Citations

OBJECTIVECavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms are frequently diagnosed incidentally and the benign natural history of these lesions is well known, but there is limited information assessing the risk of growth in untreated patients. The authors sought to assess and analyze risk factors in patients with cavernous ICA aneurysms and compare them to those of patients with intracranial berry aneurysms in other locations.METHODSData from consecutive patients who were diagnosed with a cavernous ICA aneurysm were retrospectively reviewed. The authors evaluated patients for the incidence of cavernous ICA aneurysm growth and rupture. In addition, the authors analyzed risk factors for cavernous ICA aneurysm growth and compared them to risk factors in a population of patients diagnosed with intracranial berry aneurysms in locations other than the cavernous ICA during the same period.RESULTSIn 194 patients with 208 cavernous ICA aneurysms, the authors found a high risk of aneurysm growth (19.2% per patient-year) in patients with large/giant aneurysms. Size was significantly associated with higher risk of growth. Compared to patients with intracranial berry aneurysms in other locations, patients with cavernous ICA aneurysms were significantly more likely to be female and have a lower incidence of hypertension.CONCLUSIONSAneurysms of the cavernous ICA are benign lesions with a negligible risk of rupture but a definite risk of growth. Aneurysm size was found to be associated with aneurysm growth, which can be associated with new onset of symptoms. Serial follow-up imaging of a cavernous ICA aneurysm might be indicated to monitor for asymptomatic growth, especially in patients with larger lesions.

OBJECTIVEConcomitant unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) are present in patients with carotid artery stenosis not infrequently and result in unique management challenges. Thus, we investigated the risk of rupture of an aneurysm after revascularization of a carotid artery in a contemporary consecutive series of patients seen at our institution.METHODSData from patients who underwent a carotid revascularization in the presence of at least one concomitant UIA at our institution from 1991 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were evaluated for the incidence of aneurysm rupture within 30 days (early period) and after 30 days (late period) of carotid revascularization, as well as for the incidence of periprocedural complications from the treatment of carotid stenosis and/or UIA.RESULTSOur study included 53 patients with 63 concomitant UIAs. There was no rupture within 30 days of carotid revascularization. The overall risk of rupture was 0.87% per patient-year. Treatment (coiling or clipping) of a concomitant UIA, if pursued, could be performed successfully after carotid revascularization.CONCLUSIONSCarotid artery revascularization in the setting of a concomitant UIA can be performed safely without an increased 30-day or late-term risk of rupture. If indicated, treatment of the UIA can take place after the patient recovers from the carotid procedure.

OBJECTIVEDifferent CSF diversion procedures (ventriculoperitoneal, ventriculoatrial, and lumboperitoneal shunting) have been utilized for the treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. More recently, endoscopic third ventriculostomy has been suggested as a reasonable alternative in some studies. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess overall rates of favorable outcomes and adverse events for each of these treatments. An additional objective was to determine the outcomes and complication rates in relation to the type of valve utilized (fixed vs programmable).METHODSMultiple databases (PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus) were searched for studies involving patients with idiopathic ventriculomegaly, no secondary cause of hydrocephalus, opening pressure < 25 mm Hg on high-volume tap or drainage trial, and age > 60 years. Outcomes included the proportion of patients who showed improvement in gait, cognition, and bladder function. Adverse events considered in the analysis included postoperative ischemic/hemorrhagic complications, subdural fluid collections, seizures, need for revision surgery, and infection.RESULTSA total of 33 studies, encompassing 2461 patients, were identified. More than 75% of patients experienced improvement after shunting, without significant differences among the different techniques utilized. Overall, gait improvement was observed in 75% of patients, cognitive function improvement in more than 60%, and improvement of incontinence in 55%. Adjustable valves were associated with a reduction in revisions (12% vs 32%) and subdural collections (9% vs 22%) as compared to fixed valves.CONCLUSIONSOutcomes did not differ significantly among different CSF diversion techniques, and overall improvement was reported in more than 75% of patients. The use of programmable valves decreased the incidence of revision surgery and of subdural collections after surgery, potentially justifying the higher initial cost associated with these valves.

OBJECTIVEGastrostomy tube placement can temporarily seed the peritoneal cavity with bacteria and thus theoretically increases the risk of shunt infection when the two procedures are performed contemporaneously. The authors hypothesized that gastrostomy tube placement would not increase the risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection. The object of this study was to test this hypothesis by utilizing a large patient cohort combined from multiple institutions.METHODSA retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to five institutions with a diagnosis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage between January 2005 and January 2015 was performed. The primary outcome of interest was ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection. Variables, including gastrostomy tube placement, were tested for their association with this outcome. Standard statistical methods were utilized.RESULTSThe overall cohort consisted of 432 patients, 47% of whom had undergone placement of a gastrostomy tube. The overall shunt infection rate was 9%. The only variable that predicted shunt infection was gastrostomy tube placement (p = 0.03, OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.07–4.08), which remained significant in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.04, OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.04–3.97). The greatest proportion of shunts that became infected had been placed more than 2 weeks (25%) and 1–2 weeks (18%) prior to gastrostomy tube placement, but the temporal relationship between shunt and gastrostomy was not a significant predictor of shunt infection.CONCLUSIONSGastrostomy tube placement significantly increases the risk of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

Cerebral protection device utilization during carotid artery stenting (CAS) has been demonstrated to decrease the risk of perioperative stroke. The ProximAl Protection with the MO.MA Device During CaRotid Stenting (ARMOUR) Trial had the lowest event rates of any independently adjudicated study. In this video of two cases of severe carotid artery stenosis, the authors present the nuances of the CAS procedure utilizing a dual-balloon guide catheter device (MO.MA). This device has the benefit of being in place before the lesion is crossed with any device, being able to arrest flow while the atherosclerotic lesion is crossed, and aiding in protection from distal emboli and stroke. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/0o8DlC1n6_M .

