Supratentorial arachnoid cyst and associated subdural hematoma: neuroradiologic studies

CT and MR images of 8 patients with supratentorial arachnoid cyst complicated by subdural hematoma were studied and compared with those of 8 patients who developed nontraumatic subdural hematoma without arachnoid cyst. Of the 8 patients with supratentorial arachnoid cyst, CT and MR disclosed temporal bulging and/or thinning of the temporal squama in all 6 patients with middle fossa arachnoid cysts, and the thinning of the calvaria was evident in another patient with a convexity cyst. Calvarial thinning at the site corresponding to interhemispheric arachnoid cyst was clearly depicted on coronal MR images. In contrast, none of the 8 young patients with nontraumatic subdural hematoma without arachnoid cyst had abnormal calvaria. Temporal bulging and thinning of the overlying calvaria were identified as diagnostic CT and MR features of arachnoid cyst with complicating intracystic and subdural hemorrhage. Radiologists should be aware of this association and should evaluate the bony structure carefully. Correspondence to: M. Ochi     

Scintigraphic demonstration of intracranial communication between arachnoid cyst and associated subdural hematoma

An arachnoid cyst found to have a communication to an associated subdural hematoma was demonstrated with the Tc-99m DTPA brain scintigraphy. Although arachnoid cysts are known to be silent, when a patient with an arachnoid cyst develops signs of increased intracranial pressure or neurological deficits, the presence of a complication, including subdural hematoma, intracystic hemorrhage or subdural hygroma, is highly suspected. In the present case, the patient with an arachnoid cyst had a subdural hematoma following minor head injury. Tc-99m DTPA brain scintigraphy showed abnormal accumulation of the tracer not only in the hematoma but in the arachnoid cyst. This observation suggested communication of the two lesions, which was confirmed at surgery.     

Arachnoid cyst complicated by intracystic hemorrhage and spontaneous subdural hematoma: magnetic resonance findings

Arachnoid cysts are collections of cerebrospinal fluid within the arachnoid membrane. They are benign lesions and most are congenital. They are usually asymptomatic; however, they can bleed and become symptomatic. Although arachnoid cyst associated to intracystic hemorrhage and spontaneous subdural hematoma is an uncommon complication, it is a well-known indication for emergency neurosurgery. We present the findings in a ten-year-old boy diagnosed with arachnoid cyst complicated by intracystic hemorrhage and spontaneous subdural hematoma diagnosed by magnetic resonance.     

Middle fossa arachnoid cyst and subdural hematoma: CT studies

A patient with a history of previous head injury presented with an isodense subdural hematoma with extension into a preexisting middle fossa arachnoid cyst. The latter, suspected on the basis of findings pointing to chronic expansion of the middle fossa, was confirmed in a repeat CT study carried out after evacuation of the hematoma.     

Subdural haematoma associated with an arachnoid cyst after repetitive minor heading injury in ball games

We report the case of a chronic subdural haematoma caused by repetitive heading of a football which led to the diagnosis of a middle fossa arachnoid cyst. The association between arachnoid cysts and subdural haematoma is discussed as are safety implications in sporting injuries.     

Arachnoid cysts associated with post-traumatic and spontaneous rupture into the subdural space

Post-traumatic or spontaneous rupture of an arachnoid cyst resulting in a subdural haematoma is rare. Much more rarely, a ruptured arachnoid cyst may be present with a subdural CSF collection without evidence of haemorrhage. These are most commonly seen in the middle cranial fossa, where arachnoid cysts occur most frequently. In this paper, five teenage patients (four male, one female) are reported with post-traumatic or spontaneous arachnoid cyst ruptures, resulting in subdural haematomas in four patients and a subdural CSF collection without haemorrhage in one patient. Possible pathogenesis of the condition is discussed.     

Acute massive subdural hematoma caused by rupture of internal carotid artery aneurysm during angiography: a case report

We present a case of acute, massive subdural hemorrhage caused by rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm during the procedure of cerebral angiography. To our knowledge, a case like the present one has been reported only once in the English-language literature. The incidence, mechanisms, treatment, and prognosis of (1) subdural hematoma, caused by rupture of cerebral aneurysm, and (2) re-rupture of aneurysm during the angiography procedure are discussed. Electronic Publication     

Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to middle cerebral artery dissection mimicking aneurysm - Case report

We report a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a dissecting middle cerebral artery that was misdiagnosed as saccular aneurysm. A 74-years old female patient presented with headache and neck pain for 4 days. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage in both Sylvian fissures. A ruptured left middle cerebral artery bifurcation saccular aneurysm and unruptured basilar tip aneurysm were diagnosed. The patient was treated surgically using the transsylvian approach. However, no saccular aneurysm was found during the surgery, and the diagnosis was corrected for middle cerebral artery dissection. We treated the dissected segment of the middle cerebral artery and performed clip reinforcement. We experienced a case of middle cerebral artery dissection with no neurological deficit, which was misdiagnosed as a saccular aneurysm. If the stump of the occlusion is conical, dissection should be suspected. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and angiography should be performed for a differential diagnosis if dissection is suspected.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of arachnoid cysts

