Alcohol intoxication and its effects on traumatic spinal cord injury outcomes.

There are sparse data regarding the impact of alcohol on in-hospital complications associated with traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs). We set out to quantify the impact of alcohol on TSCI outcomes and its influence on health care cost and utilization. The National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) Research Data Set version 7.

Incidence and severity of acute complications after spinal cord injury.

Object: The aim of this multicenter, prospective study was to determine the spectrum, incidence, and severity of complications during the initial hospitalization of patients with spinal cord injury.

Methods: The study was conducted at 9 university-affiliated hospitals that comprise the clinical centers of the North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) for Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury. The study population comprised 315 patients admitted to NACTN clinical centers between June 25, 2005, and November 2, 2010, who had American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale grades of A-D and were 18 years of age or older.

Short-term neuropsychological outcome following Gamma Knife radiosurgery for arteriovenous malformations: a preliminary report.

This study investigated the effect of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for the treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) on neuropsychological functioning. We examined neuropsychological performance in 10 patients before and after radiosurgical treatment with the Leksell cobalt-60 Gamma Knife unit. The patients included 7 right-handed women and 3 right-handed men.

Intracavernous teratoma in a school-aged child.

An eight-year-old boy presented with left eye pain, photophobia, proptosis, third nerve paresis and decreased visual acuity. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a nonenhancing mass filling the cavernous sinus. Using an extradural fronto-orbitozygomatic approach, the cavernous sinus was approached laterally, and a teratoma was removed from within the cavernous sinus.

Spinal vascular malformations: endovascular therapy.

Over the past 30 years, the development of diagnostic spinal angiography has led to effective endovascular techniques for treatment of spinal vascular malformations. Specific locations, size, rapidity of shunt, and clinical presentation determine the best treatment and prognosis.

Intracranial germinoma: treatment with radiosurgery alone--a case report.

The management of intracranial germinomas is controversial, with treatment options including conventional wide-field irradiation with or without chemotherapy or primary chemotherapy alone. The potential role of radiosurgery in the treatment of these lesions, although appealing, remains to be defined. We report a case whose initial management plan included radiosurgery to be followed by chemotherapy; however the patient subsequently refused chemotherapy.

Radiosurgical management of meningiomas.

The management of residual, recurrent, or small skull base meningiomas is controversial. Stereotactic radiosurgery has emerged as an alternative treatment. We report our experience from September 1991 to August 1994 of treatment of 20 such patients [18 females -age 19-82 years, followed for 6-36 months (mean 15.

Spinal vascular malformations: endovascular therapy.

Over the past 30 years, the development of diagnostic spinal angiography has led to effective endovascular techniques for treatment of spinal vascular malformations. Specific location, size, rapidity of shunt, and clinical presentation determine the best treatment and prognosis.

Thallium-avid cerebral radiation necrosis.

Thallium imaging has been proposed as a noninvasive method to distinguish recurrent tumor from cerebral radiation necrosis in patients who have undergone radiation therapy. Previous reports have supported the intuitive hypothesis that metabolically active tumor tissue would accumulate Tl-201 to a much higher degree than nonviable necrotic tissue. A case of biopsy-proven cerebral radiation necrosis is presented demonstrating a degree of Tl-201 avidity previously thought to be diagnostic of recurrent tumor.

Selective endovascular treatment of 71 intracranial aneurysms with platinum coils.

Seventy-one intracranial aneurysms were treated by endovascular techniques, with the placement of minicoils inside the aneurysmal sac. Most aneurysms were manifest by hemorrhage (67 cases), and 43 of these were treated within the first 3 days after presentation. At the 1-year follow-up examination, the outcome was scored as good in 84.

Endovascular treatment of a giant fusiform aneurysm of the entire basilar artery.

The authors describe a case of fusiform basilar artery aneurysm not amenable to surgical clipping or balloon occlusion with preservation of the parent artery. The aneurysm was treated by balloon occlusion (proximal basilar artery) after test occlusion was well-tolerated; 7-year follow-up showed good results.

Aneurysms of spinal arteries associated with intramedullary arteriovenous malformations. II. Results of AVM endovascular treatment and hemodynamic considerations.

Purpose: To evaluate the changes occurring in spinal aneurysm (SA) size related to modification of endovascularly treated AVMs.

Methods: Fourteen patients with an intramedullary AVM and associated SA underwent endovascular treatment of their AVM with particles. Embolization sessions numbered from one to 14 (mean five) in each patient.

Aneurysms of spinal arteries associated with intramedullary arteriovenous malformations. I. Angiographic and clinical aspects.

Purpose: To evaluate the nature of aneurysms of the spinal arteries, their relative frequency, and the risks associated with these lesions.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the spinal angiographic studies of 186 patients with spinal cord vascular malformations--70 intramedullary AVMs, 44 extra (peri) medullary AV fistulas, and 72 dural AV fistulas.

Results: Fifteen spinal artery aneurysms (SAs) in 14 out of 70 patients (20%) with an intramedullary AVM were discovered.

