An autopsy case of subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage and necrotizing angitis associated with methamphetamine abuse

We report an autopsy case of methamphetamine-related intracranial hemorrhage and vasculitis. The possible relationship between drug usage and the occurrence of intracranial bleeding and cerebral vasculitis in such patients is discussed. A 22-year-old woman died after an intravenous injection of unknown dose of methamphetamine. A computed tomography head scan demonstrated massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and hematoma in corpus callosum. Cerebral angiography revealed nonfilling of bilateral intracranial carotid arteries and extravasation of contrast medium from right pericallosal artery which was visualized retrogradely via vertebral artery. Postmortem studies showed cerebral edema, subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage, and intracranial vasculitis in the absence of aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation or chronic hypertension. Histological findings of necrosis of blood vessel walls with destruction of the elastica and smooth muscle layer, and without leukocytotic infiltration of the blood vessel walls were observed in order of anterior cerebral, middle cerebral, vertebral, posterior cerebral and basilar arteries. These angiographic and histological evidence suggests that such hemorrhage results from the development of fibrinonecrosis in the large intracerebral vessels, in addition to a sudden rise in blood pressure.     

Saccular Aneurysm of the Azygos Anterior Cerebral Artery: Three Case Reports

The azygos anterior cerebral artery, a rare anomaly in the circle of Willis in which only a single vessel supplies the medial aspects of both anterior cerebral hemispheres, is closely associated with saccular aneurysms. We present three cases of azygos anterior cerebral artery aneurysms among the 781 cerebral aneurysms surgically treated at our institution in an 11-year period. These three cases all involved elderly women who presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Conventional cerebral angiography and CT angiography revealed small saccular aneurysms at the distal ends of the azygos anterior cerebral arteries. These aneurysms were clipped successfully using a bifrontal interhemispheric approach. Hence, the pathogenesis of these particular aneurysms relating to hemodynamic change, associated anomalies, and surgical pitfalls is discussed with review of literature.     

Agenesis of the left internal carotid artery associated with anterior communicating artery aneurysm: case report

We present a rare case of agenesis of the left internal carotid artery in a 43-year old woman, associated with an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery and presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The left internal carotid artery was not visualized on the left carotid angiogram. The left middle cerebral artery was perfused from the basilar artery via the dilated posterior communicating artery on vertebral angiogram. Absence of the left carotid canal was proven on temporal bone computed tomography. Absence of the left internal carotid artery was verified at operation. Absence of internal carotid artery is discussed in relation to aneurysm formation.     

A ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with internal carotid artery agenesis and a middle cerebral artery anomaly

Agenesis of the internal carotid artery associated with an anomalous middle cerebral artery originating from the contralateral internal carotid artery is rare. We report a patient with agenesis of the internal carotid artery presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a rupture of an aneurysm in the anterior communicating artery.     

A case of delayed subrachnoid hemorrhage from vertebrobasilar artery dissecting aneurysm]

We report a case of delayed subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a vertebrobasilar artery dissecting aneurysm (VBA-DA). The patient was a healthy 32-year-old woman with a sudden onset of severe occipitalgia. Next day, her headache improved gradually, and she consulted with our department. Although we initially suspected that she was suffering from SAH, neurological findings, CT, and cerebrospinal fluid examination did not reveal any abnormal conditions, including SAH. Therefore, she was treated conservatively with analgesics. Twelve days after the initial onset of the headache, she was admitted because of severe re-attack of headache, rt. hemiparesis with rt. oculomotor nerve palsy and loss of consciousness. CT revealed moderate SAH and cerebral angiograms showed VBA-DA. After the cerebral angiography, bleeding reoccurred two times and she lost her life. We present the case, review the literature and discuss the relationship between presenting symptom of headache and non-hemorrhagic VBA-DA. A few cases of non-hemorrhagic VBA-DA have been reported in the literature in which the only presenting symptom was headache, followed by delayed SAH from non-hemorrhagic dissecting aneurysm. Consequently, we concluded that her initial symptom of headache was due to dissection of vertebrobasilar artery, and that SAH was due to delayed hemorrhage of non-hemorrhagic VBA-DA. Even when neurological findings, CT and cerebrospinal fluid examination reveal no abnormalities in the early stage after the sudden onset of headache, especially in the occiptal or nuchal regions, non-hemorrhagic VBA-DA, which has a risk of fatal hemorrhage, cannot be ruled out with certainty. Therefore, MRI, MRA, three-dimensional CT, or cerebral angiography should be performed in such cases.     

