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Long-term follow-up of patients with adhesive capsulitis (AC) reveals that approximately half of them suffer from a limited range of shoulder motion, particularly external and/or internal rotation. We report the surgical technique and short-term clinical outcomes of ultrasound-guided release of the thickened coracohumeral (CH) ligament in 8 patients (9 shoulders) with AC. Passive external rotation with the arm by the side significantly increased from an average of 18° preoperatively to 47° immediately after CH ligament release. VAS and ASES scores were improved at 3months follow-up in all 9 shoulders, and maintained at 6months follow-up in 6 shoulders. No procedure-related adverse events developed over the 6-month follow-up period. Ultrasound-guided release for thickened CH ligament is a reliable and effective minimally invasive surgery for persistent limited external rotation due to AC of the shoulder.

The prognosis of high-risk retinoblastoma (RB) with extraocular disease, relapse, or invasion of the cut end of the optic nerve is extremely poor. Following the discontinuation of thiotepa production in Japan, BU- and melphalan (Mel)-based regimens have been used, followed by the standard treatment for neuroblastoma. This study retrospectively analyzed 14 high-risk RB patients who underwent high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and hematopoietic SCT; 8 received a BU/Mel conditioning regimen and 6 received other regimens. The disease status at HDC was relapse in 8 patients and extraocular involvement in 5. All patients received peripheral blood stem cell infusion >1.5 × 10(6)/kg. Engraftment occurred within a median of 11 days (BU/Mel: 10-13, others: 9-13). Primary toxicities included mucositis (⩾grade 3) in 9 patients (4 with BU/Mel, 5 with others). Veno-occlusive disease (VOD) occurred in two 1-year-old patients in the BU/Mel group. There were no treatment-related deaths. Of 4 (2 with BU/Mel, 2 with others) patients with central nervous system (CNS) relapse after HDC, 3 died. In conclusion, the BU/Mel regimen may be feasible for high-risk RB under careful monitoring for VOD, particularly in younger patients. CNS relapse associated with a lethal prognosis occurred after all regimens; therefore, further evaluation of HDC efficacy for high-risk RB is required.

Objective: The nocturnal serum melatonin (MT) level increases after ingestion of fluvoxamine (FLU) – a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) with antidepressive properties. The mechanism behind the MT increase is unknown. Citalopram (CIT) is another SSRI. It is not known whether CIT affects the serum MT level. It may well be that these two compounds affect serum MT levels differently, inasmuch as the ways they inhibit cytochrome P 450 (CYP) enzymes in the liver differ markedly. FLU inhibits CYP1A2 potently, and to some extent also CYP2C19, whereas CIT is without such an effect. CYP enzymes are probably involved in the hepatic metabolism of MT. If FLU, but not CIT, inhibits liver enzymes involved in the metabolism of MT, different serum MT concentrations should probably ensue. The objective of this investigation was to test this hypothesis. Methods: Seven healthy subjects participated in three different experiments, which were performed in random order 6–8 days apart. In experiment A, placebo was given, in experiment B 40 mg CIT and in experiment C 50 mg FLU. All doses were given orally at 1600 hours. Serum MT concentrations were determined at regular intervals between 1600 hours and noon next day (20 h). Plasma concentrations of CIT were measured repeatedly in experiment B, and plasma FLU concentrations in experiment C. MT areas under the curve representing the 20-h period (MT-AUC0–20) were compared in the three experiments, and differences were statistically evaluated. Results: FLU augmented the MT-AUC0–20 by a factor of 2.8 compared with the effect of placebo (P

Our aim was to study the relationship between cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses to induced hypotension and to CO2 inhalation in patients with occlusive disease of the carotid or middle cerebral arteries. In 13 patients (8 men, 5 women) aged 31-73 years (mean +/- 1 SD = 63.2 +/- 10.6), regional CBF values during the resting state (CBFrest), 7% CO2 inhalation (CBFhypercapnia), and hypotension induced by 10-20 microg/kg/min intravenous trimethaphan (CBFhypotension) were measured using positron-emission tomography (PET) with H2(15)O. The % CBF change during induced hypotension (% CBFhypotension) was defined as (CBFhypotension - CBFrest)/CBFrest multiplied by 100. The % CBF change during CO2 inhalation (% CBFhypercapnia) was defined as (CBFhypercapnia - CBFrest)/CBFrest/mm Hg arterial partial pressure of CO2 x 100. We defined symptomatic hemispheres as those with a stenotic or occlusive lesion with neurological symptoms or signs and asymptomatic hemispheres as those which had a similar lesion and/or were influenced by the collateral flow pattern without neurological symptoms. In the territory of the occlusive lesion, % CBFhypotension correlated significantly with % CBFhypercapnia (r = 0.793, P0.002) in the symptomatic hemispheres. In the brain regions in which trimethaphan did not induce a reduction in CBF. % CBFhypercapnia was 6.13 +/- 1.79. In those in which % CBFhypotension ranged from 0 to -5, from -5 to -10, and more than -10%, % CBFhypercapnia was 4.05 +/- 1.99, 3.21 +/- 1.17, and 1.73 +/- 1.61, respectively, with significant differences between each pair of groups. In the asymptomatic hemispheres, % CBFhypotension also correlated with % CBFhypercapnia (r = 0.979, P0.0001). Failure to maintain CBF during induced hypotension was associated with diminished cerebrovascular vasoreactivity to hypercapnia in patients with arterial disease. This may indicate that failure of autoregulation can be assessed by the CBF response to both induced hypotension and CO2 inhalation. From the technical point of view, estimation of the CO2 response may be useful for assessing failure of autoregulation.

Clinical characteristics and the outcomes of 50 patients with confirmed subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) of unknown aetiology were evaluated. Twenty-nine of these patients were interviewed with a mean follow-up of 7.7 years. Seven patients experienced early rebleeding during hospitalization, and one patient experienced late rebleeding during the follow-up period. On admission to the hospital the consciousness level was "clear" in 43 of the patients, "drowsy" in 6, and "semicomatose" in only 1. Of 10 patients who underwent computerized tomography (CT) within 3 days after SAH, 6 showed no abnormal CT findings and 3 had mild subarachnoid blood. Another patient showed severe SAH. Neurological deficit due to symptomatic vasospasm persisted in only 1 case. Two patients died after re-bleeding during hospitalization, and two others died during the follow-up, thereby representing an overall mortality rate of 8%. Of the latter cases, one died of an unrelated disease, and the other died suddenly from an unknown cause. The remaining forty-six patients (92%) had a good outcome. These results confirm previously reported clinical characteristics, namely that the symptoms of the majority of such cases are mild, the incidence of symptomatic vasospasm is rare, the risk of late re-bleeding is very low (less than 1% per year), and the prognosis is good. The CT findings suggest that some of these features resulted from only mild SAH. Thus, SAH of unknown aetiology seems to be a disease entity with a good prognosis.

