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Background: Localization of the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a crucial step in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal vascular malformations (VMs). Noninvasive angiographic techniques such as dynamic magnetic resonance angiography and three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (CTA) have been used as standard modalities to localize AVF. With the increasing prevalence of high-specification computed tomography scanners, four-dimensional (4D) CTA is being increasingly used in the evaluation of cerebrovascular disorders. However, application of 4D-CTA in spinal lesions has been limited. The position and role of 4D-CTA, among various modalities, in the evaluation of spinal VMs has not been elucidated., Methods: We retrospectively review our clinical experience with 4D-CTA used for spinal AVFs. 4D-CTA images were acquired in 10 cases of spinal VMs consisting of 8 dural/epidural AVFs and 2 perimedullary AVFs. Imaging findings of 4D-CTA and digital subtraction angiography were reviewed to validate the usefulness of 4D-CTA., Results: In 9 of 10 cases, 4D-CTA accurately localized the AVF. The scan visualized direction of flow in the perimedullary veins in all cases. Regarding perimedullary AVFs, 4D-CTA showed dynamic images of feeding arteries, AVF, and perimedullary drainage. Information provided by 4D-CTA was beneficial as a reference in subsequent DSA., Conclusions: In the diagnostic process of spinal VMs, the position of 4D-CTA is the third choice for noninvasive angiography, after dynamic MRA and three-dimensional CTA. However, the role of 4D-CTA might be decisive in difficult-to-find spinal dural AVFs. We believe that this novel imaging technique can be applied in spinal VMs., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are several protection methods used to prevent distal embolism during carotid artery stenting (CAS). The aim of this study was to compare the dual protection method (proximal balloon and distal filter protection) with the distal filter protection during CAS performed at a single center. Between April 2008 and November 2013, 78 consecutive patients with internal carotid artery stenosis were treated with CAS at Istukaichi Memorial Hospital. Twenty-four consecutive patients were treated with CAS using distal filter protection (distal filter protection group), and 54 consecutive patients were treated with CAS using dual protection with a proximal balloon and distal filter protection (dual protection group). We examined the hyperintensity lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perioperative complications after CAS. All stenotic lesions were successfully dilated. DWI showed hyperintensity lesions among 54.2 % (13/24 patients) in the distal filter protection group and in 27.8 % (15/54 patients) in the dual protection group (p = 0.024). The average number of hyperintensity lesions on DWI was 1.75 (range, 0 to 6) in the distal filter protection group and 0.59 (range, 0 to 5) in the dual protection group (p = 0.0087). Postprocedural persistent ischemic complications occurred in 4.2 % (1/24 patients) in the distal filter protection group and 3.7 % (2/54 patients) in the dual protection group (p = 0.67). In this study, the dual protection method reduced the number of hyperintensity lesions seen on DWI when compared with the distal filter protection method when used for distal embolic protection during CAS.

The treatment for patients with near occlusion of the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) is controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the results of carotid artery stenting (CAS) as a surgical treatment for ICA near occlusion. Between April 2008 and September 2012, 14 patients (all men; mean age, 75.4 years) with ICA near occlusion were treated with CAS. This represents 5.2% of a total of 267 patients treated with CAS during the study period. All patients were treated with CAS using an embolic protection device. The proximal balloon protection method was performed in five patients, and the dual protection method using a proximal balloon and distal filter protection was used in nine patients. We examined the change of stenotic lesion, hyperintensity spot in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and perioperative complications after CAS. All near occlusions were successfully dilated. Among 2 of 14 patients, DWI showed 1 and 4 hyperintensity spots. Transient and persistent complications, including neurological deficits, did not occur in any patients. In this small number of cases, CAS using the proximal or dual embolic protection method seems to be a safe and beneficial treatment for ICA near occlusion.

Time-resolved computed tomography angiography (4D-CTA) using a 320-row area detector CT scanner has recently been applied in the evaluation of cranial vascular disorders. However, application of 4D-CTA to spinal vascular disorder evaluation has never before been described. The authors herein report their initial experience of 4D-CTA in the evaluation of spinal arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and compare this novel modality with other imaging modalities. Four consecutive patients with spinal AVF underwent time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (trMRA), 4D-CTA, and selective catheter angiography (CA). In 4D-CTA, volume data was transformed into 3D volume-rendered images and maximum intensity projection. These images were also evaluated by time-resolved serial phases. Then, images of each modality were compared, focusing on the detection of perimedullary draining veins and the prediction of AVF location and drainage flow direction. All modalities successfully detected perimedullary draining veins in all cases. Location of the AVF was detected in all cases by CA. trMRA and 4D-CTA detected the AVF in three out of the four cases. With regard to flow direction, while 4D-CTA successfully depicted ascending or descending drainage flow in the spinal canal, CA failed to detect the flow direction in one case while trMRA failed in two cases. In the case with epidural AVF, 4D-CTA was the only technique to detect the flow direction of perimedullary drainage. Although this is only an initial experience of the application of 4D-CTA to spinal vascular diseases, 4D-CTA was capable of detecting the dynamic vascular flow of spinal AVFs. The authors believe that 4D-CTA can be a useful option in the evaluation of spinal AVFs.

