• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제53권6호
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• pp.368-370
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• 2013

Post-stroke atrial fibrillation has been frequently reported especially in the patients with right insular infarct as an evidence of cerebrogenic mechanism affecting on cardiac rhythm. However, conversion to normal sinus rhythm after stroke in patients who had atrial fibrillation has not been reported. A 88-year-old men who had untreated atrial fibrillation was admitted to hospital due to left middle cerebral artery territory infarction. During admission, second ischemic attack occurred in right middle cerebral artery territory. At that time, his atrial fibrillation converted spontaneously to normal sinus rhythm. Restored sinus rhythm sustained until he died due to sepsis. This case is evidence supporting a theory that brain is associated with control of cardiac rhythm. If no risk factor is revealed by intensive investigation in patients with acute cerebral infarctions that cardioembolism is strongly suspected as a cause, physicians should concern transformation of atrial fibrillation to normal sinus rhythm after stroke.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.326-330
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• 2007

Objective : Stroke is the most prevalent disease involving the central nervous system. Since medical modalities are sometimes ineffective for the acute edema following massive infarction, surgical decompression may be an effective option when medical treatments fail. The present study was undertaken to assess the outcome and prognostic factors of decompressive surgery in life threatening acute, severe, brain infarction. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed twenty-six patients (17 males and 9 females; average age, 49.7yrs) who underwent decompressive surgery for severe cerebral or cerebellar infarction from January 2003 to December 2006. Surgical indication was based on the clinical signs such as neurological deterioration, pupillary reflex, and radiological findings. Clinical outcome was assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Results : Of the 26 patients, 5 (19.2%) showed good recovery, 5 (19.2%) showed moderate disability, 2 (7.7%) severe disability, 6 (23.1%) persistent experienced vegetative state, and 8 (30.8%) death. In this study, the surgical decompression improved outcome for cerebellar infarction, but decompressive surgery did not show a good result for MCA infarction (30.8% overall mortality vs 100% mortality). The dominant-hemisphere infarcts showed worse prognosis, compared with nondominant-hemisphere infarcts (54.5% vs 70%). Poor prognostic factors were diabetes mellitus, dominant-hemisphere infarcts and low preoperative Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. Conclusion : The patients who exhibit clinical deterioration despite aggressive medical management following severe cerebral infarction should be considered for decompressive surgery. For better outcome, prompt surgical treatment is mandatory. We recommend that patients with severe cerebral infarction should be referred to neurosurgical department primarily in emergency setting or as early as possible for such prompt surgical treatment.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.79-84
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• 2018

Background: Pulsatility of cerebral arteries and aortic stiffness have been associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMH). We explored which is better correlated with the severity of WMH in a population with acute lacunar infarct. Methods: We included patients with acute small subcortical infarcts who underwent transcranial Doppler (TCD) and brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Exclusion criteria were any stenosis or occlusion on major cerebral arteries on magnetic resonance angiography; poor temporal insonation windows; ankle brachial index < 0.9; and atrial fibrillation. We assessed the performance of the pulsatility index of bilateral middle cerebral arteries (PI-MCA) and baPWV for predicting moderate-to-severe WMH, defined as an Age Related White Matter Changes score > 5, and then sought to find independent predictors using binary logistic regression analysis. Results: Eighty-three patients (56 males, mean age $61.5{\pm}11.4$) participated in the study. Uni-variate analysis showed old age and high PI-MCA were significantly correlated with moderate-to-severe WMH. However, baPWV was not associated with the severity of WMH. Multivariate analysis revealed old age (odds ratio per 1-year increase, 1.068; p = 0.044) and upper tertile of PI-MCA (odds ratio, 5.138; p = 0.049) were independently associated with moderate-to-severe WMH. Receiver-operating characteristics showed PI-MCA differentiated those with and without moderate-to-severe WMH with an area under the curve of 0.719. Conclusions: PI-MCA derived from TCD was better correlated with the severity of WMH than baPWV in a population with lacunar infarction. Pulsatility of cerebral arteries may better predict cerebral small vessel disease than the aortic stiffness index.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제20권8호
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• pp.1275-1284
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• 2019

