Yoshinori Go

Brain abscess caused by streptococcus intermedius: two case reports

BACKGROUND Although Streptococcus intermedius has been recognized as an important pathogen for abscess formation outside the central nervous System, the Streptococcus milleri group, of which it is a member, has not been recognized as a specific pathogen for brain abscess, often thought to be caused by Streptococcus viridans, which includes other streptococcal species. CASE DESCRIPTION Two cases of brain abscess in the left frontal lobe caused by S. intermedius, which responded well to antimicrobial treatment combined with needle aspiration, are presented. In the first patient, the predisposing disease was paranasal sinusitis of the frontal and ethmoid sinuses. In the second patient, the source of the pathogen was not detected despite extensive examination. The patients underwent aspiration of pus under ultrasound guidance in the first patient, and via a computed tomography-guided stereotactic procedure in the second patient. They subsequently received appropriate antimicrobial therapy against S. intermedius isolated from the pus culture. Both patients were discharged without any neurological deficits. CONCLUSION It is important to recognize S. intermedius as a pathogen of brain abscess, and to be aware of its predisposing factors, i.e., mucosal disturbance and liver abscess.

An observation of the third ventricle under flexible fiberoptic ventriculoscope: Normal structure☆

The third ventricle, which is deeply seated in the center of the brain, is one of the most inaccessible regions from which to obtain information before surgery. A new flexible fiberoptic endoscope for examination of the ventricles is presented herein. The main advantages of this new device over existing fiberoptic instruments are the extended flexibility of the tip and its small diameter. Using this endoscope, one can observe the third ventricle in situ in patients with hydrocephalus associated with various lesions. The neural and vascular structures in the inner wall of the third ventricle are also illustrated.

New Surgical Therapy for Hydrocephalus: Percutaneous Flexible Endoneurosurgical Choroid Plexus Coagulation

A new flexible fiberoptic ventriculoscope (fiberscope) has been developed for percutaneous endoneurosurgery. This ventriculoscope has a wide channel, of 2.0 mm, allowing the use of a variety of different instruments, including an endoscopic contact Nd-YAG Laser fiber. Using our therapeutic ventriculoscope and contact Nd-YAG Laser fiber, we were successful in carrying out choroid plexus coagulation of the lateral ventricles in an infant with toxoplasmosis. After this procedure, production of cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) diminished and its protein content gradually decreased. This ventriculoscope was applied safely to a patient in poor condition with hydrocephalus due to intra-ventricular lesions. Percutaneous endoneurosurgical choroid plexus coagulation was useful for this kind of hydrocephalus. This paper describes the device and summarizes its successful use in clinical practice.

Treatment outcomes of carotid artery stenting with two types of distal protection filter device

PurposePreventing cerebral embolism from debris produced during carotid artery stenting (CAS) is important. This study compared the treatment outcomes of CAS using two types of filter-based embolic protection devices currently in use in Japan.Materials and methodsWe assessed 121 consecutive cases of CAS performed with FilterWire EZ™ between July 2010 and November 2012 and 37 consecutive cases of CAS performed with the Spider FX™ between November 2012 and June 2013. A Carotid Wallstent™ was used in all cases. The incidence of positive lesions on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) and stroke were compared between the groups.ResultsPostoperative DWI-positive lesions were observed in 38 (31.4%) and 14 (37.8%) patients in the FilterWire and Spider groups, respectively. In the FilterWire group, complications were transient ischemic attacks in 3 (2.5%) patients, cerebral infarction in 2 (1.7%) patients (1 patient each with minor and major stroke), and cerebral hemorrhage due to hyperperfusion syndrome in 1 (0.8%) patient. In the Spider group, except for cerebral infarction (minor stroke) in 1 (2.7%) patient, no complications were observed. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of complications between the groups.ConclusionFilterWire EZ and Spider FX are comparable in terms of treatment outcome.

Hemorrhage from abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treated successfully by emergency transcatheter arterial embolization.

A 49‐year‐old Japanese woman with follicular lymphoma who presented with severe abdominal and back pain is reported. She was known to have malignant lymphoma and had been previously treated with combination chemotherapy. An abdominal tumor occurring at the root of the mesentery and involving the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) had been diagnosed by computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and abdominal angiography. Emergent ultrasonography and CT findings showed intraperitoneal bleeding from the abdominal tumor. Selective SMA angiography revealed extravasation from a small branch originating from the dorsal pancreatic artery, which was embolized through a catheter by using platinum coils. It should be noted that a large tumor of malignant lymphoma, involving large vessels, may bleed, and in such a case selective transcatheter arterial embolization may be one of the effective modalities for hemostasis.

A Case of Papillary Meningioma with a t(1;4)(q44;q21)

We report the results of cytogenetic analyses of three cases of meningiomas. The first case, a papillary meningioma, showed only one cytogenetic abnormality, 46,XX,t(1;4)(q44;q21). In contrast, the other two benign fibroblastic meningiomas showed loss of chromosome 22. Loss and/or rearrangement of chromosomes other than chromosome 22 appears to be associated with a more aggressive clinical course. It is suggested that a sole cytogenetic abnormality with a normal chromosome 22 indicates an atypical nature of meningioma.