique using an aortofemoral artery bypass as a first-stage operation. Reconstruction of the thoracic aortic descending aneurysm using the previous elephant trunk graft in a second-stage operation was feasible. His perioperative course was uneventful and he had no neurologic complications.

Striatocapsular Infarct and Aphasia

BACKGROUND: Determining the mechanism for aphasia following a subcortical infarct involving the striatum and internal capsule has been controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the underlying mechanism, which might clarify the relationship between the severity of aphasia and the cortical hypoperfusion in a striatocapsular infarct. METHODS: We included 33 patients with striatocapsular infarcts in the dominant hemisphere on precontrast CT/MRI. A MR angiography (MRA) was done in all patients. Contrast enhanced MRI and/or triphasic perfusion CT (TPCT) were performed in 26 patients to identify slow collateral blood flows. The regional cerebral blood flow was evaluated in 14 out of 33 patients by perfusion SPECT. The index of aphasia severity was the aphasia quotient, measured by the Korean version-Western Aphasia Battery. RESULTS: Twenty-five of 33 patients (75.7%) showed aphasia with different degrees of severity. The four aphasic subgroups were mild (n=9), mild-to-moderate (n=8), moderate-to-severe (n=3), and severe (n=3) groups. Six patients with moderate-to-severe or severe degree of aphasia showed larger infarcts, occlusions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) stem or internal carotid artery (ICA) on MRA, and abnormal delayed cortical vascular enhancements on MRI and/or TPCT. The severity of aphasia correlated strongly with the degree of perisylvian cortical hypoperfusion on SPECT. Focal perisylvian cortical atrophy on follow-up MRI was found in two patients with greater than moderate-to-severe aphasia. CONCLUSIONS: Aphasia of greater than moderate-to-severe degree following a striato-capsular infarct may be explained by selective neuronal loss of the perisylvian cortex due to the occlusion of the MCA stem or ICA and insufficient collateral blood flow. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(1):10~18, 2001

Relationship between pressure-derived fractional collateral flow and left ventricular remodeling in patients with acute myocardial infarction / 中国介入心脏病学杂志

Objective To evaluate the relationship between pressure derived fractional collateral flow (Q C/Q N) and left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction(AMI) Methods The Q C/Q N was measured in 21 patients with first AMI treated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), being determined by simultaneous measurement of mean aorta pressure (P a), distal coronary pressure (P w) during the balloon occlusion 21 patients were divided into two groups according to the value of Q C/Q N (group A, Q C/Q N≥0 25, group B, Q C/Q N0 05) At one month follow up, the difference in EF ( P 0 05) Both ESVI and EDVI were considerably increased in two groups Conclusion Angiographic Rentrop′s classification has its limitation in assessing the collateral circulation Q C/Q N is a major determinant of left ventricular remodeling and prognosis in patients with AMI

EFFECTS OF THREE KINDS OF BLOOD ACTIVATING MEDIC-INES ON CORONARY COLLATERAL FLOW / 中国药理学通报

It was show that the 3 medical preparations, viz: Chuanxiong, the mixture of Chuanxiong & Ginseng ( CG Mixture ) , and the mixture of Chuanxiong & Miltiorrhizae could increase the coronary retrograde flow & decrease the resistance to collateral flow. The CG mixture exhibited positive effects on cardiac output, coronary flow blood, & retrograde pressure, but the other 2 medicines showed negative effects.These findings suggest that the CG mixture could improve & regulate the cardiovascular function, open the collateral vessels to reduce the ischemic size, while the other 2 medicines might reduce the cardiac power consumption. It is expected that the CG mixture may be more suitable for treatment of coronary diseases with cardiac insufficiency & hypotension, and the other 2 may be used for that with hypertension.