1/275. Hyperactive rhizopathy of the vagus nerve and microvascular decompression. Case report.A 37-year-old woman underwent microvascular decompression of the superior vestibular nerve for disabling positional vertigo. Immediately following the operation, she noted severe and spontaneous gagging and dysphagia. Multiple magnetic resonance images were obtained but failed to demonstrate a brainstem lesion and attempts at medical management failed. Two years later she underwent exploration of the posterior fossa. At the second operation, the vertebral artery as well as the posterior inferior cerebellar artery were noted to be compressing the vagus nerve. The vessels were mobilized and held away from the nerve with Teflon felt. The patient's symptoms resolved immediately after the second operation and she has remained symptom free. The authors hypothesize that at least one artery was shifted at the time of her first operation, or immediately thereafter, which resulted in vascular compression of the vagus nerve. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of a hyperactive gagging response treated with microvascular decompression. The case also illustrates the occurrence of a possibly iatrogenic neurovascular compression syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = artery, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/275. Intraoperative loss of auditory function relieved by microvascular decompression of the cochlear nerve.BACKGROUND: Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) are useful indicators of auditory function during posterior fossa surgery. Several potential mechanisms of injury may affect the cochlear nerve, and complete loss of BAEP is often associated with postoperative hearing loss. We report two cases of intraoperative auditory loss related to vascular compression upon the cochlear nerve. methods: Intra-operative BAEP were monitored in a consecutive series of over 300 microvascular decompressions (MVD) performed in a recent twelve-month period. In two patients undergoing treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, BAEP waveforms suddenly disappeared completely during closure of the dura. RESULTS: The cerebello-pontine angle was immediately re-explored and there was no evidence of hemorrhage or cerebellar swelling. The cochlear nerve and brainstem were inspected, and prominent vascular compression was identified in both patients. A cochlear nerve MVD resulted in immediate restoration of BAEP, and both patients recovered without hearing loss. CONCLUSION: These cases illustrate that vascular compression upon the cochlear nerve may disrupt function, and is reversible with MVD. awareness of this event and recognition of BAEP changes alert the neurosurgeon to a potential reversible cause of hearing loss during posterior fossa surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0040544152952583keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/275. Cerebral metastasis presenting with altitudinal field defect.A 75-year-old man presented with a unilateral inferior altitudinal visual field defect and a history of weight loss and night sweats. The acuity in the affected eye was 20/200, otherwise his ocular examination was normal. neuroimaging demonstrated a post-fixed chiasm, with a frontal metastasis compressing the intracerebral portion of the optic nerve. A chest x-ray showed classical cannon ball lesions, secondary to malignant melanoma. This is the first case report of an intracerebral tumor producing an inferior altitudinal field defect.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.058182779239377keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/275. Compression of the visual pathway by anterior cerebral artery aneurysm.Visual failure is an uncommon presenting symptom of an intracranial aneurysm. It is even more uncommon in aneurysms arising from the anterior cerebral artery (ACA). We presented 2 patients with an aneurysm of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery causing visual field defects. One patient presented with a complete homonymous hemianopia due to compression of the optic tract by a giant aneurysm of the proximal left A1 segment. The second patient had an almost complete unilateral anopia caused by compression of the optic nerve and chiasm by an aneurysm of the distal part of the A1 segment with a small chiasmatic hemorrhage and ventricular rupture.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 325.42083623808keywords = aneurysm, intracranial aneurysm, artery aneurysm, artery, cerebral, giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/275. Compression neuropathy following brachial arterial puncture in anticoagulated patients.1) Seven patients were seen and treated over a 1-year span with forearm hematoma and median nerve neuropathy following brachial artery puncture. All seven were anticoagulated. 2) A careful examination established the diagnosis. Prompt operative intervention is recommended. 3) The brachial artery should be avoided as a source for arterial blood gas sampling in the anticoagulated patient.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66396372313649keywords = artery (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/275. Lumbar spinal subdural hematoma following craniotomy--case report.A 52-year-old female complained of lumbago and weakness in the lower extremities 6 days after craniotomy for clipping an aneurysm. Neurological examination revealed symptoms consistent with lumbosacral cauda equina compression. The symptoms affecting the lower extremities spontaneously disappeared within 3 days. