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The objective of the study was to assess the esthetic efficacy of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) implantation to prevent frontotemporal depression (FTD) following minipterional craniotomy (MPT) to clip unruptured intracranial aneurysms.We retrospectively compared the incidence of FTD in 100 patients treated without ADM from March to July 2019 and 100 patients treated with ADM from August to December 2019. ADM was implanted in the interfascial layer to cover the temporalis muscle. The specific location and degree of FTD were analyzed by measuring the thickness and area of multiple points (P1-P12) and regions (S1-S3) through brain computed tomography preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively.In the non-ADM group, the thickness at P1, P2, P5, P6, and P9 was reduced and the area of S1 and S2 was smaller after surgery than before surgery (P 0.05), similar to the incision and suture site of the temporalis muscle. However, in the ADM group, the preoperative and postoperative measurements were not different. FTD recognition was significantly lower in the ADM group (6.0%) than that in the non-ADM group (17.0%) (P = 0.015) and occurred in the retroorbital region through P1, P2, P5, and P6, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.840, 0.766, 0.811, and 0.751, respectively. ADM implantation was the only significant predictive factor for FTD recognition in multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.30; 95% confidence interval: 0.11-0.79; P = 0.015).Even MPT cannot completely prevent FTD in the retroorbital region. ADM implantation in MPT can help to improve esthetic satisfaction.

Objective The treatment of multiple intracranial aneurysms (MIAs) involves various modalities and sometimes requires staged operations. This study aimed to prove the efficacy and safety of one-stage multiple craniotomies (OSMC) for multiple cerebral aneurysms. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients who underwent treatment for intracranial aneurysms between May 2003 and April 2020. The surgical results, complications, and lengths of hospital stay were compared between the patients who underwent OSMC and those who underwent multi-stage multiple craniotomies (MSMC). Results The demographic characteristics of the OSMC and MSMC groups (n=82 and 43, respectively) were similar. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups when the amount of blood transfused, complications, and surgical results were compared (p=n.s. for all); however, the operation time and hospitalization period (353.9 min vs. 490.3 min and 12.3 days vs. 21.8 days, respectively; p=0.001 for both) were shorter in the OSMC group. The treatment cost (17,000 USD vs. 22,000 USD, p=0.001) was lower in the OSMC group. Conclusions OSMC for aneurysm clipping in patients with MIAs is a relatively safe and economical method. Furthermore, it has good clinical outcomes. This new surgical method is worthwhile in that it can be applied to patients who are afraid to undergo multiple surgeries, and we suggest it is an efficient, low-cost option for the treatment of MIAs.

Low hemoglobin levels are known to be associated with hematoma expansion (HE) and poor functional outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, it is not yet known whether low hemoglobin itself causes HE directly or is merely a confounder. Thus, we investigated the mediation effect of the mean Hounsfield unit (HU) of hematoma on the relationship between low hemoglobin and expansion of ICH. Overall, 232 consecutive patients with ICH who underwent non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) within 12 h since onset were included. The mean HU and hematoma volume on NCCT were investigated using semi-automated planimetry. HE was defined as an increase in hematoma volume > 33% or 6 mL. The respective associations among the hemoglobin level, mean HU, and HE were analyzed using multivariable regression analysis, adjusting for age, sex, and known HE predictors. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the potential causal association among the three. HE occurred in 34.5% of patients; hemoglobin levels were inversely associated with HE occurrence (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; p = 0.03). The mean HU of the hematoma was lower in patients with HE than in patients without HE (58.5 ± 3.3 vs. 56.8 ± 3.0; p p p = 0.04). The proportion of indirect effect through the mean HU among the total effect was 19% (p = 0.05). The mediation effect became nonsignificant in the when the multivariable model was adjusted with additional covariates (baseline systolic blood pressure and hematoma location). The mean HU of the hematoma mediated the association between hemoglobin levels and HE occurrence. Therefore, the mean HU of the hematoma may be a potential marker of impaired hemostasis in patients with ICH.

This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of urgent extracranial-to-intracranial bypass (EIB) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) through quantitative analysis of computed tomography perfusion (CTP) results using RAPID software. We retrospectively analyzed 41 patients who underwent urgent EIB for AIS under strict operation criteria. The quantitative data from CTP images were reconstructed to analyze changes in pre- and postoperative perfusion status in terms of objective numerical values using RAPID software. Short- and long-term clinical outcomes, including complications and neurological status, were also analyzed. Postoperatively, the volume of time-to-max (Tmax) > 6 s decreased significantly; it continued to improve significantly until 6 months postoperatively (preoperative, 78 ml (median); immediate postoperative, 23 ml; postoperative 6 months, 7 ml; p = 0.000). Ischemic core-penumbra mismatch volumes were also significantly improved until 6 months postoperatively (preoperative, 72 ml (median); immediate postoperative, 23 ml; postoperative 6 months, 5 ml; p = 0.000). In addition, the patients’ neurological condition improved significantly (p

Background: Although chest radiographs have not been utilised well for classifying stroke subtypes, they could provide a plethora of information on cardioembolic stroke. This study aimed to develop a deep convolutional neural network that could diagnose cardioembolic stroke based on chest radiographs. Methods: Overall, 4,064 chest radiographs of consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke were collected from a prospectively maintained stroke registry. Chest radiographs were randomly partitioned into training/validation (n = 3,255) and internal test (n = 809) datasets in an 8:2 ratio. A densely connected convolutional network (ASTRO-X) was trained to diagnose cardioembolic stroke based on chest radiographs. The performance of ASTRO-X was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping was used to evaluate the region of focus of ASTRO-X. External testing was performed with 750 chest radiographs of patients with acute ischaemic stroke from 7 hospitals. Findings: The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of ASTRO-X were 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83–0.89) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79–0.85) during the internal and multicentre external testing, respectively. The gradient-weighted class activation map demonstrated that ASTRO-X was focused on the area where the left atrium was located. Compared with cases predicted as non-cardioembolism by ASTRO-X, cases predicted as cardioembolism by ASTRO-X had higher left atrial volume index and lower left ventricular ejection fraction in echocardiography. Interpretation: ASTRO-X, a deep neural network developed to diagnose cardioembolic stroke based on chest radiographs, demonstrated good classification performance and biological plausibility. Funding Grant No. 14–2020–046 and 08–2016–051 from the Seoul National University Bundang Research Fund and NRF-2020M3E5D9079768 from the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Background We aimed to analyze outcomes of clipping and coiling in treating unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) in elderly patients and to identify the age at which perioperative risk increases based on national cohort data in South Korea. Methods The incidence of perioperative intracranial hemorrhage (ICRH), perioperative cerebral infarction (CI), mortality, and moderate to severe disability data of the patients who underwent coiling or clipping for UIAs were retrieved. Estimated breakpoint (EBP) was calculated to identify the age at which the risk of treatment increases. Results A total of 38,207 patients were treated for UIAs. Among these, 22,093 (57.8%) patients underwent coiling and 16,114 (42.2%) patients underwent clipping. The incidence of ICRH, requiring a secondary operation, within 3 months in patients ≥ 65 years that underwent coiling and clipping was 1.13% and 4.81%, respectively, and that of both groups assessed were significantly higher in patients ≥ 75 years (coiling, P = 0.013, relative risk (RR) 1.81; clipping, P = 0.015) than younger patients. The incidence of CI within 3 months in patients aged ≥ 65 was 13.90% and 9.19% in the coiling and clipping groups, respectively. The incidence of CI after coiling in patients aged ≥ 75 years (P < 0.001, RR 1.96) and after clipping in patients aged ≥ 70 years (P < 0.001, RR 1.76) was significantly higher than that in younger patients. The mortality rates within 1 year in patients with perioperative ICRH or CI were 2.41% and 3.39% for coiling and clipping groups, respectively, in patients ≥ 65. These rates increased significantly at age 70 in the coiling group and at age 75 for the clipping group (P = 0.012 and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion The risk of treatment increases with age, and this risk increases dramatically in patients aged ≥ 70 years. Therefore, the treatment decisions in patients aged ≥ 70 years should be made with utmost care., Graphical Abstract

Background Recently, innovative attempts have been made to identify moyamoya disease (MMD) by focusing on the morphological differences in the head of MMD patients. Following the recent revolution in the development of deep learning (DL) algorithms, we designed this study to determine whether DL can distinguish MMD in plain skull radiograph images. Methods Three hundred forty-five skull images were collected as an MMD-labeled dataset from patients aged 18 to 50 years with definite MMD. As a control-labeled data set, 408 skull images of trauma patients were selected by age and sex matching. Skull images were partitioned into training and test datasets at a 7:3 ratio using permutation. A total of six convolution layers were designed and trained. The accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve were evaluated as classifier performance. To identify areas of attention, gradient-weighted class activation mapping was applied. External validation was performed with a new dataset from another hospital. Findings For the institutional test set, the classifier predicted the true label with 84·1% accuracy. Sensitivity and specificity were both 0·84. AUROC was 0·91. MMD was predicted by attention to the lower face in most cases. Overall accuracy for external validation data set was 75·9%. Interpretation DL can distinguish MMD cases within specific ages from controls in plain skull radiograph images with considerable accuracy and AUROC. The viscerocranium may play a role in MMD-related skull features. Fund This work was supported by grant no. 18-2018-029 from the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Research Fund.

Noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) markers for hematoma expansion (HE) in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are difficult to be found in small ICHs, of which can also expand. We aimed to investigate whether there were size-related differences in the prevalence of NCCT markers and their association with HE.This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected stroke registry included 267 consecutive patients with ICH who underwent baseline NCCT within 12 h of onset. Qualitative NCCT markers, including heterogeneous density and irregular shape, were assessed. Hematoma density, defined as mean Hounsfield unit of hematoma, and hematoma volume were measured by semiautomated planimetry. Hematoma volume was categorized as small (≤ 10 ml) and large ( 10 ml). Associations of NCCT markers with HE were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analyses. The model performances of NCCT markers and hematoma density were compared using receiver operating characteristic curves.Hematoma expansion occurred in 29.9% of small ICHs and 35.5% of large ICHs. Qualitative NCCT markers were less frequently observed in small ICHs. Heterogeneous density, irregular shape, and hematoma density were associated with HE in small ICH (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence interval] 3.94 [1.50-10.81], 4.23 [1.73-10.81], and 0.72 [0.60-0.84], respectively), and hematoma density was also related to HE in large ICH (0.84 [0.73-0.97). The model performance was significantly improved in small ICHs when hematoma density was added to the baseline model (DeLong's test, p = 0.02).The prevalence of NCCT markers and their association with HE differed according to hematoma volume. Quantitative hematoma density was associated with HE, regardless of hematoma size.

BackgroundThe role of the inhibition rate of VerifyNow in assessing the thromboembolic risk of coil embolization for unruptured intracranial aneurysms is unclear.ObjectiveTo carry out a retrospective study to determine whether the inhibition rate could provide additional help in predicting thromboembolic events when it was used for patients with a P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) level of 220 or lower.MethodsPatients who underwent coil embolization for unruptured aneurysms with an appropriate PRU level (PRU 220 or lower) between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018 were analyzed. A total of 954 patients with 1020 aneurysms were included in this study. The primary outcome was the thromboembolic events occurring within 30 days after coil embolization. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) were obtained to determine the quantitative predictive ability of the inhibition rate. The optimal cut-off value was derived using the Youden index.ResultsThromboembolic events developed in 11 patients (1.08% of 1020 procedures). The AUC of the ROC curve was 0.83. The optimal cut-off value of the inhibition rate derived using the maximum Youden index was 22.0%. A sensitivity test using a multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the inhibition rate was a significant variable for predicting thromboembolic events.ConclusionsThe inhibition rate can be used to determine high thromboembolic risks for patients with PRU levels of 220 or lower. The optimal cut-off value of the inhibition rate was 22.0% when the PRU level was 220 or less.

The recurrence rate of posterior communicating artery (Pcom) aneurysms after endovascular treatment (EVT) is higher than that for aneurysms located in other sites. However, it is still unclear what mechanisms are responsible for the recanalization of cerebral aneurysms. In this investigation, we compared hemodynamic factors related with recanalization of Pcom aneurysms treated by endoluminal coiling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with high-resolution three-dimensional digital subtraction angiography images.Twenty patients were enrolled. A double-sinogram acquisition was performed with and without contrast injection after coil embolization to get true blood vessel lumen by relatively complementing the first sinogram with the second. Adaptive Cartesian meshing was performed to produce vascular wall objects for CFD simulation. The boundary condition for inlet (ICA) was set for dynamic velocity according to the cardiac cycle (0.8 s). Hemodynamic parameters were recorded at two specific points (branching point of Pcom and residual sac). The peak pressure, peak WSS, and oscillatory shear index (OSI) were recorded and analyzed.The median age was 61.0 years, and 18 patients (90%) were female. During a median follow-up of 12 months, seven (35%) treated aneurysms showed recanalization. The median aneurysm volume was significantly higher, and aneurysm height and neck sizes were significantly longer in the recanalization group than those in the stable group. At the branching point of the Pcom, the peak pressure, peak WSS, or OSI did not significantly differ between the two groups. The only statistically significant hemodynamic parameter related with recanalization was the OSI at the aneurysm point. Multivariate logistic regression showed that with an increase of 0.01 OSI at the aneurysm point, the odds ratio for the aneurysm recanalization was 1.19.A higher OSI is related with recanalization after coil embolization for a Pcom aneurysm.

An efficient method for identifying subjects at high risk of an intracranial aneurysm (IA) is warranted to provide adequate radiological screening guidelines and effectively allocate medical resources. We developed a model for pre-diagnosis IA prediction using a national claims database and health examination records. Data from the National Health Screening Program in Korea were utilized as input for several machine learning algorithms: logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), scalable tree boosting system (XGB), and deep neural networks (DNN). Algorithm performance was evaluated through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) using different test data from that employed for model training. Five risk groups were classified in ascending order of risk using model prediction probabilities. Incidence rate ratios between the lowest- and highest-risk groups were then compared. The XGB model produced the best IA risk prediction (AUROC of 0.765) and predicted the lowest IA incidence (3.20) in the lowest-risk group, whereas the RF model predicted the highest IA incidence (161.34) in the highest-risk group. The incidence rate ratios between the lowest- and highest-risk groups were 49.85, 35.85, 34.90, and 30.26 for the XGB, LR, DNN, and RF models, respectively. The developed prediction model can aid future IA screening strategies.

BackgroundDespite increasing usage of endovascular treatments for intracranial aneurysms, few research studies have been conducted on the incidence of unruptured aneurysm (UA) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and could not show a decrease in the incidence of SAH. Moreover, research on socioeconomic disparities with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of UA and SAH is lacking.MethodTrends in the incidences of newly detected UA and SAH and trends in the treatment modalities used were assessed from 2005 to 2015 using the nationwide database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service in South Korea. We also evaluated the influence of demographic characteristics including socioeconomic factors on the incidence and treatment of UA and SAH.ResultThe rates of newly detected UA and SAH were 28.3 and 13.7 per 100 000 of the general population, respectively, in 2015. The incidence of UA increased markedly over the 11-year study period, whereas that of SAH decreased slightly. UA patients were more likely to be female, older, employee-insured, and to have high incomes than SAH patients. In 2015, coiling was the most common treatment modality for both UA and SAH patients. Those who were female, employee-insured, or self-employed, with high income were likely to have a higher probability to be treated for UA and SAH.ConclusionThe marked increase in the detection and treatment of UA might have contributed to the decreasing incidence of SAH, though levels of contribution depend on socioeconomic status despite universal medical insurance coverage.