Mild hypothermia is thought to have a brain protective effect to pathophysiological conditions, which are caused by severe brain damage including brain injury and cerebral stroke. In this paper, general aspects of this treatment as history, pathophysiological effect, and problems are summarized. Also, the clinical effects of hypothermic therapy for a subarachnoid hemorrhage are reviewed. Main targets of the therapy for this disease are severe primary brain damage caused by the attack itself and secondary ischemic brain damage after delayed vasospasm. But even now, there are no fully established data about the effect of hypothermia at such conditions after subarachnoid hemorrhage. The results of our study of cerebral blood flow and cerebral oxygen metabolism using positron emission tomography are presented to show the physiological effect of hypothermia on human brain after severe brain damage caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage. In conclusion, effect of hypothermia on subarachnoid hemorrhage is not confirmed yet and reported data is limited, so that additional studies, especially controlled studies, would be recommended.

Both haloperidol and risperidone have been widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Because of wider therapeutic spectrum of risperidone, switching from haloperidol to risperidone is recommended in patients who do not sufficiently respond to haloperidol. The present study investigated the correlation between the steady-state plasma concentrations of haloperidol and risperidone together with the effects of CYP2D6 status on the steady-state kinetics of both drugs. Subjects were 22 schizophrenic inpatients. Eleven patients first received risperidone 6 mg/day and then haloperidol 12 mg/day, while the remaining 11 patients received these two treatments in the opposite sequence. The steady-state plasma concentrations of risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, haloperidol, and reduced haloperidol were measured after the subjects had been on the treatment for at least 2 weeks, and CYP2D6 genotypes were identified in all subjects. Neither the correlation between the steady-state plasma concentrations of haloperidol and those of risperidone (r = 0.061, ns) nor the active moiety (sum of concentration of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone) of risperidone (r = 0.141, ns) was significant. The mean (+/- SD) plasma concentration of risperidone in patients with mutated allele(s)for CYP2D6 was significantly higher than those without mutated allele (1.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 8.5 +/- 11.0, p0.05), while such a tendency for haloperidol was not observed. The present study suggests that the steady-state plasma concentration of risperidone is not predicted from that of haloperidol in the same individual, probably because of the much greater involvement of CYP2D6 in the metabolism of risperidone than in that of haloperidol.

Nine patients with achondroplasia and one patient with Apert syndrome underwent the surgical lengthening of both humerus and simultaneous correction of both associated bone deformity. An unilateral external fixator was applied to the lateral aspect of the humerus with four half-pins and percutaneous predrilling osteotomy was performed at the apex of flexion deformity of the bone. During the waiting period before distraction, the flexion deformity of the distal humerus was corrected using an additional external fixator. Slow gradual distraction was subsequently carried out at a rate of 0. 25 mm every 6 hours. The average lengthening was 8 cm (range 7.5 to 9 cm), the overall treatment time 312 days (range 192 to 406 days), and the average healing index 39.0 days/cm. The average correction of the elbow flexion deformity was 20 degrees. We believe this treatment is useful to improve the function of the arms and the activity of daily living for the patients with bilateral short humeri.

The CYP2D6*10 (*10) allele that causes decreased CYP2D6 activity is present in Asians with a high frequency of about 50%. In this study we studied the effects of the *10 allele on the steady-state plasma concentrations (Css) of haloperidol and reduced haloperidol.The subjects were 67 Japanese inpatients with schizophrenia who had only the wild-type or *10 alleles. Thirty-four patients were homozygous for the wild-type allele, and 26 were heterozygous and 7 were homozygous for the *10 allele. All patients had been receiving 12 mg/day haloperidol for at least 2 weeks. Plasma concentrations of haloperidol and reduced haloperidol were measured by HPLC.The mean +/- SD values of haloperidol Css in the patients with 0, 1, and 2 *10 alleles were 22.8+/-11.0, 30.1+/-10.6, and 31.2+/-21.2 nmol/L, respectively, and those values for reduced haloperidol were 6.1+/-2.9, 9.5+/-3.7, and 9.9+/-6.2 nmol/L, respectively. The mean haloperidol Css was significantly (P.05) higher in the patients with 1 *10 allele than in those with no *10 alleles. The mean Css of reduced haloperidol was significantly (P.05) higher in the patients with 1 and 2 *10 alleles than in those with no *10 alleles.This study suggests that the *10 allele plays an important role in controlling the Css of both haloperidol and reduced haloperidol, especially in Asian subjects.

OBJECTIVES: Anticipation has been linked to unstable trinucleotide repeats in many neurological disorders. We examined the hypothesis of genetic anticipation in familial cavernous angioma (FCA) of the central nervous system. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The mean ASO of affected individuals was compared between successive generations in 55 families. Intergenerational pair-wise comparisons were employed to avoid several ascertainment biases. Regarding severity of disease both type of manifestation and number of cavernous angiomas were compared between generations. RESULTS: The mean ASO decreased significantly both from the first to the second generation (31.6 vs 17.8 years; P = 0.000) and from the second to the third generation (17.8 vs 6.7 years; P = 0.002). The pair-wise comparisons also showed significantly earlier ASO. No clear evidence for anticipation with regard to severity of disease was found. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular genetic studies will determine whether trinucleotide repeats are the underlying mechanism for our observation of anticipation in FCA.

Hypophosphatasia is associated with a defect of the tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) gene. The onset and clinical severity are usually correlated in hypophosphatasia; patients with perinatal hypophosphatasia die approximately at the time of birth. In contrast, we describe a male neonatal patient with hypophosphatasia who had no respiratory problems and survived. He was compound heterozygous for the conversion of Phe to Leu at codon 310 (F310L) and the deletion of a nucleotide T at 1735 (delT1735), causing the frame shift with the result of the addition of 80 amino acids at the C-terminal of the protein. Because the C-terminal portion of TNSALP is known to be important for TNSALP to bind to the plasma membrane, the localization of wild-type and mutated TNSALP proteins was analyzed using green fluorescent protein chimeras. The expression vectors containing the complementary DNA of fusion proteins consisting of signal peptide, green fluorescent protein, and wild-type or mutated TNSALP, caused by delT1735 or F310L mutation, were introduced transiently or stably in Saos-2 cells. The delT1735 mutant failed to localize at the cell surface membrane, whereas the wild-type and the F310L mutants were located in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm. The assay for enzymatic activity of TNSALP revealed that the delT1735 mutant lost the activity and that the F310L mutant exhibited an enzymatic activity level that was 72% of the normal level. The F310L mutation was also detected in another neonatal patient with relatively mild (nonlethal) hypophosphatasia (reported in J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 81:4458-4461, 1996), suggesting that residual ALP activity of the F310L mutant contributes to the less severe phenotype. The patient is unique, with respect to a discrepancy between onset and clinical severity in hypophosphatasia.

