Ocular Ischemic Syndrome due to Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion with Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is associated with multiple vascular abnormalities, including internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis/occlusion. Depending on the site of stenosis/occlusion of the ICA, both cerebral circulation and ocular circulation can be impaired. We describe a rare pediatric case of ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) due to ICA occlusion in NF-1. The patient diagnosed with NF-1 suffered right ICA occlusion at 12 years of age, and developed right dense vitreous hemorrhage due to OIS at 13 years of age. The patient underwent right cerebral revascularization surgery to improve cerebral and ocular ischemia, but the visual acuity of the right eye did not improve. This case suggests that attention should be paid not only to cerebral ischemia but also to ocular ischemia in patients with ICA stenosis/occlusion of NF-1. Surgical interventions such as cerebral revascularization surgery should be considered in the early stages of OIS to protect visual function, and careful follow-up is required.

Deep Learning-Based Functional Independence Measure Score Prediction After Stroke in Kaifukuki (Convalescent) Rehabilitation Ward Annexed to Acute Care Hospital.

Introduction Prediction models of functional independent measure (FIM) score after kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward (KRW) are needed to decide the treatment strategies and save medical resources. Statistical models were reported, but their accuracies were not satisfactory. We made such prediction models using the deep learning (DL) framework, Prediction One (Sony Network Communications Inc., Tokyo, Japan). Methods Of the 559 consecutive stroke patients, 122 patients were transferred to our KRW. We divided our 122 patients' data randomly into halves of training and validation datasets. Prediction One made three prediction models from the training dataset using (1) variables at the acute care ward admission, (2) those at the KRW admission, and (3) those combined (1) and (2). The models' determination coefficients (R2), correlation coefficients (rs), and residuals were calculated using the validation dataset. Results Of the 122 patients, the median age was 71, length of stay (LOS) in acute care ward 23 (17-30) days, LOS in KRW 53 days, total FIM scores at the admission of KRW 85, those at discharge 108. The mean FIM gain and FIM efficiency were 19 and 0.417. All patients were discharged home. Model (1), (2), and (3)'s R2 were 0.794, 0.970, and 0.972. Their mean residuals between the predicted and actual total FIM scores were -1.56±24.6, -4.49±17.1, and -2.69±15.7. Conclusion Our FIM gain and efficiency were better than national averages of FIM gain 17.1 and FIM efficiency 0.187. We made DL-based total FIM score prediction models, and their accuracies were superior to those of previous statistically calculated ones. The DL-based FIM score prediction models would save medical costs and perform efficient stroke and rehabilitation medicine.

Chronic subdural hematoma in patients over 65 years old: Results of using a postoperative cognitive evaluation to determine whether to permit return to driving.

BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is usually associated with good recovery with burr hole irrigation and postoperative drainage under local anesthesia. In Japan, traffic accidents by the elderly drivers over 65 years old are severely increasing, and there is no consensus on whether or not to return to driving after CSDH treatment. We perform a postoperative cognitive assessment. We retrospectively investigated the return-to-driving rate and associated factors. METHODS: Of the 45 patients over 65 y.o. and who had usually driven, 30 patients wished to drive again. We performed tests composed of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), line cancellation and line bisection task, Kohs block design test, trail making test (TMT)-A and B, Kana-hiroi test, Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test, and behavioral assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome, in order. When all tests' scores were better than the cutoff values, we let patients drive again. When some of the scores were worse than the cutoff values, we reevaluated the patients at the outpatient every month. If the patients' scores could not improve at the outpatient, we recommended them to stop driving. RESULTS: Nineteen of 30 patients could return to driving. Worse MMSE, Kohs block design test, TMT-A, TMT-B scores, higher age, dementia, or consciousness disturbance as chief complaints were associated with driving disability. CONCLUSION: CSDH is known as treatable dementia. However, we should perform an objective cognitive assessment before discharge because only 63% of the patients over 65 y.o. who wished to drive could return to driving.

Where to make burr hole for endoscopic hematoma removal against intracerebral hemorrhage at the basal ganglia to increase the hematoma removal rate - Comparison between trans-forehead and along-the-long-axis approaches.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic hematoma removal is performed to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) at the basal ganglia. In our hospital, young neurosurgical trainees perform it for the only 1st to the 3rd time. We perform a "trans-forehead approach" and hypothesized that our technique would contribute to higher hematoma removal rate and easiness despite their inexperience. We compared our dataset with an open dataset with along-the-long-axis approaches using pre- and intraoperative neuronavigation by well-trained neurosurgeons and tested the utility of our trans-forehead approach. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated our 17 consecutive patients with hypertensive ICH who underwent endoscopic hematoma removal using the trans-forehead approach. We obtained the open dataset and compared our data with the 12 patients from the open dataset using the inverse probability weighting method. Operative time, hematoma removal rate, postoperative hematoma volume, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on day 7, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 6 months were assessed as outcomes. RESULTS: The median age was 68 (interquartile range; 58-78) years. Median postoperative hematoma volume, removal rate, operative time, GCS on day 7, and mRS at 6 months were 9 (2-24) mL, 90 (79-98)%, 53 (41-80) min, 13 (12-13), and 4 (2-5), respectively. The weighted generalized estimating equations revealed that operative time was shorter in the along-the-long-axis group, but other items were not significantly different between the two approaches. CONCLUSION: The hematoma removal rate of endoscopic hematoma removal with the trans-forehead approach by young trainees was not different from that of the along-the-long-axis approach by well-trained neurosurgeons using neuronavigation.

Persistent Local Vasogenic Edema with Dynamic Change in the Regional Cerebral Blood Flow after STA-MCA Bypass for Adult Moyamoya Disease.

We report an adult moyamoya disease (MMD) patient who developed persistent local vasogenic edema with dynamic change in the regional cerebral blood flow after left superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis. A 49-year-old woman with ischemic-onset MMD underwent left STA-MCA anastomosis. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery 1 day after surgery revealed an asymptomatic local high-signal-intensity lesion at the site of anastomosis, and MR angiography demonstrated apparently patent STA-MCA bypass. Due to the increased apparent diffusion coefficient value, we diagnosed the lesion as vasogenic edema. A significant increase in focal cerebral blood flow (CBF) at the site of the anastomosis was observed on N-isopropyl-p-[123I] iodoamphetamine single-photon emission computed tomography (123I-IMP-SPECT) (139.8%; compared with the preoperative value). Under strict blood pressure control (systolic blood pressure under 130 mmHg), the patient remained asymptomatic during the entire peri-operative period, but the 123I-IMP-SPECT 7 days after surgery suggested paradoxical CBF decrease (72.9%). Based on this finding, we allow the patient to be maintained under normotensive condition (∼160 mmHg), which recovered the CBF (115.0%) 14 days after surgery. Vasogenic edema remained during the entire peri-operative period, but completely disappeared 83 days after surgery. Local vasogenic edema formation due to cerebral hyperperfusion is not uncommon after STA-MCA anastomosis for adult MMD, but dynamic CBF change at the site of persistent local vasogenic edema after STA-MCA anastomosis is extremely rare. We recommend serial CBF measurement in the acute stage after revascularization surgery for MMD, especially when MR imaging demonstrates local signal intensity change.