BackgroundThe long-term outcomes of endovascular coiling and surgical clipping for the treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms are unclear.MethodsWe performed a nationwide retrospective cohort study using claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on patients undergoing surgical clipping or endovascular coiling from 2008 to 2014. Inverse probability treatment weighting for average treatment effect on the treated and the multiple imputation method were used to balance covariates and handle missing values. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality at 7 years.ResultsWe identified 26 411 patients of whom 11 777 underwent surgical clipping and 14 634 underwent endovascular coiling. After adjustment with the use of inverse probability treatment weighting for average treatment effect on the treated, all-cause mortality rates at 7 years were 3.8% in the endovascular coiling group and 3.6% in the surgical clipping group (HR 1.05; 95% CI 0.86 to 1.28; P=0.60, log-rank test). The adjusted probabilities of aneurysm rupture at 7 years were 0.9% after endovascular coiling and 0.7% after surgical clipping (HR 0.9; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.34; P=0.63, log-rank test). The probabilities of retreatment at 7 years after adjustment were 4.9% in the endovascular coiling group and 3.2% in the surgical clipping group (HR 1.52; 95% CI 1.28 to 1.81; PConclusionsAll-cause mortality at 7 years was similar between the elective surgical clipping and endovascular coiling groups in patients with unruptured aneurysms who had no history of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to aneurysm rupture.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: During stent-assisted coiling of ICA aneurysms, stent tips are sometimes unintentionally embedded into ICA branches. Stent tips can be visualized because they have radiopaque markers. Concerns regarding stent tip misplacement include risks of artery perforation and occlusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of ICA branches with embedded stent tips. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ICA branches with embedded stent tips were identified among 35 patients with unruptured ICA aneurysms treated with stent-assisted coiling between November 2003 and November 2014. Patient clinical and angiographic outcomes associated with the embedded stent tip were analyzed. RESULTS: Most of the 35 studied aneurysms were paraclinoid ICA aneurysms (n = 30). The most commonly involved ICA branch was the posterior communicating artery (26 patients, 74.3%), followed by the anterior choroidal artery (8 patients, 22.9%) and ophthalmic artery (1 patient, 2.9%). During the follow-up period (38.6 ± 17.9 months), no new neurologic deficits developed. Neither hemorrhagic nor thromboembolic events occurred. Angiography was performed during the final follow-up evaluation at a mean of 32.7 ± 18.0 months, and all ICA branches with embedded stent tips showed patent blood flow without severe luminal narrowing. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, placement of a stent tip into ICA branches during stent-assisted coiling was not associated with any major adverse events.

The aim of this study was to investigate the specific thyroid condition and thyroid autoantibodies in adult moyamoya disease (MMD) according to clinical presentation (ischemia vs. hemorrhage stroke). In addition, a meta-analysis was performed to reveal the association between adult MMD and elevated thyroid function, or autoantibodies. Prospectively collected data on 169 consecutive patients with MMD at a single institution were analyzed. Community-based controls matched for age and sex were selected for comparison. Penalized multinomial logistic regression analysis was used for factors affecting stroke. For meta-analysis, heterogeneity was evaluated by using the I2 test. If I2 < 50%, a fixed effect model was used. Fifty-four cases (32.0%) presented with ischemic stroke and 37 cases (21.9%) with hemorrhage stroke. Hyperthyroidism had a marginally increased risk of MMD with ischemic stroke with reference value of MMD without stroke [odds ratio (OR), 2.53; P = 0.055]. Anti-thyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb) increased the risk of MMD presenting with ischemic stroke significantly (OR, 2.99; P = 0.020). A meta-analysis revealed that adult MMD was significantly associated with elevated autoantibodies (OR, 7.663; P = 0.002) and hyperthyroidism (OR, 10.936; P < 0.001). Elevated TPOAb and hyperthyroidism may play important roles in adult MMD with ischemic stroke. Studies focusing on targeted hyperthyroidism and thyroid autoantibodies are necessary in treating adult MMD patients in the future.

Elastin encoded by elastin gene (ELN) is a crucial extracellular matrix protein responsible for arterial resilience. The objective of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ELN gene susceptible to intracranial aneurysm (IA) in Korean population. Two SNPs of ELN gene, rs2071307 (Gly422Ser) and rs2856728 (intron), were genotyped in 90 patients with IA and 90 age and frequency matched controls. Fisher’s exact test was conducted to evaluate allelic association with IA. Of the two SNPs in ELN gene, T allele of rs2856728 (intron) showed statistically significant association with increased development of IA (odds ratio [OR]: 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44–3.81, P = 7.6 × 10−4). However, G allele of rs2071307 (Gly422Ser) had no significant association with the development of IA (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.44–3.81, P = 0.607). Interestingly, the odds of having rs2856728 variant was approximately 2-fold higher in males than that in females (OR: 3.46 vs. 1.88, P < 0.05). However, none of SNPs showed difference between single and multiple IA in this study. This preliminary study implies that the rs2856728 variant in ELN gene polymorphisms might play crucial roles in the development and pathogenesis of IA in Korean population.

Background Recurrent hemorrhage is a serious neurosurgical problem in adult moyamoya disease (MMD) patients. Objective To find the natural history and risk factors of recurrent hemorrhage in cases of adult hemorrhagic MMD. Methods One hundred seventy-six adult MMD patients presenting with hemorrhage were enrolled. Patients' medical records and radiological images were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical and radiological features of recurrent hemorrhage, and related risk factors were analyzed. Poor neurological outcome was defined as a score on the modified Rankin Scale of 4 to 6. The hemisphere in which the initial hemorrhage occurred was considered as the affected one. The mean follow-up duration was 83 months. Results The overall estimated rate of recurrent hemorrhage was 16.9%/person (95% confidence interval, 11.3%-24.8%) at 5 years and 26.3%/person (95% confidence interval, 18.5%-36.4%) at 10 years after the initial episode of hemorrhage. The affected hemisphere showed a higher recurrent hemorrhagic rate (11.7% vs 8.3%/hemisphere at 5 years, P = .09) after conservative treatment. As a result of recurrent hemorrhages, the number of patients with poor neurological outcome increased (first episode: 13.8%, second: 37.5%, third: 40.0%, fourth: 100%). The presence of intraventricular hemorrhage ( P = .05, hazard ratio = 3.32) and bilateral MMD ( P = .05, hazard ratio = 4.15) had a marginal significance for recurrent hemorrhage. Eight ischemic strokes (4.5%) including 4 postoperative infarctions were identified, and all ischemic strokes were minor stroke. Conclusion During the follow-up period, recurrent hemorrhagic events continued to increase and deteriorated the patients' neurological conditions. The presence of intraventricular hemorrhage was a significant risk factor of recurrent hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE For patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), the information transfer that precedes informed consent needs to be in-depth and detailed, as most patients with a UIA have no symptoms, yet the risks related to treatment are relatively high. Thus, in this study an educational and interactive program was proposed for patients with UIAs to improve the informed consent process and assess the level of comprehension. METHODS A total of 110 patients with UIAs underwent the proposed educational and interactive informed consent (EIIC) process and were enrolled in this study. The EIIC process combines patient education using information booklets, a cartoon book, a video, an initial physician-patient interview, answering a questionnaire, a second physician-patient interview based on the questionnaire results, and finally consent. After the first physician-patient interview that provides the patient with specific information, including his or her angiographic characteristics, medical condition, and recommended treatment, the patient is requested to answer a questionnaire composed of 3 parts: demographic information, including the patient's age, sex, and years of education; 13 medical questions to assess the patient's knowledge about his or her UIA; and an evaluation of the usefulness of the educational resources. The control group consisted of 65 patients from 3 other tertiary university hospitals where the EIIC process was not used. RESULTS The questionnaire scores of the EIIC group ranged from 7 to 13 (mean ± SD: 11.9 ± 1.3) and were significantly higher than those for the controls (10.2 ± 1.9, p < 0.001). The better comprehension of the patients in the EIIC group was remarkable as they were significantly older than those in the control group (62.7 ± 8.3 years vs 55.9 ± 10.5 years, respectively; p < 0.001). For both the EIIC group and the control group, a Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation (r = 0.232 for the EIIC group, r = 0.603 for controls) between the years of education and the questionnaire score (p = 0.015 for the EIIC group, p < 0.001 for the controls), whereas no correlation was found between the patient age and the questionnaire score. For the EIIC group, the verbal information from the attending physician was selected by 90 patients (81.8%) as the most useful and informative educational method, while the most effective reinforcement of this verbal communication was the video (n = 86; 78.2%), information booklets (n = 16; 14.5%), the Internet (n = 7; 6.4%), and the cartoon book (n = 1; 0.9%). CONCLUSIONS The proposed standardized EIIC process resulted in good patient comprehension about UIAs. The verbal information from the attending physician was the most informative, and the video was the most effective reinforcement of the verbal communication. The patient level of comprehension was shown to be correlated with years of education.

