This classification provides useful data for determination of the risk with each dural AVF and enables decision-making about the appropriate therapy.

199SUMMARY A series of 38 patients with angiographically proven cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) affecting dural sinuses is reported. This study shows that CVT is not rare, that the clinical diagnosis is extremely difficult because of the variable modes of onset and groupings of symptoms, that most CT findings are non specific and that angiography remains the best diagnostic tool. Only 4 patients died, which suggests a more benign outcome than classically described. None of the 23 heparin treated patients died, which indicates that anticoagulants were not harmful in this series.

Vertebroplasty of metastases is a minimally invasive procedure that provides immediate and long-term pain relief and contributes to spinal stabilization.

Lesions of the brain, meninges, facial bones, and orbits are frequently observed and should be systematically sought on the brain MR and CT images obtained in patients with ECD, even if these patients are asymptomatic. Careful attention should be directed to the periarterial environment.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of cortical and subcortical lesions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using, in combination, voxel based diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and voxel based morphometry (VBM). We included 15 patients with definite or probable ALS and 25 healthy volunteers. Patients were assessed using the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R). In patients, reduced fractional anisotropy was found in bilateral corticospinal tracts, the left insula/ventrolateral premotor cortex, the right parietal cortex and the thalamus, which correlated with the ALSFRS-R. Increased mean diffusivity (MD) was found bilaterally in the motor cortex, the ventrolateral premotor cortex/insula, the hippocampal formations and the right superior temporal gyrus, which did not correlate with the ALSFRS-R. VBM analysis showed no changes in white matter but widespread volume decreases in grey matter in several regions exhibiting MD abnormalities. In ALS patients, our results show that subcortical lesions extend beyond the corticospinal tract and are clinically relevant. I n amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), extension of the cortical lesions and their correlations with motor dysfunction remain unclear. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies using a regions of interest method showed a bilateral reduction in anisotropy along the corticospinal tracts (CST) 1-8 ; however, its correlation with motor disability is still debated.1 3 4 8 Studies using voxel based methods reported essentially a reduced anisotropy in the CST. 10Voxel based morphometry (VBM) studies have provided conflicting results. Reduction in grey matter (GM), found in several regions of the frontal lobe, [11][12][13][14] was not confirmed by others. 15 Volume reduction 15 or increased density 12 of white matter (WM) was found in motor and non-motor regions, but was not detected in other studies. 9 11 13 14 In this study, we used whole brain voxel based DTI to study mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in combination with VBM to assess morphological changes in both GM and WM. The extent of the lesion was correlated with the degree of motor disability, assessed by a validated functional scale, the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R). 16 METHODS Patients and controlsFifteen ALS patients (nine men and six women; mean age 51.8 (8.7) years (range 37-69); mean disease duration 30.9 (15.9) months (range 11-66)) with definite (n = 9) or probable (n = 6) (http://wfnals.org) sporadic ALS were included. No patient fulfilled the clinical criteria of frontotemporal lobe dementia. The site of onset was bulbar in four patients, the upper limbs in five patients and the lower limbs in six patients. The mean ALSFRS-R score was 30 (6) (range 16-36). The control group included 25 healthy volunteers with no history of neurological disorders (11 women and 14 men; mean age 44.9 (12.4) years (range 31-68); no significant difference in age compared with the patients). The study was approved by the local ethics committee and in accord...

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Despite numerous technical incidents (leaks), PV-induced complications were rare, leading to the hypothesis that systemic complications are a consequence of intravascular leakage while local complications are a consequence of cement-related irritation, compression and/or ischemia, and/or needle-induced trauma.