Objective: To develop algorithms using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for automatic segmentation of acute ischemic lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and compare them with conventional algorithms, including a thresholding-based segmentation. Materials and Methods: Between September 2005 and August 2015, 429 patients presenting with acute cerebral ischemia (training:validation:test set = 246:89:94) were retrospectively enrolled in this study, which was performed under Institutional Review Board approval. Ground truth segmentations for acute ischemic lesions on DWI were manually drawn under the consensus of two expert radiologists. CNN algorithms were developed using two-dimensional U-Net with squeeze-and-excitation blocks (U-Net) and a DenseNet with squeeze-and-excitation blocks (DenseNet) with squeeze-and-excitation operations for automatic segmentation of acute ischemic lesions on DWI. The CNN algorithms were compared with conventional algorithms based on DWI and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) signal intensity. The performances of the algorithms were assessed using the Dice index with 5-fold cross-validation. The Dice indices were analyzed according to infarct volumes (< 10 mL, ≥ 10 mL), number of infarcts (≤ 5, 6-10, ≥ 11), and b-value of 1000 (b1000) signal intensities (< 50, 50-100, > 100), time intervals to DWI, and DWI protocols. Results: The CNN algorithms were significantly superior to conventional algorithms (p < 0.001). Dice indices for the CNN algorithms were 0.85 for U-Net and DenseNet and 0.86 for an ensemble of U-Net and DenseNet, while the indices were 0.58 for ADC-b1000 and b1000-ADC and 0.52 for the commercial ADC algorithm. The Dice indices for small and large lesions, respectively, were 0.81 and 0.88 with U-Net, 0.80 and 0.88 with DenseNet, and 0.82 and 0.89 with the ensemble of U-Net and DenseNet. The CNN algorithms showed significant differences in Dice indices according to infarct volumes (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The CNN algorithm for automatic segmentation of acute ischemic lesions on DWI achieved Dice indices greater than or equal to 0.85 and showed superior performance to conventional algorithms.

• 대한의용생체공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한의용생체공학회 1998년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.305-306
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• 1998

In this paper, we infer the onset of the brain infarction from the MR image using evaluate signal intensities on diffusion weighted and turbo spin echo T2-weighted and FLAIR images. Infarcts were divided into four stages (hyperacute, acute, subacute, chronic) depending on period of onset. DWI is useful for the detection of early ischemic infarct, and stages of ischemic infarctions can be estimated by evaluating CR(conspicuity ratio) and CNR(contrast to noise ratio) on DW, T2, FLAIR images Hyperacute infarcts were visualized DWI. Acute infarcts were visualialized both DWI and T2 Weighted image.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.332-340
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• 2014

목적: 급성 뇌경색 환자의 자화율강조영상에서 보이는 관류 손상 부위의 현저한 유출정맥 저신호 강도 (PHSV)의 임상적 유용성을 평가하고자 하였다. 대상과 방법: 확산강조영상과 자화율강조영상을 포함한 뇌 자기공명영상을 시행한 급성 뇌경색 환자에서 추적 단면영상검사가 있는 환자 18명을 대상으로 뇌경색 및 주변부에서 PHSV 유무와 위치를 정성적으로 확인하였다. 자화율강조영상에서 PHSV와 정상 뇌피질 정맥의 신호강도차이 비율을 측정하였고, 주변 PHSV 유무와 추적검사에서 뇌경색 크기 변화의 상관관계를 분석하였다. 결과: 18명의 환자 중 10명의 환자가 추적검사에서 뇌경색이 진행하였고, 8명은 변화가 없었다. 뇌경색이 진행한 10명의 환자 중 9명에서 뇌경색 주변 PHSV가 관찰되었고, 새로 생긴 경색 부위는 초기 자화율강조영상에서 보였던 주변 PHSV 부위와 잘 일치하였다. 경색의 크기가 변화 없는 환자군과 비교하여 경색이 진행한 환자군에서 뇌경색 주변 PHSV의 빈도가 통계적으로 유의하게 높았고 (p=0.0001), 신호강도차이 비율도 유의하게 높았다 (p=0.006). 결론: 자화율강조영상에서 보이는 주변 PHSV는 반음영부 (penumbra)의 지표가 될수 있으며 급성 뇌경색 예후 예측에 이용될 수 있다.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.13-18
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• 2010

