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Biomedical subjects

H Brückmann

Publications and source records attributed to H Brückmann.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Diagnosis of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage at 1.5 Tesla using proton-density weighted FSE and MRI sequences].

PURPOSE: To evaluate MR imaging at 1.5 Tesla in patients suffering from acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) using proton-density weighted (PDW) fast spin echo (FSE) and fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. METHODS: 19 patients suffering from acute SAH as diagnosed by CT were studied 6 h to 3 days after hemorrhage. 10 patients without SAH were studied as a control group. The presence of subarachnoid blood as well as possible artifacts was recorded. RESULTS: In all 19 patients subarachnoid hemorrhage was detected on both FLAIR and PDW images (100%). On the FLAIR images, the cerebral ventricles were partially obscured by flow artifacts in 7 of 19 patients, the basal cisterns in 6 of 19 patients. In 4 of these 13 regions blood was diagnosed on both PDW and CT images, while in the other 9 regions both PDW and CT were unremarkable. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of MRI at 1.5 Tesla in the diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage is comparable to CT. The combination of FLAIR and PDW FSE sequences helps to avoid false-positive results caused by flow artifacts.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

[Diagnosis and treatment of cranial arteriovenous dural fistulas].

DAVF are difficult to recognize with CT- or MR-imaging. Diagnosis is often possible by arterial MRA. The type of the venous drainage as demonstrated by DSA is relevant for the clinical decision. Most often the endovascular occlusion of the affected venous segment a suitable therapeutical approach.

Angiography, Digital Subtraction↗
PubMed1999

Interdisciplinary management results in 100 patients with ruptured and unruptured posterior circulation aneurysms.

The authors report on a series of 100 posterior circulation aneurysms managed by surgical and endovascular procedures. The series consisted of 41 elective admissions more than 14 days after SAH or for unruptured aneurysms and 59 acute admissions after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). In this first interdisciplinary series after the introduction of electrolytically detachable coils, surgical clipping was maintained as treatment of choice in good grade patients while endovascular therapy was primarily offered for patients in poor clinical grade or if the aneurysm was judged difficult to be accessed surgically. A total of 70 patients underwent aneurysm elimination, 54 surgically and 16 by the endovascular route. In 30 patients the aneurysm was not treated, either because of persisting grade 5 WFNS after SAH or because the risk of treatment appeared excessive with some complex unruptured aneurysms. A complication leading to permanent morbidity or mortality occurred after 5 surgical and 1 endovascular procedure (8.6%). Regarding overall management results after acute SAH, 14 of the total of 59 patients admitted with acute SAH died, corresponding to a management mortality of 24%. Although the present series cannot provide statistically firm conclusions, the authors believe from the actual experience and the accumulating literature, that the principal complementary aspect of the two treatment modalities is aneurysm location. Size and shape do not appear to be a primary factor to favour one or the other modality. The hope that endovascular therapy improves the prognosis of poor grade patients with posterior circulation aneurysms probably has been overstated. The good results of endovascular treatment with small narrow-necked aneurysms on proximal arteries of the posterior circulation, as seen in the present series and as reported in the accumulating literature, suggest that in future surgical and endovascular treatment should be considered as alternatives in these special cases while in large and broad-necked aneurysms surgery should be considered first.

Aneurysm, Ruptured↗
PubMed1999

Detailed magnetic resonance imaging anatomy of the cisternal segment of the abducent nerve: Dorello's canal and neurovascular relationships and landmarks.

OBJECT: The goal of this study was to identify reliably the cisternal segment of the abducent nerve by using the three-dimensional Fourier transform constructive interference in steady-state (3-D CISS) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence to define landmarks that assist in the identification of the abducent nerve on MR imaging and to describe the nerve's relationship to the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA). METHODS: A total of 26 volunteers underwent 3-D CISS MR imaging, and 10 of these volunteers also underwent MR angiography in which a time-of-flight sequence was used to identify the facial colliculus, the abducent nerve and its apparent origin, Dorello's canal, and the AICA. The authors identified the abducent nerve with certainty in 96% of 3-D CISS sequences obtained in the axial and sagittal planes and in 94% obtained in the coronal plane. The nerve emerged from the pontomedullary sulcus in 94% of cases. The facial colliculus could always be identified, and Dorello's canal was identified in 94% of cases. In 76.6% of cases, the abducent nerve was seen to contact the AICA, which passed inferior to the nerve in 63.8% of cases and superior to it in 29.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomical course of the abducent nerve and its relationship to the AICA and other blood vessels can be reliably identified using a 3-D CISS MR sequence with the facial colliculus and Dorello's canal serving as landmarks.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1999

[Neuroradiologic diagnosis in acute stroke].