A retrospective review of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—computed tomography (CT) correlation was performed in 29 patients with arachnoid cysts. Short TR, short TE spin echo (SE) pulse sequences provided the best anatomic definition whereas multiple echo long TR, TE sequences allowed comparison of the signal intensity of the cyst with that of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Simple arachnoid cysts were isointense while neoplastic, hemorrhagic or inflammatory cysts were hyperintense relative to CSF. The CT differential diagnosis of an arachnoid cyst (depending upon its location) may include other cystic collections such as craniopharyngioma, epidermoid, astrocytoma, and chronic subdural hematoma. However, on MRI the combination of extraaxial location, morphological features, and signal intensity matching that of CSF allows one to make the diagnosis of an uncomplicated arachnoid cyst with confidence.     

儿童颅内外伤性动脉瘤的诊治

目的 评价儿童颅内外伤性动脉瘤的诊断、介入治疗疗效和安全性.方法 分析5例有明确头颅外伤史患儿颅内外伤性动脉瘤病例.经CT、MRI检查,2例为外伤性蛛网膜下腔出血,2例分别表现为右枕部颅内出血及左颞部颅内出血,另1例为后颅凹少量出血伴天幕缘少量硬膜下出血,右侧侧脑室三角区少量出血.5例患儿经DSA全脑血管造影分别诊断为左颈内动脉C1段外伤性动脉瘤,右侧裂动脉分支外伤性动脉瘤,左大脑中动脉分支外伤性动脉瘤,右大脑后动脉远端外伤性动脉瘤,右小脑后下动脉外伤性动脉瘤.其中左颈内动脉C.段外伤性动脉瘤和右侧裂动脉分支外伤性动脉瘤经GDC栓塞术治疗,左大脑中动脉分支外伤性动脉瘤及右小脑后下动脉外伤性动脉瘤于术夹闭.另1例严密随访观察.结果 2例外伤性颅内动脉瘤经GDC栓塞术及2例外伤性动脉瘤手术均获成功,末留任何后遗症;5例均能正常的学习和牛活.结论 儿童颅内外伤性动脉瘤虽属罕见,但GDC及手术治疗儿童颅内动脉瘤安全而有效,长期预后则有待于随访观察.     

大脑中动脉动脉瘤破裂伴血肿的显微手术治疗

 目的 探讨大脑中动脉动脉瘤破裂伴血肿的临床特点及手术治疗效果。方法 对32例大脑中动脉动脉瘤破裂伴血肿患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果 所有患者均在神经电生理联合监测下急诊行开颅血肿清除并动脉瘤夹闭术,出院时根据GOS评分:4～5分23例,3分5例,2分2例,1分2例,出院后随访30例,随访时间3个月～6年,未见动脉瘤复发及再出血。结论 神经电生理监测下尽早行开颅血肿清除并夹闭动脉瘤,可提高疗效。     

CT findings in a case of neonatal acute subdural hematoma

Summary The CT findings in a case of neonatal acute subdural hematoma are presented. CT demonstrated a crescentic high density area in the subdural space over the left cerebral hemisphere and an oval high density area in the left occipital region. The latter was suspected of being an intracerebral hematoma. Emergency craniotomy revealed that the high density area was due to a subdural hematoma between the occipital lobe and the tentorium cerebelli.     

Cerebral blood flow imaging with technetium-99m-HMPAO SPECT in a patient with chronic subdural hematoma: relationship with neuropsychological test.

We report the relationship between cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neuropsychologic tests in a patient with a chronic subdural hematoma suffering from severe dementia and left hemiparesis. Regional CBF was quantified using 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT and 133Xe-CBF. CBF-SPECT could detect the hematoma which was isodense by CT scan and the neuropsychological test improved remarkably with the increase in CBF after surgery. We conclude that if there is a strong clinical suspicion of subdural hematoma and CT scan is not diagnostic then CBF-SPECT may be valuable in localizing the hematoma and monitoring the effect of operation.     

MRI demonstration of kernohan's notch: case report

Summary We report a left acute subdural haematoma caused by rupture of a left anterior cerebral artery aneurysm, which progressed to left hemiparesis. Coronal MRI was superior to CT for visualizing Kernohan's notch.     

