Intracerebral hemorrhage due to cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Case report

The case is presented of a 59-year-old man with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and three consecutive hemorrhages in the occipital lobes. The clinicopathological features and the relationship to Alzheimer's dementia are discussed. The correct treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a matter of controversy.     

Clinical and cerebral blood flow studies in patients with intracranial hemorrhage and amyloid angiopathy typical of Alzheimer's disease

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages can occur in patients with severe amyloid angiopathy and other morphological signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We observed 15 patients in whom histological examination of brain tissue specimens obtained at surgery revealed characteristic congophilic amyloid deposits in subcortical arteries and/or nerve cells. Clinical follow-up examinations were carried out up to 9 years after diagnosis. In addition, three survivors from the operated group were investigated by neuropsychological testing and single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) using Tc-99m-HMPAO for determination of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).SPECT could not differentiate between the typical Alzheimer disease pattern of bilateral temporo-parietal rCBF reduction and flow deficits resulting from previous hemorrhage. Intellectual functioning was found to be impaired to various degrees ranging from normal function to severe dementia (MMS test scores varied between 15 and 26 points); again, it was difficult to differentiate clinically between the nosologic entities mentioned above.On the basis of our present experience we cannot distinguish between brain dysfunction due to Alzheimer's disease and intracranial hemorrhage from amyloid angiopathy. This supports the idea that intracranial hemorrhage may only be one clinical manifestation of amyloid deposits, another one being Alzheimer's disease with varying preponderance.     

Surgical considerations in cerebral amyloid angiopathy

In cerebral amyloid angiopathy, the contractile elements of the leptomeningeal and cortical arteries are replaced by noncontractile amyloid beta protein. The incidence of amyloid angiopathy increases with advancing age. It is associated with Alzheimer's disease and spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage. The latter can have the characteristic acute computed tomographic appearance of a hematoma at the cortex-white matter junction with extension of blood into the subarachnoid, subdural, and intraventricular spaces. Multiple hemorrhages are frequent. Additional bleeding can occur after evacuation of the hematoma, and postoperative hemorrhage can occur after cortical biopsy. To elucidate the role of surgery in this condition, we have reviewed 20 consecutive operated cases of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. A first group of 8 patients with senila dementia underwent cortical biopsy without resultant hemorrhage. A second group of 6 patients in good clinical condition had delayed evacuation of a spontaneous cerebral hematoma from cerebral amyloid angiopathy because of the radiological misdiagnosis of a hemorrhage within a tumor. One patient died of a pulmonary embolism, and another had subsequent multiple hemorrhages that were ultimately fatal. A third group of 6 patients in poor neurological condition had the acute evacuation of a spontaneous cerebral hematoma to relieve intracranial hypertension. All died or were severely disabled. One had repeated hemorrhages which added a progressively more severe organic dementia onto an initial hemiplegia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Intracerebral hemorrhage induced by cerebral amyloid angiopathy in a patient during transurethral electrocoagulation]

A 68-year-old female with severe anemia due to a bleeding bladder was scheduled for emergency transurethral electrocoagulation surgery under general anesthesia. Her preoperative consciousness was clear. After preoxygenation, general anesthesia was induced with ketamine 40 mg and vecuronium 6 mg. After tracheal intubation, anesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide, oxygen, and isoflurane (0.5-0.8%). During the operation, a large fluctuation in blood pressure was observed. The operation was completed uneventfully, but the patient did not recover smoothly from the anesthesia. A few minutes later, signs of neurological abnormality were observed, and an emergency brain CT scan was performed. Since CT images of the brain showed extensive intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and edema, emergency craniotomy was performed. Postoperative pathological examination showed that the cause of the ICH was cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Since the incidence of CAA is relatively high in elderly people and CAA can cause ICH due to fluctuation in blood pressure, prudent anesthetic management is needed for elderly patients undergoing emergency operations, particularly an operation leading to a decrease in blood volume.     

Primary intracerebral hemorrhage due to probable cerebral amyloid angiopathy complicated by brain abscess: case report

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), in which deposition of amyloid within the arterial media and adventitia is the remarkable feature, causes spontaneous lober cerebral hemorrhage in elderly person, and some reports show the quite high occurrence rate of this entity among intracerebral hemorrhage in patents above 70 years old. Brain abscess resulting from intracerebral hemorrhage is rare. To our knowledge, no report of such hemorrhage which is caused by CAA has been published so far. We report a case of brain abscess, from which Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was isolated, following spontaneous non-hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage caused by probable CAA, with a review of the relevant literature.     

Recurrence and extension of lobar hemorrhage related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy: multivariate analysis of clinical risk factors

BACKGROUND: Many recent studies have analyzed clinical risk factors for the recurrence and extension of intracerebral hemorrhage. However, they have not been investigated in patients with lobar hemorrhage related to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). METHODS: We studied 40 surgically treated patients with lobar hemorrhage diagnosed histologically as being related to CAA. To determine clinical factors influencing the recurrence and hematoma size their clinical data (demographics, medical history, and radiographic and laboratory data) were examined retrospectively and subjected to multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Twelve patients (30%) had recurrent lobar hemorrhage. Twenty-one patients had a small hematoma and 19 had a large hematoma. Hypertension was the only significant clinical factor influencing the recurrence of CAA-related lobar hemorrhage. There was no significant clinical factor influencing the hematoma size of CAA-related lobar hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: The history of hypertension is associated with an increase in the recurrence of CAA-related lobar hemorrhage.     

Recurrent intracerebral hemorrhages in cerebral amyloid angiopathy: a case report

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy frequently causes recurrent intracerebral hemorrhages in elderly patients who do not have systemic hypertension. Surgery should be reserved for conditions which cannot be controlled by medical treatment. When surgery is needed, potential complications (such as bleeding near the operation site or remote area) should be kept in mind. A case study of a 66-year-old woman with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and recurrent intracerebral hemorrhages is presented.     

Cancer incidence in patients treated surgically for Dupuytren's contracture

Our aim was to study risk factors for Dupuytren's contracture (DC) by assessing cancer morbidity in a group of Swedish patients treated surgically for Dupuytren's contracture. The risk of cancer was determined in 15,212 patients operated on for Dupuytren's contracture, identified in the nationwide Swedish Inpatient Register during the period 1965 to 1994 by means of record linkage to the Swedish Cancer Register. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were computed using age-, sex- and period-specific incidence rates derived from the entire Swedish population. The overall relative risk of cancer was increased by 24%. There were significantly increased risks for malignancies related to smoking such as buccal, oesophageal, gastric, lung and pancreatic cancers. Significantly increased risks were present for both prostate and rectal cancer in men and an increase risk for breast cancer in women was noted 1 year or more after surgery for Dupuytren's contracture. The present study confirms smoking and alcohol abuse as probable risk factors for DC. There are characteristics in patients with DC that alter the risks for other malignancies compared with the general population.     

Stratification of outcome for surgically treated unruptured intracranial aneurysms

OBJECT: The combination of low anticipated rupture rates for many unruptured aneurysms, better delineation of treatment risks, and the availability of alternative modalities of treatment have led to heightened scrutiny of the surgical management of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Most reports to date have provided aggregate data concerning surgical treatment risks. This study was performed to better delineate risk estimates for the surgical treatment of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms according to a patient's risk profile with regard to age, aneurysm location, and aneurysm size. METHODS: We studied 493 patients who were treated with surgical clipping of 604 unruptured saccular aneurysms. Information regarding aneurysm size, location, patient age, and 6-month or greater outcome were gathered prospectively from 1992 to 1999. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for outcome. On the basis of the model, risk stratification curves were generated. RESULTS: In our series, the mean patient age was 53 years, and the mean lesion size was 8.8 mm. Lesion locations included the internal carotid artery (n = 259, 43%), the middle cerebral artery (n = 174, 28%), the anterior cerebral artery (n = 99, 17%), and the vertebrobasilar artery (n = 67, 11%). Multivariate analysis revealed that aneurysm size (beta = 0.122, P < 0.001), patient age (beta = 0.0308, P < 0.05), and vertebrobasilar location (beta = 1.37, P = 0.0080) were independently associated with high risk of poor outcome or death. CONCLUSION: Small aneurysms in the anterior circulation in young patients carry a very low treatment risk (approximately 1%), and treatment in elderly individuals (ages 70 years and older) with large lesions (greater than 10 mm), carries a significant risk of poor outcome (5% in the anterior circulation, 15% in the posterior circulation). The nomograms generated by this study should be particularly useful in discussing with patients the risks and benefits of surgical treatment of unruptured aneurysms.     

