[Experience of cerebral angiography using gadolinium for renal insufficiency].

Angiography by means of iodinated contrast material, before endovascular or surgical treatment, may result in serious complications in patients with renal insufficiency or previous anaphylactoid reaction to iodine. Alternative techniques, such as magnetic resonance angiography or carbon dioxide angiography, have their own limitations. We report effectiveness and safety of cerebral angiography using gadolinium for a patient with right vertebral artery and basilar artery occlusion and renal insufficiency.

Intracranial meningeal melanocytoma.

A 59-year-old man presented with a rare intracranial meningeal melanocytoma in the left cerebellopontine angle. The patient underwent partial surgical excision and radiosurgery for successful control of the tumor. Meningeal melanocytoma is an essentially benign melanotic tumor, derived from the melanocytes of the leptomeninges, and may occur anywhere in the cranial and spinal meninges.

Stent-assisted angioplasty for intracranial atherosclerosis.

We report on two patients with intracranial atherosclerosis of the carotid artery or vertebral artery treated with stent-assisted angioplasty. Both patients have severe intracranial atherosclerosis (>70%) with refractory symptoms despite optimal medical treatment. In both patients, a coronary balloon-expandable stent was successfully placed using a protective balloon technique without procedural complications.