The grading scale for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with inter-grade outcome differences is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of newly developed therapeutic modalities. Although Hunt's grade and WFNS scale have been widely used, these grading scales do not meet this requirement. We previously proposed a revised WFNS scale based solely on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) that has intergrade outcome differences of high-level significance. The Japan Coma Scale (JCS) has been long and widely used in Japan. The purpose of this study is to show whether it is possible to determine a reasonable SAH grading scale based on the JCS and to show a way to determine an SAH grading scale.We retrospectively analyzed 1398 consecutive cases of aneurysmal SAH operated on within Day 7 of the latest onset. The preoperative JCS and GCS were evaluated just before the surgery and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), analyzed with numerical transformation (1 = dead to 5 = good recovery), was estimated at 6 months after the onset. All 510 possible combinations of scores of JCS were statistically tested under the following 2 assumptions; (1) JCS = 0 and JCS = 100 fall into a single independent grade. (2) No other single JCS score should fall into a single grade.The outcome differences between JCS 0 and 1, and 100 and 200 are significant. The outcome difference between JCS 30 and 100 is relatively higher than any other set of 2 scores of JCS. Only 5 combinations are practical among the candidates to be analyzed. Out of 510 combinations, the following combination shows the highest inter-grade outcome differences; I (JCS = 0, n = 375, mean GOS = 4.78) II (JCS = 1, 2; n = 310; mean GOS = 4.47) III (JCS = 3-30; n = 476; mean GOS = 3.96) IV (JCS = 100; n = 96; mean GOS = 3.10) V (JCS = 200, 300; n = 141; mean GOS = 2.33). In JCS, the mean outcome of JCS = 3 is worse than those of JCS = 10, 20, and 30. The outcome difference between JCS 0 and 1 is only significant in patients over 60 years old.Taking all the 510 possible combinations of JCS into consideration, we obtained a reasonable combination containing 5 grades. Although this grading scale showed good inter-grade outcome differences, JCS is not preferable to GCS as a consciousness evaluation system in the acute phase of SAH. We emphasize the importance of this way to determine a grading scale with a combinatorial approach, which can be applicable for re-evaluating the grading scales in the future.

To investigate osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow cells from patients with various pathogenic backgrounds known to induce osteoporosis, to identify specific factors that may cause generalized osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Bone marrow blood was obtained from 59 women, 36 with RA and 23 without RA. Patients with RA were classified as severe (26) and mild RA (10: 5 patients with and 5 without corticosteroid therapy). The non-RA subjects were divided into 3 groups, premenopausal (7), menopausal (8), and elderly (8). As a marker of bone resorption, the pyridinoline crosslinked telopeptide domain of type I collagen (ICTP) concentration in the bone marrow supernatant was measured by radioimmunoassay. The bone marrow cells were cultured 14 days in the presence or absence of autologous bone marrow supernatant; then the number of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase positive multinucleated cells (TRAP positive MNC) was counted as an indicator of osteoclastogenesis.ICTP concentration of the bone marrow supernatant and the number of TRAP positive MNC showed remarkable enhancement in some patients with severe RA, but these features were not observed in the 3 control groups.Increased bone resorption and enhanced osteoclastogenesis were specifically observed in the iliac bone marrow of patients with RA, especially those with severe RA. These phenomena can be considered to accompany generalized osteoporosis in RA.

In seven patients who underwent ventricular puncture as a procedure for either continuous ventricular drainage or ventriculoperitoneal shunt between April 1983 and December 1988, the changes between pre- and postoperative regional cerebral blood flow (rCFB) and the regional cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (rCMRO2) around the regions along the tract of puncture were evaluated. In each patients, rCBF and rCMRO2 were measured using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) by the steady state method. The regions of interest (ROIs) with diameters of 2cm were set as follows: The gray matter (PSG) and white matter (PSW) along the tract of the puncture, the same regions on the opposite side (OSG and OSW) and the bilateral motor cortex (PSM and OSM) as control. All changes, as well as lateralities at each region were studied. In 4 of 7 patients long term follow up PET studies (mean = 657 days after the procedure) were performed. After the procedure values of rCBF significantly increased in OSG and OSW (p0.05) and tended to increase in PSG and PSW. But compared with OSG and OSW, the degree of increase in PSG and PSW were suppressed. In the motor cortex evident changes were not recognized. Lateralities between PSG and OSG and those between PSW and OSW tended to increase after procedure. In long term follow up studies the values further increased in all regions including PSG and PSW and lateralities tended to decrease, but suppression of improvement around the puncture site was prolonged. The changes of rCMRO2 had the same tendency but it was not significant. The rCBF and rCMRO2 generally increased following the procedure accompanying ventricular puncture. Perhaps this was because of adjustment of increased intracranial pressure or cerebrospinal fluid circulation. But the degree of improvement around the puncture site was suppressed. Minor brain injury caused by the procedure was considered to be the cause of reduction of improvement of cerebral blood flow and cerebral oxygen metabolism.

It remains unclear why chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) can cause hemiparesis, although the contribution of impaired cerebral blood flow and metabolism has been suggested.We studied six hemiparetic patients (five men, one woman; mean age 60.5 +/- 7.5 years) with unilateral CSH using positron emission tomography. The 15O2 steady state technique was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), regional oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF), and regional cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (rCMRO2), followed by the 1-minute inhalation of C15O to measure regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV).On the hematoma side, rCBF and rCMRO2 were significantly reduced in the caudate nucleus and the cingulate gyrus. We observed a tendency toward reduced levels of rCBF and rCMRO2 in the lentiform nucleus. rCBV was not elevated. rOEF was significantly elevated in the lentiform nucleus, the cingulate gyrus, the frontal gray matters under the hematoma and the semioval center. On the nonhematoma side, rCBF and rCMRO2 were normal except for the significant reduction in the cingulate gyrus. rCBV was elevated in the lentiform nucleus, the middle temporal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus. rOEF was elevated significantly in the cingulate gyrus, the precentral gyrus and the semioval center.Our hemiparetic patients with CSH were observed to have a circulatory disturbance of blood; it was manifested by an elevation of rOEF, specifically in the hemisphere adjacent to the hematoma. This circulatory disturbance was highly pronounced and resulted in a consistent reduction in rCBF and rCMRO2 in the anterior central cerebral area such as the caudate nucleus, the lentiform nucleus and the cingulate gyrus.

The value of the 10-grade Japan Coma Scale (JCS) as a means of evaluating patients undergoing early aneurysm surgery was assessed in terms of its relationship to surgical outcome. The 13-grade Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was also assessed, and comparisons were made between the two. A series of 765 patients who underwent aneurysm surgery within 7 days after hemorrhage were evaluated both by JCS and GCS immediately prior to surgery, and outcome was assessed by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 6 months postoperatively. Both the JCS and GCS scores were significantly correlated with surgical outcome (JCS vs GOS: rs = 0.586, GCS vs GOS: rs = 0.615, p0.001). There was no significant difference between the correlation coefficients for outcome of the JCS and GCS. In general, the better the JCS or GCS score was, the better the surgical outcome was, however, outcome among those with a JCS score of 3 was poorer than among those with a score of 10, 20, or 30. The results of this study indicate that both JCS and GCS are useful in predicting surgical outcome, but the GCS may be better than the JCS because of the problem with the score of 3 in the latter.

