• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 1999

Vasoconstriction of intracerebral arteries is the leading cause of delayed cerebral infarction and mortality following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Transcranial Doppler studies show and increase in the flow velocities of basal cerebral arteries, which usually start around day 4 following a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and peaking by days 7 to 14. Angiographic studies confirm the presence of at least some degree of MCA vasospasm when the flow velocities are higher than 100 cm/sec. Mean velocities in the 120 to 200 cm/sec range correspond to 25 to 50% luminal narrowing. MCA and ACA vsospasm is detected with around 90% specificity. Sensitivity is 80% and 50% respectively. A 200cm/sec threshold and rapid flow velocity increase exceeding 50 cm/sec on consecutive days, has been associated with subsequent infarction. Transcranial Doppler is also used to monitor the effects of endovascular treatment of vasospasm. Flow velocities decrease following successful angioplasty or papaverine infusion. Overall, transcranial Doppler studies are considered to have acceptable accuracy for the evaluation of vasospasm in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, with limitations that have to be taken into consideration in the clinical setting.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2012

Objective : The aim of this study was to determine the role of intra-arterial (IA) nimodipine injections for cerebral vasospasm secondary to ruptured subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to investigate the factors that influence vasodilation and clinical outcomes. Methods : We enrolled 29 patients who underwent aneurysm clipping for ruptured cerebral aneurysms between 2009 and 2011, and who received IA nimodipine after subsequently presenting with symptomatic vasospasm. The degree of vasodilation shown in angiography was measured, and the correlation between the degree of vasodilation and both the interval from SAH to cerebral vasospasm and the interval from clipping to cerebral vasospasm was determined. The change in blood flow rate after IA injection was assessed by transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Multiple clinical parameters were completed before and after IA nimodipine injection to evaluate any improvements in clinical symptoms. Results : For eight patients, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores increased by two or more points. The regression analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the change in GCS scores after IA nimodipine injection and the change in blood vessel diameter (p=0.025). A positive correlation was also observed between the interval from SAH to vasospasm and the change in diameter (p=0.040); and the interval from clipping to vasospasm and the change in diameter (p=0.022). Conclusion : IA nimodipine injection for SAH-induced vasospasm led to significant vasodilation in angiography and improvement in clinical symptoms without significant complications. Our findings suggest that IA nimodipine injection should be utilized when intractable vasospasm develops despite rigorous conservative management.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2011

Objective : Vasospasm of cerebral vessels remains a major source of morbidity and mortality after an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transluminal balloon angioplasty (TBA) for SAH-induced vasospasm. Methods : Eleven patients with an angiographically confirmed significant vasospasm (>50% vessel narrowing and clinical deterioration) were studied. A total of 54 vessel segments with significant vasospasm were treated by TBA. Digital subtraction angiography was used to confirm the presence of vasospasm, and TBA was performed to dilate vasospastic arteries. Medical and angiographic reports were reviewed to determine technical efficacy and for procedural complications. Results : TBA using Hyper-Glide or Hyper-Form balloons (MicroTherapeutics, Irvine, CA) was successfully accomplished in 88.9% vasospastic segments (48 of 54), namely, in the distal internal carotid artery (100%, n=7), the middle cerebral artery (100%), including the M1 (n=10), M2 (n=10), and M3 segments (n=4), in the vertebral artery (100%, n=2), basilar artery (100%, n=1), and in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), including the A1 (66%), A2 (66%), and A3 segments (100%). Vessel diameters significantly increased after TBA. There were no cases of vessel rupture or thromboembolic complications. GCS at one day after TBA showed an improvement in all patients except one. Conclusion : This study suggests that TBA using Hyper-Glide or Hyper-Form balloons is a safe and effective treatment for subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced cerebral vasospasm.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1563-1569
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• 2000

Objective : Delayed ischemic neurologic deficit(DIND) is one of the major complications following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH). However, the correlation between angiographic vasospasm(AV) and DIND after SAH is not precisely known. The authors investigated the timing, incidence, characteristics of DIND, and analyzed correlation between AV and DIND. Patients and Methods : A series of 126 patients with SAH and performed cerebral angiography which, confirmed anterior circulation aneurysm, admitted to between January 1996 to December 1998, were studied retrospectively. A comparative analysis between group 1(G1) in which AV patients presented with DIND, and group 2(G2) patients did not DIND, were done. AV was graded according to location, distribution and degree. Location of vasospasm was classified as basal type(BT), distal type(DT). BT was involved horizontally and include the bilateral carotid systems, proximal middle cerebral artery(MCA) and proximal anterior cerebral artery(ACA). DT was involved vertically and include the MCA branches as they become vertically or posteriorly oriented and the ACA distal to the anterior communicating artery. BT and DT all defined ether as localized type(LT) or combined type(CT). Distribution of vasospasm was classified as type I, type II and type III. Type I represents the involvement of bilateral carotid systems and bilateral anterior cerebral artery, type II was designed as one carotid system without involving anterior cerebral artery, and type III when only some portions of the anterior cerebral artery were involved, bilaterally. Degree of vasospasm was classified as mild(less than 25%), moderate(between 25-50%), severe(greater than 50%), and those were determined by comparing the caliber of the artery in vasospasm to that of the nearest area of apparently normal vessel. Results : The incidence of AV & DIND was 57/126(45.2%), 29/126(23.0%), and timing of DIND was 9 days(${\pm}4.1$) after initial hemorrhage. As for the location, BT was seen in 12 cases(40.0%), DT 11 cases(36.7%) and CT 7 cases (23.3%), respectively. Where as G1, BT was seen 5 cases(18.5%), DT 5 cases(18.5%) and CT 17 cases(63.0%), respectively in G2. CT AV was more correlated with DIND than LT AV(p<0.05). For distribution, type I was seen in 16 cases(59.2%), type II 4 cases(14.8%), type III 7 cases(25.9%) in G1 where as type I was seen in 7 cases(23.3%), type II 10 cases(33.3%), type III 13(43.3%) in G2. Type I AV was well correlated with DIND unlike to type II or type III(p<0.05). As for the degree, mild was seen in 4 cases(14.8%), moderate 14 cases(51.9%), severe 9 cases (33.3%) in G1, and mild 16 cases(18.5%), moderate 11 cases(36.7%) and severe 3 cases(10.0%) in G2. Moderate to severe type AV was well correlated with DIND(p<0.05). Conclusion : These results indicate that it may be possible to predict DIND according to careful analysis of location, distribution, degree of AV in patients with aneurysmal SAH.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.239-244
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• 2006

