Endovascular management of fusiform aneurysm of anterior temporal artery: Technical report.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of a rare, nontraumatic, fusiform aneurysm of the anterior temporal artery (ATA) via endovascular techniques is presented, and procedural nuances are highlighted. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review and collected demographic and clinical data on the patient presented here; procedural details were extracted from operative notes. RESULTS: Following successful balloon test occlusion (BTO) of the ATA, complete coil embolization of the ATA, and its associated fusiform aneurysm was performed. Postprocedurally, the patient did not suffer any adverse neurological sequelae. CONCLUSION: Selective BTO of intracranial branch vessels is safe, technically feasible, and could serve as a useful technical tool in the treatment of complex, fusiform intracranial aneurysms.

Pathophysiology and management of spontaneous intracranial hypotension--a review.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension is a syndrome involving reduced intracranial pressure secondary to a dural tear which occurs mostly due to connective tissue disorders such as Marfans Syndrome, and Ehler Danlos Syndrome. Patients with dural ectasias leading to CSF leakage into the subdural or epidural space classically present with orthostatic headaches and cranial nerve deficits mostly seen in cranial nerves V-VIII. Diagnosis of SIH is confirmed with the aid of neuroimaging modalities of which Cranial MR imaging is most widely used. SIH can be treated conservatively or with epidural blood patches which are now widely being used to repair dural tears, and their effectiveness is being recognized. Recently epidural injection of fibrin glue has also been used which has been found to be effective in certain patients.

Awareness and use of Benzodiazepines in healthy volunteers and ambulatory patients visiting a tertiary care hospital: a cross sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Indiscriminate prescription of Benzodiazepines in Pakistan and subsequent availability over-the-counter without prescription is a major public health problem, requiring systematic inquiry through research. Additionally, there is limited data on the awareness and use of Benzodiazepines from developing countries making it impossible to devise meaningful health policies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This was an Observational, Cross-Sectional study. conducted at Aga Khan University. A total of 475 (58.5% males, 41.5% females) people visiting a tertiary care hospital were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. The results showed that majority of population was aware of one or more Benzodiazepines (80.4%) and 30.4% had used them at some point in life. 42.4% of the users had been using it for more than a year. Commonest reason for use was sleep disturbance. Frequency of usage was higher for females, married individuals, educated (>Grade12), high socioeconomic status and housewives. More (59%) were prescribed than not and of them most by GP (58.5%). Only 36.5% of them were particularly told about the long-term addiction potential by the use of these drugs. CONCLUSION: Easy availability, access to re-fills without prescription and self prescription compounded with the lack of understanding of abuse potential of benzodiazepines constitutes a significant problem demanding serious consideration from health policy makers.