Background Ultrasonic flow meters and quantitative magnetic resonance angiography quantitatively assess flow during hemodynamic evaluation of cerebral ischemia. Although their reliability and reproducibility have been verified, their clinical impact in moyamoya disease has rarely been reported. Objective To investigate flow measurement outcomes in moyamoya disease patients pre- and postoperatively through a retrospective observational study. Methods We evaluated 41 patients undergoing their first revascularization surgery who were followed ≥6 mo. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded preoperatively, at 1 and 6 mo postoperatively, and at the last follow-up. Demographic factors, Suzuki stage, and stroke development were also analyzed. Results Patients' median age was 37 yr (interquartile range [IQR], 27-43), and 16 (39.0%) patients were men. During follow-up, 9 (22.0%) patients experienced postoperative stroke (4 major strokes). Hemodynamic status was improved in 34 (82.9%) patients at the 6-mo follow-up. Median intraoperative flow was 41 mL/min (IQR, 25-59). Bypass flow peaked at 6 mo (median, 67 mL/min; IQR, 35-99). At the 1- and 6-mo follow-ups, ipsilateral hemispheric flow was significantly increased. The median proportion of posterior circulation at 6 mo was 44.4%, significantly lower than the preoperative proportion (50.1%). Abundant intraoperative bypass flow was associated with hemodynamic improvement, while low contralateral hemispheric flow was related with immediate postoperative ischemic stroke. Conclusion Ipsilateral hemispheric flow was increased during 6-mo follow-up, and posterior circulation flow burden was diminished. Abundant intraoperative bypass flow was associated with postoperative hemodynamic improvement. Low preoperative contralateral hemispheric flow was related with immediate postoperative ischemic stroke.

Objectives Ischemic complications (ICs) account for 6.7% after microsurgical clipping of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring during microsurgical clipping of unruptured middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms and evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for ischemic complications after clipping of unruptured MCA aneurysms. Patients and methods Herein, 1208 patients with cerebral aneurysms and treated with microsurgical clipping between May 2003 and February 2015 were enrolled. Those with multiple aneurysms, history of head trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, bypass and/or endovascular treatment, and intraoperative rupture were excluded. Subsequently, 411 patients with single unruptured MCA aneurysms treated with simple microsurgical clipping were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups based on the application of SSEP monitoring during surgery. Results The IC rate was 0.9% and 5.6% in the SSEP and non-SSEP groups, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that age ≥ 62.5 years, aneurysm size ≥ 4.15 mm, temporary clipping, history of hyperlipidemia and stroke, and no-SSEP monitoring were risk factors for ICs. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥ 62.5 years (odds ratio [OR] = 7.7; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.5–37.7; P = 0.011), previous stroke (OR = 26.8, 95% CI = 2.4–289.2, P = 0.007), and inversely SSEP monitoring (OR = 0.14, 95% CI 0.02–0.72, P = 0.019) were independent risk factors for ICs. Conclusion Clinicians should consider the possibility of IC during microsurgical clipping of unruptured MCA aneurysms in patient ≥62.5 years and/or a history of stroke. Intraoperative SSEP monitoring is an effective and feasible tool for preventing IC.

Objective To investigate the safety and unexpected finding of the intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) including somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) during microsurgical clipping of an unruptured anterior choroidal artery (AChA) aneurysm. Patients and methods From January 2011 to March 2018, the neurophysiological, clinical, and radiological data of 115 patients who underwent microsurgical clipping for an unruptured AChA aneurysm under IONM were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence of ischemic complications after microsurgical clipping of unruptured AChA aneurysms as well as the false-negative rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of IONM during surgery were calculated. Results Ischemic complications after the microsurgical clipping of an AChA aneurysm under IONM occurred in 7 of 115 patients (6.08%). Among them, 3 were symptomatic (2.6%). The false-negative rate of IONM for ischemic complications was 6.08% (7 patients). High specificity; 100% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.972–1.000), PPVs; 100% (95% CI = 0.055–1.000), and NPVs; 93% (95% CI = 0.945–0.973) with low sensitivity; 11.1% (95% CI = 0.006–0.111) were calculated. Conclusions IONM including transcranial MEP during microsurgical clipping of unruptured AChA aneurysm might have limited usefulness. Therefore, other MEP monitoring using direct cortical stimulation or modified transcranial methodology should be considered to compensate for it.

Objective This study investigated the effect of residual stenosis after carotid artery stenting (CAS) on periprocedural and long-term outcomes. Methods Patients treated with CAS for symptomatic or asymptomatic carotid arterial stenosis were consecutively enrolled. Residual stenosis was estimated from post-procedure angiography findings. The effects of residual stenosis on 30-day periprocedural outcome and times to restenosis and clinical outcome were analyzed using logistic regression models and Wei-Lin-Weissfeld models, respectively. Results A total of 412 patients (age, 64.7 ± 17.0 years; male, 82.0%) were enrolled. The median baseline stenosis was 80% (interquartile range [IQR], 70-90%), which improved to 10% (0-30%) for residual stenosis. Residual stenosis was significantly associated with periprocedural outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 0.983; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.965-0.999, P = 0.01) after adjustment for baseline stenosis, age, hypertension, symptomaticity, and statin use. Over the 5-year observation period, residual stenosis did not increase the global hazard for restenosis and clinical outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.011; 95% CI, 0.997-1.025. In the event-specific model, residual stenosis increased the hazard for restenosis (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.041; 1.012-1.072) but not for clinical outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.011; 0.997-1.025). Conclusions Residual stenosis after carotid artery stenting may be useful to predict periprocedural outcome and restenosis.

Background Estimations of the intracranial aneurysm incidence require long-term follow-up of a relatively large at-risk population; as a result, the incidence remains largely unknown. Aims To investigate the national incidence of intracranial aneurysm in a Korean population. Methods After excluding 18,604 potential subjects with a previous history of stroke (I6x.x), 998,216 subjects were included in this observational cohort. The primary endpoint was the earliest date of diagnosis of either unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA; I67.1) or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH; I60.x). We collected anthropometric data, blood pressure measurements, laboratory data, and smoking, drinking, and physical exercise habits of 132,355 subjects for whom healthcare screening data were available. Factors influencing intracranial aneurysm were evaluated via multivariate Cox regression. Results The overall observation size was 8,792,214 person-years. During follow-up, 4346 subjects were diagnosed with intracranial aneurysm (SAH, 1960; UIA, 2386). The crude incidence of intracranial aneurysm was 49.4/100,000 person-years. The hazard ratio for women was 1.56 ( p Conclusions In this Korean population study, the standardized incidence of intracranial aneurysm was 52.2/100,000 person-years. Older age, female sex, hypertension, history of heart disease, and family history of stroke were independent risk factors for intracranial aneurysm.

The purposes of this study were to review the cerebrovascular events (CVE) during pregnancy and puerperium in adults with moyamoya disease (MMD) and to evaluate its risk factors.We reviewed electronic medical records on 141 pregnancies in 71 women diagnosed with MMD and this study included only 27 pregnancies (23 patients) diagnosed with MMD before pregnancy. Basal and acetazolamide-stress brain perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was conducted for 40 hemispheres in 21 pregnancies within 1 year of the gestational period, ranging from 22 months before delivery to 12 months after delivery for evaluation of the hemodynamic status of the patients to devise the MMD treatment strategy.Twelve pregnancies (44.4%) showed CVE during pregnancy or puerperium in the group diagnosed with MMD before pregnancy. All the 12 CVE were ischemic, without any hemorrhagic events. A decreased cerebral vascular reserve capacity (CVRC) on stress SPECT was observed in 25 (62.5%) of the 40 hemispheres, and 18 of these 25 hemispheres showed TIA. In contrast, only 2 of 15 hemispheres which revealed normal CVRC on stress SPECT showed TIA. Overall, a decreased CVRC on stress SPECT imaging was statistically associated with development of CVE (P0.001). Furthermore, the clinical type of MMD was also regarded as predictive factor for CVE in this study. Especially, ischemic type MMD revealed a statistical association with the development of CVE (P = 0.014, odds ratio = 16.50).Assessment of cerebral hemodynamic status with stress SPECT may predict CVE during pregnancy and puerperium.

