Novel Fusion Imaging of Muscle, Plaque, Arteries, and Bone Using MR Imaging for Carotid Endarterectomy Patients.

Background: Indications for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and reduction of complications require evaluation of the plaque properties and location of the distal end of the plaque. High cervical location can be predicted from the anatomy of the vertebral body and mandibular bones, and the locations of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle and stylohyoid muscle. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging without contrast medium is useful for preoperative evaluation of the plaque, arteries, and bone characterization.

Effect of Intravenous Thrombolysis and Mechanical Thrombectomy on the Incidence of Acute Symptomatic Seizure and Post-Stroke Epilepsy in Patients with Acute Large-Vessel Occlusion.

Objective: Reperfusion therapy, such as intravenous tissue-plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke, may increase the incidence of acute symptomatic seizure (ASS) and post-stroke epilepsy (PSE). This study aimed to analyze the effect and predictors of reperfusion therapy for ASS and PSE limited to large-vessel occlusions (LVOs).

Methods: This retrospective study classified 237 subjects with LVO into four groups: (1) IV-tPA + MT+ (n = 74 cases, (2) MT only (n = 82), (3) tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) only (n = 28), and (4) IV-tPA - MT- (n = 53).

Three-dimensional vessel wall imaging with 1.5-T MRI to visualize invisible occluded cerebral artery.

Background: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is performed for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion; therefore, preoperative visualization of the occluded invisible vessel course reduces complications and ensures success. Three-dimensional (3D) proton density-weighted (PDW) vessel wall imaging (VWI) using variable refocusing flip angle pulse-turbo spin-echo sequences (VRFA-TSE) with 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide this information.

Three-dimensional vessel wall MRI to characterize thrombus prior to endovascular thrombectomy for large vessel occlusion stroke.

Background And Purpose: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion requires rapid and reliable imaging of the vessel course including the clot to reduce complications and ensure success. However, no method to acquire this information has been established.

Methods: Six consecutive patients with AIS caused by large vessel occlusion underwent EVT in our institute.

Prophylactic Intraventricular Piping Method Prevents Entrapped Temporal Horn After Removal of Ventricle Trigone Meningioma: Technical Note.

Background: An entrapped temporal horn (ETH) is one of the critical complications after tumor removal in the lateral ventricle trigone that sometimes becomes life threatening.

Objective: We sought to develop a novel intraoperative method of prophylactic intraventricular piping (PIP) just after tumor removal to prevent ETH.

Methods: Three patients with meningiomas in the lateral ventricle trigone were treated by a novel intraoperative method of PIP just after tumor removal to prevent ETH.

Local Application of Magnesium Sulfate Solution Suppressed Cortical Spreading Ischemia and Reduced Brain Damage in a Rat Subarachnoid Hemorrhage-Mimicking Model.

Objective: Cortical spreading depolarization (CSD), cortical spreading ischemia (CSI), and early brain injury are involved in the occurrence of delayed brain ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We tested whether local application of magnesium (Mg) sulfate solution suppressed CSD and CSI, and decreased brain damage in a rat SAH-mimicking model.

Methods: Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and high concentration potassium solution were topically applied to simulate the environment after SAH.

The safety and efficacy of preoperative embolization of meningioma with N-butyl cyanoacrylate.

Objective: Preoperative embolization of meningioma is commonly performed; however, there is no consensus on the best embolic material to reduce intraoperative blood loss and surgery time.

Method: We retrospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of 56 cases of preoperative embolization of the middle meningeal artery with N-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) in 105 cases of surgery for meningioma. We also defined a blood loss to tumor volume ratio to compensate for bias caused by tumor volume, and analyzed limited cases (the embolized group n = 52, the non-embolized group n = 21) of the convexity, the parasagittal region, the falx, and the sphenoidal ridge.

Safety of intravenous administration of hydrogen-enriched fluid in patients with acute cerebral ischemia: initial clinical studies.

Background: Most of the results regarding hydrogen (H2) therapy for acute cerebral ischemia are derived from in vitro studies and animal experiments, with only a few obtained from human trials with a limited number of subjects. Thus, there is a paucity of information regarding both the beneficial therapeutic effects as well as the side effects of H2 on acute cerebral ischemia in humans. We designed a pilot study to investigate single dose intravenous H2-administration in combination with edaravone, aiming to provide an initial estimate of the possible risks and benefits in select patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke.