Background and purpose: Recurrent seizures have been reported to induce neuronal loss in the hippocampus. It is unclear whether seizure control influences hippocampal volume. The aims of this study were to determine if there was a change in total or subfield hippocampal volume over time in children with focal drug-resistant epilepsy, and whether seizure control influenced total or subfield hippocampal volumes.
Methods: Using FreeSurfer's automated segmentation of brain magnetic resonance imaging scans, we calculated the total and subfield (including CA1, CA3, CA4, subiculum, presubiculum, parasubiculum, molecular layer and dentate gyrus) hippocampal volumes of children with non-lesional focal epilepsy. Seizure frequency and hippocampal volumes were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Patients were classified into those who were seizure free or have improvement in seizures (group 1) and those with no improvement in seizures (group 2) at follow-up.
Results: Thirty-seven patients were included, with mean age 10.31 ± 3.68 years at baseline. The interval between the two magnetic resonance imaging scans was 2.59 ± 1.25 years. There was no significant difference in the total and subfield hippocampal volumes for the whole cohort at follow-up compared to baseline (all P > 0.002). Seizure control of the two groups did not predict total or subfield hippocampal volume, after controlling for baseline volume, age, severity of seizure frequency at baseline and time interval between the magnetic resonance imaging scans (all P > 0.002).
Conclusion: We have found that total and subfield hippocampal volumes did not change, and seizure control did not predict hippocampal volumes at follow-up in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Background: For wide-necked intracranial aneurysms, endo-saccular flow disruption can be a viable alternative to coiling or flow diverters. The Contour Neurovascular System is an intrasaccular flow diverter device targeting the neck of the aneurysm. Until now, the system had to be delivered through a 0.027″ microcatheter. We report the first implantation and follow-up of the novel Contour 021 system compatible with 0.021″ microcatheters.Case presentation: A 54-year-old male patient presented with an unruptured right middle cerebral artery aneurysm at the right temporopolar branch. Existing medication included apixaban. An arteriogram showed a broad-based aneurysm. Due to its asymmetric geometry, neither the Woven EndoBridge nor stent-assisted coil embolisation were regarded as promising treatment strategies. To uphold the option of different treatment options, prasugrel 10 mg was initiated before treatment. Implantation was performed under general anaesthesia via femoral artery puncture. A 0.021″ Headway™ catheter was used for accessing the aneurysm. The Contour device was oversized to the equatorial plane. Deployment was successful with only one attempt without the need for re-sheathing. Follow-up catheter angiography was performed after three months, showing complete occlusion of the aneurysm. No procedure-related complications occurred.
Conclusion: The 0.021 design of the Contour enlarges the subgroup of patients that can be treated with endo-saccular devices and will enable treatment of smaller and more distal aneurysms.
Background: Among the varied causes of pulsatile tinnitus, the condition that can cause severe mortality and morbidity is a cranial dural arteriovenous fistula (cDAVF). This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the dilated middle meningeal artery on three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography in cranial dural arteriovenous fistula and to identify other feeders that can aid in the detection of these lesions.
Method: Magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography data of all patients with cranial dural arteriovenous fistula treated in a single tertiary referral center between 2007-2020 were included. The middle meningeal artery and other feeders recorded from digital subtraction angiography were assessed on magnetic resonance angiography.
Results: The overall agreement between readers in identifying the dilated middle meningeal artery was substantial (κ = 0.878, 95% confidence interval: 0.775-0.982). The dilated middle meningeal artery indicated the presence of a cranial dural arteriovenous fistula with a sensitivity of 79.49% (95% confidence interval: 66.81-92.16), specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval: 100.00-100.00), and negative predictive value of 94.56% (95% confidence interval: 90.89-98.02). An area under the curve of 0.8341 was observed for the ipsilateral middle meningeal artery, with a sensitivity of 92.2% and a specificity of 75.0% at a cut-off of 0.30 mm for identifying a cranial dural arteriovenous fistula. Of 73 other feeders, the occipital, meningohypophyseal trunk, ascending pharyngeal, and posterior meningeal arteries contributed to a large proportion visualized on magnetic resonance angiography (83.6% (41/49)).