Intra-operative monitoring of the facial nerve with an air inflated balloon. Technical note.

A simple, reliable and cheap device for intra-operative monitoring of the facial nerve during surgery for cerebellopontine angle tumours is presented. It consists of a single use tracheostomy tube with a low pressure air inflatable cuff placed in the mouth of the patient on the side of the tumour, connected by a pressure transducer to a monitoring unit. It records any pressure changes in the patient's mouth induced by muscular contractions as a result of excitation of the inferior parts of the facial nerve.

Endovascular occlusion of intracranial vessels for curative treatment of unclippable aneurysms: report of 16 cases.

Among 121 intracerebral aneurysms presenting at one institution between 1984 and 1989, 16 were treated by endovascular means. All 16 lesions were intradural and intracranial, and had failed either surgical or endovascular attempts at selective exclusion with parent vessel preservation. The lesions included four giant middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms, one giant anterior communicating artery aneurysm, six giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysms, one posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, one giant mid-basilar artery aneurysm, two giant fusiform basilar artery aneurysms, and one dissecting vertebral artery aneurysm.

Curative treatment of scalp arteriovenous fistulas by direct puncture and embolization with absolute alcohol. Report of three cases.

Three cases of direct arteriovenous fistulas of the scalp (two involving cirsoid aneurysms) are presented. All three patients were treated with direct puncture of the venous pouch and injection of absolute ethyl alcohol during compression of the venous outflow of the fistula. Two of the three patients were cured with this treatment alone.

MR imaging of head and neck vascular malformations.

Between 1980 and 1990, 150 patients with cervicofacial vascular malformations were studied at the authors' institution with computed tomography, plain radiography, and angiography. Since 1989, 34 of these patients have also undergone magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Capillary-venous hemangiomas seem to be the best indication for the adjunctive use of MR imaging.

Embolization of arteriovenous malformations of the temporal lobe via the anterior choroidal artery.

The indications, technique, and results of embolization of arteriovenous malformations with liquid adhesive agents delivered through the anterior choroidal artery are reported. Arteriovenous malformations of the temporal lobe were found in four patients with intracerebral bleeding and two with intractable epilepsy. In five of the six, the dominant arterial feeder was the anterior choroidal artery.

Endovascular occlusion of vertebral arteries in the treatment of unclippable vertebrobasilar aneurysms.

Twenty-one patients with aneurysms of the vertebrobasilar circulation underwent unilateral or bilateral endovascular occlusion of the vertebral artery. Six patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), 10 with mass effect, four with mass effect and SAH, and one with ischemic symptoms. Thirteen patients had good outcomes with complete clinical and angiographic cure.

Percutaneous transvenous catheterization and embolization of vein of galen aneurysms.

Seven cases of vein of Galen aneurysms treated by percutaneous transvenous endovascular occlusion of the aneurysmal vein are presented. In one case, the approach was via the femoral vein, and in the other six cases, by the jugular vein. All of the malformations were multipedicular and, additionally, in six of the seven there was an intervening arterial-arterial network between the posterior thalamoperforating arteries and the wall of the venous aneurysm.

MRI in spontaneous dissection of vertebral and carotid arteries. 15 cases studied at 0.5 tesla.

Fifteen patients were observed between 1987 and 1990: there were six with angiographically confirmed vertebral artery dissection, and 9 with carotid artery dissection. Results showed concordance of MRI and angiographic findings, in all cases but one. The dissected portion consistently showed a semilunar hyperintensity narrowing the residual eccentric signal void of the lumen when the artery was not completely occluded.

Embolization with particles in thoracic intramedullary arteriovenous malformations: long-term angiographic and clinical results.

To evaluate the long-term results of endovascular treatment with particles in the management of thoracic intramedullary arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), the authors retrospectively reviewed the angiographic and clinical findings in 35 patients. Follow-up was 1-15 years (mean, 6 years) in 28 patients and 6-10 months (mean, 7 months) in seven. A total of 158 embolization procedures were performed in 35 patients.

Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea in patients with untreated pituitary adenoma: report of two cases.

We report the cases of two patients with untreated pituitary adenoma who presented with cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea. The surgical treatment and mechanisms involved in this rare condition are discussed.

Rupture of aneurysms following balloon embolization.

Three cases of complex aneurysms are presented in which balloon embolization therapy was associated with subsequent aneurysmal rupture, causing subarachnoid hemorrhage in two cases and a carotid-cavernous fistula in one. Two of these patients were treated directly by balloon embolization following surgical exploration. The third patient developed the fistula during postembolization volume expansion and heparinization.

Rupture of cavernous carotid artery aneurysm causing subdural hematoma and death. Case report.

Aneurysms of the intracavernous portion of the internal carotid artery may become very large, but they very rarely rupture. A case is described in which rupture of such a lesion resulted in a lethal massive subdural hematoma with transtentorial herniation. This is the second reported case of substantiated intracranial rupture from a wholly intracavernous carotid artery aneurysm.