Carotid cavernous fistulae occurring after the use of the Fogarty catheter in carotid surgery: a review.

The Fogarty catheter represents a major advancement for the effective removal of distal thrombi during vascular surgery, including carotid endarterectomy (CEA). One complication related to its use is injury to the cavernous carotid artery with development of a carotid cavernous fistula (CCF). Including a recent case at our institution, 21 patients with a Fogarty-related CCF have been reported since 1967.

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid inhibition attenuates balloon injury-induced neointima formation and vascular remodeling in rat carotid arteries.

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) contributes to the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in vitro, but there are few studies that address its effects on vascular remodeling in vivo. The present study determined whether inhibition of 20-HETE production attenuates intimal hyperplasia (IH) and vascular remodeling after balloon injury (BI). Sprague Dawley rats underwent BI of the common carotid artery and were treated with vehicle, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT, 50 mg/kg i.

Aortic response to balloon injury in obese Zucker rats.

The small diameter of the carotid artery is not compatible with the evaluation of clinically available endovascular devices in the carotid balloon-injury (BI) model. We developed an endovascular BI model in the rat descending aorta, whose size is compatible with available endovascular instruments. We also tested the hypothesis that neointima formation is enhanced in the aorta of obese Zucker rats (OZR) compared with lean Zucker rats (LZR).

Transarterial balloon assisted Onyx embolization of pericallosal arteriovenous malformations.

Summary: Preliminary experience using a balloon assisted technique (BAT) for embolization of arteriovenous malformations (AVM) is reported. Two patients with large pericallosal AVMs were successfully embolized with Onyx under Scepter C balloon catheter flow arrest.

Clinical Presentation: One patient presented with a large intraventricular hemorrhage and hydrocephalus.

Endovascular embolization of prominent intercavernous sinuses for successful transsphenoidal resection of Cushing microadenoma: case report.

Background And Importance: Prominent intercavernous sinuses may result in vigorous bleeding during transsphenoidal resection of pituitary microadenomas and lead to incomplete or aborted tumor resection. We report the use of coil embolization of the intercavernous sinuses to prevent uncontrollable bleeding before transsphenoidal surgery is reattempted.

Clinical Presentation: A 40-year-old man with Cushing disease underwent an attempt for transsphenoidal resection of an adrenocorticotrophic hormone--producing pituitary microadenoma.

Angiographic evaluation of the rat carotid balloon injury model.

Rationale: The rat carotid balloon-injury (BI) model is a widely used model of intimal hyperplasia (IH) and vascular remodeling. A variable degree of IH after BI has been previously reported, and we have encountered technical challenges and suboptimal results with the original method.

Objective: To evaluate the original rat carotid artery BI method with the use of micro-angiography.

Exophytic ependymoma of the thoracic spine.

Exophytic ependymomas of the spinal cord are very rare outside the filum or conus region. We present a patient with a thoracic spinal cord intradural extramedullary and intramedullary, World Health Organization grade II ependymoma. Gross total resection of the extramedullary component with subtotal resection of the intramedullary tumor was achieved, since there was no clear distinction between cord and tumor.

Balloon-assisted coiling of the proximal lobule of a paraophthalmic aneurysm causing panhypopituitarism: Technical case report.

Background: We describe an intra-aneurysmal balloon-assisted technique to limit the coil volume in a large bilobulated paraophthalmic aneurysm. Our intent was to reduce the mass effect and presenting symptoms of diabetes insipidus (DI) with hypopituitarism.

Case Description: A 32-year-old woman presented with symptoms of DI and her work-up demonstrated hypopituitarism and partial bitemporal visual field defects.

Asymptomatic aneurysm of the cavernous and supraclinoid internal carotid artery in a patient with Balamuthia mandrillaris encephalitis.

This is the first report to our knowledge of the successful treatment of an asymptomatic mycotic aneurysm associated with Balamuthia mandrillaris encephalitis. A 27-year-old male with end-stage renal disease presented with generalized seizures following renal transplantation. MRI demonstrated multiple brain masses and an aneurysm of the cavernous and supraclinoid carotid artery.

Neurosurgical intervention in the diagnosis and treatment of Balamuthia mandrillaris encephalitis.

The authors describe the unique presentation of Balamuthia mandrillaris encephalitis in a kidney donor and two recipients. All three patients suffered acute clinical deterioration, with radiological or clinical evidence of intracranial hypertension. Brain autopsy in the donor and an urgent brain biopsy in a recipient established the diagnosis.