The use of cerebral protection devices in endovascular treatment for innominate artery (IA) stenosis is not well established. We describe a novel technique for cerebral protection during endovascular stenting of symptomatic IA stenosis. An 82-year-old man presented with acutely scattered brain infarction by artery-to-artery embolism due to IA stenosis. Endovascular treatment for symptomatic IA stenosis was planned to prevent recurrent attacks. Endovascular stenting for IA stenosis via the right femoral artery approach was performed under simultaneous distal balloon protection of the right internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) via the right brachial artery approach. Successful treatment of symptomatic IA stenosis was achieved with no complications. The technique with simultaneous distal balloon protection of the ICA and VA provided excellent cerebral protection in stenting of IA stenosis.

Background: Endovascular proximal parent artery occlusion has been performed for VA dissection. We describe a case that presented with headache associated with transient enlargement of contralateral VA after VA occlusion., Case Description: A 54-year-old man presented with constant occipital headache on the left due to left VA dissection. Proximal parent artery occlusion of the left VA with detachable coils was performed, and the headache disappeared after coil occlusion. However, the patient presented with occipital headache on the right 1 week later. The MRI showed enlargement of the right VA compared with before the procedure. Four weeks later, the right occipital headache disappeared, and MRI showed improvement of enlargement of the right VA., Conclusion: The patient might present with right occipital headache related to transient enlargement of contralateral VA after VA occlusion. Careful postoperative neuroradiological examination of the contralateral VA is required because contralateral VA enlargement may be caused by hemodynamic stress after VA occlusion.

We investigated the relationship between left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) and cerebrovascular features in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Few reports have been published to compare cardiac and cerebrovascular imaging in patients with NVAF. Forty-four patients with NVAF were studied using transesophageal echocardiography and non-invasive imaging including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and transcranial color Doppler imaging (TCD) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. The symptomatic severity was divided into asymptomatic, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and stroke. The severity of the MRI findings was divided into normal, small, and large infarcts. The severity of the MRA findings was divided into normal, attenuation, and occlusion. MCA was bilaterally scanned and a side-to-side asymmetry ratio of pulsatility index (PI) was measured. The severity of SEC was divided into normal, SEC, and thrombi. Five patients with other thromboembolic risk or poor results of TCD were excluded. SEC and thrombi were detected in 12 (30%) and in 3 patients (5%), respectively. TIA and stroke were detected in 8 (21%) and in 17 patients (44%), respectively. Small and large infarcts were detected in 9 (23%) and in 18 patients (46%), respectively, on MRI. Attenuation and occlusion were detected in 14 (36%) and in 8 patients (21%), respectively, on MRA. PI ratio was 1.21 +/- 0.25. SEC severity was highly associated with PI ratio and MRA severity in monovariate analysis (P < 0.005), P < 0.01, respectively). SEC severity was highly associated with PI ratio and MRA severity in stepwise multiple regression analysis (P = 0.0001, r = 0.630, n = 39). In patients with NVAF, left atrial SEC was highly related to attenuation or occlusion on MRA and imbalance of cerebral blood flow on TCD in the MCA territory.

Purpose: To describe the gadolinium-enhanced MR findings of Rathke cleft cyst correlate them with the surgical findings, and define those preoperative findings that differentiate this lesion from other sellar and juxtasellar tumors., Methods: We studied 18 patients who were diagnosed as having Rathke cleft cyst pathologically. These patients were imaged with T1- and T2-weighted coronal and sagittal spin-echo sequences. Fifteen of these patients received gadopentetate dimeglumine., Results: In eight patients, the cyst showed low intensity on T1-weighted images and high intensity on T2-weighted images. At surgery, the cyst fluid was cerebrospinal fluid-like or light brown in five patients, motor oil-like in one patient, and milky in two patients. In 10 patients, cysts showed isointensity to high intensity on T1-weighted images and had various intensity on T2-weighted images. All 10 contained milky fluid. In three patients the intensity of fluid was heterogeneous. A waxy nodule was found in two patients. The position of the normal pituitary gland confirmed by surgery in all cases coincided with enhancement on MR imaging. The variable position of the normal pituitary gland was clearly identified in the sagittal images. The cyst walls showed no enhancement by gadopentetate dimeglumine., Conclusions: Because Rathke cleft cysts show variable intensities on MR, the diagnosis is often difficult when based on MR signal intensity values alone. MR imaging with gadopentetate dimeglumine does assist in the diagnosis of Rathke cleft cysts. Diagnostic clues include the lack of cyst wall enhancement and displacement of the normal pituitary gland.

