1/163. Angiographical extravasation of contrast medium in hemorrhagic infarction. Case report.Leakage of the contrast medium was noted on angiograms of a patient whose autopsied brain disclosed typical pathological findings of hemorrhagic infarction. The case was a 63-year old woman with mitral valve failure, who suddenly had loss of consciousness and right-sided hemiplegia. The left carotid angiography performed six hours after onset demonstrated middle cerebral arterial axis occlusion, and the second angiography performed three days after onset displayed recanalization of the initially occluded artery as well as extravasation of the contrast medium. Fourteen days after onset the patient died and an autopsy was performed. The brain demonstrated perivascular punctate hemorrhages in the area supplied by the middle cerebral artery, and neither hematoma nor microaneurysm was disclosed pathologically. A short discussion is given on the possible relationship between recanalization and hemorrhagic infarction. The clinical assessment of hemorrhagic infarction has not been established successfully.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = consciousness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/163. Pure apraxic agraphia with abnormal writing stroke sequences: report of a Japanese patient with a left superior parietal haemorrhage.A 67 year old Japanese male patient had pure agraphia after a haemorrhage in the left superior parietal lobule. He developed difficulty in letter formation but showed no linguistic errors, consistent with the criteria of apraxic agraphia. He manifested a selective disorder of sequencing writing strokes, although he was able to orally state the correct sequences. The patient's complete recovery after 1 month, without new learning, showed that he had manifested a selective disorder of writing stroke sequences. These findings indicate that the final stage of the execution of writing according to acquired sequential memory shown as a stroke sequence can be selectively disturbed, and should be considered to be distinct from the ability of character imagery and the knowledge of the writing stroke sequence itself. This case also indicates that the left superior parietal lobule plays an important part in the execution of writing.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0048713588166365keywords = state (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/163. Intraventricular hemorrhage as a false localizing sign of a thoracolumbar arteriovenous malformation: case report.BACKGROUND: Spinal arteriovenous malformation (SAVM) is a relatively rare disease characterized by a high incidence of intramedullary and subarachnoid haemorrhage. When the hemorrhage is profuse and the SAVM is in the cervical region the symptoms (disturbance of consciousness, papilledema, cranial nerve palsies, and convulsions) may be so severe and rapid in their onset that they may be mistaken for intracranial hemorrhage. We report here on a patient with a SAVM at T10-12, which bled intracranially, mainly intraventricularly, and resulted first in respiratory arrest and unconsciousness. CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient had been well until he was 28 years old when, during intercourse, he suffered a terrible headache and suddenly lost consciousness, with a transient respiratory arrest. He was also noted to have right hemiparesis. A computed tomography scan demonstrated intraventricular hemorrhage. After a 24-hour period of artificial ventilation the patient regained consciousness and the right arm paresis completely recovered, but a gradual worsening of the motor function of the left leg developed. Digital subtraction angiography did not demonstrate any intracranial source of bleeding, whereas spinal angiography revealed a SAVM located at the medullary cone, which was totally removed by surgery. CONCLUSION: The case reported here raises several important issues. First, the advisability of spinal magnetic resonance imaging in the investigation of intraventricular (and subarachnoid) hemorrhage in patients with no demonstrable intracranial source. Secondly, the benefits of early diagnosis and reestablishment of the spinal cord circulation before the onset of thrombosis and the progressive phase of myelopathy. Finally, the necessity of complete obliteration and treatment of SAVMs even in patients with fixed neurologic deficits, because rebleeding of lower thoracic or lumbar SAVMs can lead to impairment at a higher level with severe or lethal consequences.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 12.381828988429keywords = unconsciousness, unconscious, consciousness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/163. Human hypersensitivity angiitis: an uncommon cause of death after trauma.INTRODUCTION: The article demonstrates, using a case report, that death following an accident may have rarely encountered causes that are not a direct result of trauma and that can only be detected by autopsy. CASE: An unconscious woman aged 57 years was admitted to hospital. Despite immediate surgery for intracranial haemorrhage diagnosed by means of cranial computed tomography, the patient died showing clinical symptoms of circulatory depression after a brief period of stabilisation. The autopsy established myocardial infarction with hypersensitivity angiitis as the cause of death. CONCLUSION: In this case, the authors hold the opinion that the intravenous application of antibiotics during the patient's stay in hospital resulted in hypersensitivity angiitis. The factors causing hypersensitivity angiitis, the morphological picture (clinical, histological) and therapeutic measures are described.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.1802052609369keywords = unconscious (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/163. Hemorrhagic cerebellar metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma.Papillary thyroid carcinoma has a low incidence of distant metastases. Brain metastasis is extremely rare with a frequency of 0.1-1.3%. In the present series, the rate was 1.5%, only two cases had cerebral metastases in 136 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma from January 1988 to April 1998. Cerebellar metastasis is even rarer, and solitary cerebellar metastasis has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. Two cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma with cerebellar metastases presenting as tumor hemorrhage are reported. In one patient, the lesion was in the bilateral cerebellar hemispheres with obstructive hydrocephalus. After operation, the patient had an uneventful course with recovery of her consciousness. In the other, the solitary lesion was in the left cerebellar hemisphere without obstructive hydrocephalus. After surgical treatment, the patient had a smooth course with resolution of his neurological deficit. It shows the importance of surgery in the management of a hemorrhagic cerebellar metastasis from papillary thyroid carcinoma, not only in reducing acute aggravating cerebral symptoms, but also in prolonging survival time.