Neurosurgical and immunological implications of primary cerebral amyloid (congophilic) angiopathy

Two cases of histologically documented primary cerebral amyloid complicated by spontaneous intracerebral hematoma are reported. The neurosurgical implications of this disease are reviewed briefly. Immunological studies in one patient, believed to be a rare survivor of an intracerebral hemorrhage from nonfamilial primary cerebral amyloid angiopathy, demonstrated an increased percentage of B cells within both the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the blood compartments. Hypofunction of CSF concanavalin A-activated suppressor cells with respect to B and T cell targets was shown. The blood suppressor cells from the patient were similar to those of an age-matched control. Compartmental central nervous system suppressor cell dysfunction resulting in B cell activation could play a role in facilitating amyloid deposits in the brain. The mechanisms responsible for the compartmental and limited suppressor cell dysfunction are unknown.     

Sex-related differences in patients treated surgically for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

Sex-related differences were examined in the clinical course of patients treated surgically for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Retrospective analyses were carried out to evaluate sex-related differences in aneurysm location, aneurysm size, preoperative neurological condition, preoperative computed tomography findings, and outcome among 2577 patients who underwent surgical repair of ruptured aneurysms. The internal carotid artery was most frequently affected in women and the anterior cerebral artery in men. Intracerebral or intraventricular hematoma was more common in men than in women. Some differences may be related to the location of the aneurysm. Sex-related differences were prominent in the 5th decade of life. These findings might be related to the menopause. Sex hormones may be involved in aneurysm formation.     

Value of the neuropsychological evaluation in cerebral arterial aneurysms surgically treated

Early examination (3 months) of 81 patients, operated on for ruptured cerebral aneurysms, by neurosurgeons and neuropsychologists show significant differences between them both; the neuropsychological evaluation has the best predictive value as far as the outcome is concerned especially regarding the return to their initial job (69% after a year in this series). The outcome also depends on the age, the preoperative grade, and the professional qualification. The aneurysm location and the date of the operation are not so important. Early neuropsychological evaluation enable us to start a rehabilitation program for socio professional reinsertion and to improve the quality of life.     

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy associated with hemorrhage: immunohistochemical study of 41 biopsy cases.

The relationship between cerebral amyloid angiopathy and hemorrhage was investigated by an immunohistochemical study of biopsy cases to characterize the involvement of amyloid beta-protein, apolipoprotein E, and cystatin C in cerebral amyloid angiopathy associated with hemorrhage. The amyloid-laden vessels were examined in biopsy specimens from 41 surgical cases of sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (36 cases with hemorrhage and 5 cases without hemorrhage), using immunohistochemical staining with antibodies against amyloid beta-protein, apolipoprotein E, cystatin C, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. The relationship between the occurrence, recurrence, and enlargement of the hemorrhage, and the semiquantitative estimation of the cerebrovascular amyloid-related protein deposition was analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Severe amyloid beta-protein (p < 0.013) and apolipoprotein E (p < 0.013) immunoreactivity were risk factors for the occurrence of the hemorrhage. Severe cystatin C immunoreactivity was a risk factor for the occurrence (p < 0.002) and enlargement (p < 0.014) of the hemorrhage, and tended to induce recurrent hemorrhage (p < 0.103). In addition, loss of the vascular smooth muscle was observed in the intensely amyloid-laden vascular walls that showed cystatin C-immunoreactivity. The present study indicates that intense amyloid beta-protein deposition with cystatin C deposition weakens the cerebrovascular walls, and that cystatin C deposition is a strong predictor of hemorrhage in cerebral amyloid angiopathy.     

开颅术与钻孔引流术治疗高血压脑出血后颅内压的影响比较

目的：探讨开颅术与钻孔引流术治疗高血压脑出血（HICH）后颅内压的影响,为临床HICH后选择合理的手术治疗提供依据。方法选择HICH患者120例,随机分为开颅组（n=60）和钻孔组（n=60）,开颅组采用开颅手术治疗,钻孔组采用钻孔引流术结合尿激酶溶解术治疗,比较两组患者术后即时、24h、72h和1周时颅内压变化情况。结果两组患者术后即时颅内压均增高,术后72h达峰值,术后1周开始下降。开颅组颅内压在各时间点均低于钻孔组（P＜0.05）。结论开颅手术治疗HICH在降低颅内压力,减少脑组织损害方面优于钻孔引流术。但开颅手术由于存在创伤大等缺点,因此应在术前综合考虑患者全身状况、出血部位、血肿量等因素,再选择合适的术式,但不管何种术式,均以降低脑出血患者病死、病残率,改善生存质量为最终目的。     

Gliosarcoma at the site of a surgically treated Actinomyces cerebral abscess

We describe a man who developed a gliosarcoma at the site of a previously surgically decompressed frontal Actinomyces israelii brain abscess. We review the clinical profile of gliosarcoma and the possible role of the abscess and operation in the induction of this malignancy.