The features of intracranial germ-cell tumor with synchronous lesions in the pineal and suprasellar regions (GCTSPS) in six patients were investigated. GCTSPS accounted for 12.8% of all germ-cell tumors (GCT) in our brain tumor study group. In all cases, the initial symptoms were attributable to the suprasellar lesion, and symptoms due to the pineal GCT developed only after admission. Five of the six cases were histologically diagnosed as germinoma. In all cases, tumors of both regions disappeared after irradiation, resulting in no recurrence for an average of 55.3 months. Our experience and reports in the literature suggest that GCTSPS is highly sensitive to radiation in most cases, although some reports indicated that recurrence is frequent after radiation therapy alone. It is suggested that histological diagnosis in one of the GCTSPS lesions is undertaken to make a plan for the following treatment.

The effect of long-term somatostatin analogue (SMS 201-995) treatment in two acromegalic patients is reported. Continuous tumor shrinkage was observed even after 129 and 139 weeks of treatment with 600 micrograms of SMS 201-995 daily. A huge and firm adenoma underwent shrinkage during treatment with SMS 201-995. No serious side effect appeared during 160 weeks of treatment. SMS 201-995 has a longterm tumor shrinkage effect and improves endocrinopathies.

Clinicopathological evaluation of pineocytoma was performed in 4 patients. The subjects, 2 males and 2 females, ranged in age from 17 to 40. All the patients were clinically found to have the symptom of increased intracranial pressure on a monthly basis, but none of them were found to have dorsal midbrain dysfunction symptoms such as Parinaud's sign or Argyll Robertson pupil. Diagnostic imaging produced heterogeneous pictures indicating calcifications and cyst in 2 patients and homogeneous pictures of the tumor parenchyma in the other 2 patients. Histologically, the former cases were found to have many pineal-sand-like calcifications. Median sagittal MR images demonstrated expansive growth of pineocytoma. Quadrigeminal plates which kept their shapes were observed in 2 patients. Craniotomy was performed in all cases, removing the tumor totally in 2 patients. Radiation therapy was given to 3 patients, resulting in complete remission, but radiosensitivity varied according to cases. During the follow-up period of 12 to 42 months, one patient died of peritonitis caused by shunt infection. No recurrence of the tumor was seen in any of the patients. The incidence of pineocytoma was very low. Further evaluation of the tumor involving many cases is advisable.

Three cases of microprolactinoma with cavernous sinus invasion on magnetic resonance imaging are reported. High-resolution computed tomographic scans did not demonstrate the cavernous sinus involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging is indispensable to detect cavernous sinus invasion before treatment (transsphenoidal surgery or bromocriptine treatment) of a microprolactinoma.

The authors reported a rare case of sellar germinoma which was misdiagnosed as nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma. A 32-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of amenorrhea and disturbance of left visual acuity. She had become amenorrhagic after her second delivery two years before. Neurological examination revealed she was normal except for diminished left visual acuity (Rt. = 1.2, Lt. = 0.5). The general condition was good. Urine volume and its specific gravity were within normal range. Endocrinological examination showed hyperprolactinemia (PRL 72 ng/ml) accompanied with impairment of GH, TSH, LH and FSH's reserve. Basal levels and reserve of the blood cortisol were normal. AFP and hCG were within normal range. CT scan revealed a homogenously enhanced intrasellar tumor which had a suprasellar portion (vertical length: 15 mm). T1 weighted MRI revealed low intensity tumor, and T2 weighted image revealed high intensity tumor. Sagittal MR image with gadolinium enhancement showed the pituitary gland anterior to the tumor. Transsphenoidal removal was performed. The histological diagnosis was pure germinoma. After the operation, the intracranial and spinal disseminations were disclosed. Complete neuraxis irradiation resulted in the complete remission of the tumor. Sellar germinoma without diabetes insipidus is considered to be very difficult to diagnose preoperatively. However, the authors proposed that anterior shift of the pituitary gland in sagittal MR image may be a clue to the diagnosis of sellar germinoma.

