Ruptured Dermoid Cyst in the Conus Medullaris Detected by Susceptibility Weighted Imaging of the Brain

No abstract available.

Traumatic Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Classifications and Prognosis According to CT Findings

PURPOSE: To determine clinical outcome in cases of traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage(TIVH) according to the mechanisms and amount of hemorrhage seen on initial CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the initial CT findings of 61 patients with TIVH. The mechanisms of TIVH were analyzed on the basis of the following CT findings: Type I; large intracerebral hematoma extending to adjacent ventricle; Type II: hemorrhagic and/or non-hemorrhagic diffuse axonal injury in the thalamus and basal ganglia; Type III: multiple small hemorrhagic lesions in the septum pellucidum, fornix, corpus callosum, and periventricular region, which may be due to inner cerebral trauma, Type IV: evidence of hypoxic brain injury, and Type V: TIVH with contusion and small subdural or epidural hematomas. The amount of TIVH was classified according to the Graeb score. We analyzed these mechanisms on the basis of CT findings, and for prognosis, correlated these with clinical outcomes and the Glasgow coma score. RESULTS: Prognosis was good in types V and III and poor in type I and II(p=0.001). In patients with a Graeb score of 4 or less, the clinical outcome was better than in those with a Graeb score above 5(p=0.03). Patients with a lower initial Glasgow coma score had poor outcomes(p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The hemorrhage mechanism in patients with TIVH could be important for estimating clinical outcome, especially during the early phase. In patients with type V or III TIVH, clinical outcome was better than in those with type I or II.

Superselective Intra-arterial Fibrinolysis for Acute Cerebral Ischemic Infarct: Usefulness of Diffusion Weighted MR Imaging1

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of superselective intra-arterial fibrinolysis for acute cerebral stroke and the usefulness of pre- and postfibrinolysis diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 41 patients with acute ischemic stroke whose treatment involved intra-arterial fibri-nolysis, the occlusion site, degree of recanalization, and clinical results were compared. In 12 patients, diffusion weighted MRI was performed before fibrinolysis, and eight of these also underwent diffusion-weighted MRI after fibrinolysis. Using diffusion-weighted MRI, neurological outcomes were compared with signal intensity ratio (SIR, or the average signal intensity within the region of interest divided by that in the contralateral, nonischemic, homologous region). RESULTS: Twenty patients showed complete recanalization, nine partial recanalization, and in twelve there was no recanalization. Fourteen patients (34 %) improved neurologically. No relationship existed between occlusion sites, degree of recanalization, and clinical outcome. Among 12 patients who underwent DWI before fibrinolysis, complete recanalization was noted in eight. Neurological improvement was seen in four patients with low SIR(1.7 ), neurological outcome was poor despite complete recanalization. CONCLUSION: Although superselective intra-arterial fibrinolysis for acute cerebral stroke is a good therapeutic method for recanalization, the clinical outcome can be disappointing. We therefore suggest that in cases of acute cerebral ischemic infaret, SIR-as seen on DWI-might be useful for predicting the benefits of recanalization. In such cases, further investigation of the use of DWI prior to fibrinolysis is therefore needed.

Intraorbital Wood Foreign Body Mimicking Air at CT: A Case Report

Computed tomography revealed variable sized small areas of extremely low attenuation in the right orbit of a45-year-old woman who had fallen face down. The appearance and attenuation of the areas suggested air, but on widewindow-width images attenuation was seen to be higher than that of sinus air. We report a case involvingintraorbital wood foreign bodies which on CT mimicked the appearance of air and which were surgically removed.

Radiologic Findings of Acute Spontaneous Subdural Hematomas

PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristic CT and cerebral angiographic findings in patients with acutespontaneous subdural hematomas and correlate these imaging findings with causes of bleeding and clinical outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with nontraumatic acute spontaneous subdural hematoma presentingduring the last five years underwent CT scanning and cerebral angiography was performed in twelve. To determinethe cause of bleeding, CT and angiographic findings were retrospectively analysed. Clinical history, laboratoryand operative findings, and final clinical outcome were reviewed. RESULTS: The 21 cases of acute spontaneoussubdural hematomas were caused by cerebral vascular abnormalities(n=10), infantile hemorrhagic disease(n=5), orwere of unknown origin(n=6). All ten cases of cerebral vascular abnormality were confirmed angiographically; sixwere aneurysms, three were arteriovenous malformations, and one was moyamoya disease. On CT, subarachnoidhemorrhage was seen to be associated with aneurysms, intracerebral hemorrhage with arteriovenous malformations,and intraventricular hemorrhage with moyamoya disease. All five patients with hemorrhagic disease were infantsaged 1-17 months ; characteristic diffuse distribution of subdural hematoma in both temporoparietal-occipitalregions is typical. The average overall mortality rate was 52.4%(11/21). In patients with cerebral vascularabnormalities, mortality was as low as 20%(2/10), but in hemorrhagic disease was high (60%). In cases of unknownorigin it was 100%. CONCLUSION: Acute spontaneous subdural hematoma is a rare condition, and the mortality rateis high. In patients with acute spontaneous subdural hematoma, as seen on CT, associated subarachnoid orintracerebral hemorrhage is strongly indicative of intracerebral vascular abnormalities such as aneurysm andarteriovenous malformation, and cerebral angiography is necessary. To ensure proper treatment and thus morkedlyreduce mortality, the causes of bleeding should be prompty determined by means of cerebral angiography.

