[Gamma knife radiosurgery for temporal bone chondroblastoma: case report].

A case with chondroblastoma arising from the right temporal bone was reported. A 52-year-old woman demonstrated residual tumor growth after surgical excision. The patient presented continuous right temporalgia and right facial twitch while opening her mouth. The tumor was an expansile mass (tumor volume: 12.8 cm3) and showed homogeneous hypo-intensity on T1 and T2-weighted images, but little contrast enhancement. The patient underwent gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR: marginal dose: 12 Gy, maximum dose: 24 Gy). One month later, her symptoms improved completely. The size of the tumor was reduced to 6.4 cm3 twenty months after GKR. The patient has been free of recurrence and side effects for four years since GKR. GKR may be useful to control residual chondroblastoma of the skull after surgery.

[A case of brain metastasis from gastric cancer involving bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles].

A case with brain metastasis involving bilateral middle cerebellar peduncles (bMCP) was reported. A 71-year-old male with gastric cancer was treated for multiple brain metastasis by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) in September, 2004. Two months after the initial GKR, MRI showed asymmetrical enhanced lesions involving bMCP. A few months later, MRI revealed an expansional infiltration of bMCP lesions. The patient had presented with headache loss of appetite, cerebellar ataxia, diplopia and slight dysmetria. PET showed 2-deoxy-2- [18F] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake of the bMCP lesions. The lesions were diagnosed as brain metastasis of gastric cancer. The patient underwent his second GKR (marginal dose : 19Gy, maximum dose 38Gy) MRI revealed the disappearance of the tumors 3 months after the second GKR. One year later, the patient showed no evidence of recurrence. For the last time, our case was diagnosed as brain metastasis from gastric cancer without meningeal carcinomatosis. It was suggested that FDG-PET can provide additional information about the lesion of bMCP. GKR may be useful to treat the tumor in bMCP.

Surgical treatment of a lenticulostriate artery aneurysm. Case report.

A previously healthy 61-year-old man presented with basal ganglia hemorrhage caused by rupture of a small aneurysm arising from the distal lenticulostriate artery associated with moyamoya-like disease and manifesting as left hemiparesis and dysarthria. The patient underwent frontotemporal craniotomy. Neck clipping of the aneurysm was performed through the hematoma cavity. He was transferred for rehabilitation with left hemiparesis. Three-dimensional computed tomography angiography was very useful for preoperative planning and evaluation of the anatomical correlation between the aneurysm and the hemorrhage.

Persistent primitive trigeminal artery-cavernous sinus fistula with intracerebral hemorrhage: endovascular treatment using detachable coils in a transarterial double-catheter technique. Case report and review of the literature.

Intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in this 61-year-old woman with preexisting diplopia and proptosis. Results of angiography demonstrated a persistent primitive trigeminal artery (PPTA)-cavernous sinus fistula with cortical venous reflux. Two microcatheters were introduced transarterially through the PPTA into the two draining pathways in the cavernous sinus. Coils were delivered in both pathways simultaneously to prevent further venous overload on either path. The fistula was successfully occluded without complication while the PPTA was preserved. The authors describe this double-catheter technique for coil embolization of a fistula and review the literature concerning PPTA-cavernous sinus fistulas.

Ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm associated with parent artery occlusion.

A 63-year-old hypertensive man presented with vertebral artery (VA) dissection manifesting as subarachnoid hemorrhage located mainly in the posterior fossa. Left vertebral angiography on the day of hemorrhage showed complete occlusion of the left VA. Right vertebral angiography showed retrograde filling of the distal portion of the left VA and the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery, and a "double lumen"-like finding in the left VA. He was managed conservatively. Follow-up angiography on Day 29 showed spontaneous recanalization of the occlusive lesion and an almost normal arterial configuration. T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging on Day 45 revealed multiple infarctions in the brainstem. T1-weighted MR imaging showed a high intensity area, suggestive of intramural hematoma, in the left VA. He was transferred to another hospital in a persistent vegetative state.

[Efficacy of propofol in controlling myoclonus during rewarming in a brain hypothermia patient].

Propofol is an intravenous anaesthetic agent having anticonvulsant property. We report here a case in which propofol was effective in controlling myoclonus during rewarming in brain hypothermia patient. A 35-year-old male patient was admitted in a comatose state with right-sided hemiparesis, anisocoria and absence of bilateral light reflex. On admission, a head CT showed traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage, left subdural hematoma, 10 mm midline shift and tentorial herniation with massive brain swelling together with extensive hypodensity in the frontal, temporal and occipital lobes bilaterally. Left decompressive hemicraniectomy, removal of hematoma and brain hypothermia therapy were started immediately. Postoperative head CT showed 15 mm midline shift. The temperature of the jugular bulb was maintained at 34 degrees C for 2 days together with sedation using midazolam under artificial ventilation. The patient was gradually rewarmed at a rate of 0.5 degree C per day from the third hospital day. Myoclonus of sudden onset developed on the patient's head and upper extremities on the third hospital day. An intravenous bolus injection of 10 mg midazolam and continued intravenous infusion of midazolam were given but they did not completely stop myoclonus. A bolus of propofol 60 mg was given intravenously and continuous intravenous infusion of propofol 2 mg.kg-1.hr-1 was started after which the progression of myoclonus disappeared. Myoclonus was kept controlled until the continuous intravenous infusion of midazolam and propofol was discontinued on the sixth hospital day, after which myoclonus occurred again after extubation on the seventh hospital day. The clinical course of this case suggests that propofol might be an alternative effective agent to suppress refractory myoclonus.