There were 78 patients who had been examined at our institution prior to the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) among the 1114 patients with ruptured aneurysm stet between April 1974 and March 1992. Among these 78 cases these were 35 patients who might have been treated at an earlier stage, i.e., 26 patients in which the diagnosis was made belatedly and 9 patients in which an unruptured aneurysm was missed. All 26 patients with belatedly diagnosed SAH had headache without neck stiffness or neurological deficits and thus were Hunt and Kosnic grade 1-2 while 25 cases were categorized so called "minor leak". The causes in 6 of the 7 patients with poor outcome was rerupture or vasospasm due to delay in the diagnosis of SAH. Because the diagnosis of mild SAH is not always easy, it is important to take a careful medical history. MRI or lumbar puncture should be performed when SAH is suspected from the history, even if CT shows no evidence of SAH. The cause of failure to diagnose unruptured aneurysms, in addition to misreading was blood vessel overlapping as a result of non-selective angiography, poor contrast, etc. Angiography should be performed selectively and the inclusion of oblique, magnified, stereoscopic, and other imaging techniques is advisable, if an unruptured aneurysm is suspected, and angiographic follow-up is necessary when an ruptured aneurysm is uncertain.

A rare case of renal cell carcinoma metastasizing to the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle is reported. A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our institution on November 26, 1987 complaining of left-half headache for one month. She had a past history of right nephrectomy due to renal cell carcinoma 4 years before admission, and of right radical mastectomy due to breast cancer 10 years before admission. She had no abnormal neurological findings and laboratory results were normal. CT scan revealed a well-circumscribed, apparently homogeneously enhancing mass in the left lateral ventricle with mild ventricular dilatation. Left vertebral angiogram showed a tumor stain fed by the left posterior choroidal artery. The most likely diagnosis was thought to be metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. The patient underwent the operation for tumor removal via the posterior interhemispheric transcallosal approach 14 days after admission. A histological examination of the tumor determined the diagnosis of clear-cell type renal cell carcinoma. The operation was uneventful and the patient was discharged 20 days after operation without neurological deficit. But she had recent-memory disturbance, low activity, and gait disturbance in May 1989. CT scan revealed ventricular dilatation and tumor recurrence at the same site. She also suffered from diabetes due to the regrowth and invasion of primary tumor to the pancreas. She was discharged free of neurological defects after ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. In December 1989, she gradually deteriorated due to the regrowth of the intraventricular metastatic lesion, and now she is bedridden. Choroid plexus metastasis is quite rare, and, to our knowledge, only three cases have been described.

Four hundred and fifty patients underwent 755 ventricular punctures as a procedure for continuous ventricular drainage (CVD), or ventriculoperitoneal/ventriculoatrial shunt (shunt) between April, 1983 and March, 1990. In all patients, postoperative findings on CT scan and related clinical manifestations were studied. Of the total of 755 punctures in 100 cases (13.2%) some high density areas (HDA) (i.e. intracerebral hemorrhage) appeared on CT scans, and, of these, HDA larger than 3 cm in diameter (Type C) was seen in 12 cases (1.6%). On the other hand, some low density areas (LDA) appeared in 448 cases (59.3%), and, of these, an extensive LDA (Type C) was seen in 65 cases (8.6%). LDA on CT scan tended to improve gradually with time, and in one third of the cases it was undetectable one year after puncture. Nine percent of the LDA decreased in density, and they were regarded as areas of infarction or porencephalus. The factors considered to affect postoperative HDA were 1) old age, 2) puncture in the occipital region, 3) puncture in a previously damaged brain area, 4) repuncture using the same tract within a short interval from the previous puncture, 5) CVD. Conversely, factors that affected the LDA were 1) low age, 2) puncture in the occipital region, 3) puncture to normal, non-damaged brain, 4) puncture using a new tract. Ten out of 12 patients with large HDA (Type C) showed deterioration of consciousness level or epilepsy as an acute manifestation, and a prolonged disturbance of consciousness. Mental change and/or homonymous hemianopia were seen in all surviving patients in the chronic phase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Three hundred and eight cases with ruptured intracranial aneurysms and variable amounts of subarachnoidal clot were evaluated clinically with special emphasis on the natural course of poor grade patients. Clinical severity was classified according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS); severe cases (score 3-8) and mild cases (score 9-15). Patients were further divided into four groups based on the preoperative clinical course, and on whether radical surgery was performed or not. Group A, severe cases without radical surgery (17 patients, mean GCS score 4.2); group B, severe cases (which had undergone) radical surgery (24 cases, mean GCS score 5.5); group C, patients considered as severe cases on admission that had improved to mild cases before radical surgery (3 patients, mean GCS score 11.7); group D, mild cases which had undergone radical surgery (254 cases, mean GCS score 14.3). CT findings after their last bleeding episode were evaluated in each group using subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) score from "0"-"3" according to the severity of SAH. In addition, the SAH-B (brainstem) score ("0"-"9") was also evaluated. In this score, the amount of SAH in each perimesencephalic cistern (a. prepontine or interpeduncular cistern, b. ambient cistern, c. quadrigeminal cistern) was considered with a possible score of "0"-"3" for each cistern. (No patient had a concurrent intracerebral or intraventricular hematoma causing a mass effect on CT scan). All cases in group A died except one patient that remained in a vegetative state. All of them had severe subarachnoidal clot (mean SAH score 2.9, SAH-B score 8.2). In group B, in patients with same scores (mean SAH score 2.8, mean SAH-B score 7.3), the outcome was as follows: 6 patients (33.3%) had full recovery or were capable of self-management, 6 patients (33.3%) were partially or fully dependent, and 12 patients (50%) were either in vegetative state or died. Patients in groups C and D with good outcome had significantly less amount of SAH, especially in the perimesencephalic cistern (group C--mean SAH score 2.3, mean SAH-B score 3.7, group D--mean SAH score 1.9, mean SAH-B score 3.3). It is concluded that duration and level of unconsciousness in the cases of SAH without concurrent hematoma causing mass effect, has a good correlation with the severity of SAH in the perimesencephalic cisterns.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

We reviewed the surgical outcome in 85 patients with ruptured anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysms, who were operated on within 72 hours of onset via a basal interhemispheric (BIH) approach (Group 1, N = 48), or an anterior interhemispheric (AIH) approach (Group 2, N = 37). The age, sex ratio and pre-operative grade (Gr) were similar for both groups. The outcome at the time of discharge was as follows for group 1: excellent or good 88%; fair, 6%; vegetative state, 2% and death 4%. For group 2, it was: excellent or good 78%; fair, 16%; vegetative state, 3%; and death, 3%. A significant correlation between admission grade and outcome was found in both groups. The outcome in group 1 was better than in group 2 for patients with a Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) better than fair (p0.07). No patient in group 1 had postoperative anosmia, but nine patients in group 2 became anosmic. The total number of complications was also significantly less in group 1. Our overall mortality rate was 4%. In conclusion, the BIH approach was more beneficial for treating acute ACoA aneurysm.

