Hitoshi Kobata

Cerebellopontine angle epidermoids presenting with cranial nerve hyperactive dysfunction: pathogenesis and long-term surgical results in 30 patients.

OBJECTIVE To provide the characteristics and long-term surgical results of patients who present with cerebellopontine angle epidermoids and trigeminal neuralgia (TN) or hemifacial spasm. METHODS A total of 30 patients (23 women, 7 men) who presented with cerebellopontine angle epidermoids and TN (28 patients) or hemifacial spasm (2 patients) between 1982 and 1995 were reviewed, with emphasis being placed on the clinical manifestations, the mechanisms of symptom development, the long-term follow-up results, and the anatomic relationship between the tumor and the surrounding neurovascular structures. RESULTS The average age of the patients was 37.8 years at symptom onset and 49.3 years at the time of the operation. The tumor-nerve relationships were classified into four types: complete encasement of the nerve by the tumor, compression and distortion of the nerve by the tumor, compression of the nerve by an artery located on the opposite side of the unilateral tumor, and compression of the nerve by an artery on the same side of the tumor. Total resection was achieved in 17 patients (56.7%). Microvascular decompression of the respective cranial nerve was achieved in nine cases of direct arterial compression in addition to tumor removal. The symptom was relieved completely in all cases. In an average follow-up period of 11.5 years, three patients developed recurrent symptoms: two experienced tumor regrowth, and one had arachnoid adhesion. CONCLUSION Hyperactive dysfunction of the cranial nerves, especially TN, may be the initial and only symptom that patients with cerebellopontine angle epidermoids experience. The occurrence of TN at a younger age was characteristic of TN patients with epidermoids, in contrast to patients with TN due to a vascular cause. The symptom is elicited by compression of the nerve by the tumor per se, by an artery that is displaced to the nerve, or by both. Careful resection of the tumor, whose capsule occasionally is strongly adherent to the neurovascular structures, is necessary, and microvascular decompression to straighten the neuraxis should be performed in some cases to achieve a complete, permanent cure of symptoms with a low rate of recurrence.

Usefulness of Intestinal Fatty Acid-Binding Protein in Predicting Strangulated Small Bowel Obstruction

Background The level of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) is considered to be useful diagnostic markers of small bowel ischemia. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the serum I-FABP level is a predictive marker of strangulation in patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO). Methods A total of 37 patients diagnosed with SBO were included in this study. The serum I-FABP levels were retrospectively compared between the patients with strangulation and those with simple obstruction, and cut-off values for the diagnosis of strangulation were calculated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated. Results Twenty-one patients were diagnosed with strangulated SBO. The serum I-FABP levels were significantly higher in the patients with strangulation compared with those observed in the patients with simple obstruction (18.5 vs. 1.6 ng/ml p<0.001). Using a cut-off value of 6.5 ng/ml, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 71.4%, 93.8%, 93.8% and 71.4%, respectively. An I-FABP level greater than 6.5 ng/ml was found to be the only independent significant factor for a higher likelihood of strangulated SBO (P =  0.02; odds ratio: 19.826; 95% confidence interval: 2.1560 – 488.300). Conclusions The I-FABP level is a useful marker for discriminating between strangulated SBO and simple SBO in patients with SBO.

A large thrombosed superior cerebellar artery aneurysm: A case report

UNLABELLED MATERIAL AND RESULT: A large thrombosed aneurysm arising from the distal superior cerebellar artery was successfully resected. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION An aneurysm in this location is very rare. Accumulation of intraoperative hemodynamic data may be useful in evaluating the capacity of collateral circulation.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Traumatic Cerebrovascular Injury: Pitfalls in the Management of Neurotrauma