Primary brain tumors associated with cerebral aneurysm: report of three cases

The primary brain tumors associated with cerebral aneurysms are rare in neurosurgical practice. The present article constitutes an evaluation of the management of coexistent primary brain tumor and cerebral aneurysm. A retrospective study of three cases of primary brain tumor with cerebral aneurysm was performed. We evaluated the complications and clinic outcomes by assessing the clinical and imaging findings. Case 1 presented with a subarachnoid hemorrhage from an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery, with an incidental left frontal oligodendroglioma. Case 2 presented with chronic headache due to left frontal convexity meningioma, with proximal internal carotid artery aneurysm which was found incidentally during preoperative magnetic resonance angiography. Case 3 was admitted to our hospital complaining of headache, memory disturbance, and weakness in her left lower extremity. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed right frontal lymphoma and an unruptured aneurysm at the left middle cerebral artery. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging revealed right frontal lymphoma and unruptured left middle cerebral artery. The frequency of primary brain tumor and cerebral aneurysm coexistence is increasing due to improvements in high-resolution imaging. In these complicated cases, the management will differ according to each pathology present, and this is an important problem for a neurosurgeon.     

A Case of Pial Arteriovenous Fistula with Giant Venous Aneurysm and Multiple Varices Treated with Coil Embolization

Intracranial pial arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are rare vascular lesions of the brain. These lesions consist of one or more arterial connection to a single venous channel without true intervening nidus. A 24-year-old woman visited to our hospital because of headache, vomiting, dizziness and memory disturbance that persisted for three days. She complained several times of drop attack because of sudden weakness on both leg. Cerebral angiograms demonstrated a giant venous aneurysm on right frontal lobe beyond the genu of corpus callosum, multiple varices on both frontal lobes fed by azygos anterior cerebral artery, and markedly dilated draining vein into superior sagittal sinus, suggesting single channel pial AVF with multiple varices. Transarterial coil embolization of giant aneurysm and fistulous portion resulted in complete disappearance of pial AVF without complication.     

Pituitary apoplexy associated with anterior communicating artery aneurysm and aberrant blood supply

Pituitary apoplexy is an uncommon condition typically caused by acute, hemorrhagic expansion of the pituitary gland in patients with an adenoma that undergoes infarction. Although various risk factors have been described, the vascular events leading to apoplexy are not well understood. Disruption of microvascular blood flow is a well-known cause of morbidity from hemorrhage of an intracranial aneurysm, but pituitary apoplexy is rarely associated with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. We report here a 46-year-old woman with pituitary apoplexy who developed subarachnoid hemorrhage from rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. Intraoperatively, she was found to have an unusual, large recurrent artery originating at the junction of the aneurysm and the A2 segment of the anterior cerebral artery that traveled to the suprasellar cistern and along the pituitary stalk. This recurrent hypophyseal artery established a direct vascular relationship between an intracerebral aneurysm and the pituitary gland.     

Coil embolization of ruptured frontopolar artery aneurysm: Case report

Distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms are infrequent. The most common location is at the bifurcation of the pericallosal and callosomarginal arteries. Cerebral artery anomalies can sometimes, at least partially, explain aneurysm formation in less common locations in relation to hemodynamic stress caused on the vascular wall. We report a very rare case of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured frontopolar artery aneurysm as a part of an anomalous anterior cerebral artery complex that was, for the first time, treated with endovascular coiling.     

An autopsied case of pachymeningitis associated with a ruptured, cerebral aneurysm due to Aspergillus infection]

We reported a 64-years-old woman with pachymeningitis associated with a ruptured mycotic cerebral aneurysm due to Aspergillus infection. She had suffered from diabetes mellitus and been treated since she was 49 years old. She complained of headache at the age of 62 and loss of her left visual acuity three months later. She was treated by the pulse therapy of methylprednisolone as neuritis retrobulbaris and her visual acuity recovered. But her headache continued. Three months later, her right visual acuity was lost, and the pulse therapy was not effective this time. Six months later, she died of subarachnoid hemorrhage following acute meningitis. The autopsy was granted, but limited to the cranial cavity. Macroscopically, it disclosed brownish thickened dura around sella turucica involving trigeminal ganglion and optic nerve, and fresh subarachnoid hemorrhage in the basal cisterns and a ruptured aneurysm (3 mm in diameter) between internal carotid and posterior cerebral artery on the left side. Histologically, the brownish thickened dura was infiltrated by lymphocytes, plasma cells, and multinucleated giant cells. The wall around the aneurysm was infiltrated by lymphocytes and plasma cells as well as many fungi. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of Aspergillus in the thickened dura and the arterial wall around the aneurysm. There were lymphocytes and plasma cell infiltration in the basal subarachnoid space and scattered microabcesses in the brain. Although the first entry of Aspergillus to the dura was unclear, we assume that the final intravascular dissemination of Aspergillus from the dura caused meningitis and mycotic aneurysm.     