OBJECTIVE In a minority of patients with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF-1), cerebral vasculopathy reminiscent of moyamoya disease develops. This phenomenon is called moyamoya syndrome (MMS), but there are no known risk factors for the prediction of MMS in NF-1 patients. Polymorphism of the RNF213 gene has exhibited strong associations with familial and sporadic moyamoya disease and other cerebral vasculopathies. The aim of this study is to find whether the RNF213 c.14576G>A variant is associated with MMS development in the NF-1 population or not. METHODS The MMS group included 16 NF-1 patients with documented MMS. The control group consisted of 97 NF-1 patients without MMS. Genomic DNA samples were obtained from the saliva or blood of both groups, and the presence of the RNF213 c.14576G>A variant was assessed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS In the MMS group, 3 patients had the RNF213 c.14576G>A variant (18.7%), whereas no patients with this genetic variation were observed in the control group (0%). There was a meaningful association between the RNF213 c.14576G>A variant and MMS development (p = 0.0024). The crude odds ratio was calculated as 50.57 (95% CI 1.57–1624.41). All 3 patients with MMS and the c.14576G>A variant were diagnosed with MMS at an early age and had bilateral involvement. CONCLUSIONS The RNF213 c.14576G>A variant is more common in NF-1 patients who develop MMS than in NF-1 patients without MMS. This variant might be a susceptibility gene for the NF-1–moyamoya connection.

OBJECT Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a progressive disease that can cause recurrent stroke. The authors undertook this retrospective case-control study with a large sample size in an attempt to assess the efficacy of direct or combined revascularization surgery for ischemia in adults with MMD. METHODS The authors investigated cases involving patients with moyamoya disease presenting with ischemia who visited Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Seoul National University Hospital between 2000 and 2014. Among 441 eligible patients, 301 underwent revascularization surgery and 140 were treated conservatively. Variables evaluated included age at diagnosis, sex, surgical record, Suzuki stage, and occurrence of stroke. Patients were stratified into 2 groups based on whether or not they had undergone revascularization surgery. Actuarial 1-, 5-, and 10-year stroke rates were calculated using the life table method. Risk factor analysis for 5-year stroke occurrence was conducted with multivariate regression. RESULTS Of the 441 patients, 301 had been surgically treated (revascularization group) and 140 had not (control group). The mean follow-up durations were 45 and 77 months, respectively. The actuarial 10-year cumulative incidence rate for any kind of stroke was significantly lower in the revascularization group (9.4%) than in the control group (19.6%) (p = 0.041); the relative risk reduction (RRR) was also superior (52.0%) in the revascularization group, and the number needed to treat was 10. The 10-year rate of ischemic stroke was greater (13.3%) in the control group than in the revascularization group (3.9%) (p = 0.019). The RRR for ischemic stroke in the revascularization group was 70.7%, and the number needed to treat was 11. However, the actuarial 1- and 5-year rates of ischemic stroke did not significantly differently between the groups. Overall, revascularization surgery was shown to be an independent protective factor, as revealed by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Direct or combined revascularization for patients with adult-onset moyamoya disease presenting with ischemia can prevent further stroke.

OBJECT Treatment strategies for venous-predominant arteriovenous malformation (vp-AVM) remain unclear due to the limited number of cases and a lack of long-term outcomes. The purpose of this study was to report the authors’ experience with treatment outcomes with a review of the pertinent literature in patients with vp-AVM. METHODS Medical and radiological data from 1998 to 2011 were retrospectively evaluated. The degree of the arteriovenous (AV) shunt was categorized into 2 groups, a high- and low-flow AV shunt based on the angiographic findings. RESULTS Sixteen patients with a mean age of 45.3 years (range 16–78 years) and a mean follow-up of 79.9 months (range 25–264 months) were examined. Symptomatic lesions were noted in 13 patients: intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in 9, seizure in 1, and headache in 3. A high-flow shunt was observed on angiography in 13 patients. Among these 13 patients, 12 patients were symptomatic. Nine patients presenting with ICH underwent hematoma removal with additional Gamma Knife surgery (GKS; n = 4), GKS only (n = 2), or conservative treatment (n = 3). The 3 asymptomatic patients received conservative treatment, and 1 rebleeding episode was observed. Seven of 8 patients who underwent GKS as an initial or secondary treatment modality experienced a marked reduction in the AV shunt on follow-up angiography, but complete obliteration was not observed. CONCLUSIONS Poor lesion localization makes a vp-AVM challenging to treat. Symptomatic patients with a high-flow shunt are supposedly best treated with GKS, despite the fact that only 87.5% of the vp-AVMs treated this way showed a reduction in the malformation volume, and none were cured.

Background: Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) can cause symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), but the estimated risks are imprecise and predictors remain uncertain. We aimed to obtain precise estimates and predictors of the risk of ICH during untreated follow-up in an individual patient data meta-analysis.Methods: We invited investigators of published cohorts of people aged at least 16 years, identified by a systematic review of Ovid MEDLINE and Embase from inception to April 30, 2015, to provide individual patient data on clinical course from CCM diagnosis until first CCM treatment or last available follow-up. We used survival analysis to estimate the 5-year risk of symptomatic ICH due to CCMs (primary outcome), multivariable Cox regression to identify baseline predictors of outcome, and random-effects models to pool estimates in a meta-analysis.Findings: Among 1620 people in seven cohorts from six studies, 204 experienced ICH during 5197 person-years of follow-up (Kaplan-Meier estimated 5-year risk 15·8%, 95% CI 13·7–17·9). The primary outcome of ICH within 5 years of CCM diagnosis was associated with clinical presentation with ICH or new focal neurological deficit (FND) without brain imaging evidence of recent haemorrhage versus other modes of presentation (hazard ratio 5·6, 95% CI 3·2–9·7) and with brainstem CCM location versus other locations (4·4, 2·3–8·6), but age, sex, and CCM multiplicity did not add independent prognostic information. The 5-year estimated risk of ICH during untreated follow-up was 3·8% (95% CI 2·1–5·5) for 718 people with non-brainstem CCM presenting without ICH or FND, 8·0% (0·1–15·9) for 80 people with brainstem CCM presenting without ICH or FND, 18·4% (13·3–23·5) for 327 people with non-brainstem CCM presenting with ICH or FND, and 30·8% (26·3–35·2) for 495 people with brainstem CCM presenting with ICH or FND.Interpretation: Mode of clinical presentation and CCM location are independently associated with ICH within 5 years of CCM diagnosis. These findings can inform decisions about CCM treatment.Funding: UK Medical Research Council, Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government, and UK Stroke Association.

Recent studies have implicated RNF213 mutations in the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the underlying mechanism of disease development is not fully elucidated. Nonetheless, a possible relationship between vascular morphology and hemodynamics related with MMD has been proposed. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship between a variant of RNF213 and the morphology of the internal carotid artery (ICA). We enrolled bilateral MMD patients who had undergone genetic testing for RNF213. Patients were divided into mutant and wild-type groups. Six anatomy-specific three-dimensional coordinates were collected using magnetic-resonance angiography. From these, five vectors between two adjacent points and four angles between two adjacent vectors were calculated. The tortuosity was defined as the ratio between the actual and the linear length of the ICAs. Among 58 patients, 44 and 14 belonged to the mutant and wild-type groups, respectively. The tortuosity of ICAs was significantly lower in the mutant group (p = 0.010). The change in blood flow direction was more prominent in the wild-type group (p = 0.002). The tortuosity was significantly lower in MMD patients than normal controls (p 0.001). Our results indicate that RNF213 could play a role in the lower tortuosity observed in patients with RNF213 mutation.

Objective We investigated seizure outcomes of patients with supratentorial meningiomas (ST-MNGs) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Methods One hundred and thirty-three patients with a total of 144 ST-MNGs, who were treated with SRS between 2009 and 2016, were included in this study. The mean age was 59.0 ± 11.9 years (range, 13–87 years). The mean follow-up duration was 49.8 ± 24.5 months (range, 9–96 months). The median tumor volume was 2.60 cm3 (range, 0.06–32.40 cm3), and the median marginal dose was 14.0 Gy (range, 11.0–20.0 Gy). Postradiosurgery peritumoral edema (PRPTE) was developed in 43 lesions (29.9%). Results New seizure attacks developed in 16 patients (12.0%) after SRS (first seizure attack in 14 [87.5%]; seizure aggravation in 2 [12.5%]). In 15 patients with new seizure attacks (93.8%), PRPTE was proved on magnetic resonance imaging. The mean interval between SRS and new seizure attack was 6.6 ± 7.1 (range, 0.23–28.8) months. Simple partial seizure was the most common type of seizure (n = 9 [56.3%]). Five patients (31.3%) were seizure-free with antiepileptic drug (AED) medication (3 [18.8%] withdrew AEDs during the follow-up period); however, the remaining 11 patients (68.7%) did not achieve seizure-free outcomes even with AED medication. Moreover, seizures became intractable in 8 patients (50.0%). From multivariate analysis, the significant predictors of post-SRS seizure attack were PRPTE (odds ratio, 53.99; 95% confidence interval, 5.214–559.1; P = 0.001) and brain-tumor contact-surface index (odds ratio, 2.466; 95% confidence interval, 1.183–5.138; P = 0.016). Conclusions The clinical outcomes of seizures after SRS for ST-MNGs fall short of our expectation, and seizures seem to be uncontrollable and even intractable.

