Neurologia medico-chirurgica
Online ISSN : 1349-8029
Print ISSN : 0470-8105
ISSN-L : 0470-8105
Volume 54, Issue 7
Displaying 1-17 of 17 articles from this issue
Original Articles
  • Satoru HIROSHIMA, Ryogo ANEI, Noboru MURAKAMI, Kyousuke KAMADA
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 511-520
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 05, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The supplementary motor area (SMA) is a key structure involved in behavioral planning and execution. Although many reports have indicated that SMA is organized somatotopically, its exact organization remains still unclear. This study aimed to functionally map SMA using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and validate the fMRI-SMA by electrocortical stimulation (ECS) and postsurgical symptoms. Total 32 healthy volunteers and 24 patients participated in this study. Motor tasks were right and left finger tapping and language tasks included simple reading, lexical decision for presented words, and verb generating tasks. SPM8 was used to conduct individual and group analyses. In all subjects, the lexical decision task induced the greatest number of active fMRI pixels in SMA. fMRI during the language tasks showed anterior part of SMA compared to finger tapping tasks. We found an overlap spot with all different tasks in posterior part of SMA, which we termed SMA core. Six patients underwent awake craniotomy for ECS mapping for primary regions and SMA. During awake craniotomy, ECS to posterior part of SMA, which might involve the possible SMA core consistently, evoked both speech arrest and flaccid hemiparesis. The SMA mapping suggested posterior part of SMA might play more important roles in any executions, which might involve the SMA core.
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  • Keiichi TOYAMA, Shuji MATSUMOTO, Miho KURASAWA, Haruka SETOGUCHI, Tomo ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 521-528
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: March 27, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a novel neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to the effects of conventional treatment in patients with dysphagia after brain injury. In total, 26 patients were non-randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 12) and a control group (n = 14). The experimental group received NMES intervention followed by conventional treatment, including thermaltactile stimulation with intensive repetition of a dry-swallow task. The control group received conventional treatment without NMES. NMES at a fixed pulse duration of 50 μs and a frequency of 50 Hz was delivered over the skin areas above the motor point of the target muscles, i.e., the bilateral geniohyoid, mylohyoid/anterior belly of the digastric, and thyrohyoid muscles, using a high-voltage pulsed-current device. The two groups received 40-min treatments once a day, 5 days per week, for 8 weeks. Outcome, assessed before and 8 weeks after treatment, was evaluated with regard to the videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (VDS), the anterior and superior displacement of the hyoid bone and larynx, and the functional oral intake scale. Both groups exhibited improvement, but the experimental group exhibited more significant improvement in the displacement of the hyoid bone and larynx, VDS-total score, and VDS-pharyngeal score than the control group did. The results suggest that NMES combined with conventional treatment is superior to conventional treatment alone in patients with dysphagia following treatment for brain injury. Further investigations are necessary to examine the effects of NMES in patients with more varied types of diseases.
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  • Takashi ASAHI, Naomi NAKAMICHI, Akiko TAKAIWA, Daina KASHIWAZAKI, Masa ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 529-536
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: May 29, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    It is still unclear whether deep brain stimulation targeted to the bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) affects cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This prospective study was aimed to systemically evaluate the impact of bilateral STN-DBS on motor and cognitive functions in patients with PD. This study included totally 11 Japanese patients with medically intolerant PD. Neurological and cognitive status was precisely evaluated before and 1 year after bilateral STN-DBS, using unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS), levodopa equivalent doses, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Japanese adult reading test (JART), repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS), and Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised (WAIS-R). Preoperative RBANS and WAIS-R identified cognitive dysfunction that could not be detected by MMSE and JART. Before surgery, PD patients had significantly impaired immediate memory and attention. Motor function significantly improved 1 year after bilateral STN-DBS. Bilateral STN-DBS did not affect any score on cognitive examinations. However, postoperative improvements of total score on RBANS and performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) scores on WAIS-R were closely related to those of UPDRS part III off (R2 = 0.61, P < 0.01; R2 = 0.39, P < 0.05, respectively). These findings strongly suggest that bilateral STN-DBS may significantly improve cognitive function in a certain subgroup of patients whose therapeutic effects on motor function are prominent.