A carotid web is a shelf-like intraluminal filling defect typically arising from the posterolateral wall of the proximal internal carotid artery. It is recognized as a possible cause of ischemic stroke in young adults. However, its etiopathogenesis is controversial and remains to be fully elucidated. The authors report de novo formation of a carotid web from an intimal dissection documented on serial imaging studies. The findings in this case suggest that a focal intimal dissection could be the underlying cause of a carotid web. Lower shear stress at the posterolateral wall of the proximal internal carotid artery is hypothesized to be a predisposing factor and explains the predilection of a carotid web for this specific location.

AbstractWe describe two patients—both who underwent general anesthesia—in whom we theorize that hydraulic pressure on carotid artery baroreceptors resulted in transient asystolic cardiac arrest (TACA) during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Patient #1 was a 58‐year‐old female who experienced TACA in response to rapid injection of radiocontrast material into the carotid artery during diagnostic cerebral angiography. Her history was remarkable for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage at least 13 hr prior to angiography, radiographic evidence of intracranial hypertension, and baseline bradycardia, collectively suggestive of increases in baseline vagal tone. Potentially contributing to TACA, the patient had a 90° curve in the internal carotid artery, just distal to the carotid bifurcation and tip of the angiography catheter, that likely diminished runoff of injected contrast solution and, in turn, would have exacerbated any intracarotid pressure increases in response to injection. There was no evidence of increased baseline vagal tone in Patient #2, a 79‐year‐old female having carotid endarterectomy surgery. She experienced TACA immediately after full release of an occlusive clamp on the common carotid artery proximal to the now closed carotid arteriotomy, but while the internal carotid was still occluded. Of note, the carotid artery baroreceptors were not treated with local anesthetic in these patients, thus they should have retained much of their normal function. We describe the possible pathomechanisms involved in TACA in these patients, measures to diminish the likelihood of the phenomenon occurring in future patients, and methods for treating the asystole.

Introduction: Accurately balancing risks of interventional treatment and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in the untreated course of unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation (uBAVM) patients is critical for optimal management. Observational studies of uBAVM afford an opportunity to address important gaps and previous criticisms of randomized data to help guide treatment decisions and assess long-term risk/benefit ratio. We previously published an individual patient data meta-analysis (IPDMA) in 4 MARS cohorts and identified ICH presentation and increasing age as significant predictors of ICH during follow-up, but was not powered to detect predictors in those with uBAVM. Thus, the goals of this project are to identify risk factors for ICH in uBAVMs, to estimate the risk with precision, and to create personalized, risk-prediction models. Methods: MARS is an international, multi-center study of 11 cohorts with target enrollment of 4,500 uBAVM patients ascertained through population-based or referral-based studies. We are harmonizing both retrospective and prospective data, including clinical, lifestyle, imaging, and angiographic factors. Treatments, complications, and functional outcomes (physician and patient-reported) will be updated annually between 2018-2022. We propose to: 1) identify predictors of outcome in uBAVMs using IPDMA; 2) test whether long-term outcomes differ by treatment using statistical approaches for causal inference and unbiased estimates; 3) compare treatment outcomes in randomized and non-randomized data to address generalizability; and 4) validate models and provide a novel tool for calculating individualized risks. Eligible sites have: a) prior BAVM publications; b) data from a minimum of 100 uBAVM patients; c) agree to random outcome adjudication; and d) agree to MARS data sharing policy. Discussion: The NIH-funded MARS consortium will provide important and comprehensive characterization of the untreated and treated course of uBAVMs, using large observational datasets and sophisticated epidemiological approaches. The data and models generated will be a useful resource for decision-making. We welcome participation from eligible sites with longitudinal data on uBAVM patients

Abstract Cavernous malformations (CM) of the anterior midbrain are best reached through an orbitozygomatic (OZ) approach with removal of the orbital rim and wide Sylvian fissure dissection. Our surgical video demonstrates this approach to resect a ruptured CM in a 36-yr-old woman who presented with headaches, left face and left arm paresthesias/weakness, and right-sided partial oculomotor nerve (CN III) palsy. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a midbrain CM, and the patient was managed conservatively. However, 1 wk later, she presented again with worsened left arm and leg weakness and complete CN III palsy. Seven Tesla MRI demonstrated a larger hematoma, and the CM with new mass effect and upper pons extension. The patient underwent a right modified OZ craniotomy and Sylvian fissure split under guidance of intraoperative neuronavigation and with neuromonitoring. The carotid-oculomotor triangle and the Liliequist membrane were dissected to access the midbrain, and CN III was identified and followed posteriorly to the midbrain. Confirmed with neuronavigation, a longitudinal incision of the midbrain was performed, and the CM was encountered. The hematoma and CM were debulked and removed in a piece-meal fashion, leaving hemosiderin-stained brain intact to prevent unnecessary additional damage to the midbrain. Postoperative MRI confirmed gross-total resection, and the patient's weakness recovered substantially. In this video, we demonstrate that the brainstem is no longer forbidden surgical territory, and show how the use of neuronavigation for surgical planning, positioning, and approach, in addition to the understanding of safe entry zones and meticulous microsurgical technique have made safe and effective surgery on the brainstem possible.