Late intra-arterial thrombolysis.

A 70-year-old woman with a progressive dominant hemisphere syndrome but only mild hemiparesis and a normal brain scan (>3 hours from stroke onset) showed angiographic occlusion of the left anterior cerebral artery and the middle cerebral artery at its trifurcation with preservation of the rolandic artery. Intra-arterial thrombolysis was started >6 hours from onset of symptoms. Recanalization occurred and the patient recovered with a transcortical motor aphasia and no motor deficit. A negative brain scan and an incomplete large hemispheric syndrome may indicate an extended time-window for intra-arterial thrombolysis.

Multiple sclerosis of the spinal cord: diagnosis and follow-up with contrast-enhanced MR and correlation with clinical activity.

PURPOSE: Although MR findings in multiple sclerosis (MS) are well known, the relationship between MR-detected lesions and clinical activity has not been studied in the spinal cord. The purpose of this study was to determine whether serial MR imaging provides evidence of disease activity unsuspected on clinical examination and to determine whether it is useful in monitoring patients with MS primarily affecting the spinal cord. METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive patients with MS and with signs and symptoms of myelopathy underwent a full neurologic examination and contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the spinal cord at intervals of 0, 2, 6, and 12 months. Disability was rated according to Kurtzke's functional systems and the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Clinical status of myelopathy (improved, deteriorated, or stable) was also assessed. Hyperintense lesions were counted on T2-weighted images and a weighted lesion load was calculated for each patient. The number of enhancing lesions was also determined. RESULTS: We found a moderate correlation between lesion load and sensory function and EDSS. Seventy percent of patients with new clinical manifestations of myelopathy had one or more enhancing lesions. Agreement between MR findings and clinical examination in evincing disease activity was found in 60% of follow-up examinations. MR images showed lesion progression in seven (44%) of 16 occurrences of clinical deterioration and in 21 (35%) of 60 occurrences of clinical improvement or stability. CONCLUSION: Serial MR imaging provides evidence of disease activity unsuspected on clinical examination and could be useful in monitoring patients with MS primarily affecting the spinal cord.

Early diagnosis and endovascular interventions for ischemic stroke.

In recent years there have been formidable advances in the war against stroke. The understanding and detection of stroke have undergone major progress at a rate previously unseen, partly due to major contributions from neuroradiology. Current routine neuroradiologic evaluation of acute stroke relies mainly on computed tomography scanning, although a number of radiologic modalities are becoming available that are based on various physical and chemical tissue properties, such as magnetic resonance imaging, single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. All these new techniques allow the study of nervous tissue at the cellular and biochemical levels. A review of current diagnostic techniques for stroke follows in the first part of this article. The current status of endovascular therapy for ischemic stroke is reviewed in the second part of this article.

Spinal metastases as a first presentation of malignant astrocytoma.

A 46-year-old man presented with low dorsal pain and paresthesia. Computed tomography showed an osteolytic lesion involving most of the vertebral body and the left pedicle of the 12th thoracic vertebra (T12). Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine showed an enhancing soft-tissue mass that involved the T11 and T12 vertebral bodies, as well as that of the first lumbar vertebra; the mass caused cord compression. Another lesion was identified at T9. The findings of percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy of the lesion were consistent with metastatic astrocytoma, a diagnosis confirmed at surgery. MRI of the brain showed an asymptomatic lesion of the left temporal lobe; histologic confirmation of malignant astrocytoma was obtained by stereotactic biopsy. This report shows that metastatic bone disease secondary to malignant astrocytoma may manifest itself before the primary lesion becomes symptomatic. This presentation of astrocytoma was unusual because there were no symptoms of the intracranial tumour and because metastatic disease to the bones is less common than to the chest and the lymph nodes.

High-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the breast.

A case of high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the breast of a 46-year-old woman was studied. Of 19 axillary lymph nodes examined in the surgical specimen, 17 displayed metastatic cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of primary breast cancer histologically comparable with high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary-gland origin.

Ultrastructure of intestinal lymphatics in Crohn's disease.

The fine structure of intestinal lymphatics in four patients with Crohn's disease and in two control subjects is described. Although obstructed lacteals are considered to be of major importance in the pathogenesis of regional enteritis, no detailed electron microscopic studies of lymphatic capillaries in this disease could be found. Even though both open and closed intercellular junctions were observed in the normal intestinal lymphatics, only closed junctions were noted in the mucosal and submucosal lymphatic capillaries in patients with regional enteritis. A heavy accumulation of protein rich lymph at the abluminal surface of lymphatic capillaries was consistently seen. None of the control lymphatics showed a similar alteration. The described fine structural changes indicate a decreased permeability of the lymphatic wall. Reduced lymphatic permeability could be a contributing element in the development of submucosal edema, a major microscopic feature of Crohn's disease.

Mixed mesodermal tumor of urinary bladder: a light and electron microscopic study.

Light and ultrastructural findings in a mixed mesodermal tumor of the urinary bladder are reported. The mesenchymal component of the tumor contained undifferentiated mesenchymal cells and cells with chondroblastic differentiation. The neoplastic chondrocytes displayed an abundance of cytoplasmic microfilaments and had a scalloped cell surface.

Tricuspid valve and papillary muscle avulsion following flow-directed catheter removal.

A case is presented of tricuspid valve and papillary muscle avulsion which occurred during removal of a Swan-Ganz catheter. A review of pertinent literature and discussion of a possible mechanism for the cause of the complication and its prevention are presented.The authors believe this to be the first reported instance of such a complication.