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  • Kanae KUDO, Toshio TAKAHASHI, Shigeharu SUZUKI
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 537-544
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: June 26, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    The effect of motor cortex stimulation (MCS) therapy for deafferentation pain was evaluated based on c-Fos, a known pain marker. Nineteen mature cats weighing 1.5–3.5 kg were used. Cats were divided into three groups: a deafferentation pain group in which the left trigeminal ganglion was destroyed, an MCS group in which MCS was used following destruction of the trigeminal ganglion, and a control group. Sites and levels of c-Fos expression were examined immunohistochemically. The percentage of c-Fos-positive cells in the left spinal nucleus of the trigeminus, the bilateral insula, and the bilateral operculum increased in both the deafferentation pain and the MCS groups. There were no statistically significant differences between these groups. In the cingulate gyrus, the percentage of c-Fos-positive cells increased bilaterally in the deafferentation pain group and the MCS group, but the increase was greater in the MCS group. The increase in c-Fos-positive cells in the left spinal nucleus of the trigeminus in the deafferentation group may reflect reported electrical hyperactivity. The cingulate gyrus, insula, and parietal operculum were activated after deafferentation. This change (increase in c-Fos positive cells) is related to the development of deafferentation pain. Pain relief due to MCS is not dependent on the suppression of the activated left spinal nucleus of the trigeminus or the descending analgesic mechanism of the brain stem. Activation of the cingulate gyrus appears to be a factor in the analgesic mechanism of MCS.
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  • Jun Kyeung KO, Seung Heon CHA, Byung Kwan CHOI, Jae Il LEE, Eun Young ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 545-551
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: February 10, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion is an essential component of neurosurgical care, but the rates and significance of hemorrhage associated with external ventricular drainage (EVD) and ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt procedures have not been well quantified. In this retrospective study, the authors examined the frequencies of hemorrhagic complications associated with EVD and VP shunt procedures, and attempted to identify associated risk factors. The treatment records of 370 EVDs in 276 patients and 102 VP shunts in 96 patients performed between 2008 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Post-insertion computed tomographic (CT) scans were analyzed for any new hemorrhage related to the ventricular catheter. The effects of diagnosis at admission, endovascular treatment, anti-platelet medication, and a concurrent craniotomy operation were included in the analysis conducted to identify risk factors of ventricular catheterrelated hemorrhage. Hemorrhage following EVD was detected on CT scans in 76 (20.5%) of the 370 cases. However, symptomatic hemorrhage occurred in only 5 cases (1.4% of all EVDs). VP shunt was associated with a higher incidence of ventricular catheter-related hemorrhage than EVD (hemorrhage rate: 43.1%) and the rate of detectable neurological change was 2.9%. Multivariate logistic-regression analysis of risk factors of EVD-related hemorrhage identified preoperative anti-platelet medication as the only significant factor (odds ratio, 3.583 [95% confidence interval, 1.353 to 9.486]; p = 0.010). Ventriculostomy-related hemorrhagic complications were more common than anticipated, especially for the VP shunt procedure. However, such hemorrhages are rarely large, rarely the cause of neurological deterioration, and rarely require surgical removal. Preoperative anti-platelet medication appears to affect EVD-related hemorrhage development.
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Technical Note
  • Takashi KAWAHARA, Takuichiro HIGASHI, Hiroshi TOKIMURA, Kazunori ARITA ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 552-553
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: April 23, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    In obese patients, we often find difficulty in laparotomy for placing a lumboperitoneal shunt catheter. The authors introduced an easy technique to get a sufficiently wide and shallow operative field through small abdominal incision in obese people. Four blunt scalp hooks and rubber bands, commonly used in craniotomy, were prepared. The fat layer and the rectus abdominis muscle layer were retracted and pulled up using these hooks. Blunt scalp hooks were useful for safe and effective retraction of abdominal wall, which made a sufficient and shallow operative field.
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Case Reports
  • Teppei MATSUBARA, Satoshi AYUZAWA, Tsukasa AOKI, Go IKEDA, Masanari SH ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 554-557
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: November 20, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) is a simple procedure, but there are several potential complications. We describe the first reported case of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) after VPS. A 69-year-old man suffering from normal pressure hydrocephalus underwent left VPS. Two months later he developed CVT and cerebral venous hemorrhage in the left frontal lobe. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the thrombus formation just adjacent to the shunt tube. One possible cause is compression of the cortical vein after brain shift and/or tension of the cortical vein due to intracranial hypotension. A protein C deficiency was also detected. Surgeons should be aware that cerebral venous thrombosis can occur after VPS.