Magnetic resonance imaging of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to aneurysm rupture was evaluated in relation to CT findings in nine patients. Six patients were studied within 3 days and the other three patients were studied 4 to 6 days from the ictus of SAH using a 0.5 Tesla superconducting unit. In all of the patients, hematoma in the subarachnoid space and ventricles was demonstrated by the proton density-weighted spin echo sequence, which showed that bloody cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) had a higher signal intensity than brain tissue or normal CSF. Magnetic resonance imaging was more sensitive in detecting SAH and more informative as to the site of the ruptured aneurysm than CT. Despite some limitations in applying it to patients with acute SAH, magnetic resonance imaging has clear advantages in the diagnosis of SAH.

The risks of surgical treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms, as well as the significance of evaluating cerebral blood flow (CBF), are here reported. Out of 72 patients who underwent unruptured aneurysm surgery without such complications as occlusion of the main trunk or perforating arteries, or brain contusion, and who according to CT scans, did not have new lesions related to the operations, 18 patients (25%) developed neurological deficits postoperatively. In 17 of these 18 patients, postoperative neurological deficits (frontal sign: 7, paresis: 4, and seizure: 6 cases) disappeared within 2 weeks following the operations. In the other patient, who was treated for subcortical hematoma in the left temporal lobe before aneurysm surgery, permanent speech disturbance appeared postoperatively. In the 18 patients with postoperative neurological deficits, the mean CBF value (36.2ml/100g/min) was statistically lower than that in the patients (46.2ml/100g/min) who had no postoperative neurological deficits (p less than 0.001). The rate of the patients with lower CBF values who developed postoperative neurological deficits, was statistically higher than that of patients with CBF values greater than 40ml/100g/min (p less than 0.002). In the patients with lower CBF values, common operative procedures for unruptured aneurysms such as craniotomy and mild brain retractions, may damage brain tissue. Careful perioperative management is needed for patients who undergo unruptured aneurysm surgery, because a lower CBF value may represent the degree of brain fragility.

Twenty-five cases of patients with growing up aneurysms are reported. Growth of the aneurysm was confirmed by repeated angiography within 1 month in 11 cases (short-term group), and for over 1 month in the other 14 cases (long-term group) following the initial angiography. Clinical history, shape and growth pattern of aneurysms, as well as hemodynamic factors that effect the growth were investigated in each group. The aneurysms were classified according to the shape into dome-type (smooth contour) and bleb-type (irregular contour). In all cases of the short-term group, the first angiography was performed because of rupture of the aneurysm. In this group, 4 cases bled again because of enlargement or the development of an aneurysmal bleb. Growth rate and the initial size of the aneurysm did not effect the potential of re-rupture. In the long-term group, 9 cases out of 14 (64.3%) had "non-ruptured aneurysm" at the time of first angiography. In the follow up, 5 cases were ruptured (two because of re-bleeding and three for the first time). In 3 out of these 5 cases, a bleb was demonstrated on initial angiography, and in another case, a bleb was demonstrated in follow-up angiography. Only one case ruptured because of the growth of the aneurysmal dome. Most of the aneurysms that rupture, in the follow-up survey, showed a larger growth rate in comparison with aneurysms that did not rupture. Many cases of this long-term group were associated with hypertension or vascular abnormalities which would effect the aneurysmal growth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Forty-one serious cases of ruptured intracranial aneurysms with severe subarachnoid clot were clinically analyzed, with special emphasis on the prognosis, pathophysiology, and surgical indications. All cases had thick subarachnoid clot without concurrent intracerebral hematoma and/or intraventricular hematoma causing mass signs on the CT scan. In this series, 23 cases underwent radical surgery while in the acute stage, 18 cases were treated conservatively (including 5 cases treated only by continuous ventricular drainage). The criterion for determining the degree of severity was defined as either a "semicoma" or "coma" state just prior to radical surgery for the radically-operated group, with the same designations for the conservative group at their time of admission. All patients except two in the conservatively-treated group died due to primary brain damage caused by massive subarachnoid hemorrhage. The two remaining cases died from other complications. On the other hand, the outcome for the 23 surgically-treated patients was as follows: Three (13%) fully recovered; three (13%) were capable of self-management; eight (34.8%) were partially or fully dependent. Nine (39.1%), died. In the radically-treated group, pre-operative factors that might predict clinical outcome were investigated. Those factors were the neurological grade, the brain-stem response, the response after the rapid administration of 20% Mannitol (300-900 ml), and the length of time from the last bleeding episode to the time that radical surgery was performed. It was recognized that there was no relationship between the neurological grade just prior to radical surgery and the outcomes in the serious cases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We studied 15 patients clinically suspected to have recurrent brain tumor or radiation injury, using positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) and L-methyl-11C-methionine (11C-Met). PET with 11C-Met (Met-PET) clearly delineated the extent of recurrent brain tumor as focal areas of increased accumulation of 11C-Met, and was useful for early detection of recurrent brain tumor. PET with 18FDG (FDG-PET) showed focal 18FDG-hypermetabolism in one patient with malignant transformation of low grade glioma, and demonstrated its usefulness for evaluation of malignant transformation. 18FDG-hypometabolism was observed in all patients with radiation injury, but was also found in one patient with recurrent malignant brain tumor. 11C-Met uptake in 3 patients with radiation injury was similar to that of the normal cortical tissue. FDG-PET can be used to initially exclude recurrent brain tumor which is seen as 18FDG-hypermetabolism. The combined use of Met-PET in addition to FDG-PET can improve the accuracy of differentiation of recurrent brain tumor with 18FDG-hypometabolism from radiation injury.

A case of Klippel-Feil syndrome with crossed renal ectopia with fusion and unilateral vertebral artery occlusion is reported. A 61-year-old female was admitted because of having developed myelopathy, gait and sensory disturbance. The physical examination on admission revealed spastic gait and hypesthesia of the lower extremities. A hand size, elastic hard tumor mass was palpable at the right lower abdomen. The cervical radiogram showed fused 5th, 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae and severe spondylotic changes. Laminectomy was performed because of severe compressions of the cervical cord, evaluated by Metrizamide CT scans and MRI. The left subclavian angiogram showed occlusion of the left vertebral artery, and excretory pyelogram and abdominal CT scans showed crossed renal ectopia with fusion. 99mTc-DTPA renoscintigram revealed poor RI uptake and low glomerular filtering rate of ectopic kidney. The patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome are at greater risk of having a renal anomaly and a vascular accident of the vertebral artery. Examinations of urogenitary organs and vertebral arteries are necessary for the treatment of this syndrome.