De novo aneurysm after treatment of glioblastoma

A rare case of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage from newly developed cerebral aneurysm in glioblastoma patient is presented. A 57-year-old man was presented with headache and memory impairment. On the magnetic resonance image and the magnetic resonance angiography, a large enhancing mass was found at right frontal subcortex and intracranial aneurysm was not found. The mass was removed subtotally and revealed as glioblastoma. He took concurrent PCV chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but the mass recurred one month later after radiotherapy. He was then treated with temozolomide for 7 cycles. Three months after the completion of temozolomide therapy, he suffered from a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a rupture of a small de novo aneurysm at distal anterior cerebral artery. He underwent an aneurysm clipping and discharged without neurologic complication.     

Saccular bilobed aneurysm of an azygos anterior cerebral artery.

An azygos anterior cerebral artery is an anatomical variant in which the anterior communicating artery is absent and both the A1 segments unite to form a single A2 segment of the artery. This anatomical variant may be associated with holoprosencephaly and may predispose to aneurysm formation, however the association of such an anomaly with an aneurysm is rare. When associated with an aneurysm, it poses management difficulties due to the single distal anterior cerebral artery. Most of the reported aneurysms with such an anomaly are saccular and located in the distal part of the artery. We report a patient with a wide neck saccular multilobed aneurysm who presented after a grade 3 subarachnoid haemorrhage. A right pterional craniotomy and clipping of the aneurysm was performed following cerebral angiography. The mechanism of formation and difficulties in management of such an aneurysm is discussed.     

Congenital CMV with callosal lipoma and agenesis

An infant with symptomatic congenital Cytomegalovirus infection is reported. After the detection of abnormalities on cranial ultrasound scanning, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a complete absence of corpus callosum with a midline anterior tubulonodular lipoma. A proposed causative link between early in utero Cytomegalovirus infection and lipoma with agenesis of corpus callosum is discussed.     

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the first year of life: case report and review of the literature

Introduction Primary subarachnoid hemorrhage is rare in infancy. A bleeding arterial aneurysm as its cause is even less frequent. A review of the literature turned up 85 cases of cerebral aneurysm that occurred in the 1st year of life, 63 of them presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).Case report The authors report a case of an 8-month-old boy who presented with seizures due to ruptured anterior communicating (ACom) artery aneurysm with subsequent subarachnoid and intraventricular hemorrhage. The infant was operated successfully, without complications.Discussion In this report the authors highlight certain clinical and diagnostic features, surgical considerations, and outcomes of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in the 1st year of life.     

A case of aneurysm of the peripheral middle cerebral artery presenting putaminal hemorrhage--pitfall in diagnosis]

A case mimicking hypertensive putaminal hemorrhage which was first treated by CT-guided stereotactic aspiration and eventually diagnosed as a sequence of the ruptured aneurysm of the left peripheral middle cerebral artery on postoperative angiography is presented. This 41 old, right-handed, hypertensive female suffered sudden onset of headache and right hemiparesis. Next day hematoma was evacuated by the CT-guided stereotactic aspiration because of progressive deterioration of the consciousness and patient recovered well. Fourteen days after the evacuation when she presented mild right hand weakness and motor aphasia, angiography revealed a saccular aneurysm with broad neck derived from left posterior parietal artery. A neck clipping necessitated an additional anastomosis between superficial temporal artery and distal middle cerebral artery because of parent artery stenosis. Postoperatively she is doing well with slight motor aphasia. Among the typical hypertensive putaminal hemorrhage diagnosed on CT scan, it is stressed that there may be a possibility of ruptured aneurysm situated on the peripheral middle cerebral artery.     