Noninvasive diagnostic procedures as spiral-CT (CT-angiography and perfusion-CT) as well as MRI-techniques (diffusion-imaging, perfusion-imaging and MR-angiography) have enriched the diagnostic modalities in acute stroke. Angiography by MRI or CT has replaced digital subtraction angiography in most acute stroke cases. Despite of the advantages of MRI, CT still remains the procedure of choice in acute stroke. 1. Acute hematoma is easily detected by CT. 2. Occlusion of the main arterial stems are identified by CT-angiography. CT fulfills all the requirements for therapeutic decisions in acute stroke.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

[Diagnostic imaging of acute head and brain injuries].

The role of neuroimaging in the acute setting of head trauma is to diagnose the extent of intracranial injury and to identify all lesions which require urgent neurosurgical treatment. Computed tomography (CT) remains the most important diagnostic tool for initial screening of trauma victims. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MR) has higher sensitivity to most traumatic lesions than CT, due to the ease and speed of CT, and the fact that sufficient monitoring of critically ill patients during the examination is much easier with CT than with MR, mean that MR is not the imaging modality of choice for the initial diagnostic work-up. Recent MR techniques such as FLAIR or diffusion imaging further improve the sensitivity of MR in head trauma. Conventional angiography is currently indicated only for few suspected vascular lesions (e.g. traumatic arterio-venous fistulas, vascular dissections).

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1997

[An unusual combination of carotid artery-cavernous sinus fistula and sinus thrombosis. Successful therapy with anticoagulation].

Dural carotid cavernous fistulas (DCCF) can be associated with venous thrombosis. We report on a rare case of a patient who developed a venous infarct, which was diagnosed on CT and MRI. The DCCF predominantly drained through a frontobasal cortical vein into the superior sagittal sinus. The shunt volume was small and was therefore thought not to be sufficient to explain the massive ocular signs, such as severe exophthalmus and reduction of visual acuity. We therefore postulated a venous congestion owing to a secondary spontaneous venous thrombosis of the draining venous pathways to be responsible for the ocular signs. Under anticoagulative medication, the patient's signs and symptoms improved gradually. Control angiography after 3 months showed that the DCCF had disappeared. In the presence of DCCF, anticoagulation should always be considered when a venous thrombosis is suspected.

Arteriovenous Fistula↗
PubMed1997

Basilar branch disease presenting with progressive pure motor stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Isolated infarcts of the pons cause well definable neurological syndromes with distinct pathomechanism, clinical course and prognosis. PATIENTS AND RESULTS: We report 8 cases suffering from a pure motor hemiparesis that was severely progressive within the 1st 3 days and unresponsive to aspirin. A relatively good recovery was observed in all patients, however, stroke recurrence occurred in 2 cases within 3 months and resulted in pseudobulbar paralysis and tetraparesis. MRI displayed unilateral (n=6) and bilateral (n=2) ventromedial pontine infarctions (VPI). Angiographic evaluation (n=4) or color Duplex examination (n=4) revealed atherosclerotic lesions but no basilar artery occlusion. CONCLUSION: Although VPI due to basilar branch disease may clinically mimic a classical lacunar syndrome, it is related to a particular pathogenetic mechanism different from microangiopathy or embolism. In contrast to the MRI feature of lacunes, VPI typically extend to the basal surface of the pons. The progressive pattern, ending up in a relative uniform clinical picture, is probably caused by propagating thrombosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[High resolution computerized tomography of middle ear abnormalities].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze malformed petrous bones with computed tomography and to develop a radiologic score which can help to judge the indication for operative reconstructions. METHODS: One hundred forty-two petrous bones in 71 patients with unilateral or bilateral microtia, atresia of the external auditory canal, and malformations of the middle ear were evaluated with high-resolution CT. RESULTS: In 97% of patients with severe auricular dysplasia, there was dysplasia of the middle ear ossicles; in 70% the stapes was malformed. In 32% the oval window was occluded, and in 7% the round window. In 75%, the canal of the facial nerve was displaced, and 16% also showed abnormalities of the labyrinth. A close correlation between the malformation of the auricle and of the middle ear was not found. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution CT is necessary for the evaluation of malformed middle ears. Based on the abnormalities described, we propose a radiologic score for the assessment of malformed petrous bones. This consists of the following criteria: external auditory meatus, pneumatization of the mastoid and of the tympanic space, size of the tympanic space, facial nerve, vessels, malleus and incus, stapes, oval and round window. The graded points of each structure are added up to the score, which might range between 0 and 28. This score can help to judge the indication for reconstruction of the middle ear. In bilateral malformation we suggest a middle ear reconstruction of the better hearing ear if the score is greater than or equal to 15, and in unilateral malformation if it is at least 20. In patients with lower scores, we only suggest hearing aids.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Ultrasound for the assessment of the embolic risk of carotid plaques.