Traumatic Perimesencephalic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Sign of Brainstem Injury

PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency, distribution, appearance, and clinical outcome of brainstem injury, asseen on MR, in a prospective study of patients with traumatic perimesencephalic subarac-hnoid hemorrhage (pSAH)seen on initial CT scan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR images were prospectively obtained in 38 patients with headinjury who on initial CT scans showed pSAH. To identify the amount and location of pSAH, the CT scans of allpatientd, and MRI findings were evaluated according to the presence, location and signal intensity of brainsteminjury, and other combined intracranial injuries. Initial Glasgow coma scale(GCS) and Glasgow outcome scale(GOS),as noted on clinincal records, were reviewed. RESULTS: Brainstem injury was demonstrated on MR images in 30patients(79%). The majority of these lesions (76.7%) were located in the dorsolateral portion, and nonhemorrhagiclesions were more frequent(70%) than hemorrhagic. In patients with brainstem injury, as seen on MR imaging, theGOS score was worse, especially in those with combined diffuse axonal injury in the corpus callosum and cerebralwhite matter. The location and amount of pSAH seen on CT was not related with brainstem injury or clinicaloutcome. CONCLUSION: The presence of pSAH in patients with acute head trauma, as seen on CT was thought to be anindicator of brainstem injury, and MR imaging was necessary. If such injury was identified on MRI, this waspredictive of a worse clinical outcome.

Significance of CT Scans in Mild Head Injury Patients

The purpose of this study is to identify a group of mild head injury patients having lesions on computerized tomography(CT) and to investigate the risk factors affecting the abnormal findings on CT scan. The study was limited to patients 16 years of age and older with a initial Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) scores of at least 13 at the time of admission. Of a total of 243 patients studied, 156(64.2%) had abnormal CT findings. 49 patients(20.2%) required neurosurgical intervention(craniotomies for hematoma in 33, hematoma in 1 and subdural hygroma in 3). Four patients(2.4%) died of their cranial injury and three died of extracranial causes. The incidence of CT abnormalities for each GCS score was 86.7% in GCS of 13, 68.6% in GCS of 14, and 58.6% in GCS of 5. The factors affecting GCS scores at the time of admission were the presence of loss of consciousness and posttraumatic amnesia. The factors affecting abnormal CT scans were the presence of posttraumatic amnesia and skull fracture. A new lesion of extension of the initial finding on follow-up CT scans was found in 9.3% of 75 patients who underwent follow-up CT scans. Even though routine CT scans for mild head injury patients are not always necessary, these result suggest that all patients admitted to hospital after mild head injury should undergo CT scanning to enable early detection of an intracranial lesion.

Outcome form Diffuse Brain Injury Related to Patient's Age

The present study compares the outcome of adult and pediatric patients with severe diffuse brain injury, and analyzes factors affecting the prognosis related to age difference. Of 912 patients admitted with head injury during the past three years, 223(1.7%) patients were identified as severe diffuse brain injury. Among the 223 patients. 100 patients were 15 years of age or less as the pediatric group. The mortality rate for pediatric and adult group was 39.0% and 48.8%, respectively. The common factors affecting poor prognosis for both groups were Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) of 5 or less, papillary abnormality, hypoxia(PaO2<60 mmHg), the presence of skull fracture(basilar skull fracture in children, and basilar or vault skull fracture in adult group), diffuse brain swelling, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, and thin subdural hematoma. The factors affecting prognostic difference between the adult and pediatric group with diffuse brain injury were the presence of vault skull fracture(p<0.01) and diffuse brain swelling(p<0.05). In patients associated with vault skull fracture or diffuse brain swelling, adult group had a significantly poorer outcome than child group.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis with isolated involvement of the brain: case report

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis usually presents as a primary lung affliction with secondary metastatic spread to the central nervous system(CNS), and its initial manifestation purely as a CNS disease is rare. A 57-year-old man with histologically proven lymphomatoid granulomatosis of the brain as the sole manifestation of the disease is presented.

Outcome Following Diffuse Brain Injury in Children

No abstract available.