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging 10 days after the operation demonstrated a lumbar spinal subdural hematoma (SSH). She had no risk factor for bleeding at this site, the symptoms appeared after she began to walk, and MR imaging suggested the SSH was subacute. Therefore, the SSH was probably due to downward movement of blood from the cranial subdural space under the influence of gravity. SSH as a complication of cranial surgery is rare, but should be considered if a patient develops symptoms consistent with a lumbar SSH after craniotomy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 35.341164014915keywords = aneurysm (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/275. Neural compressive symptoms appearing during steroid treatment in a patient with intracranial lipoma.Intracranial lipoma is a rare condition, and it is usually asymptomatic. We describe a 67 year old woman who developed blurred vision, diplopia, left sided oculomotor palsy, and ipsilateral ptosis during steroid treatment for giant cell arteritis. These symptoms were considered to be associated with aggressive giant cell arteritis, and the steroid dose was raised. Surprisingly, the symptoms increased, and further examination revealed an intracranial lipoma situated in the Meckel's cave. During tapering of the steroids her symptoms gradually improved. This is the first report demonstrating that steroids may induce hypertrophy of the fat tissue in the intracranial lipoma, causing compression of the cranial nerves passing through the cavernous sinus thereby mimicking the ocular symptoms sometimes associated with aggressive giant cell arteritis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.010689131458546keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/275. Removal of petrous apex meningioma and microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia through the anterior petrosal approach. Case report.A 64-year-old female presented with right trigeminal neuralgia. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging demonstrated a tumor attached to the right petrous apex. MR imaging also revealed that the trigeminal nerve was compressed and distorted by the tumor. Tumor removal and microvascular decompression (MVD) were performed via the anterior petrosal approach. The trigeminal nerve was distorted by the tumor and the superior cerebellar artery compressed the medial part of the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve. The surgery resulted in complete relief of the trigeminal neuralgia. Posterior fossa tumors causing ipsilateral trigeminal neuralgia are not rare, and are often removed via the suboccipital retromastoid approach, as MVD for trigeminal neuralgia is usually performed through the retromastoid approach. The advantages of the anterior petrosal approach are shorter access to the lesion and direct exposure without interference from the cranial nerves, and that bleeding from the tumors is easily controlled as the feeding arteries can be managed in the early stage of the surgery. We conclude that the anterior petrosal approach is safe and advantageous for the removal of petrous apex tumor associated with trigeminal neuralgia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33198186156825keywords = artery (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/275. Nontraumatic acute spinal subdural hematoma: report of five cases and review of the literature.Acute subdural spinal hematoma occurs rarely; however, when it does occur, it may have disastrous consequences. The authors assessed the outcome of surgery for this lesion in relation to causative factors and diagnostic imaging (computerized tomography [CT], CT myelography), as well as eventual preservation of the subarachnoid space. The authors reviewed 106 cases of nontraumatic acute subdural spinal hematoma (101 published cases and five of their own) in terms of cause, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcome. Fifty-one patients (49%) were men and 55 (51%) were women. In 70% of patients the spinal segment involved was in the lumbar or thoracolumbar spine. In 57 cases (54%) there was a defect in the hemostatic mechanism. spinal puncture was performed in 50 patients (47%). Late surgical treatment was performed in 59 cases (56%): outcome was good in 25 cases (42%) (in 20 of these patients preoperative neurological evaluation had shown mild deficits or paraparesis, and three patients had presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH]). The outcome was poor in 34 cases (58%; 23 patients with paraplegia and 11 with SAH). The formation of nontraumatic acute spinal subdural hematomas may result from coagulation abnormalities and iatrogenic causes such as spinal puncture. Their effect on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots may be limited to a mere compressive mechanism when the subarachnoid space is preserved and the hematoma is confined between the dura and the arachnoid. It seems likely that the theory regarding the opening of the dural compartment, verified at the cerebral level, is applicable to the spinal level too. Early surgical treatment is always indicated when the patient's neurological status progressively deteriorates. The best results can be obtained in patients who do not experience SAH. In a few selected patients in whom neurological impairment is minimal, conservative treatment is possible.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.029091389619688keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/275. Painless aortic dissection presenting as hoarseness of voice: cardiovocal syndrome: Ortner's syndrome.Most of the neurological manifestations of the aortic dissection are due to neuronal ischemia secondary to either extension of the dissection process into a branch artery, or compression of an artery by the false lumen of the dissecting aortic hematoma. However, the enlarging false lumen may directly compress on an adjacent nerve, causing neuronal injury resulting in neurological symptoms. This may particularly take place when a distal intimal tear does not decompress the false lumen, resulting in formation of an expanding blind pouch. About 10% of aortic dissections are painless and may present with symptoms secondary to the complications of the dissection. Although cardiovocal syndrome, or Ortner's syndrome (hoarseness of voice due to involvement of recurrent laryngeal nerve in cardiovascular diseases) has been described with aortic dissection, it has not been reported as an initial presenting feature of this disorder. This report describes the first case of painless aortic dissection presenting with hoarseness of voice, the cardiovocal syndrome. The hoarseness remained the only symptom throughout the entire course of the disease. The aortic dissection was not suspected initially. During surgical exploration, the recurrent laryngeal nerve was found compressed by the false lumen at the level of aortic arch. Aortic root replacement was performed successfully, resulting in complete resolution of the hoarseness. The neurological manifestations of aortic dissection, and the cardiovocal syndrome, are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.66396372313649keywords = artery (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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