In 13 patients who had ruptured intracranial aneurysms, serial transcranial Doppler (TCD) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) examinations were performed in order to evaluate the degree of cerebral vasospasm. All patients showed some extent of vasospasm on angiography, which was performed between Day 7 and 10. The flow velocities of either the middle cerebral arteries or the anterior cerebral arteries, measured by TCD, began to increase on post hemorrhage Day 5, and maximum flow velocities were recorded between Day 9 and 13, with normalization occurring within the following 2 weeks. In 5 cases of symptomatic vasospasm, a rapid increase of flow velocities preceded clinical manifestation of the vasospasm. Maximum flow velocities of the 5 cases were at a higher level in the range of 119-184cm/sec (mean 149cm/sec) that the cases where there were no symptoms. Consequently, serial TCD examinations were very useful for the early detection of vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage. And it was confirmed that the change of flow velocities was more important than the value itself, and that the rapid increase of flow velocities indicated severe ischemia. However, for judging when vessel narrowing was resolving, the usefulness of the TCD examinations were doubtful. This is because flow velocities measured by TCD are thought to be fairly much influenced by multiple factors such as the change of blood pressure, blood volume, which were caused by the active treatment for the vasospasm. Serial measurements of CBF were also made 2-7 times (mean 3.1 times) during the first two weeks following subarachnoid hemorrhage using the 133Xe intravenous injection method.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Regional effects of craniotomy on cerebral circulation and metabolism, such as regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), regional cerebral oxygen consumption (rCMRO2), regional oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF), and regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were examined by a PET (positron emission tomography) study concerning surgery that was performed on unruptured aneurysm patients. Eight patients with intracranial un-ruptured aneurysms were studied pre- and post-operatively by the 15O labelled-gas steady-state method, using HEADTOME-III. All patients underwent aneurysmal surgery performed by the transsylvian approach. There was a significant increase in the mean OEF values taken from the whole-brains of 8 patients, but there was not a significant change in CBF, CMRO2 or CBV. The increase in OEF was caused by decrease of O2 content, which was caused by post-operative decrease in the Hb value. So, this OEF increase was not the direct effect of craniotomy. In 2 patients, the rCBF and rCMRO2, in the fronto-temporal region (where craniotomy was performed) increased post-operatively. This regional effect suggests transient reactive hyperemia following compressive ischemia during the operative procedure, and metabolic demands for recovery of brain function. In 2 other patients, who had relatively low rCBFs during the pre-operative study, rCBF and rCMRO2 in the bi-frontal region had decreased more at the post-operative study. This change appears to have been caused by removal of cerebrospinal fluid and depression of the frontal lobe. From this study, it becomes evident that the regional effect of craniotomy on cerebral circulation and metabolism is not so great, when adequate microsurgical techniques are used.

The Goltz syndrome is a rare condition in which there are congenital anomalies in skin, teeth, eyes and bone. We report an unusual case of a 17 year old girl who had various anomalies associated with the syndrome. She sustained a pathological fracture of the left femur at the site of a giant cell tumour. Another lesion occurred in the right fibula, but resolved spontaneously.

The effects of hyperdynamic therapy on patients with cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), under normal blood pressure (BP) and normal blood volume conditions, are reported. Forty-four patients, who underwent surgery for aneurysms in acute stage, received hydroxyethyl starch (500 ml/day) postoperatively to prevent dehydration. Twenty-four of the 44 patients with prominent SAH on the computed tomographic (CT) scan, anticipating to develop cerebral ischemia due to vasospasm, were given dobutamine (DOB). The BP was maintained within the normal range, and the heart rate was kept below 130/min. In the 24 patients treated with DOB, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured repeatedly by the 133Xe intravenous injection method. In 8 of these 24 patients, the cardiovascular function was monitored with Swan-Ganz (S-G) catheters. Twelve of the 44 patients (27%) developed delayed neurological deficits associated with cerebral vasospasm. The neurological deficits were reversed by the administration of DOB, at a dose of 8-25 (average 12.4) micrograms/kg/min. In 43 patients, the ischemic lesions associated with vasospasm did not appear on CT scan and the patients were of normal condition at discharge. However, one patient showed multiple low-density lesions on CT scan. This was because of the failure of hyperdynamic therapy due to pulmonary complications. No case of pulmonary edema or heart failure due to volume overload was noted. In the 24 patients with prominent SAH, CBF increased significantly by up to 20% following DOB administration, although the BP stayed in the normal range.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ten patients with low grade glioma were examined with positron emission tomography (PET) using 11C-methyl-L-methionine (11C-Met). In 4 cases, follow-up study was performed after radiation therapy. 11C-Met uptake index was calculated by sequential arterial blood sampling and PET image on 45 minutes after injection. The tumor was clearly seen in the images, and uptake index in the tumor lesion was higher than that in the normal cortex. The uptake of 11C-Met was observed in a recurrent lesion that was confirmed by operation. 11C-Met uptake indices were decreased in the tumor lesions after radiation therapy. From these results PET with 11C-Met is a useful clinical tool for diagnosis of low grade gliomas.

The authors review 12 cases of distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysm. Nine of the aneurysms were discovered after their rupture and three were incidentally detected. Seven (78%) of the nine ruptured aneurysms rebled, leading in four cases to coma and respiratory arrest. Computed tomography revealed intraventricular hematomas, mainly in the fourth ventricle, and a subarachnoid clot at the cisterna magna. In five of the nine cases involving aneurysm rupture, radical surgery was performed. The remaining four, whose clinical status was poor, were treated conservatively and subsequently died. Two patients were rendered partially dependent as a result of perioperative complications. A high incidence of rebleeding is characteristic of ruptured distal PICA aneurysms, and for this reason the prognosis for these patients is rather poor.

Numerous clinical classification systems have been developed for patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms. However, most systems do not take age into account and are less reliable in elderly than in younger patients in terms of indications for early surgery and predicting the clinical outcome. The authors have studied this problem using our clinical classification system and, present here the results of 38 elderly patients (greater than or equal to 65 years of age) who underwent neck clipping and implementation of continuous ventricular drainage within 3 days of aneurysm rupture. The clinical outcome at 1 year after onset was considered "good" if the patient was able to function independently and "poor" if he or she was partially or fully dependent or had died. The preoperative level of consciousness was not significantly correlated with the outcome according to Spearman's nonparametric statistical analysis. Age, however, was a significant factor: the incidence of poor outcome was significantly higher in patients over age of 70 years than in those between 65 and 70 (p less than 0.05). Postoperative complications, which were previously found to be significantly related to the outcome in elderly patients, were significantly more common in patients who had a history of cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic, and/or renal disease than in those without such a history (p less than 0.005). The authors found that the prognostic accuracy of clinical classification systems, based on preoperative level of consciousness, is improved in geriatric cases if one point is added for patients over age of 70 years or those with a history of systemic diseases. Additional relevant factors included computed tomographic findings and pre-existing cerebral dysfunction.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were recorded in 9 patients with vasospasm caused by subarachnoid haemorrhage. There was a correlation between SEP changes and clinical outcome evaluated one month after onset. And, evaluation of SEP changes under induced hypertension or infusion of dehydrates was available to study the nature of ischaemic brain dysfunction caused by vasospasm. Furthermore, this study suggests that the available period of induced hypertension may be short in cases with severe clinical outcomes.