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = consciousness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/163. Ruptured distal anterior choroidal artery aneurysm presenting with casting intraventricular haemorrhage.This report describes a rare case of a distal anterior choroidal artery aneurysm which developed intraventricular haemorrhage without subarachnoid haemorrhage as shown on computerized tomographic (CT) scan. A 69-year-old hypertensive man suddenly became unconscious. An emergency CT scan showed a severe intraventricular haemorrhage and a small round low-dense lesion within the haematoma at the right trigone. The haematoma with obstructive hydrocephalus made the lateral ventricles larger on the right than on the left. CT scan could not detect any subarachnoid haemorrhage. Right interal carotid angiography revealed a saccular aneurysm at the plexal point of the right anterior choroidal artery. We approached the aneurysm and the small round lesion through the trigone via a right temporo-occipital corticotomy. We could clip the aneurysmal neck and remove the intraventricular haematoma and the papillary cystic mass (corresponding to the small round lesion on CT scan) totally in one sitting. Histological examination revealed the aneurysm to be a true one and the papillary cystic mass to be a choroid plexus cyst.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.1802052609369keywords = unconscious (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/163. Early rebleeding from intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas: report of 20 cases and review of the literature.OBJECT: In this study the authors sought to estimate the frequency, seriousness, and delay of rebleeding in a homogeneous series of 20 patients whom they treated between May 1987 and May 1997 for arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) that were revealed by intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). The natural history of intracranial dural AVFs remains obscure. In many studies attempts have been made to evaluate the risk of spontaneous hemorrhage, especially as a function of the pattern of venous drainage: a higher occurrence of bleeding was reported in AVFs with retrograde cortical venous drainage, with an overall estimated rate of 1.8% per year in the largest series in the literature. However, very few studies have been designed to establish the risk of rebleeding, an omission that the authors seek to remedy. methods: Presenting symptoms in the 20 patients (17 men and three women, mean age 54 years) were acute headache in 12 patients (60%), acute neurological deficit in eight (40%), loss of consciousness in five (25%), and generalized seizures in one (5%). Results of the clinical examination were normal in five patients and demonstrated a neurological deficit in 12 and coma in three. Computerized tomography scanning revealed intracranial bleeding in all cases (15 intraparenchymal hematomas, three subarachnoid hemorrhages, and two subdural hematomas). A diagnosis of AVF was made with the aid of angiographic studies in 19 patients, whereas it was a perioperative discovery in the remaining patient. There were 12 Type III and eight Type IV AVFs according to the revised classification of Djindjian and Merland, which meant that all AVFs in this study had retrograde cortical venous drainage. The mean duration between the first hemorrhage and treatment was 20 days. Seven patients (35%) presented with acute worsening during this delay due to radiologically proven early rebleeding. Treatment consisted of surgery alone in 10 patients, combined embolization and surgery in eight, embolization only in one, and stereotactic radiosurgery in one. Three patients died, one worsened, and in 16 (80%) neurological status improved, with 15 of 16 AVFs totally occluded on repeated angiographic studies (median follow up 10 months). CONCLUSIONS: The authors found that AVFs with retrograde cortical venous drainage present a high risk of early rebleeding (35% within 2 weeks after the first hemorrhage), with graver consequences than the first hemorrhage. They therefore advocate complete and early treatment in all cases of AVF with cortical venous drainage revealed by an ICH.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = consciousness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/163. Cerebral arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy: presentation and neurologic, obstetric, and ethical significance.Cerebral arteriovenous malformations infrequently complicate pregnancy. We sought to determine the neurologic, obstetric, and ethical significance of such malformations. We present the clinical course of 2 pregnant women with arteriovenous malformations who experienced cerebral hemorrhage and a loss of capacity for decision making. We also review the neurologic and obstetric significance of arteriovenous malformations in pregnancy. Various treatment options with concern for pregnancy and the prognosis for arteriovenous malformations are outlined. The ethical issues involved for pregnant patients whose decisional capacity is compromised as a result of cerebral injury are explored. A review of persistent vegetative state and brain death (death by neurologic criteria) occurring in pregnancy allows us to explore many issues that are applicable to decisionally incapacitated but physiologically functioning pregnant women. We outline a document, the purpose of which is to obtain advance directives from pregnant women regarding end-of-life decisions and to appoint a surrogate decision maker. We believe that evaluation and treatment of the arteriovenous malformation may be undertaken without regard for the pregnancy and that the pregnancy should progress without concern for the arteriovenous malformation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0048713588166365keywords = state (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/163. rupture of several parasagittal bridging veins without subdural bleeding.This case reports on a fatal craniocerebral trauma involving numerous ruptured cerebral bridging veins that did not bleed subdurally, despite approximately 15 hours of survival. A 15-year-old girl was severely injured as the passenger of a car that crashed sideways into a tree. She-suffered a cerebral trauma of the "diffuse injury" type and was unconscious after the accident. Her computed tomographic scan at admission showed massive brain edema, axial herniation, and marked hypodensity of the bilateral carotid flow area. Despite intensive care measures, the clinical course was characterized by central decompensation with therapy-resistant cardiocirculatory insufficiency. The autopsy revealed ruptures of numerous parasagittal bridging veins. The injured vessels were not thrombosed, and yet there was absolutely no subdural bleeding. This unusual combination of findings is assumed to be caused by an isolated collapse of cerebral circulation occurring shortly after the accident and primarily attributed to a rapid increase of intracranial pressure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.1802052609369keywords = unconscious (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/163. Correlation between the neural noise in the thalamus after cerebrovascular disease and computerized tomography. A case report.The case is presented of a 45-year-old man who suffered from a sudden attack of unconsciousness with right hemiplegia and later developed a spastic hemiparesis accompanied by involuntary movement of the right upper limb. CT scan revealed an old putaminal hemorrhage and almost intact thalamus, but neural noise recordings during the stereotactic thalamotomy of this case showed marked decrease of the neural activity in the thalamus suggesting some functional changes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9.3818289884287keywords = unconsciousness, unconscious, consciousness (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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