Publications by authors named "Cutsforth-Gregory Jk"

Background And Purpose: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics disorder as evidenced by the delayed ascent of radiotracers over the cerebral convexity on radionuclide cisternography. However, the exact mechanism causing this disruption remains unclear. Elucidating the pathophysiology of iNPH is crucial, as it is a treatable cause of dementia.

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Spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks require advanced myelographic techniques for precise localization, which is in turn necessary for optimal treatment. Here, we will discuss the various myelographic techniques that have become available in recent years for CSF leak localization. Each of these can be used to detect many different types of spinal CSF leaks, although each modality has unique advantages and disadvantages, which will be outlined here.

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Cerebrospinal fluid leaks are important to recognize because they can cause debilitating symptoms for patients and have life-threatening complications. Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the subarachnoid space can occur at the cranial or spinal level, with distinct clinical presentations, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment modalities depending on the type and location of the leak. Spontaneous, traumatic, and iatrogenic spinal CSF leaks cause reduced intracranial CSF volume and the clinicoradiologic syndrome commonly called "intracranial hypotension".

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Background And Purpose: CSF-venous fistulas are a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The diagnosis and precise localization of these fistulas hinges on specialized myelographic techniques, which mainly include decubitus digital subtraction myelography and decubitus CT myelography (using either energy integrating or photon counting detector CT). A previous case series showed that cone beam CT myelography, performed as an adjunctive tool with digital subtraction myelography, increased the detection of CSF-venous fistulas.

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Article Synopsis
  • Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is primarily caused by spinal CSF leaks, mostly reported in adults, but this report focuses on its occurrence in children.
  • Recent advances in specialized myelography techniques have improved the localization of these leaks, yet there's been limited research in the pediatric population due to the rarity of the condition and concerns about invasive procedures.
  • This study reviews pediatric cases with spontaneously occurring spinal CSF leaks, identifying similar leak types found in adults, and demonstrates that advanced imaging techniques can effectively pinpoint and aid in the treatment of these leaks.
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  • The 2023 Match cycle featured virtual interviews for adult neurology residency programs, but some places offered optional in-person second-look events after the interviews.
  • Mayo Clinic wanted to know what applicants thought about these events, so they surveyed those who interviewed there.
  • Many applicants enjoyed visiting the campus and meeting residents in person, and about half of those who attended the second-look event changed their opinions on which programs they preferred.
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CSF-venous fistulas (CVFs) are a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. These fistulas usually occur without any preceding major trauma, surgery, or other iatrogenic cause. Occasionally, patients have a history of minor trauma, though such cases are usually still considered spontaneous.

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Article Synopsis
  • CSF-venous fistulas (CVFs) are a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension, but they are challenging to detect through imaging methods.
  • Since their identification in 2014, the awareness and diagnosis of CVFs have improved significantly due to collaboration across multiple institutions.
  • This article reviews various imaging techniques for detecting CVFs, highlighting their specific benefits and limitations, and discusses strategies to enhance imaging visibility through specialized positions and techniques.
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Purpose Of Review: This review focuses on the challenges of diagnosing and treating spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), a condition caused by spinal CSF leakage. It emphasizes the need for increased awareness and advocates for early and thoughtful use of empirical epidural blood patches (EBPs) in suspected cases.

Recent Findings: SIH diagnosis is hindered by variable symptoms and inconsistent imaging results, including normal brain MRI and unreliable spinal opening pressures.

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  • - The study investigated the safety of ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in older patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) who were either on anticoagulation therapy or not.
  • - Out of 234 patients reviewed, those on anticoagulants experienced a higher incidence of tract hemorrhage post-surgery (11.1% vs. 2.5%), but rates of other hemorrhagic complications were similar across both groups.
  • - The findings highlight the common use of anticoagulants in the iNPH patient population and suggest careful monitoring may be necessary for those undergoing shunt placement.
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Photon-counting CT is an increasingly used technology with numerous advantages over conventional energy-integrating detector CT. These include superior spatial resolution, high temporal resolution, and inherent spectral imaging capabilities. Recently, photon-counting CT myelography was described as an effective technique for the detection of CSF-venous fistulas, a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

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Cerebrospinal fluid-venous fistula (CVF) is an important cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), a condition characterized by low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume and orthostatic headaches. The pathogenesis of CVF is thought to be direct connection of the spinal dura to one or more veins in the epidural space, allowing unregulated flow of CSF into the venous system. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the endovascular management of CVF in patients with SIH.

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Photon-counting detector CT myelography is a recently described technique that has several advantages for the detection of CSF-venous fistulas, one of which is improved spatial resolution. To maximally leverage the high spatial resolution of photon-counting detector CT, a sharp kernel and a thin section reconstruction are needed. Sharp kernels and thin slices often result in increased noise, degrading image quality.

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Background And Purpose: CSF-venous fistulas are a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Lateral decubitus digital subtraction myelography and CT myelography are the diagnostic imaging standards to identify these fistulas. Photon-counting CT myelography has technological advantages that might improve CSF-venous fistula detection, though no large studies have yet assessed its diagnostic performance.

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Background: Cerebrospinal fluid-venous fistulas (CSFVF) are a common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH). Transvenous embolization has emerged as a reliable treatment option. We review the clinical presentation, imaging, and clinical outcomes of 100 consecutive CSFVF patients who underwent embolization over 2 years.

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Background And Purpose: The likelihood of discovering a CSF leak can be determined by assessing intracranial abnormalities. However, the Dobrocky scoring system, which is used to determine this likelihood, did not incorporate patients with CSF-venous fistulas. This study sought to create a new probabilistic scoring system applicable to patients without a spinal longitudinal extradural collection.

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Objective: To describe clinical and radiographic outcomes of surgical repair of cerebrospinal fluid-venous fistula (CVF), an increasingly recognized cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension that is poorly responsive to epidural blood patch (EBP).

Methods: Retrospective review identified adult patients who had lateral decubitus digital subtraction myelography indicative of cerebrospinal fluid leak at Mayo Clinic between November 2018 and February 2020, with clearly localized CVF, followed by surgical treatment. Patients without available imaging before or after surgery were excluded.

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CSF-venous fistulas are an increasingly recognized type of CSF leak that can be particularly challenging to detect, even with recently improved imaging techniques. Currently, most institutions use decubitus digital subtraction myelography or dynamic CT myelography to localize CSF-venous fistulas. Photon-counting detector CT is a relatively recent advancement that has many theoretical benefits, including excellent spatial resolution, high temporal resolution, and spectral imaging capabilities.

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Background And Purpose: : Post-shunt MRI is usually performed at 1.5T under the general assumption that shunt-related susceptibility artifacts would be greater at higher field strengths.

Purpose: The purpose is to show that imaging post-shunt idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) patients at 3T is feasible and with reduced artifacts as compared to 1.

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Objective: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) results in significant morbidity in the elderly with symptoms of dementia, gait instability, and urinary incontinence. In well-selected patients, ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement often results in clinical improvement. Most postshunt assessments of patients rely on subjective scales.

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Aim: To measure the baseline spinopelvic parameters and characterize the sagittal, and coronal plane deformities in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

Material And Methods: We analyzed a series of patients at one academic institution who underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunting for iNPH with pre-shunt standing full length x-rays. The series of patients was enrolled consecutively to minimize selection bias.

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