Conclusion: The dilated middle meningeal artery sign is useful for identifying a cranial dural arteriovenous fistula. Dilatation of the occipital and ascending pharyngeal arteries and meningohypophyseal trunk should be assessed to facilitate the detection of a cranial dural arteriovenous fistula, particularly in the transverse-sigmoid and petrous regions.
Objectives: Cerebral vasospasm is a known complication to aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, which can lead to severe morbidity. Intra-arterial vasodilation therapy is widely used as a last resort treatment in patients with symptomatic refractory cerebral vasospasm but there is limited data about the outcome. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the neurological and radiological outcome in patients treated with intra-arterial nimodipine in relation to cerebral infarction, procedure-related complications and clinical outcome.
Methods: Patients with refractory cerebral vasospasm treated with intra-arterial nimodipine during 2009-2020 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Neurological outcome (modified Rankin Scale) at 30 days and 6 months, development of cerebral infarction after intra-arterial nimodipine treatment and procedure-related complications were studied.
Results: Forty-eight patients were treated with intra-arterial nimodipine. A good outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) was seen in 25% (n = 12) of the patients after 30 days and in 47% (n = 22) of the patients after six months. Infarction related to the vasospastic vessel after treatment with intra-arterial nimodipine was seen in 60% (n = 29) of the patients. A total of 124 procedures with intra-arterial nimodipine were performed where complications were seen in 10 (21%) patients in 10 (8%) procedures. Four (8%) patients died within 30 days.
Conclusions: A majority of patients developed an ischaemic cerebral infarction in spite of intra-arterial nimodipine treatment. However, a good clinical recovery was seen in almost half of the patients after 6 months. Minor complications occurred in one out of five patients.
Purpose: After stent-assisted treatment for intracranial diseases, three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography is a noninvasive follow-up method, but susceptibility artifacts prevent accurate evaluations of stented arteries. Sampling perfection with application-optimized contrast using different flip angle evolution (SPACE) sequence often used for vessel wall imaging is less susceptible to susceptibility artifacts, since it is a spin-echo sequence. Hence, we evaluated the feasibility of black-blood magnetic resonance angiography generated from vessel wall imaging data obtained using the SPACE sequence in the depiction of stented arteries by comparing with three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography.
Methods: Our study group comprised 11 consecutive patients. For both three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography and black-blood magnetic resonance angiography, the contrast ratio obtained from the stented artery and the normal artery proximal to the stent were calculated. And the depiction of stented arteries was visually evaluated. Additionally, the relative diameter index obtained from the stented artery and the normal artery proximal to the stent were calculated for three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, black-blood magnetic resonance angiography and digital subtraction angiography.
Results: The contrast ratio of the stented artery was significantly lower than that of the normal artery on three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography, but no significant difference was seen using black-blood magnetic resonance angiography. Regarding both the diameter index and the visual assessment score, black-blood magnetic resonance angiography was significantly better than three-dimensional time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. On black-blood magnetic resonance angiography, the diameter index was equal to that of digital subtraction angiography, and the flow signal was homogeneous and continuous in most the cases.
Retinal artery occlusion associated with carotid artery stenosis is well known. Although it can also occur at the time of carotid artery stenting, retinal artery occlusion via the collateral circulation of the external carotid artery is rare. We encountered two cases of retinal artery occlusion that were thought to be caused by an embolus from the external carotid artery during carotid artery stenting with a distal embolic protection device for the internal carotid artery. A 71-year-old man presented with central retinal artery occlusion after carotid artery stenting using the Carotid Guardwire PS and a 77-year-old man presented with branch retinal artery occlusion after carotid artery stenting using the FilterWire EZ. Because additional new cerebral ischaemic lesions were not detected in either case by postoperative diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, it was highly likely that the debris that caused retinal artery occlusion passed through not the internal carotid artery but collaterals to retinal arteries from the external carotid artery, which was not protected by a distal embolic protection device. It is suggested that a distal protection device for the internal carotid artery alone cannot prevent retinal artery embolisation during carotid artery stenting and protection of the external carotid artery is important to avoid retinal artery occlusion.