Using positron computed tomography (PCT) and the 15O labeled gas steady-state inhalation technique, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), cerebral oxygen consumption (rCMRO2), and oxygen extraction fraction (rOEF) can be measured quantitatively in humans. We quantitatively examined the relationship between focal ischemic lesions and intact regions as detected by X-ray CT in such areas as the territory of the contralateral middle cerebral artery (MCA), thalami, pons, and cerebellar hemispheres. Twenty-three PCT measurements in 13 patients with unilateral ischemic infarction in the MCA territory as detected by X-ray CT were performed. Remote effects from cerebral infarction of the MCA territory were observed in the contralateral MCA territory, ipsilateral thalamus, brainstem, and contralateral cerebellar hemisphere. Slight depression of rCBF and rCMRO2 was also observed in the contralateral thalamus and ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere; rOEF was normal in these areas. Though the depression of rCBF and rCMRO2 due to remote effects was detected in all periods, it was mildly observed 0 to 6 days after onset. The reduction of rCBF and rCMRO2 due to remote effects was less than the morphological as well as the functional threshold. The phenomenon is probably caused by neuronal deactivation, and the regions with depressed blood flow and metabolism may be in a "resting" state.

A-49-year-old right-handed female was reported. She showed pure word deafness and auditory agnosia because of bilateral temporo-parietal lesions. The left lesion resulted from angiospasm of the left anterior and middle cerebral arteries after subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm of the left carotid artery, and the right one resulted from subcortical hematoma after the V-P shunt operation. CT scan revealed the abnormal low density area on the bilateral temporo-parietal regions seven months after onset. Neurophychological findings were as follows: there were no aphasic symptoms such as paraphasia, word finding difficulties, or disturbances of spontaneous writing, reading and calculation. But her auditory comprehension was severely disturbed, and she could neither repeat words after the tester nor write from dictation. She also could not recognize meaningful sounds and music in spite of normal hearing sensitivity for pure tone, BSR and AER. We discussed the neuropsychological mechanisms of auditory recognition, and assumed that each hemisphere might process both verbal and non-verbal auditory stimuli in the secondary auditory area. The auditory input may be recognized at the left association area, the final level of this mechanism. Pure word deafness and auditory agnosia of this case might be caused by the disruption of the right secondary auditory area, the pathway between the left primary auditory area and the left secondary auditory area, and between the left and right secondary auditory areas.

We investigated cerebral blood flow and metabolism, and cerebral vascular response in 9 patients with cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease or unilateral Moyamoya phenomenon using positron emission tomography (PET). The subjects consisted of 5 men and 4 women, and were from 9 to 60 years old. Five patients had bilateral occlusion in the carotid fork with Moyamoya vessels (fulfilled the criteria of cerebrovascular Moyamoya disease), and four patients had unilateral Moyamoya phenomenon. The PET scanner used was the HEADTOME III, of which spatial resolution in clinical use was 10 mm full width at half-maximum (FWHM) in the image plane. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were measured in resting state by the 15O-labelled gases steady state method in every patient and 22 normal controls (17 men and 5 women, and from 26 to 64 years old). Consecutively cerebral vascular responses were measured by H215O autoradiographic method in resting state, hypercapnia, hypocapnia, and hypertension. Forced hypercapnia, hypocapnia, and hypertension were achieved by 7% CO2 inhalation, hyperventilation, and venous infusion of angiotensin II, respectively. CMRO2 of the whole brain was significantly lower in patients than in normal controls (p less than 0.05), and CBV of the lentiform nucleus significantly increased in patients (p less than 0.01). This reflected Moyamoya vessels in the basal ganglionic regions. In 3 of 5 patients with bilateral Moyamoya vessels, CBF and CMRO2 in the symptomatic cerebral hemisphere were lower than that in the nonsymptomatic hemisphere.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The authors described twins of ten-year-old girls who developed Moyamoya disease at the same time. The family history showed no abnormality. They were born in 1973 under the cesarean section for the early rupture of the membranes and weak pains. The first case experienced tonic convulsions, and abnormal findings on the EEG were pointed out on May, 1979. Seven months later, CT scan was performed in another hospital, which showed the findings of brain atrophy. She experienced absence attacks on January, 1980, and had the first admission. She was diagnosed as epilepsy. Right carotid angiography (CAG) was performed, which showed no abnormal findings. On August, 1983, she complained transient ischemic attacks (TIA) of right hemiweakness and sometimes loss of consciousness for 5 to 10 minutes. She had the second admission on September, 1984. Growing status and neuro-psychological findings were normal. The EEG seemed almost normal, but she complained a TIA on right upper extremity two minutes after the hyperventilation, so the examination was stopped. CT findings was the same as that performed in 1979. Bilateral CAG showed marked stenosis of the internal carotid arteries (ICA) at the siphon and basal moyamoya vessels. Vertebral angiography had no sterno -occlusive lesions. Left encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis (EDAS) was performed, and six weeks later, right EDAS. Postoperatively, TIAs disappeared and she had a good clinical course. The second case had a similar history as described in case 1, except the absence of epileptic attacks. EEG abnormality was pointed out, and she also had the diagnosis of epilepsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The authors have applied the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) as an index of the brain function, and studied the reversibility of the ischemic brain dysfunction from the SEP changes under the drug-induced conditions. From the previous experiences, the authors are now doing the quantitative analysis of the amplitude of the early negative component (N1-amplitude) on SEP, and evaluating the reversibility of the brain dysfunction. The early components of SEP, including N1, were reported that responses were reasonably constant in normal subjects. Responses recorded at different times in the same subject were usually very similar and there were not significant differences among the responses recorded in different subjects. In the consecutive SEP recordings, however, the reproducibility of N1-amplitude has not yet fully studied. It is necessary to know the standard values when the significant changes of N1-amplitude are evaluated under the drug-induced conditions. The purpose of this paper is to study the reproducibility of N1-amplitude of SEP in the consecutive recordings, and also, stimulating and recording methods of SEP. Subjects were 15 normal volunteers, from 21 to 38 (mean: 29) years old. Two stimulating needle electrodes were inserted to the skin at the wrist, and the somatosensory stimulation was applied to the median nerve with 1 msec duration of square pulse. Monopolar EEGs were recorded from the scalp of the parietal region (P3 or P4) contralateral to the stimulation, and SEPs were recorded by averaging those EEGs with computer technique. N1-amplitude was determined by the vertical distance between peaks of P1 and N1 components.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Branching patterns of middle cerebral artery (MCA) were angiographically analyzed in 704 cases with cerebral aneurysms. The mean age was 53 years old and the men-to-women ratio was 1.1. In addition, 13 vascular anomalies of MCA were reported and their correlation with the occurrence of cerebral aneurysm was studied.MCA branching patterns were classified in 6 types. Each type was further studied by dividing into 2 subgroups, namely one with MCA aneurysms at their side and the other without MCA aneurysms. There were no differences statistically between each two groups. Vascular anomalies were consisted of 5 duplications of MCA, 4 fenestrations, 3 accessories and one case of combination of duplication and accessory in the same side. Duplications and accessories did not have any evidence of developing aneurysm more frequently at their bifurcation than any one of normal MCA branching patterns. So we concluded that duplications and accessories should be thought to have similar meanings with the ordinary branching patterns of MCA in the occurrence of aneurysms. A postmortem case of accessory MCA without aneurysm revealed that the origin of the anomaly was pathologically normal. We suggested that the origin of accessory MCA could both be an enlarged Heubner artery and a rare branching pattern of MCA. The fenestration should be a true anomaly but at this point we do not have any suggestive clue for that. Finally, we thought that the combination of duplication and accessory in a single MCA was very rare morphologically, and worthwhile to report.

