The Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy (JSNET) is a diverse subspecialty society based on four basic fields and is continuously growing with the advancement of neuroendovascular therapy. Despite a recent increase in the proportion of female members, awareness of diversity within JSNET remains inadequate. To foster a more mature and inclusive society, we established the JSNET-Diversity Promotion Committee in 2021, which has actively engaged in various initiatives aimed at promoting the inclusion of minorities such as female physicians as well as minority fields. Our objective is to continue in our initiative, anticipating that JSNET will evolve into an even more ideal organization in the future.

This short report describes my personal experience of 1-month neurointerventional training at Ramathibodi Hospital in Thailand, supported by a women’s observership grant from the World Federation of Interventional and Therapeutic Neuroradiology, in which many interventional neuroradiology (INR) fellows from various regions of Thailand also participated. The training program allowed me to experience numerous neurointerventional cases and to acquire skills on how to function as a member of the INR team. This experience prompts me to contemplate the significance of team-based medicine and the role of women in the field of neurosurgery and INR.

Objective: Dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) is generally treated by endovascular therapy, but transarterial embolization (TAE) carries the risk of potential complications, including distal migration of embolic material, brain infarction, and venous congestion. Intracranial hemorrhage is infrequent but remains a considerable concern.

Case Presentation: A man in the seventh decade presented with left hemiparesis. Brain MRI revealed right corona radiata infarction and incidentally identified a left transverse sigmoid sinus dAVF. Under a diagnosis of Borden type III and Cognard type IIb, an endovascular treatment plan was initiated. After an unsuccessful attempt at transvenous embolization, TAE with Onyx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) successfully resolved the dAVF. However, immediate post-treatment CT revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage, leading to decompressive craniotomy. Follow-up DSA showed no residual shunts, and the cause of the bleeding remained unknown.

Conclusion: Despite the unknown cause of bleeding, a thorough evaluation of preoperative hemodynamics and diligent postoperative examination is crucial in managing dAVF cases. Further pathological investigations are needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of such occurrences.

Objective: Stent retriever (SR) angioplasty is an adjunctive technique for acute large vessel occlusion stroke due to underlying intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD-LVO). Prolonged SR deployment maintains blood flow distal to the atherosclerotic lesion until the antiplatelet agent has exerted its effect. Although SR angioplasty for ICAD-LVO has been reported, few reports are available on SR angioplasty for medium vessel occlusion stroke due to underlying ICAD (ICAD-MeVO). Here, we describe a case of SR angioplasty for acute occlusion of the left M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) due to underlying ICAD.

Case Presentation: A 79-year-old man with a history of left MCA M2 segment stenosis presented with motor aphasia and dysarthria. Diffusion-weighted MRI showed no high-signal intensity areas, and MRA showed occlusion of the left MCA M2 segment. The patient was diagnosed with ICAD-MeVO. After performing an MRI, the patient’s symptoms progressed to total aphasia. SR angioplasty was performed for the occlusion of the left M2 segment of the MCA. Diffusion-weighted MRI the day after the procedure showed a small area of high-signal intensity exclusively in the left putamen, while MRA confirmed recanalization of the left MCA M2 segment. Aphasia improved after the procedure. No re-occlusion was observed for 90 days, and the modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days was 2.

Conclusion: SR angioplasty appears to be a safe option for managing MCA M2 segment occlusion.