In a prospective study we compared duplex-ultrasound characteristics of symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenoses with cranial computerized tomographic (CCT) findings in 82 patients suffering from completed or transient middle cerebral artery symptoms. The aim was to assess the pathogenic role of ICA plaque morphology and the potential embolic risk of ICA plaques. The degree of carotid stenosis was estimated by spectral analysis of the pulsed Doppler signal. The CCT findings were classified as being either normal, lacunar lesions, hemodynamically induced low-perfusion infarctions, or territorial embolic infarctions. According to their ultrasonic features we characterized the ICA plaque surface as smooth or irregular and their structure as homogeneous or heterogeneous. Plaques with an irregular surface and heterogeneous echogenicity dominated significantly in CCT-territorial infarctions (p < 0.01), whereas hemodynamically induced low-perfusion infarctions showed no relationship with any plaque characteristic. High degree ICA stenoses (> 50%) dominated in both territorial infarctions and low-perfusion infarctions, as compared to ipsilateral normal CCT or lacunes (p < 0.05). Normal CCT and lacunar infarctions were associated with homogeneous and smooth plaques (both p < 0.05). We conclude that > 50% ICA stenoses can cause both hemodynamically induced low-perfusion infarctions as well as thromboembolic territorial infarctions, whereas ulcerated and heterogeneous plaques constitute a high risk factor for arterio-arterial embolic stroke. Furthermore, carotid ultrasound may help to estimate the clinical significance of carotid lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Transcranial Doppler ultrasound in the evaluation of collateral blood flow in patients with internal carotid artery occlusion: correlation with cerebral angiography.

PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound for evaluation of collateral supply through the circle of Willis in patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion. METHODS: The evaluation of the collateral pathways through the circle of Willis with TCD ultrasound and with cerebral angiography was compared in 40 patients (30 men, 10 women; mean age, 55 +/- 9 years) in a total of 44 ICA occlusions of which 43 had a suitable ipsilateral temporal bone window for TCD examination. RESULTS: By TCD, a patent anterior communicating artery is indicated by a reversal blood flow in the A1-segment of the anterior cerebral artery or by a prompt fall of blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery after compression of the nonoccluded contralateral carotid artery. In 42 of 43 instances of ICA occlusion, TCD and angiography agreed in the evaluation of a present or absent anterior communicating artery collateral supply. TCD's sensitivity was 95%, its specificity 100%. A collateral supply through the basilar artery was assumed with TCD when there was: (a) a basilar artery blood velocity of more than 70 cm/s; (b) a marked increase of basilar artery blood velocity after compression of the nonoccluded carotid artery; (c) an evident side-to-side asymmetry of the blood velocity of the posterior cerebral arteries with high blood velocity ipsilateral to the ICA occlusion. For evaluating the collateralization via the basilar artery, TCD and angiography agreed in 37 of 40 ICA occlusions. TCD's sensitivity was 87%, its specificity 95%. CONCLUSIONS: TCD is a reliable tool for the evaluation of the collateral supply in patients with ICA occlusions.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Neuroradiologic findings in arterial cerebral ischemia].