3.0T磁共振MRA在蛛网膜下腔出血颅内动脉瘤筛查中的应用价值

目的探讨3.0T磁共振MRA在蛛网膜下腔出血颅内动脉瘤筛查中的应用价值。方法利用3.0T磁共振对31例因蛛网膜下腔出血而筛查出脑动脉瘤患者进行回顾性分析,31例脑动脉瘤患者均行常规T1WI、T2WI及3D TOF MRA检查,对检查的信息进行MIP、MPR及VR后处理并结合原始薄层图像进行分析诊断。所有病例均由DSA最后确诊后治疗。结果小动脉瘤(<5 mm)11个,中动脉瘤(>5 mm)13个,大动脉瘤(>10 mm)9个。动脉瘤的分布:大脑中动脉瘤8个,大脑前动脉瘤7个,大脑后动脉瘤3个,前交通动脉瘤5个,后交通动脉瘤6个,基底动脉瘤1个,颈内动脉海绵窦段动脉瘤2个,椎动脉瘤1个。结论 3.0T磁共振MRA可成为蛛网膜下腔出血颅内动脉瘤筛查的有效检查方法,值得临床推广。     

A distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysm in infant: disappearance and reappearance of the aneurysm.

The incidence of intracranial aneurysms in childhood is rare, especially in infancy. Spontaneous thrombosis of a cerebral aneurysm in a child is very rare, particularly in a non-giant aneurysm. We report a case of a 1-month-old girl with a distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysm which disappeared spontaneously after subarachnoid hemorrhage and reappeared 6 months later. Surgical resection of the aneurysm was performed and she discharged uneventfully 10 days later. Histological examination revealed an aneurysm with a fibrous muscular layer, absence of the internal elastic lamina and partial hypertrophy of the intimal layer. Though the pathogenesis of this aneurysm is uncertain, two hypotheses are discussed.     

270例动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血积血部位与动脉瘤部位相关性分析

目的研究动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血的积血部位与动脉瘤部位之间的相关性。方法回顾性分析270例动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血患者的影像学资料,以了解积血部位与动脉瘤部位之间的相关性。结果 270例患者中前交通动脉瘤86例,大脑前动脉瘤19例,头颅CT均显示前纵裂积血;脉络膜前动脉瘤40例,后交通动脉瘤82例,多数在CT上显示广泛鞍上池积血,病变同侧积血多于对侧;大脑中动脉瘤32例,CT多显示病变同侧外侧裂积血;后循环动脉瘤11例,头颅CT多见鞍上池及脑室系统积血;出血量较大时,除具备上述特征外,积血部位更广泛,特异性相对较小。结论动脉瘤性蛛网膜下腔出血的积血部位与动脉瘤部位存在一定的对应关系,根据头颅CT所示积血部位可初步判断动脉瘤的部位,对数字减影血管造影时血管检查顺序的选择及治疗方法的预估有重要价值。     

Late-onset Psychosis with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum

Abstract: A 57-year-old woman showing her first psychiatric episode was admitted and MRI revealed agenesis of the corpus callosum with a lipoma. Except for the fact that her elder sister had been diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 24, she had no special anamnesis or problems in her life history. At the age of 57, troublesome behavior based on auditory hallucinations and delusions of persecution were noted which made it necessary for her to be taken to a hospital. There were no clinical signs of dementia, pathological reflexes or any other malfunctions. The brain MRI showed complete defect of the corpus callosum with a lipoma at the anterior midline region. According to characteristic findings of agenesis of the corpus callosum, parallel lateral ventricles, colpocephaly, and upward extension of the third ventricle were also noted. There were no findings of vascular change or cortical atrophy. Electroencephalography showed sharp waves and spikes appearing frequently in the parietal and occipital lobes. After being hospitalized, anti-psychotic drugs were effective against the symptoms which made it possible for her to be discharged after 8 weeks. She returned to her normal daily life and within 12 months there had been no signs of relapse and no considerable changes in MRI either. Although there have been many reports on schizophrenic patients with volumetric reduction of the corpus callosum, late-onset psychosis with callosal agenesis is quite rare. Neuroimaging investigations for late-onset psychosis are valuable to detect structural deficits or damages, and further cell-biological studies on commissural white matter are required to understand the correlations in pathogenesis between developmental failure and acquired brain damage.     

Aneurysm of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery: case report

The intracranial aneurysms of the posterior circulation have been reported between 5 and 10% of all cerebral aneurysms and the aneurysms of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are considered rare, can cause cerebello pontine angle (CPA) syndrome with or without subarachnoid hemorrhage. Since 1948 few cases were described in the literature. We report on a 33 year-old female patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to sacular aneurysm of the left AICA. She was submitted to clipage of the aneurysm without complications.