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  • Ryusuke HATAE, Ryusuke KOHRI, Kazushi MAEDA, Masayuki MIYAZONO
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 558-562
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: January 28, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    A 23-year-old woman was injured in a rear-end collision. She had general malaise and posterior neck pain, which were more severe when she was in an upright position. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the presence of cerebellar tonsil descensus and syringomyelia in the spinal cord. Radioisotope (RI) cisternography showed signs of an early accumulation of RI in the bladder, and a delayed accumulation of RI in the cerebral fornix. We considered the possibilities of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypovolemia and congenital Chiari type-1 malformation as being responsible for her headache. To obtain a definitive diagnosis, we performed gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MR cisternography and found evidence of CSF leakage. We performed an epidural blood patch (EBP), and her symptoms resolved. In 2 years since the episode, her symptoms have not recurred, and additional treatment has not been required. In addition, MRI performed 2 years after the EBP did not reveal any changes. There seems no previous report which described successful differentiation of pre-existing congenital Chiari type-1 malformation from the acquired one caused by symptomatic CSF hypovolemia. Because treatment protocols differ between these two conditions, the establishment of a correct diagnosis is important.
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  • Atsushi SAITO, Hiroyuki KON, Shinya HARYU, Masaki MINO, Tatsuya SASAKI ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 563-566
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 05, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    A 20-year-old woman suffered gradual progression of right pulsatile exophthalmos and slight headache. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated outward and downward displacement of the right globe and an arachnoid cyst in the right middle cranial fossa associated with thinned and anterior protrusion of a bony orbit. Microscopic cystocisternotomy was performed and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inside of the cyst communicated into the carotid cistern and cistern in the posterior cranial fossa. Pulsatile exophthalmos improved immediately after surgery. Arachnoid cyst in the middle cranial fossa presenting with exophthalmos is rare. Microscopic cystocisternotomy might successfully improve CSF flow and relieve exophthalmos.
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  • Sumit THAKAR, Ravi DADLANI, Manish TAWARI, Alangar S HEGDE
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 567-571
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: November 20, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Symptomatic cerebellar slump (CS) and external hydrocephalus (EH) are amongst the rarer complications of foramen magnum decompression (FMD) for Chiari I malformation (CM). CS typically presents with delayed onset headache related to dural traction or with neurological deficit offsetting the benefit of FMD. EH, consisting of ventriculomegaly along with subdural fluid collection(s) (SFCs), has been related to cerebrospinal fluid egress from a tiny breach in an otherwise intact arachnoid. We describe the case of a 21-year-old man with CM and syringomyelia who presented with impaired gag, spastic quadriparesis, and raised intracranial pressure 1 week following an uneventful FMD during which the arachnoid had been widely fenestrated. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an infratentorial SFC, dilated aqueduct and triventriculomegaly, features of CS, and a residual but resolving syrinx. His symptoms resolved following a high pressure ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. At a 6-month follow-up visit, he was asymptomatic and demonstrated partial resolution of the syrinx, with no recurrence of the SFC. The unusual features in the clinical course of this patient were an atypical CS syndrome presenting with concomitantly resolving syringomyelia, and the development of EH after a wide arachnoidal fenestration. This is the first case in indexed literature describing such a combination of unusual postoperative complications of a FMD. A hypothesis is presented to explain the clinico-radiological findings of the case.
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  • Teppei MATSUBARA, Eiichi ISHIKAWA, Koji HIRATA, Masahide MATSUDA, Hiro ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 572-577
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 05, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) overdrainage after lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt placement for the patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is mainly caused by insufficient management of pressure settings of the shunt valve and/or siphon effect of shunt systems induced by the patient’s postural changes. We here report a unique case of intracranial hypotension (IH) due to CSF leakage after LP shunt placement in which another mechanism leads to the CSF leakage. A 67-year-old man suffered from persistent headache worsening with postural change 2 months after LP shunt reconstruction for iNPH. Brain computed tomography scan showed bilateral chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH). Lumbar images including shuntography and magnetic resonance imaging showed the tip of the lumbar catheter was spontaneously pulled out close to the dura mater with expansion of the epidural space due to CSF leakage from a shunt side hole of the lumbar catheter to the epidural space. Shunt removal and subsequent irrigation of CSDH improved his headache. CSF leakage in our case differs from those in previous reports, because early and enormous CSF leakage into the epidural space can be explained only by a different mechanism through a side hole just located in the epidural space in our case. We must pay attention to the possibility of this rare cause of IH due to CSF leakage in patients suffering from postural headache after LP shunt placement.