New therapeutical approaches require neuroradiological description of cerebral infarcts under pathogenetical aspects. Knowledge of the pathophysiological concepts of arterial cerebral vessel disease is necessary. These concepts are described in the first part of this paper. The relation between neuropathologic and radiologic findings and the different patterns and pathomechanisms or cerebral infarction are reported. In the second part of this paper typical CT- and MRI-findings are described and the differential diagnosis of cerebral infarcts are discussed.

Brain↗
PubMed1994

[Subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by spinal arteriovenous angioma. Diagnostic difficulties and therapeutic possibilities].

In a young patient with spinal angioma, the diagnosis was not established until the fourth episode of bleeding. Exemplified by this case, the clinical symptomatology of spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage is described, and the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are reviewed. In patients with SAH it is necessary to look for spinal symptoms, especially if cerebral angiography proves negative. In diagnosing a spinal SAH priority should be given to myelography and/or MRT, followed by spinal angiography.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Dural arteriovenous malformations at the base of the anterior cranial fossa: report of nine cases.

Nine men with dural arteriovenous malformations (DAVM) at the base of the anterior cranial fossa are described. Four patients had intracerebral haemorrhage and four had seizures, associated with haemorrhage in two. In three cases the fistula was an incidental finding. In five cases the diagnosis could be made before angiography, on the basis of CT findings. Angiographically, venous drainage was always seen into ascending cortical veins. Five cases demonstrated drainage via the olfactory vein into the basal vein of Rosenthal; in four this way was the principal route of drainage. Five patients underwent surgery, the therapy of choice. One fistula closed spontaneously after angiography. Two patients refused treatment and one was not treated because of his poor general condition. Because arterial supply was usually bilateral, from small branches of the ophthalmic artery, embolisation seemed to be more dangerous. Compared to dural fistulae in other locations the DAVM of the anterior cranial fossa have a higher risk of complications and should be treated even if asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

CT in autosomal dominant and idiopathic cerebellar ataxia.

Signs of atrophy on cranial CT were investigated in 35 patients diagnosed as suffering from autosomal dominant (n = 21) or idiopathic (n = 14) cerebellar ataxia. Thirteen patients with a pure cerebellar syndrome were examined after at least 4 years of disease (mean duration 10.5 years) and were classified as cerebellar atrophy (CA). Twenty-two patients with additional non-cerebellar signs were classified as olivo-ponto-cerebellar atrophy (OPCA). Four (30%) of the patients with CA had atrophy of the brain stem in addition. Of the 22 patients with OPCA, 9 (40%) had atrophy of the cerebellum only. In patients with CA or OPCA correlation of clinical signs with severity of atrophy on CT was poor. Atrophy on CT often fails to differentiate autosomal dominant or idiopathic cerebellar ataxias in CA or OPCA: patients with CA can also have atrophy of the brain stem and patients with OPCA do not necessarily show brain stem atrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Follow-up of neurophysiological tests and CT in late-onset cerebellar ataxia and multiple system atrophy.

The follow-up of neurophysiological tests (brain-stem auditory evoked potentials; blink reflex; sensory, motor and visual evoked potentials) and CT was investigated in 21 patients with late-onset cerebellar ataxia (CA) or multiple system atrophy. The study included an initial investigation and a follow-up examination on average 25.3 months later (minimum 8, maximum 36). Patients were divided into four groups: (1) those with pure CA after a minimum course of 5 years; (2) those with pure CA with pathological neurophysiological findings at the last examination; (3) those who at the first examination clinically presented with pure CA, but at the last examination were seen to have developed a multisystem disorder; (4) those with multiple system atrophy (mostly olivopontocerebellar atrophy) presenting additional non-cerebellar signs of involvement. Conforming to a strict interpretation of pure CA, group 1 patients invariably exhibited normal neurophysiological findings at all examinations. All patients in group 4, except for 2 only at the first examination, showed pathological changes in at least one of the neurophysiological tests. The main conclusion of this paper is that individuals who according to clinical criteria were initially classified as having CA but finally developed a multisystem disorder already had pathological neurophysiological findings at the initial examination (group 3). The increasing frequency of pathology in the several neurophysiological tests together with the progression of the disease is obviously of prognostic significance. CT revealed cerebellar atrophy without apparent involvement of brain-stem structures in all patients with CA; the majority of patients with multiple system atrophy also had atrophy of the brain-stem, pointing to olivopontocerebellar atrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