We performed a retrospective study to identify factors associated with preoperative and late postoperative seizures in primary supratentorial meningiomas.Between July 2003 and December 2014, we extracted 303 consecutive patients who underwent primary resection for supratentorial meningiomas at a single institution. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine the associations of seizure occurrence and outcome.Forty-nine (16.2%) of the total 303 patients presented with preoperative seizures. The risk factors independently associated with preoperative seizures were vasogenic edema (OR 4.44, p = 0.001), parasagittal or parafalcine location (OR 2.20, p = 0.020), and absence of neurologic deficit (OR 0.30, p = 0.003). Among these patients, 33 (67.3%) were seizure free postoperatively (Engel Class I). Of the 303 patients, we observed late postoperative seizures in 35 (11.6%) patients. The associated risk factors included history of preoperative seizure (OR 3.96, p = 0.002), bigger tumor size (OR 1.04, p = 0.002), and continuation of anti-epileptic drugs (OR 4.74, p = 0.001). We analyzed that meningiomas with a largest diameter of greater than 45.5 mm were 4.2 times more likely to have late postoperative seizures than those with less diameter (HR 4.20, p 0.001). Ten (28.6%) of the 35 patients with late postoperative seizures experienced poor seizure control. The independently associated predictive factors were high grade meningiomas (WHO Grade II or III) (OR 10.66, p = 0.030) and history of postoperative adjuvant therapy (OR 12.58, p = 0.040).Identifying factors associated with preoperative or late postoperative seizures may help guide treatment strategies, eventually improving the quality of life for patients with meningiomas.

Brain herniation is most often the result of severe brain swelling and can rapidly lead to death or brain death. We retrospectively identified radiologic indicators to evaluate the effects of targeted temperature management (TTM) on the extent of cerebral edema and determine the cutoff values that best predict TTM outcomes in patients with large hemispheric infarction. We retrospectively reviewed brain computed tomography (CT) scans of 21 patients with large hemispheric infarctions, who were treated with TTM. We excluded 4 patients whose CT scans were inadequate for evaluation, which left 17 patients. We divided the patients into success and failure groups. TTM failure was defined as death or the need for decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) after TTM. Infarction size was measured as the total restricted area in diffusion-weighted imaging that was performed on admission. CT scans were obtained on the first and second days after TTM initiation and then every 2 days. We measured septum pellucidum shifts (SPS) and pineal gland shifts (PGS) on CT scans. The median time from symptom onset to TTM initiation was 14.5 hours. Ten patients were successfully treated with TTM, six patients died, and one patient underwent a DHC. Initial infarction sizes were not significantly different between the success and failure groups (p = 0.529), but the SPS and PGS at 36-72 hours after TTM initiation were (mean SPS: 5.0 vs. 14.9 mm, p = 0.001; mean PGS: 2.3 vs. 7.9 mm, p = 0.001). The sensitivity and negative predictive value for TTM failure caused by cerebral edema (SPS ≥9.25 mm and PGS ≥3.70 mm) at 36-72 hours after TTM initiation were both 100%. The SPS and PGS on CT scans taken 36-72 hours after TTM initiation may help to estimate the effect of TTM on cerebral edema and guide further treatment.

BACKGROUND The availability of stents has widened the indications of endovascular intervention for cerebral aneurysms. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the effect of stents on radiologic outcomes and to analyze the risk factors for aneurysmal recanalization via propensity score matching. METHODS From the 735 aneurysms treated with coil embolization with stents (n = 187) and without stents (n = 548) between 2009 and 2011, 157 propensity score-matched case pairs were selected. The recanalization rates and relevant risk factors were analyzed. The mean follow-up interval was 24.1 ± 11.3 months (range, 6-48 months) and 22.9 ± 11.4 months (range, 6-56 months) in the stent and nonstent groups, respectively (P = .388). RESULTS The stent group demonstrated lower recanalization rates than the nonstent group during both the 6-month (1.9% vs 10.2%, P = .004) and the final follow-up periods (8.3% vs 18.5%, P = .005). The multivariate analysis identified the following significant factors for recanalization: the use of stents (hazard ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-0.76, P = .005), larger aneurysm size (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.31, P < .001), and initially incomplete occlusion (hazard ratio, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-4.43, P = .006). The incidence of permanent neurological complication tended to be higher in the stent group than in the nonstent group (3.2% vs 0%, P = .063). CONCLUSION In this propensity score-matched analysis, stent implantation reduced the overall recanalization of the coiled cerebral aneurysms. However, the use of stents should be carefully decided upon.

Background: Acute carotid-T occlusion results in both low recanalization rates and poor outcomes. We investigated clinical outcomes and recanalization in a rare case of thrombolytic therapy. Methods: A consecutive series of patients with acute carotid-T occlusion who were treated with either bridging intravenous (IV) plus intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis or IA alone were analyzed. Complete recanalization was defined as a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) grade of 3. A favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of ≤2. Results: Of the 40 patients, 6 (15%) had favorable outcomes, and 34 (85%) had poor outcomes. Favorable outcomes were significantly associated with a lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score after revascularization treatment and higher rates of complete recanalization (p < 0.01, p < 0.024, respectively). Complete recanalization was achieved in all patients with favorable clinical outcomes and 5 (83%) patients had received combined IV/IA thrombolysis (p = 0.381). Conclusions: The results suggest that complete recanalization for acute carotid-T occlusion improves clinical outcomes. In that regard, bridging IV/IA thrombolysis may be more efficacious than IA alone.

OBJECT Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a rare cerebrovascular disease and its natural history is still unclear. The authors aimed to investigate the natural course of hemodynamically stable cases of adult MMD, with the analysis of stroke risk factors. METHODS Two hundred forty-one patients were included in this retrospective study. One hundred sixty-six (68.9%) were female, and mean age (± SD) at first visit was 41.3 ± 12.0 years (range 18–69 years). Unilateral involvement was identified in 33 patients, and 19 patients (7.9%) had a family history of MMD. According to the clinical presentations, patients were classified into hemorrhagic (n = 62, 25.7%), ischemic (n = 144, 59.8%), and asymptomatic (n = 35, 14.5%) groups. The mean duration of follow-up was 82.5 ± 62.9 months (range 7.3–347.0 months). RESULTS The annual stroke risk was 4.5%, and the annual risks of rebleeding in the hemorrhagic group and recurrent ischemic events in the ischemic group were 4.3% and 3.0%, respectively. There was no significant difference in cumulative stroke risk between the 3 groups (p = 0.461). Risk factors included thyroid disease for overall strokes (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.16–5.67), initial hemorrhagic presentation for hemorrhagic strokes (HR 2.53, 95% CI 1.24–5.17), and initial ischemic presentation for ischemic strokes (HR 2.69, 95% CI 1.15–6.27). Familial MMD was a common risk factor for all types of stroke. Among the 3 clinical groups, the hemorrhagic group showed the worst clinical status at discharge and at most recent follow-up. Twenty-three patients (9.5%) eventually underwent revascularization surgery. CONCLUSIONS There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of stroke in the different clinical groups; clinical status, however, was most severe in patients with hemorrhagic presentation. In patients who experienced stroke during the follow-up period, the stroke type tended to correspond to their initial presentation. Close follow-up is needed in patients with thyroid disease and a family history of MMD.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of scalp blocks using levobupivacaine on recovery profiles including postoperative pain, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) consumption, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and other adverse events in patients undergoing frontoparietal craniotomy for aneurysm clipping.Fifty-two patients scheduled for elective frontoparietal craniotomy for unruptured aneurysm clipping were enrolled. After surgery, scalp blocks were performed using normal saline (group C, n = 26) or 0.75% levobupivacaine (group L, n = 26). Postoperative pain scores and PCA consumption were recorded for 72 hours after recovery of consciousness. The time from patient recovery to the first use of PCA drug and rescue analgesics, the requirement for vasoactive agents, and adverse effects related to PCA and local anesthetics also were recorded.Postoperative pain scores and PCA consumption in group L were lower than in group C (P.05). The time intervals from patient recovery to the first use of PCA drug (P.001) and rescue analgesics (P = .038) was longer in group L than in group C. Additionally, less antihypertensive agent was required (P = .017), and PONV occurred less frequently (P = .039) in group L than in group C.Scalp blocks with 0.75% levobupivacaine improved recovery profiles in that it effectively lowered postoperative pain and PCA consumption without severe adverse events and also reduced the requirement for a postoperative antihypertensive agent and the incidence of PONV in patients who underwent frontoparietal craniotomy for aneurysm clipping.