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  • Masafumi KUROIWA, Yoshikazu KUSANO, Toshihiro OGIWARA, Yuichiro TANAKA ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 578-581
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 05, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Persisting embryonal infundibular recess (PEIR) is a rare anomaly of the third ventricular floor. Only eight cases have been published. In this report, a case of presumably Rathke’s cleft cyst associated with cerebrospinal fluid leakage caused by PEIR is described. An 81-year-old woman underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for the intra- and supra-sellar cystic lesion. Intraoperatively a hole was confirmed over the sella turcica connecting the sellar cyst and the infundibular recess. Liquorrhea did not occur throughout the procedure. A computed tomography (CT) scan obtained immediately after surgery disclosed accumulation of air in the third and lateral ventricles, in addition to the intra- and supra-sellar region. Air accumulation resolved spontaneously after bed rest for 11 days and she was discharged without neurological deficits. However, she required the second transsphenoidal surgery to repair the sellar floor because of bacterial meningitis caused by liquorrhea on the postoperative day 23. A postoperative 3-tesla magnetic resonance image revealed a deep infundibular recess connecting the sella turcica and the third ventricle, which was considered to be PEIR. To the best our knowledge, this is the first reported case describing the intraoperative findings of PEIR.
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  • Naoya KIDANI, Manabu ONISHI, Kazuhiko KUROZUMI, Isao DATE
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 582-586
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 27, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Intracavernous sinus arachnoid cysts are rare intracranial congenital lesions. When present, their anatomic location frequently results in cranial nerve palsy. A 15-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with diplopia, which had gradually worsened over the previous several months. An arachnoid cyst was identified within the right cavernous sinus and fenestration surgery was performed. The patient recovered well and three months after the surgery, diplopia was disappeared. Surgical decompression of the intracavernous sinus arachnoid cyst is beneficial for symptomatic patients with this condition.
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  • Taiichi SAITO, Yoshihiro MURAGAKI, Isamu MIURA, Manabu TAMURA, Takashi ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 587-592
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: February 28, 2014
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    Removal of glioma from the dominant side of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is associated with a risk of permanent language dysfunction. While intraoperative cortical and subcortical electrical stimulations can be used for functional language mapping in an effort to reduce the risk of postoperative neurological impairment, the extent of resection is limited by the functional boundaries. Recent reports proposed that a two-stage surgical approach for low-grade glioma in eloquent areas could avoid permanent deficits via the functional plasticity that occurs between the two operations. The report describes a patient with World Health Organization (WHO) grade II oligoastrocytoma in the left IFG, in functional plasticity of language occurred in the interval between two consecutive surgeries. Intraoperative electrical stimulations suggested that a language area and related subcortical fiber crossed the pre-central sulcus during tumor progression owing to functional plasticity. In the present case, we integrated neurophysiological data into the intraoperative neuronavigation system. We also confirmed the peri-lesional shift of language area and related subcortical fiber on image findings. Consequently, the tumor was sub-totally removed with two separate resections. Permanent language disturbance did not occur, and this favorable outcome was attributed to functional plasticity. The present experience sustains the multistage approach for low-grade gliomas in the language area. A combination of intraoperative electrical stimulations and updated neuronavigation may facilitate the characterization of brain functional plasticity.
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  • Noriaki MINAMI, Takehiro UDA, Takahiro MATSUMOTO, Taiki NAGAI, Tatsuya ...
    2014 Volume 54 Issue 7 Pages 593-597
    Published: 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 15, 2014
    Advance online publication: December 27, 2013
    JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS
    A 45-year-old man came to our clinic due to refractory general tonic seizure and an attack of unintended yelling. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated mild cortical hyperintensity on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) image in the left basal frontal area. Enlargement of the left olfactory nerve was also detected below the affected gyrus. Subtotal resection of the MRI-visible epileptogenic lesion was performed without any neurological deficit. The final pathological diagnosis was focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type IIa. Seizures and yelling attacks subsided after surgery. Extracerebral abnormalities, including cranial nerve enlargement, are common in patients with hemimegalencephaly. However, such abnormalities are rare with FCD.
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