Carotid petrous segment aneurysm presenting as hypoglossal nerve palsy.

Aneurysm in the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery is extremely rare, and symptoms are usually derived from compression of neighbor structures such as nerve palsies. Clinical symptoms can be nonspecific and imaging findings are complex, making the diagnosis of this kind of aneurysms extremely challenging. CT angiography is the best diagnostic tool, and treatment options include surgical and endovascular approaches, the latest being preferred. We report an extremely rare case of an aneurysm in the petrous apex presenting with hypoglossal nerve palsy. We document the aneurysm through CT and confirm it using angiography. We also describe the satisfactory management of this rare case. To the best of our knowledge this an extremely rare aneurism presenting with hypoglossal nerve palsy, in which successful interventional management was achieved through a specific and prompt diagnosis.

Relationship between episodic memory and volume of the brain regions of two functional cortical memory systems in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Two functional networks are proposed as neuronal support for the complex processes of memory: the anterior temporal and the medial posterior systems. We examined the atrophy of hippocampus (HC) and of those areas constituting the two functional memory systems in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with low disability. METHODS: Episodic memory (EM) was assessed in 88 relapsing MS patients and in 40 healthy controls using Wechsler Memory Scale III (Spanish adaptation). FreeSurfer software was used to calculate normalized volume of total cortex, grey matter, white matter, subcortical grey matter (thalamus and striatum), HC and both the anterior temporal (entorhinal, ventral temporopolar, lateral orbitofrontal, amygdala) and posterior medial systems (thalamus, parahippocampal, posterior cingulate, precuneus, lateral parietal and medial prefrontal). Linear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of memory performance. RESULTS: Total grey matter and cortex volumes correlated with all subtypes of EM, and the precuneus volume correlated with overall, immediate and delayed memories. Univariant regression analysis identified an association between the volumes of the posterior medial memory network regions and EM scores. The volume of the left precuneus area was the unique and independent predictor for all EM subtypes except for visual memory, for which left HC volume was also an independent predictor. CONCLUSION: Left precuneus volume was the best predictor of memory in relapsing MS patients with low disability and mild deficits in EM.