Sixty three patients with microprolactinoma were studied by long-term follow-up after surgical cure. Postoperative normalization of prolactin (PRL) was seen in 38 (60%) of the total 63 cases, and hyperprolactinemia recurred in 5 (13%) during the follow-up period. Spontaneous restoration of menstruation occurred in 45 (71%), and, in 41 (65%), regular menstrual cycle as continuing at the time of the last follow-up. 34 (72%) of 47 patients who wanted children became pregnant, and 31 of these had a subsequent successful delivery. Clinical cure by surgical treatment alone, followed by spontaneous restoration of menstruation and continuation of regular cycle during the follow-up period after pregnancy and delivery was seen in 41 (65%) of the total cases. From these results, it was concluded that transsphenoidal surgery should be the treatment of first choice for microprolactinoma when complete cure is required.

We studied the influence of pregnancy on the serum prolactin levels after surgery in 35 patients with prolactinomas. Eighteen out of 22 patients with postoperative normalization of the prolactin level were able to achieve repeated spontaneous pregnancies and endocrine cure by surgery alone, but the other 4 had recurrent hyperprolactinemia. Thirteen patients with persistent hyperprolactinemia after surgery achieved one pregnancy with or without bromocriptine treatment, but did not achieve a second one owing to an increase in the prolactin level after delivery. None of the patients with postoperative hyperprolactinemia showed spontaneous normalization of the prolactin level or restoration of menstruation after delivery. In these 13 patients, the mean increase from the postoperative to the post-delivery prolactin level was less for the patients with bromocriptine-induced pregnancy than for those with spontaneous pregnancy. It is concluded that pregnancy did not adversely affect the serum prolactin level in the patients with a normal postoperative level.

A rare case of simultaneous hypersecretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and growth hormone (GH) in a pituitary adenoma is reported. A 59-year-old male complaining of general fatigue, dyspnea on exertion and finger tremor was admitted. Examination on admission, he revealed with hyperthyroidism and hypersecretion of TSH and thyroid hormones. Administration of TRH did not further increase serum TSH level, and administration of T3 also had no effect on TSH secretion. CT scan showed a pituitary macroadenoma 13mm in diameter. MRI demonstrated a homogenously hypointense mass with Gd-DTPA enhancement in the left side of the sella turcica. The entire chromophobic adenoma was removed by trans-sphenoidal surgery. Immunostaining of the specimen showed that the cytoplasm of the adenoma cells was positive for both TSH and GH. Double immunostaining using avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method and immunogold silver staining (IGSS) method, showed that the adenoma cells had been secreting both GH and TSH at the same time. After the adenomectomy, the hyperthyroidism disappeared, and all altered indicators of pituitary function returned to normal.

The authors report a very rare case of pituitary adenoma producing both GH and ACTH. A 29-year-old female was admitted with obesity, amenorrhea, acromegaly, hirsutism, excessive pigmentation, acne, and diabetes mellitus. Computed tomography revealed an intrasellar tumor 16 mm in height, with a destroyed sellar floor. The blood concentrations of GH, ACTH and cortisol were increased (GH: 92 ng/ml, ACTH: 94 pg/ml, cortisol: 18.3 micrograms/dl). No diurnal variation in the amount of cortisol was observed. The urinary 17-OHCS was suppressed by 8 mg but not by 2 mg of dexamethasone. A subtotal adenomectomy was then performed through the transsphenoidal approach, which led to a sufficient reduction of both blood GH and ACTH (cortisol). Histologically the tumor was an acidophilic pituitary adenoma. Immunoperoxidase staining showed diffuse GH and sporadic ACTH producing cells, but failed to show any cells producing both hormones. The electron micrograms of neoplastic cells showed the ultrastructural characteristics of respective GH and ACTH cells. Another increase in both GH and cortisol, which occurred 19 months after the operation, has been controlled by bromocriptine administration. This case may be the first reported case of a pituitary adenoma producing both GH and ACTH, not accompanied by prolactin (PRL) hypersecretion, which has been fully confirmed endocrinologically and histopathologically.