MR imaging of pediatric cerebral abnormalities

One hundred sixteen magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies from 105 pediatric patients with a variety of cerebral abnormalities were reviewed to determine the diagnostic efficacy of MR in the pediatric population. All subjects tolerated the MR procedure well, although sedation was necessary for younger children. Compared with CT, MR proved to be advantageous in detection and characterization of the pathology in 23 of 105 patients, especially when the abnormality was located along the base of the brain and midline, or when it involved primarily the white matter. Intracranial calcification was the one abnormality not detected with MR although dense calcifications could be seen as areas of low signal intensity. Some characteristics of various pathological entities were compared in an attempt to differentiate among abnormalities in the same anatomical location: craniopharyngioma from optic chiasm and hypothalamic glioma, cystic glioma from arachnoid cyst, and chronic subdural hematoma from subdural hygroma. The lack of ionizing radiation in MR is of particular interest in pediatric neuroradiology since radiation is of special concern in the young age group.     

A giant fusiform middle cerebral artery treated by low-flow superficial temporal artery bypass: A case report

A giant fusiform aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery is a disease that causes many difficulties for endovascular intervention as well as surgery. No 1 solution is optimal for all cases, however for post-bifurcation aneurysms, trapping the aneurysms with a reanastomosis reimplantation, an in situ side to side bypass is feasible and has good results. We reported a 28-year-old male patient, admitted to the hospital because of severe headache, Glasgow Coma Scale 13 points, left hemiplegia, was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of a giant fusiform aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery in the M2 segment, Hunt and Hess grade 4. The patient underwent microsurgery with clipping aneurysm combined with a low-flow technique connecting the superficial temporal artery to the middle cerebral artery. Our findings suggest that surgery to connect the superficial temporal artery to the M2 segment and at the same time obstructing the parent artery occlusion of selected giant MCA aneurysm is an option to consider     

大脑中动脉瘤的显微手术治疗体会(附35例报告)

目的 探讨显微外科手术处理大脑中动脉瘤(MCAA)的临床经验.方法 回顾性分析2004-2008年行显微手术治疗的35例MCAA患者的临床资料,其中男20例,女15例,年龄18～72岁,平均40岁.35例中22例曾有蛛网膜下隙出血,11例伴颅内血肿,1例伴硬膜下血肿;动脉瘤发生部位:MCA主干10例,分叉部20例,远端5例,其中1例分叉部有两个动脉瘤;左侧13例,右侧22例;巨型7例,大型11例,小型17例.35例均采用显微手术治疗,根据动脉瘤的位置而采取不同的于术人路,其中3例伴有颅内巨大血肿经颞上回入路行手术,1例巨大动脉瘤行左颞浅动脉大脑中动脉吻合术后行载瘤动脉阻断术,1例巨大动脉瘤行动脉瘤孤立、大隐静脉大脑中动脉架桥术.结果 巨型及大型MCAA占总例数的51.4%.与术前相比较,35例患者中术后症状好转20例,无变化12例,出现术后并发症3例,无一例死亡.结论 LWEAA易形成巨大动脉瘤;正确的手术入路及熟练的操作技术有助于提高手术效果.     

急性大脑镰和小脑幕硬膜下血肿的CT及磁共振成像诊断

目的探讨急性大脑镰和小脑幕硬膜下血肿的CT及磁共振成像特征。方法回顾性分析17例急性大脑镰和小脑幕硬膜下血肿的CT及磁共振成像表现。结果 17例急性大脑镰和小脑幕硬膜下血肿中,大脑镰硬膜下血肿5例,小脑幕硬膜下血肿7例,大脑镰并小脑幕硬膜下血肿5例,6例伴有颅盖骨(大脑凸面)部位的硬膜下血肿或脑实质挫裂伤。结论急性大脑镰和小脑幕硬膜下血肿较少见,易误诊为蛛网膜下腔出血、大脑镰钙化,CT和磁共振成像征象具特征性,有助于鉴别。     

Non-haemorrhagic subdural collection complicating rupture of a middle cranial fossa arachnoid cyst

Arachnoid cysts are a common incidental finding on routine brain imaging and, for the most part, their presence is uneventful. Occasionally they may be associated with haemorrhage into the subdural compartment. Rarer still is simple rupture of the contents of the arachnoid cyst into the extra-axial space. MRI can help distinguish between these two rare occurrences--an important distinction to make as this may assist in directing the treating clinician toward the most appropriate management plan.     

A rare combination of complications of ruptured carotid artery aneurysm: A case report.

The giant aneurysm of the subclinoid portion of the internal carotid artery is a relatively rare disease that can present serious complications. We present the case of a 40-year-old guy who was suffering from a headache and had complete ophthalmoplegia in his right eye. A brain scan shows a right temporal subdural hematoma, associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, and total Sylvian subacute ischemic stroke. CT angiography and MRI showed a ruptured and partially thrombosed aneurysm of the subclinoid portion of the right internal carotid artery complicated by subarachnoid hemorrhage, a right subdural temporal hematoma, and total Sylvian ischemic stroke. Our purpose is to recognize the possibility of an aneurysmal rupture when evaluating an acute subdural hematoma, alone or in combination with Ischemic stroke.