Remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH) is rare but potentially lethal as a complication of spinal surgery. We recently experienced a case of RCH in a 61-year-old man who showed mental deterioration after lumbar spinal surgery. There was dural tearing with subsequent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) loss during the surgery. Brain computed tomography scan revealed cerebellar hemorrhage, 3rd and 4th ventricular hemorrhage and pneumocephalus. He underwent suboccipital craniectomy and hematoma removal. The most important pathomechanism leading to RCH after spinal surgery has been known to be venous bleeding due to caudal sagging of cerebellum by rapid leak of large amount of CSF which seems to be related with this case. Dural repair and minimizing CSF loss after intraoperative dural tearing would be helpful to prevent postoperative RCH.

In the present study, we investigated whether ginseng total saponins (GTSs) protect hippocampal neurons after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. A moderate-grade TBI was made with the aid of a controlled cortical impact (CCI) device set at a velocity of 3.0 m/sec, a deformation of 3.0 mm, and a compression time of 0.2 sec at the right parietal area for adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Sham-operated rats that underwent craniectomy without impact served as controls. GTSs (100 and 200 mg/kg) or saline was injected intraperitoneally into the rats immediately post-injury. Twenty-four hours after the injury, the rats underwent neurological evaluation. Contusion volume and the number of hippocampal neurons were calculated with apoptosis evaluated by TUNEL staining. 24 hr post-injury, saline-injected rats showed a significant loss of neuronal cells in the CA2 region of the right hippocampus (53.4%, p<0.05) and CA3 (34.6%, p<0.05) compared with contralateral hippocampal region, a significant increase in contusion volume (34±8 µL), and significant increase in neurologic deficits compared with the GTSs groups. Treating rats with GTSs seemed to protect the CCI-induced neuronal loss in the hippocampus, decrease cortical contusion volume, and improve neurological deficits.

ObjectiveDetection of focal non-hemorrhagic lesion (NHL) has become more efficient in diffuse axonal injury (DAI) patients using an MRI. The aims of this study are to find out the radiological distribution, progress of NHL and its clinical significance.MethodsBetween September 2005 and October 2011, 32 individuals with NHLs on brain MRI were enrolled. NHLs were classified by brain location into 4 major districts and 13 detailed locations including cortical and subcortical, corpus callosum, deep nuclei and adjacent area, and brainstem. The severity of NHL was scored from grades 1 to 4, according to the number of districts involved. Fourteen patients with NHL were available for MRI follow-up and an investigation of the changes was conducted.ResultsThirty-two patients had 59 NHLs. The most common district of NHL was cortical and subcortical area; 15 patients had 20 NHSs. However the most common specific location was the splenium of the corpus callosum; 14 patients had 14 lesions. The more lesions patients had, the lower the GCS, however, this was not a statistically meaningful difference. On follow-up MRI in 14 patients, out of 24 lesions, 13 NHLs resolved, 5 showed cystic change, and 6 showed atrophic changes.ConclusionNHLs were located most commonly in the splenium and occur frequently in the thalamus and the mesial temporal lobe. Because most NHS occur concomitantly with hemorrhagic lesions, it was difficult to determine their effects on prognosis. Since most NHLs resolve completely, they are probably less significant to prognosis than hemorrhagic lesions.

We report the case of a 64-year-old man with dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) at right jugular foramen, presented as subarachnoid and intraventricular hemorrhage. The malformation was fed by only the neuromeningeal trunk of the right ascending pharyngeal artery and drained into the right lateral medullary veins craniopetally. Complete embolization was attained by selective transarterial glue injection, but patient showed lower cranial neuropathies. A 3-month follow-up angiogram still showed persistent fistula occlusion. Transarterial glue embolization is a feasible method, only if a transvenous access is not possible in case of single channel fistula.

The blood blister-like aneurysm (BBA) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is a rare but clinically important cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), which accounts for 0.5% of incidences of ruptured intracranial aneurysms. BBA is a thin-walled, broad-based aneurysm that lacks an identifiable neck and is one of the most difficult lesions to treat. In this paper, a case is presented of a 57-year-old woman with SAH. Her cerebral angiography demonstrated a small BBA on the dorsal wall of her right ICA. Endovascular treatment that consisted of a stent-within-a-stent was attempted, but the replacement of the second stent failed, and the aneurysm became bigger. Surgery was performed by clipping the BBA with a Sundt slim-line encircling graft clip. The patient completely recovered with no complications. This treatment may be a salvageable option for BBA, especially when endovascular treatment has failed.