The authors report a case of a patient with a pituitary tumor, in which pituitary apoplexy occurred only in the suprasellar part of the tumor. A 26-year-old woman suffered from abrupt worsening of vision and headache. A CT scan showed a dumb-bell-shaped tumor extending to the suprasellar region, in which an irregularly shaped low density area suggesting a liquidized hematoma was seen. The rapid worsening of her symptoms was highly indicative of pituitary apoplexy. The first operation was performed through the transsphenoidal route. There was no evidence of intratumoral hematoma in the intrasellar tumor, which could be removed successfully. However, the suprasellar mass could not be reached because of the hardness of the diaphragma sellae and the presence of a normal pituitary gland. MRI and CT cisternography after this first operation showed a narrow opening of the diaphragma sellae. The second operation using right frontotemporal craniotomy disclosed a suprasellar mass, which consisted of an old hematoma and a necrotic tumor. The tumor was sub-totally removed. The patient's visual acuity improved after the second operation. Although transsphenoidal surgery is the treatment of choice in patients with pituitary apoplexy, the selection of the surgical route should be made only after careful neuroradiological evaluation with regard to the extrasellar extension of the tumor.

A new xenotransplantable tumor line, MED-FU, was derived from a 6-year-old female patient with cerebellar medulloblastoma. This tumor was grown in nude mice as serially transplantable subcutaneous xenografts composed of small round cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and scant cytoplasm. Many rosettes and mitoses were observed. Immunohistochemically, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S-100 protein, and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were not detected. The doubling time of the subcutaneous tumors was 6.8 days. Highly concentrated polyamines were detected in the tumor tissue and serum of tumor-bearing mice. This xenotransplanted tumor line, MED-FU, is considered to provide an available experimental model for the study of human medulloblastoma.

The clinical significance of abnormal growth hormone (GH) secretion in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) was studied in 52 patients with acromegaly due to GH secreting pituitary adenomas treated by trans-sphenoidal microsurgery. The mean period of postoperative follow-up was 4.1 years. In 27 of the 36 patients who had abnormal GH responses to TRH or LHRH before surgery, basal GH levels normalized and abnormal GH responses disappeared immediately after surgery. Among the remaining nine patients, four had normal basal GH levels with abnormal GH responses and five showed persistently abnormal basal GH levels as well as abnormal GH responses. Recurrence requiring retreatment was not observed during follow-up in any of the 31 patients with normal postoperative basal GH levels, regardless of the GH response to TRH or LHRH. All five patients with abnormal basal GH and abnormal GH responses required additional treatment. Among the patients who underwent long-term postoperative TRH and LHRH testing, abnormal GH responses reappeared in three of 19 whose abnormal responses had disappeared immediately after surgery. The abnormal response disappeared spontaneously in two of three patients who had abnormal responses immediately after surgery. In four patients with both abnormal GH responses and abnormal basal GH levels immediately after surgery, abnormal GH responses persisted throughout the follow-up period. In addition, the abnormal GH responses appeared in two of 14 patients who had been nonresponsive before surgery. These results indicate that the postoperative GH response to TRH or to LHRH was not significantly related to the outcome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A case of infrasellar craniopharyngioma is reported. This must be the first report that presents computed tomographic findings of an infrasellar craniopharyngioma. A computed tomography scan demonstrated the characteristic features of a tumor at the base of the skull extending massively into the nasopharynx, prepontine cistern, and suprasellar region. Further, air-contrast computed tomographic cisternography suggested the extradural growth of the tumor. We confirmed these neuroradiologic findings at a transsphenoidal operation.

We examined the antitumor effect of recombinant human lymphotoxin (rHuLT) on a xenotransplantable human malignant glioma line. Tumor-bearing nude mice were treated with rHuLT for three weeks following four schedules: intratumoral injection of rHuLT 20,000 units once a week, twice a week, intravenous injection once a week and twice a week. The inhibition rate of tumor growth was 98.8%, 99.1%, 92.1% and 98.8%, respectively. Histologically, necrotic lesions were observed in the tumors of all treated mice. Thrombo-obstructive changes of tumor vessels were also seen in the tumors of mice after intravenous injection of rHuLT. None of the mice died as a result of this treatment in spite of significant body weight loss. These results indicate that rHuLT has a strong antitumor effect on a xenotransplantable human malignant glioma line.

The authors report a case of ossified prolactinoma that was identified as a calcified nodule on the roentgenograms. Histologically, the ossified tissues were diffuse, and the osteoid was mineralized in various degrees, subsequently forming bones. Adenoma cells were sparse among the ossified tissues. This is probably the first report of ossified pituitary adenoma associated with osteoid metaplasia. The pathogenesis of osteoid metaplasia in pituitary adenomas is possibly due to proliferative connective tissue resulting from degeneration of the pituitary adenoma; this connective tissue may possess osteogenic potency.