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G Stura

Publications and source records attributed to G Stura.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Periprocedural morbidity and mortality by endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms with GDC: a retrospective 12-year experience of a single center.

Despite increasing experience and improved material, endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms still has risks linked to the technique itself and to the specificity of the pathology treated. The purpose of this report is to examine procedural technical and clinical negative events, even minimal ones, occurring in this type of treatment. We considered 557 procedures carried out from January 1994 to December 2005 in 533 patients harboring 550 aneurysms. Of the patients, 448 presented with SAH and 85 with unruptured aneurysms. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia. The GDC-10 system was routinely used. Additional devices like the balloon remodeling technique, Trispan and stents were also occasionally used. Every procedural complication occurring during or soon after treatment was registered. Endovascular treatment was completed in 539 out of 557 procedures. There were 18 failures (3.3%). Occlusion of the aneurysm was judged complete in 343 (64%), near complete in 184 (34%) and incomplete in 12 (2%). Procedural complications occurred in 72 (13%) of the cases. The most frequent negative events were thromboembolisms (6.6%) and ruptures (3.9%). Other types (coil migration, transient occlusions of the parent vessel, dissections and early rebleeding) were rarer (2.5%). In the majority of cases there were no clinical consequences. Procedural morbidity and mortality were 1.1 and 1.8%, respectively. Considering the 449 procedures performed in ruptured and the 90 in the unruptured aneurysms separately, morbidity and mortality were 1.1 and 2.2% in the former group and 1.1 and 0% in the latter. Many factors influence the risk of complications. Being progressively aware of this and with increasing experience, the frequency can be limited. Negative events linked to the procedure have more significant serious clinical consequences in patients admitted in a critical clinical condition after SAH, because of the already present changes involving the brain parenchyma and cerebral circulation.

Adult↗

False-negative angiograms in subarachnoid haemorrhage due to intracranial aneurysms.

Of 440 patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage in whom an aneurysm was suspected, 60 had a negative angiogram. A second angiogram performed 1-4 weeks later revealed an aneurysm in 5 of 40 cases. Of these patients, 3 had a second haemorrhage. In all cases, diffuse bleeding, with involvement of the anteroinferior interhemispheric fissure, was present on CT. There were three aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery and two of the carotid siphon. The reasons for the false-negative angiograms and the usefulness of repeated angiography are discussed.

Adult↗

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas: an underestimated cause of myelopathy.

13 patients with spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVF) diagnosed in our Institution have been the object of this study. The necessity to include the disease in the differential diagnosis with other pathologies affecting the lower thoracic cord, particularly in middle-aged and old males, is emphasized. Involvement of the spinal cord was always demonstrable on magnetic resonance studies, but pathologic vessels suggesting the possibility of DAVF were seldom recognizable. Myelography still remains an important complementary method. Spinal angiography is essential, taking into account that the fistula can be located far from the spinal cord. The therapy consisting in embolization in 7 cases and embolization associated with surgery in 6 cases led to improvement or stabilization of the disease in all cases. Our cases are discussed in comparison with the literature.

Adult↗

Selective intra-arterial chemotherapy with BCNU in recurrent malignant gliomas.

Study of intra-arterial BCNU in 12 patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme and 5 patients with recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma already treated by surgery and radiotherapy indicates that the risk of BCNU toxicity can be reduced by the use of relatively low doses (160-180 mg/m2) of BCNU, the use of dextrose as solvent, selective injections of BCNU, and fast "bolus" injections of drug. No certain toxic effects of BCNU were observed in the 17 patients treated this way. Anaplastic astrocytomas, particularly in young patients, seem to respond relatively well to this treatment.

Adult↗

Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system: neuroradiological evaluation of two cases.

We present 2 cases of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system secondary to chronic subarachnoid bleeding. The diagnosis was made with MR and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. MR showed, in T2-weighted images, superficial hypointensity of the cervical cord, brainstem, cerebellum, and basal cisterns due to hemosiderin deposits. CSF was xanthochromic, with increased protein content. In 1 of the 2 cases also the CT examination was positive, showing a hyperdense rim around the brainstem. A complete neuroradiological evaluation (MR, CT, angiography and myelography) did not permit to detect the source of the bleeding.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗

Cavernous sinus meningiomas: an MRI study.

The authors report their experience in examining cavernous sinus meningiomas with MRI. The advantages of this diagnostic method particularly in comparison with conventional neuroradiological techniques are described.

Carotid Artery, Internal↗

[Gadolinium DTPA in magnetic resonance. Clinical experience in intracranial pathology].

Sixty-seven patients with various intracranial pathologies were studied using Gd-DTPA as a contrast medium applied to MRI. This paramagnetic substance was well tolerated by all patients, and proved particularly useful in improving the diagnosis of extra-axial tumors, in which a rich enhancement was always present. Gd-DTPA allowed a better definition of the tumor outlines, as well as its differentiation from edema, and the demonstration of its relationship to brain parenchyma and cerebral vessels. This was particularly true for meningiomas, which often display poor contrast enhancement at MRI. Even though acoustic neuromas had, as a rule, high signal intensity, Gd-DTPA was useful to precisely recognize the intracanalar part of the tumor. The value of Gd-DTPA was less evident in intra-axial lesions. It proved nonetheless useful in demonstrating the portions of the tumor where, due to alterations in BBB, enhancement was present. This allowed both to characterize the lesion and to perform accurate biopsies.

Brain Neoplasms↗