Purpose To evaluate the effect of middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization on chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) and compare the treatment outcomes of MMA embolization and conventional treatment. Materials and Methods All consecutive patients 20 years or older with CSDH were assessed for eligibility. CSDHs with a focal location, a thickness of 10 mm or less, no mass effect, or underlying conditions were excluded. Seventy-two prospectively enrolled patients with CSDH underwent MMA embolization (embolization group; as the sole treatment in 27 [37.5%] asymptomatic patients and with additional hematoma removal for symptom relief in 45 [62.5%] symptomatic patients). For comparison, 469 patients who underwent conventional treatment were included as a historical control group (conventional treatment group; close, nonsurgical follow-up in 67 [14.3%] and hematoma removal in 402 [85.7%] patients). Primary outcome was treatment failure defined as a composite of incomplete hematoma resolution (remaining or reaccumulated hematoma with thickness10 mm) or surgical rescue (hematoma removal for relief of symptoms that developed with continuous growth of initial or reaccumulated hematoma). Secondary outcomes included surgical rescue as a component of the primary outcome and treatment-related complication for safety measure. Six-month outcomes were compared between the study groups with logistic regression analysis. Results Spontaneous hematoma resolution was achieved in all of 27 asymptomatic patients undergoing embolization without direct hematoma removal. Hematoma reaccumulation occurred in one (2.2%) of 45 symptomatic patients receiving embolization with additional hematoma removal. Treatment failure rate in the embolization group was lower than in the conventional treatment group (one of 72 patients [1.4%] vs 129 of 469 patients [27.5%], respectively; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.056; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.011, 0.286; P = .001). Surgical rescue was less frequent in the embolization group (one of 72 patients [1.4%] vs 88 of 469 patients [18.8%]; adjusted OR, 0.094; 95% CI: 0.018, 0.488; P = .005). Treatment-related complication rate was not different between the two groups (0 of 72 patients vs 20 of 469 patients [4.3%]; adjusted OR, 0.145; 95% CI: 0.009, 2.469; P = .182). Conclusion MMA embolization has a positive therapeutic effect on CSDH and is more effective than conventional treatment.

A 61-year-old woman visited us with recent onset right-side weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed ischemic changes at the left internal border zone due to occlusive disease affecting the left proximal internal carotid artery. Prompt oral dual antiplatelet therapy and intravenous fluid were administered with subsequent induced hypertension and without reperfusion therapy. Although the hemiparesis was improved, she complained of a new-onset transient left-side monocular visual loss. Fluorescein angiography confirmed delayed perfusion in the left eye. We performed extracranial-intracranial bypass for flow augmentation. After bypass, the amaurosis fugax resolved. Follow-up retinal fluorescein angiography also showed improved retinal perfusion.

Objective To compare 2 craniotomy approaches (unilateral and bilateral) in terms of anatomic and clinical parameters and surgical outcomes. Methods Between January 2011 and December 2014, 19 patients with bilateral unruptured middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm were treated with unilateral craniotomy (group 1), and 10 patients were treated with bilateral mini-craniotomy (group 2). We compared demographic data, characteristics of aneurysms, radiologic and clinical parameters, postoperative complications, and surgical outcomes between the 2 groups. Results No statistically significant differences in aneurysm characteristics were found between the 2 groups. Radiologic parameters did not have any influence on surgical outcomes or the incidence of postoperative complications. Group 1 had a higher incidence of olfactory dysfunction (11 of 19; 58%) and residual neck at the contralateral aneurysm (10 of 19; 53%), whereas no patients in group 2 had olfactory dysfunction or residual neck at the contralateral aneurysm. All patients in group 2 had good surgical outcomes (modified Rankin scale score 0). The length of hospital stay was similar in the 2 groups. Conclusions Bilateral mini-craniotomy for the treatment of bilateral MCA aneurysms was associated with better surgical outcomes and fewer complications. Bilateral mini-craniotomy does not require as much retraction of the frontal lobe to apply a clip completely at the contralateral aneurysm. Therefore, it represents a safe and effective therapeutic option for unruptured bilateral MCA aneurysms.

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment outcomes of future stroke prevention, perioperative complications, and angiographic revascularization in adults with symptomatic moyamoya disease (MMD) according to treatment modalities and surgical techniques.METHODSA systemic literature review was performed based on searches of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases. A fixed-effects model was used in cases of heterogeneity less than 50%. Publication bias was determined by Begg’s funnel plot, Egger’s test of the intercept, and the Begg and Mazumdar rank correlation test.RESULTSEleven articles were included in the meta-analysis. Bypass surgery significantly decreased the future stroke events compared with conservative treatments in adult MMD (odds ratio [OR] 0.301, p < 0.001). Direct bypass showed better future stroke prevention than indirect bypass (OR 0.494, p = 0.028). There was no meaningful difference in perioperative complications between direct and indirect bypass (OR 0.665, p = 0.176). Direct bypass was associated with better angiographic outcomes than indirect bypass (OR 6.832, p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSBypass surgery can be effective in preventing future stoke events in adults with MMD. Direct bypass seems to provide better risk reduction with respect to stroke than indirect bypass in these patients.

Carotid endarterectomy and stenting are used to treat carotid stenosis, with the volume of carotid artery procedures increasing over the past decade. We investigated the 10-year trend of periprocedural complications with an increasing procedure volume of carotid stenting at a single tertiary hospital.We collected 416 consecutive cases (384 patients) of carotid artery stenting performed for either symptomatic (231 cases, 55.5 %) or asymptomatic (185 cases, 44.5 %) internal carotid artery stenosis at a single center. Periprocedural complication was defined as any stroke, myocardial infarction, or death. Procedure-related outcome included any dissection, hemodynamic event, or periprocedural complication.The mean age was 68.8 years (82.8 % males; range of 20-89 years); 23.9 % were older than 75 years. Before the procedure, 99.3 and 56.0 % of patients received antiplatelet and lipid-lowering medication, respectively. The overall periprocedural complication rate was 3.6 % (1.6 and 5.2 % in the asymptomatic and symptomatic group, respectively). The composite outcome of any stroke or death was 3.4 %. Periprocedural complication and procedure-related outcome showed a decremental trend with increasing procedure volume, and this trend remained after adjusting for confounders.Our study suggests that carotid stenting at an experienced center might reduce the periprocedural complications. Our periprocedural complication rate of carotid artery stenting may be comparable to, or somewhat lower than, that reported in other clinical trials.

In Gamma Knife radiosurgery, the occurrence of reapplying the stereotactic frame leads to re-examination and re-planning. To avoid undergoing invasive second angiography examination for the treatment of vascular lesions, and reduce re-planning time, a mathematical coordinate transformation method using the anatomical information has been developed. The MR or CT images of a human brain before and after frame reapplication were correlated with each other using the Affine transformation. The transformation parameters which minimize the RMS error of the original and transformed coordinates between the images were determined using a genetic algorithm. Three CT image studies of skull phantom and five MR image studies of patients were used for the evaluation. The RMS error in the coordinate transformation of skull phantom and clinical images was 0.3 ± 0.1 mm and 0.6 ± 0.1 mm, respectively. The original treatment plans of patients were converted to new plans using the transformation matrix. For total 9 treatment lesions of 0.2-14.1 cc, 3% and 11% RMS error in the irradiation time and target coverage were found respectively. The deeply-located lesions showed a better RMS error of 3% in the conformity index and similar dose distribution than superficial lesions close to the skull.