Twenty-four adult cases of suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were investigated clinically from the aspect of predicting the efficacy of the shunting procedure. They consisted of 13 men and 11 women, with the mean age of 55-y-o. In addition to checking neurological signs, pre- and postoperative CT scans, RI (or CT) cisternography and bolus infusion test were performed in each of them. Shunt surgery was done, all of which ventriculoperitoneal shunt, in 17 patients. They were divided into three groups, namely, shunt effective group (A), neurologically unchanged group after surgery (B) and worsened group (C). The A group had 8 cases, B had 8 also and C contained only one. Effectiveness of shunt procedure was measured by an improvement in the activity of daily life (ADL). Compared with group B, group A tended to have more cases of delayed onset of NPH (mean days of 112 from SAH attack in group A while 55 days in group B), cases with "trias" (3 against 0) and moderate ventricular dilatation with periventricular lucency (8 against 2). The finding of delayed clearance in cisternogram did not make an accurate judgement in the efficacy of shunt surgery. By using the bolus method of infusion test, the true cause of shunt non-effective ventricular dilatation was suggested to the disturbance of cerebral blood circulation due to elevation of intracranial venous outflow resistance. This suggestion was elicited by the analysis of pressure response curve gained from the bolus injection, in which group A cases mainly reached the baseline pressure within 22 minutes, but on the contrary group B showed more than 22 minutes as a rule.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate surgical indication and limitation for severe hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglia (HIH) with a view toward good functional outcome. Materials were 32 patients of severe basal ganglionic hemorrhage (HIH). Neurological grading (G) for HIH, reported by Kanaya et al. in 1978, was applied. Grading on admission in 11 patients with conservative treatment was G-4a in 2, G-4b in 3 and, G-5 in 6. Preoperative grading in 21 patients with surgical treatment was G-4a in 9, G-4b in 8 and G-5 in 4. G-4a revealed semicoma without herniation signs, G-4b semicoma with herniation signs and G-5 deep coma. The interval from the onset of HIH to hematoma evacuation was from 3 to 10 hours in 14 patients, from 17 to 23 hours in 5, 44 hours in one and 5 days in one. Functional outcomes at hospital discharge were classified as follows: self-managing (SM); partially dependent (PD); fully dependent (FD); vegetative (V); dead (D). Factors which would have influenced functional outcomes were studied and the results follow. All 11 patients with conservative treatment died. On the contrary, in 21 patients with surgical treatment, the outcomes were SM in 2 patients, PD in 3, FD in 11, V in one and D in 4. Death in the 4 patients was caused by fatal complications from 8 to 24 days after the operation. In 17 surviving patients with surgical treatment, (a) Mean age of the SM or PD patients was 45 years, and that of FD or V patients was 55 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) was reported to have a favorable influence on ischemic brain dysfunction, and also appeared to be useful in improving brain edema. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and EEG would be available as indicators of brain function. The purpose of this paper is to study reproducibility of the N1-amplitude of SEP and EEG under HBO. Materials were 10 normal volunteers, from 21 to 31 (mean age: 26) years old. Two stimulating needle electrodes were inserted into the skin at the wrist and somatosensory stimulations were applied to the median nerve with 1 msec duration square pulses. Stimulation pulses were generated regularly every 1 sec., and stimulus intensity was adjusted just above the thumb twitch threshold. Monopolar EEGs were recorded from 16 silver-cup electrodes on the scalp, and SEPs were recorded by averaging 250 responses in those EEGs using computer technique. N1-amplitude was determined by the vertical distance between peaks of the P1 and N1 components. EEGs were analyzed by Fast Fourier Transform and the square root of the averaged power of each frequency band (delta, theta, alpha 1, alpha 2, beta) was obtained and evaluated as the equivalent potential. EEGs under the influence of sleeping or artifacts, such as electromyograms, eye lid movements and wandering of the base line, were excluded in evaluating the EEGs. SEPs and EEGs recorded consecutively. The first record was taken before HBO under air breathing at 1ATA, the second during HBO under pure oxygen breathing at 2ATA, and the third after HBO under air breathing at 1ATA once again.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In a series of 704 aneurysm patients who were admitted to the Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels-AKITA for the last 9.5 years (from October, 1974 to March, 1983), angiographic features of the anterior cerebral arteries and related vascular anomalies were analyzed with reference to the site of aneurysms. The age distribution was from 20 to 78 years (mean age 53 years), and the men to women ratio was 1:1.1. The total number of aneurysms was 866. The site distribution of aneurysms consisted of 230 (27%) anterior communicating, 269 (31%) middle cerebral, 282 (38%) internal carotid, 54 (6%) anterior cerebral, 45 (5%) vertebrobasilar and 6 other arteries. More than one aneurysm were found out in 137 cases. The total number of performed cerebral angiograms was 1840, in these right carotid arterial angiograms were 652, left carotid 644 and vertebral 544. Cases were divided into two groups, namely one who had the anterior communicating artery (Acom) aneurysm and the other who had not. Angiographic calibers of A1 portion (proximal portion of the anterior cerebral artery) were compared statistically between these two groups. As a result, three points as below were clarified in this series. 1) The Acom aneurysm group showed the significant asymmetry of A1 (p less than 0.005) compared to the other cases. 2) The left A1 portions were significantly dominant (p less than 0.05) to the right in the Acom aneurysm group. 3) Angiographic hypoplasias and aplasias of A1 were found in the Acom aneurysm group more frequently than in the other with statistical significance (p less than 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)