확산 텐서 영상을 이용하여 뇌경색 환자의 손상된 백질 섬유를 시각화할 수 있게 되었다. 본 연구의 목적은 뇌경색 환자에서 NIHSS와 분할 비등방도의 상관을 평가하고자 하였다. MR 확산영상에서 뇌경색이 확인된 16명(남:11, 여:5, 평균연령 61세) 환자를 대상으로 24방향 DTI를 시행하였다. 뇌경색 발발 후 2주 이내에 증상이 개선된 환자 9명과 증세가 악화된 환자 7명으로 구분하였다. FA값의 정량측정을 위해 병소와 병소 반대측이 통계적으로 유의한 차이가 있음을 확인하였다. 확산강조영상에서는 병소가 고신호로 보였으나, FA값은 정상측 보다 낮게 측정되었다. NIHSS상의 임상증상이 개선된 환자들의 FA값은 0.41, 반대측 정상부는 0.49로 병소측이 15%정도 낮게 측정되었다. 그러나 NIHSS상 증상이 악화된 환자들의 경우 병소측 FA값이 0.28, 반대측 정상부는 0.56으로 큰 차이를 보였다. 결론적으로 DTI에서의 FA값은 뇌경색 환자의 예후를 평가하는데 매우 유용한 지표로 이용될 수 있을 것이다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제54권3호
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• pp.239-242
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• 2013

Spontaneous bilateral cerebellar infarction in the territory of the superior cerebellar arteries is extremely rare. Occasionally there have been reports of bilateral cerebellar infarction due to vertebrobasilar atherosclerotic occlusion or stenosis, whereas no report of bilateral cerebellar infarction due to complicated hemodynamic changes. In this report, we present a patient with bilateral cerebral infarctions related to stenoses of bilateral internal carotid arteries, in whom vertebrobasilar system was supplied by multiple collaterals from both posterior communicating arteries and right external carotid artery. We performed stent-angioplasty of bilateral internal cerebral arterial stenosis, and then acute infarction developed on bilateral superior cerebellar artery territories. The authors assumed that the infarction occurred due to hemodynamic change between internal carotid artery and external carotid artery after stent-angioplasty for stenosis of right internal carotid artery.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.40-44
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• 2011

We present a case of tacrolimus-induced encephalopathy after successful kidney transplantation. An 11-year-old girl presented with sudden onset of neurologic symptoms, hypertension, and psychiatric symptoms, with normal kidney function, after kidney transplantation. The symptoms improved after cessation of tacrolimus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed acute infarction of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory in the right frontal lobe. Three days later, she had normal mental function and maintained normal blood pressure with left hemiparesis. Follow-up MRI was performed on D19, showing new infarct lesions at both cerebral hemispheres. Ten days later, MRI showed further improvement, but brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed mild reduction of uptake in both the anterior cingulate gyrus and the left thalamus. One month after onset of symptoms, angiography showed complete resolution of stenosis. However, presenting as a mild fine motor disability of both hands and mild dysarthria, what had been atrophy at both centrum semiovale at 4 months now showed progression to encephalomalacia. There are two points of interest in this case. First, encephalopathy occurred after administration of tacrolimus and improved after discontinuation of the drug. Second, the development of right-side hemiplegia could not be explained by conventional MRI; but through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) of white matter tract, visualization was possible.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제60권4호
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• pp.391-396
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• 2017

Objective : To investigate the neuroprotective effects of Ginkgolide B (GB) against ischemic stroke-induced injury in vivo and in vitro, and further explore the possible mechanisms concerned. Methods : Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mice and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-treated N2a cells were used to explore the neuroprotective effects of GB. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was detected via Western blot and qRT-PCR. Results : GB treatment (4 mg/kg, i. p., bid) significantly reduced neurological deficits, water content, and cerebral infarct volume in tMCAO mice. GB also significantly increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio, reduced the expression of caspase-3, and protected against OGD/R-induced neuronal apoptosis. Meanwhile, GB caused the up-regulation of BDNF protein in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion : Our data suggest that GB might protect the brain against ischemic insult partly via modulating BDNF expression.