Traumatic cerebrovascular injury (TCVI) is an uncommon clinical entity in traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet it may cause devastating brain injury with high morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and prioritized strategic treatment are of paramount importance. A total of 1966 TBI patients admitted between 1999 and 2015 in our tertiary critical care center were reviewed. Screening of TCVI was based on the Guidelines for the Management of Severe Head Injury in Japan. TCVI was confirmed in 33 (1.7%) patients; 29 blunt and 4 penetrating injuries. The primary location of the injury included 16 cervical, 6 craniofacial, and 11 intracranial lesions. On arrival, 15 patients presented with hemorrhage, 5 of these arrived in shock status with massive hemorrhage. Ten presented with ischemic symptoms. Sixteen patients underwent surgical or endovascular intervention, 13 of whom required immediate treatment upon arrival. Surgical procedures included clipping or trapping for traumatic aneurysms, superficial temporal artery - middle cerebral artery bypass, carotid endarterectomy, and direct suture of the injured vessels. Endovascular intervention was undertaken in 7 patients; embolization with Gelfoam (Pharmacia and Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) or coil for 6 hemorrhagic lesions and stent placement for 1 lesion causing ischemia. Patients’ outcome assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3 months were good recovery in 8, moderate disability in 3, severe disability in 9, persistent vegetative state in 1, and death in 12, respectively. In order to rescue potentially salvageable TCVI patients, neurosurgeons in charge should be aware of TCVI and master basic skills of cerebrovascular surgical and endovascular procedures to utilize in an emergency setting.

Ultra-Early Induction of Brain Hypothermia for Patients with Poor-Grade Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

The potential of hypothermia in reducing neuronal damage has been demonstrated in various neurological emergencies. However, its safety, feasibility, and potential benefits for poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) are uncertain. We induced brain hypothermia in 35 patients (14 men and 21 women; mean age 58 ± 12 years; range 25–70 years) with SAH classified in Grade V by the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and evaluated the outcome. Hypothermia was induced by surface cooling immediately after diagnosis of SAH and was followed by urgent surgical obliteration of the ruptured aneurysm. The core temperature was maintained at 33°–34°C for at least 48 h; subsequently, patients were rewarmed 1°C per day. Median time from onset to arrival, cerebral angiography, and surgery was 31.5, 88.5, and 174.5 min, respectively. The core temperature (mean ± standard deviation) was 35.8° ± 1.0°C on arrival, 34.8° ± 1.0°C just before surgery, 34.0° ± 0.7°C at the beginning of microsurgery, and 33.7° ± 0.8°C immediately after surgery. Hypothermia was completed in all patients without serious complications over a period of 6–22 days, with a mean of 9.4 days. The Glasgow Outcome Scale assessed at 3 months after onset was as follows: 4 (11.4%), good recovery; 6 (17.1%), moderate disability; 17 (48.6%), severe disability; 4 ( 11.4%), vegetative state; 4(11.4%), death. Poor outcome was mostly related to primary brain damage; cerebral vasospasm occurred in four patients. Ultra-early induction of hypothermia is feasible and possibly beneficial in poor-grade SAH without increasing morbidity and mortality.

Surgical repair of lacerated anterior cerebral artery presented with massive intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective and Importance:Traumatic intracranial aneurysms present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Owing to their fragile nature, endovascular intervention has become the first-line treatment; however, direct surgery has an advantage in certain cases. Clinical Presentation:A 34-year-old man in coma was admitted after a motor vehicle accident. Brain computed tomographic scans revealed deep bifrontal, left intraventricular, and subarachnoid hemorrhages. Three-dimensional computed tomographic angiography and digital subtraction angiography revealed an aneurysm arising from the left pericallosal artery. Intervention:A massive intracerebral hematoma prompted us to perform emergency surgical intervention. We immediately removed the hematoma and extirpated the aneurysm. After hematoma evacuation via the interhemispheric approach, a pulsating red sphere projecting from the pericallosal artery, with no obvious solid wall or neck, was encountered. While retracting the frontal lobe, it suddenly ruptured. Under temporary trapping of the parent artery, the point of bleeding was identified. No aneurysm wall or fibrous tissue was present, whereas a 1.5-mm laceration was observed at the pericallosal artery close to its branching point. The laceration was sutured with 10-0 nylon. Postoperative digital subtraction angiography confirmed patency of the pericallosal artery. Conclusions:Although recent technologic advances of intravascular surgery have enabled successful treatment of traumatic pseudoaneurysms, open surgical intervention still has some advantages of providing definitive hemostasis, allowing for parent artery reconstruction, and facilitating mass reduction. The case in the current study was quite unusual in that angiographic aneurysm had disrupted easily, leaving arterial laceration. This finding implies the probability of unavoidable parent artery occlusion when endovascular treatment is applied.