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Biomedical subjects

Eiko Hirokawa

Publications and source records attributed to Eiko Hirokawa.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Persistent primitive hypoglossal artery associated with proximal posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: A persistent primitive hypoglossal artery (PPHA) is a rare anomaly. The association of PPHA with intracranial aneurysms of the artery has also been rarely reported. We surgically treated a case of PPHA associated with a ruptured saccular aneurysm at the proximal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). CASE DESCRIPTION: The patient was admitted because of subarachnoid hemorrhaging. Angiography and three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) angiography (3D-CTA) demonstrated a left PPHA entering the posterior fossa through the left large hypoglossal canal. The left vertebral artery was absent. A saccular aneurysm was found at the junction of the PPHA and the proximal PICA. 3D-CTA showed not only the aneurysm itself but also the anatomical relationship between the aneurysm and the surrounding structures. Therefore, 3D-CTA was very useful in planning the surgery. The neck of the aneurysm was clipped through a far lateral approach associated with a C1 laminectomy, because this case had a large posterior condylar emissary vein and the aneurysm was located just posteroinferior to the hypoglossal canal. CONCLUSIONS: A case of PPHA associated with an aneurysm at the proximal PICA is reported. This case not only had a large hypoglossal canal but also had a huge posterior condylar emissary vein in the large posterior condylar canal. Anomalous structures associated with PPHA are also discussed. Finally, 3D-CTA proved to be very useful in planning the optimal surgical modality around the lateral portion of the foramen magnum.

Aneurysm, Ruptured↗

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis as a result of a retropharyngeal inflammatory pseudotumor: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: An extremely rare case of a patient with hypertrophic pachymeningitis that resulted from an inflammatory pseudotumor of retropharynx is described. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old man with a 9-year history of retropharyngeal inflammatory pseudotumor sought care for severe headache and multiple cranial nerve palsies. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographic scans revealed pachymeningeal enhancement and obstructive hydrocephalus attributable to marked dural thickening around the foramen magnum. INTERVENTION: Decompression of the foramen magnum, C1 laminectomy, and meningeal biopsy were performed. The histological examination of the biopsy specimen revealed chronic inflammatory infiltrate in the hypertrophic dura mater. Corticosteroid pulse therapy was subsequently completed. Clinical and neuroradiological findings improved remarkably. CONCLUSION: A new case of hypertrophic pachymeningitis as a result of a retropharyngeal inflammatory pseudotumor is presented. We review and discuss the clinical features and the pathogenic mechanisms of hypertrophic pachymeningitis.

Granuloma, Plasma Cell↗

Two surgical cases of internal carotid-ophthalmic artery aneurysms: special reference to the usefulness of three-dimensional CT angiography.

Three-dimensional computerized tomography angiography (3D-CTA) is a noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms. 3D-CTA is helpful in the evaluation of the configuration of aneurysms and their surrounding vessels and anatomical structures. The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of 3D-CTA for patients with unruptured internal carotid-ophthalmic artery aneurysms. We pre-operatively obtained surgical simulation images using 3D-CTA and 3D reconstruction and then compared them with magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), conventional cerebral angiography and operative findings in the patients. Two patients with unruptured internal carotid-ophthalmic artery aneurysm were selected. These patients underwent direct neck clipping after the optic canal was unroofed through a combined epidural-subdural approach. The cerebral aneurysm was detected by 3D-CTA, MRA and conventional cerebral angiography in each case. Only by 3D-CTA, however, could we easily detect the relationships among the aneurysm neck, ophthalmic artery and optic canal. Based on this information, direct clipping operations were performed safely without any complications. 3D-CTA is an excellent noninvasive diagnostic method not only for detecting cerebral aneurysms, but also for evaluating the relationships between the aneurysms and surrounding structures.

Aged↗

[Fetal germinal matrix and intraventricular hemorrhage associated with periventricular leukomalacia].

Subependymal germinal matrix hemorrhage with intraventricular hemorrhage(SEIVH) is a common complication associated with delivery in preterm neonates but has rarely been observed in the fetus. We report a fetus with SEIVH, hydrocephalus and periventricular leukomalacia(PVL). Although this fetus had uneventful prenatal periods, transabdominal ultrasound examination(US) at 33 weeks of pregnancy revealed SEIVH and hydrocephalus, and MRI at 36 weeks did associated PVL. While no events reported that could explain the onset of SEIVH, PVL was considered to be the results of anoxic events associated with SEIVH. In addition to US, information provided by fetal MRI, especially T 2-weighted image, permits a better understanding of the pathophysiology of fetal SEIVH with PVL.

Adult↗