Endovascular internal carotid artery (ICA) trapping was performed to treat ruptured blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the procedural risks and long-term follow-up results.The records of 11 consecutive patients with BBAs who underwent endovascular ICA trapping between 2005 and 2010 were reviewed. Clinical outcomes were assessed with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores.Endovascular ICA trapping was performed in 11 patients as either the primary treatment (7 patients) or the secondary treatment (4 patients) after the patient underwent other treatments. Three patients underwent superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass when balloon test occlusion (BTO) revealed inadequate collateral circulation. In the primary ICA trapping group (seven patients), six patients had good outcomes (mRS 0 in five, mRS 1 in one), and one patient had a poor outcome (mRS 6: dead). In the secondary ICA trapping group (four patients), two patients had good outcomes (mRS 0), and two patients had poor outcomes (mRS 4, 5). All ten of the surviving patients were clinically stable during the follow-up period (mean 39 months). A radiological follow-up of nine patients (mean 22 months) demonstrated stable occlusion, with the exception of one reopening of the ICA because of coil migration. Perfusion studies of nine patients (mean: 23 months) demonstrated no perfusion decrease.Endovascular ICA trapping is an effective and durable treatment for BBAs.

Many prior investigations have indicated the important role of medical treatment to prevent stroke in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis, with angioplasty and stenting occasionally being performed. In a subgroup of patients with severe hemodynamic impairment, extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery may be considered. Additionally, in patients with massive infarctions due to middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, the use of decompressive craniectomy may lower mortality rates and improve long-term quality of life. However, the benefit of these surgical procedures in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis has long been controversial. In this chapter, we review the surgical therapies for patients with intracranial atherosclerosis. This review does not include EC-IC bypass surgery for moyamoya disease, which is discussed in another chapter.

Objective The elevation of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein-I (CRABP-I) has been suggested as a candidate in the pathogenesis of paediatric moyamoya disease (MMD). However, few studies have addressed CRABP-I in adult onset MMD. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of CRABP-I in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adult onset MMD, and to evaluate its association with clinical presentation and postoperative haemodynamic change. Methods This study examined the CSF from 103 patients: bilateral MMD, n=58 (56.3%); unilateral MMD, n=19 (18.4%); atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease (ACVD), n=21 (20.4%); and control group, n=5 (4.9%). The intensity of CRABP-I was confirmed by western blotting and expressed as the median (25th–75th percentile). The differences in CRABP-I expression according to disease entity (unilateral MMD vs bilateral MMD vs ACVD), initial presenting symptoms (haemorrhage vs ischaemia) and postoperative haemodynamic change (vascular reserve in single photon emission CT and basal collateral vessels in digital subtraction angiography) were analysed. Results CRABP-I intensities in bilateral MMD (1.45(0.86–2.52)) were significantly higher than in unilateral MMD (0.91(0.78–1.20)) (p=0.044) or ACVD (0.85(0.66–1.11)) (p=0.004). No significant differences were noted based on the initial presenting symptoms (p=0.687). CRABP-I was not associated with improvement in vascular reserve (p=0.327), but with decrease in basal collateral vessels (p=0.023) postoperatively. Conclusions Higher CRABP-I in the CSF can be associated with typical bilateral MMD pathogenesis in adults. Additionally, postoperative basal collateral change may be related to the degree of CRABP-I expression.

The fate of the contralateral unaffected side of the surgically treated unilateral moyamoya disease (MMD) in adults has not been well described due to the limited number of cases and the heterogeneous ages and treatment methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contralateral angiographic progression rate and its risk factors in homogeneous adult MMD patients who underwent surgical revascularization, with a review of pertinent literature.Forty-one surgically treated unilateral MMD patients were retrospectively evaluated. We reviewed medical and radiological records including data on gender, age, hypertension (HTN), smoking, familial MMD, presenting symptom, surgical method, Suzuki stage, and contralateral progression. Then, we conducted univariate and multivariate analyses to determine risk factors.Six of the 41 cases (14.6%) exhibited contralateral progression during the mean follow-up of 34 months. Four of those six patients (66.7%) were asymptomatic. Additional revascularization surgery was performed in the two symptomatic patients. The presence of a contralateral angiographic abnormality on initial angiography was a statistically significant risk factor for progression (OR, 49.00; p = 0.04). Younger age at diagnosis (32.7 ± 7.8 years in progression group vs. 42.5 ± 10.3 years in non-progression group, p = 0.046) was statistically significant in the univariate analysis, but age was not a significant factor in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.82). Other variables, such as gender (p = 0.13), HTN (p = 0.24), smoking (p = 0.47), and familial MMD (p = 0.20), did not show statistical significance.The presence of a contralateral angiographic abnormality on initial angiography was a significant risk factor for progression in surgically treated unilateral adult MMD. Consequently, patients with contralateral abnormalities should be monitored closely.

Intracranial pial arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a rare cerebrovascular lesion, and the literature is sparse. Most authors insist that simple disconnection of arteriovenous shunting is enough to treat intracral single-channel pial AVF in most cases, either by microsurgery or endovascular embolization without resection of entire vascular malformation. We report an insidious onset of peri-lesional edema formation after abrupt disconnection of AVF shunting with surgical arterial ligation. Treatment entailed anti-platelet and anti-coagulation agent to slow down thrombus formation in intracranial dual-channel pial AVF. We suggest that slowing down thrombus formation in the large varix with anti-platelet and/or anti-coagulation agents seems to be necessary in case of abrupt disconnection of shunting in intracranial single- or dual-channel pial AVF to prevent postoperative cerebral edema or infarction.

Purpose To identify and apply an optimized P2Y

BACKGROUND Bypass surgery is a treatment option for complex intracranial aneurysms. OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of bypass surgery for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms and to review the literature on this topic. METHODS Sixty-two patients were included in this retrospective study. Unruptured aneurysms were dominant (80.6%), and the internal carotid artery was the most common location of the aneurysm (56.4%), followed by the middle cerebral artery (21.0%). The mean maximal diameter of the aneurysms was 20.5 ± 11.4 mm. The clinical and angiographic states were evaluated preoperatively, immediately after surgery (within 3 days) and at the last follow-up. The mean angiographic and clinical follow-up duration was 34.2 ± 38.9 and 46.5 ± 42.5 months, respectively. RESULTS Sixty-one patients (98.3%) underwent extracranial-intracranial bypass, and 1 underwent intracranial-intracranial bypass. At the last follow-up angiography, 58 aneurysms (93.5%) were completely obliterated and 4 were incompletely obliterated, with a graft patency of 90.3%. Surgical mortality was 0 and permanent morbidity was 8.1%. A good clinical outcome (Karnofsky Performance Scale ≥ 70 and modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2) was achieved in 91.9% of patients (n = 57). CONCLUSION With a proper selection of bypass type, bypass-associated treatment can be a good alternative for patients with complex intracranial aneurysms when conventional microsurgical clipping or endovascular intervention is not feasible.

Background In patients with acute ischemic stroke, the impact of penumbral patterns on clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) remains controversial. We aimed to establish whether penumbral patterns are associated with clinical outcome after successful recanalization with EVT while adjusting for onset to revascularization time. Materials and Methods Using a web-based, multicenter, prospective stroke registry database, we identified patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent perfusion and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before EVT, had anterior circulation stroke, received EVT within 12 hours of symptom onset, and had successful revascularization confirmed during EVT. Based on pretreatment MRI, patients were stratified as having a favorable or nonfavorable penumbral pattern. Onset to revascularization time was dichotomized by median value. Primary outcome was functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2) at 90 days. Findings Among 121 eligible patients from three university hospitals, 104 (86.0%) had a favorable penumbral pattern, and the median time to revascularization was 271 minutes (interquartile range, 196-371). The functionally independent patient proportion was higher in those with a favorable penumbral pattern than in those without (53.8% versus 5.9%; P .001), but was not different between early and late revascularization groups (49.2% versus 45.0%; P = .65). The favorable penumbral pattern was associated with functional independence after adjusting confounders (odds ratio, 23.25; 95% confidence interval: 1.58-341.99; P = .02). Time to revascularization did not modify the association ( P for interaction, .53). Conclusion A favorable penumbral pattern is associated with improved functional independence in patients with endovascular revascularization, and the association was not time-dependent.