Publications by authors named "Mariko Kawashima"

Article Synopsis
  • A 66-year-old man had a type of brain tumor called a meningioma that was monitored for 13 years.
  • Over time, the tumor shrank significantly without treatment.
  • This case shows that sometimes tumors can get smaller on their own, and it's important to consider non-surgical options for older patients or those with other health issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A case study of a 48-year-old man with an anaplastic meningioma showed repeated recurrences and invasion of the right anterior cerebral artery, necessitating a challenging surgical approach.
  • * The surgical team successfully performed a side-to-side anastomosis to achieve complete tumor removal without complications, highlighting this technique as a viable option for similar cases where extensive resection is needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Recent advancements in radiological imaging allow for the detection of micro-remnant arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS), which were previously undetectable.
  • This study analyzed patients at NTT Medical Center Tokyo who underwent both 2D digital subtraction angiography and 3D rotational angiography as follow-up after GKS, aiming to identify undetected micro-remnants.
  • Results showed that 3D-RA successfully detected micro-remnants in all cases, suggesting its effectiveness in treatment planning and potential enhancement of GKS retreatment outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the effects of revascularization surgery on neurocognitive function in adults with moyamoya disease (MMD), particularly focusing on the improvement of frontal lobe blood flow.
  • A group of 20 patients with poor blood flow (Group M) showed significant improvement in cognitive function post-surgery, with better outcomes compared to a control group of 23 patients undergoing different surgeries (Group C).
  • The findings suggest that enhancing blood flow to the frontal lobe may be crucial for alleviating cognitive impairments in MMD, highlighting the need for surgical strategies that prioritize both stroke prevention and cognitive health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Systemic therapy for cancer treatment has improved, and therapeutic options for intracranial lesions are increasing. Combinations of treatment modalities are required in certain difficult cases. Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKS) is effective for the treatment of brain metastases, especially for lesions that are inoperable because of their anatomical or functional location.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) leads to multiple nerve system tumors, making treatment challenging, and this study explores how different genetic mutations affect responses to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for schwannomas.
  • Researchers analyzed a small cohort of 14 NF2 patients with 22 tumors, revealing high progression-free rates (PFRs) of 95% at 5 years, but with some variations based on mutation types, particularly worse outcomes for truncating mutations.
  • The study concluded that while SRS offers good PFR for less severe genetic forms of NF2, it requires cautious use in severe cases, especially those with specific mutations that may have poorer outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Spontaneous regression of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare condition observed in 0.3%-1.3% of patients with AVMs and is most likely caused by hemorrhagic events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background As the overall survival in non-small-cell lung cancer has increased, safer, long-term treatments for brain metastases are increasingly needed. This study aimed to analyze the outcomes of fractionated and single-fraction gamma knife radiosurgery for brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer, focusing on driver alteration status. Methodology Patients who underwent gamma knife radiosurgery as their first local treatment for brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer between May 2018 and December 2021 at our institution were retrospectively enrolled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To compare treatment results between fractionated gamma knife radiosurgery (f-GKRS) and staged gamma knife radiosurgery (s-GKRS) for mid-to-large brain metastases (BMs).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of patients with medium (4-10 mL) to large (> 10 mL) BMs who underwent s-GKRS or f-GKRS between March 2008 and September 2022. Patients were treated with (i) s-GKRS before May 2018 and (ii) f-GKRS after May 2018.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Surgical resection of tumors in the cavernous sinus poses significant challenges, particularly for "nonadenomatous" skull base tumors, with limited existing data on radical resection outcomes and effects on cranial nerve function.
  • The study involved 35 patients undergoing endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETS) for various tumor types, with 80% achieving gross total resection (GTR) and a median follow-up of 36.5 months.
  • Post-surgery, over half of the patients experienced symptom improvement, and most had no recurrence, indicating that ETS is a viable option for surgical treatment with manageable neurological risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gross total resection, without causing neurological deficits, is challenging in skull base meningioma (SBM). Therefore, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an important approach for SBMs; however, it is difficult to predict the long-term prognosis.

Objective: To identify the predictive factors for tumor progression after SRS for World Health Organization (WHO) grade I SBMs, focusing on the Ki-67 labeling index (LI).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Because patients with untreated brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are at variable risks of cerebral hemorrhage and associated mortality and morbidity, it is essential to identify patient populations who benefit most from prophylactic interventions. This study aimed to examine age-dependent differences in the therapeutic effect of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on BAVMs.

Methods And Materials: This retrospective observational study enrolled patients with BAVMs who underwent SRS at our institution between 1990 and 2017.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) may present with mild cognitive dysfunction, even those without evidence of conspicuous brain parenchymal damage. This cognitive dysfunction might be caused by local frontal lobe ischemia.

Objective: To explore the relationship between frontal lobe hemodynamic insufficiency and cognitive dysfunction in patients with MMD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Antiangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors play an essential role in systemic therapy for renal cell carcinoma. Given the anti-edematous effect of bevacizumab, an antiangiogenic antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors should exert therapeutic effects on radiation-induced brain injury after stereotactic radiosurgery. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor against radiation-induced brain injury.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cerebral dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) are intracranial vascular malformations with fine, abnormal vascular architecture. High-resolution vascular imaging is vital for their visualization. Currently, rotational angiography (RA) provides the finest 3-dimensional visualization of the arteriovenous shunt with high spatial resolution; however, the efficacies of the integration of RA have never been studied in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for DAVFs until now.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenomas (LGPAs) are common, benign, and intraorbital tumours that cause exophthalmos, ptosis, and visual disturbances. The curative treatment for LGPAs is gross total resection, and radiotherapy is considered adjunctive for recurrence or an alternative for inoperable LGPAs. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be used for precise delivery of high radiation doses to the tumour, crucial in the treatment of intra-and extracranial neoplasms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The process of cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) obliteration following radiosurgery is poorly understood. Authors of this retrospective study aimed to assess the changes in AVM hemodynamics after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) by using 3D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to elucidate the process of AVM obliteration.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with AVMs treated with SRS between July 2015 and December 2017 were included in this study and classified into two groups depending on the duration of AVM obliteration: group A, obliteration within 3 years (n = 15); and group B, obliteration taking more than 3 years or no obliteration (n = 9).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stereotactic frame-based brain tumor biopsy (SFB) is a potent diagnostic tool considering its minimal invasiveness, though its diagnostic power and safety for brainstem lesions remain to be discussed. Here, we aimed to examine the usefulness of SFB for brainstem tumors. Twenty-two patients with brainstem tumors underwent 23 SFBs at our institution during 2002-2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the diencephalon (DC) and brainstem (BS) are difficult to treat. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a reasonable option; however, an optimal radiosurgical dose needs to be established to optimize long-term outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate dose-dependent long-term outcomes of SRS for DC/BS-AVMs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tumor cyst aspiration followed by Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for large cystic brain metastases is a reasonable and effective management strategy. However, even with aspiration, the target lesion tends to exceed the dimensions of an ideal target for stereotactic radiosurgery. In this case, the local tumor control rate and the risk of complication might be a critical challenge.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) using gamma knife is useful for brain metastases. However, several uncertainties derived from fractionation pose issues for maintaining high-level accuracy. This study analyzed interfractional tumor change by performing radiological reassessment at the midterm of FSRT with ≥ 10 fractions, and the significance of replanning was evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a standard treatment modality for vestibular schwannomas (VSs). However, there is a paucity of data on tumor control and neurological preservation for larger VSs. We aimed to investigate the long-term effectiveness of SRS for Koos grade IV compared with I-III VSs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF