ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cerebral vasospasm (CV) is one of the most dreaded complications in patients who survive acute subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), and conventional cerebral angiography (DSA) is the gold standard for its diagnosis. We evaluated CT angiography (CTA) as a non-invasive alternative for diagnosis of CV and assessed if CTA could have a role in choosing appropriate treatment. METHODS: Consecutive patients with SAH and suspected vasospasm were included when DSA was performed within 24 h from CTA. Two neuro-radiologists retrospectively analysed CTA and DSA studies independently. Assessment included presence of central and peripheral vasospasm and grading of severity of central CV. A treatment recommendation based on CTA was compared to actual treatment received. RESULTS: Final analysis included 34 patients. CTA was more accurate for diagnosis of central then for peripheral CV with high sensitivity (reader 1, 91%; reader 2, 92%), specificity (reader 1, 73%; reader 2, 90%), accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for central vasospasm. For grading the severity of CV CTA's sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were high for most central arteries. The reader's recommendation of angioplasty according to CTA was significantly predictive of actual receipt of angioplasty but overestimated actual receipt of triple H treatment. CONCLUSION: CTA is adequate for detecting central vasospasm in symptomatic SAH patients. A negative result should not prevent further investigation especially when evaluating arterial segments adjacent to metal artefacts from coils or clips. CTA is helpful in treatment decision making specifically regarding the need for balloon angioplasty.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Angiography/methods , Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/complications , Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Vasospasm, Intracranial/diagnostic imaging , Vasospasm, Intracranial/etiology , Adult , Aged , Angiography, Digital Subtraction , Chi-Square Distribution , Contrast Media , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and Specificity , Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/therapy , Triiodobenzoic Acids , Vasospasm, Intracranial/therapyABSTRACT
It is increasingly evident that a multitude of etiologies can give rise to signal abnormality in the dorsal and lateral columns of the spinal cord, apart from pernicious anemia. We report a case of dorsal and lateral columns signal abnormality related to hypocupremia resulting in progressive sensory ataxia and weakness in the lower and upper limbs, compounded by a recent diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.
