The role of spinal tissue scarring in the pathogenesis of progressive post-traumatic myelomalacia.

Objectives: Experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) with focal spinal tissue scarring was studied to better understand the progressive post-traumatic myelomalacia (PPM).

Methods: Using a stereotactic device, the authors developed an acute compression of spinal cord at Th-10 in the adult rat. In Group A, the rat thoracic spinal cord was compressed epidurally with preservation of local cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics.

Regrowth and fatal rerupture despite proximal occlusion after coil embolization of a ruptured large basilar bifurcation aneurysm--case report.

A 40-year-old man suffered chronic progressive symptoms of brainstem compression after undergoing endosaccular coil placement in a ruptured large basilar bifurcation aneurysm. Radiographical examinations showed coil compaction and regrowth of the aneurysmal mass with perifocal mesencephalic edema. The symptoms did not resolve even after additional clip occlusion of the upper basilar artery and the patient died of rerupture.

A brainstem cavernoma demonstrating a dramatic, spontaneous decrease in size during follow-up: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Many reports have demonstrated a worse prognosis for patients whose cavernomas were subtotally removed than for those whose cavernomas were not surgically treated. Therefore, it is better not to touch the cavernoma if a surgeon is not prepared to totally remove it. This report describes a large brainstem cavernoma showing a spontaneous, dramatic reduction in size after removal of only the biopsy specimen of the lesion.

Adjuvant gamma knife radiosurgery after meningioma resection.

We evaluated the usefulness of adjuvant treatment with gamma knife radiosurgery following meningioma surgery. During the past 8 years, we operated on 78 patients with meningiomas. Among these, 28 patients (36%) received gamma knife radiosurgery postoperatively.

[The treatment for asymptomatic meningiomas in the era of radiosurgery].

We evaluated the treatment results in asymptomatic meningiomas in the era of radiosurgery. We encountered 56 patients with asymptomatic meningiomas from January, 1994 to December, 2001. There were 16 male patients and 40 female patients.

[The surgical treatment strategy and results of parasellar meningiomas in the era of radiosurgery].

We evaluated the surgical treatment results of parasellar meningiomas in the era of radiosurgery. We treated 24 patients of parasellar meningiomas surgically. The median age was 60 yrs (ranging from 29 to 82 yrs).

Acute angle-closure glaucoma after successful embolization of traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula--case report.

A 69-year-old woman developed acute angle-closure glaucoma 2 weeks after successful transvenous coil embolization of a traumatic carotid-cavernous sinus fistula. The angle-closure glaucoma was precipitated by oculomotor palsy caused by transvenous coil packing of the cavernous sinus. Emergency iridotomy resulted in normalization of the intraocular pressure and restoration of vision.

[Results of treatment for male prolactinomas].

We evaluated the results of medical treatment for male prolactinomas. We encountered eight patients with male prolactinomas. The age was 25 to 54 years old (mean 43 years) and the chief clinical symptoms were visual acuity/field defect in three patients, pituitary apoplexy in one patient, disturbance of ejection in one patient, generalized convulsion in one patient, headache in one patient and general fatigue in one patient.

Constructive interference in steady state imaging of moyamoya disease.

The diagnostic accuracy of three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state (CISS) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was evaluated for the assessment of idiopathic moyamoya disease. Six consecutive patients underwent MR angiography, CISS imaging, and digital subtraction angiography. MR angiography and CISS imaging visualization of the steno-occlusive changes in the distal internal carotid arteries and the development of moyamoya vessels in the basal cistern were compared to the results obtained by digital subtraction angiography.