Objective : The present study evaluated overall surgical results for 3,000 patients with intracranial aneurysms, operated on in Busan Paik Hospital institution. Methods : Three thousand aneurysm cases, operated on in Busan Paik Hospital between January 1980 to June, 15th, 2005, were evaluated based on the following criteria; aneurysm form, aneurysm location, surgical results, postoperative complications, and seasonsonality of occuence. 957 cases were anterior communicating artery aneurysms, 776 were internal carotid artery[ICA] aneurysms, 755 were middle cerebral artery[MCA] aneurysms, 96 were anterior cerebral artery[ACA] aneurysms, 128 were vertebro-basilar artery[VBA] aneurysms and 288 were multiple aneurysms. The male to female ratio was 0.7 to 1 Surgical methods included 2.738 clippings, 219 coating and wrappings, 23 aneurysmoraphies, 20 proximal ligations. Results : Rebleeding occured in 5.1% of the early operation group and 16% of the late operation group respectively. Incidence of clinical vasospasm was 166% and angiographic vasospasm was 24.1%. The percentage of the multiple aneurysms was 9.5%, the percentage of the dissecting aneurysm was 6 cases [0.2%], 6 of the total [0.2%];De Novo" aneurysm, the percentage of lobectomies with clipping cases was 9 cases [03%] the percentage were incidental aneurysms; 164 [5.5%]. 88.1% had overall favorable surgical results with a 5.5 % mortality rate. Calcium-channel blocker and "Triple H" therapy did not improve mortality but did significantly improve morbidity. In the old age group, early operation reduced vasospasm, rebleeding and medical complications. The early surgery group exhibited a 86.2% favorable outcome with a 8.1% mortality rate. Intraoperative angiography reduced residual or remained aneurysms in large, giant aneurysm, especially in A.com artery aneurysm. Conclusion : The surgical results for the early surgery group according to surgical timming was better, but there were not statistically significant. ntraoperative angiography was especially useful on large aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.241-250
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• 2001

Purpose: Vasospasm is a complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We assessed the role of acetazolamide-enhanced brain perfusion SPECT (ACZ-SPECT) with Tc-99m ECD for predicting the prognosis of patients with aSAH. Materials and methods: Two SPECT studios (baseline with 740 MBq and ACZ-SPECT with 1480 MBq) with image subtraction were performed in 21 patients with aSAH. All patients had brain CT and angiogram. Vasoreactivity on ACZ-SPECT, perfusion defect on baseline SPECT, and vasospasm on angiogram were correlated with Hunt-Hess grading, extent of SAH (unilateral or bilateral) on CT, and clinical outcome. Vasoreactivity was considered decreased when cerebral/cerebellar uptake ratio difference from baseline SPECT to ACZ-SPECT was greater than 2SD of normal control values. Results: Decreased vasoreactivity was observed in 38% (8/21), perfusion defect in 81% (17/21), and vasospasm in 38% (8/21). The preserved vasoreactivity group showed better outcome scale (92%, 12/13) and the decreased vasoreactivity group showed poorer outcome scale (62.5%, 5/8) (p=0.014). Extensive SAH was more frequently seen in the decreased vasoreactlvlty group (87.5%, 7/8) than in the preserved vasoreactivity group (30.7%, 4/13)(p=0.017). The perfusion defect and vasospasm did not show good correlation with outcome scale, extent of SAH, and Hunt-Hess grading (p=ns). Vasoreactivity represented the patient's outcome better than the vasospasm in all of the vasoreactivity/vasospasm-mismatched cases (6 cases). Conclusions: Our data show that decreased vasoreactivity on ACZ-SPECT does not always represent vasospastic condition. But patients with decreased vasoreactivity reveal poorer outcome than patients with angiographic vasospasm do. Therefore ACZ-SPECT is a valuable, noninvasive test for predicting the prognosis of patients with aSAH.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.717-723
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• 2001

Objective : Subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) is still one of the most serious disease with high morbidity and mortality in the neurosurgical field. Clipping of the aneurysmal neck is the gold standard of the surgical treatment of aneurysmal SAH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the postoperative angiography and to assess the risk factors related to the incomplete clipping. Materials and Methods : From July 1995 to June 1998, the pre- and postoperative angiography were performed in 50 patients among total 81 patients who have underwent the aneurysmal surgery. We reviewed the various contributing factors including age, sex, Hunt-Hess grade, Fisher grade and the premature rupture of aneurysm during operation retrospectively. Careful evaluation of pre- and postoperative angiography focusing on the size, shape, and remnant neck of the aneurysms and vasospasm was performed. According to the angiographic findings, the patients were divided into two groups ; a complete clipping group and an incomplete clipping group. The data were analyzed by using unpaired independent sample t test after F-test to compare the significance between two groups. Results : Incomplete clipping of aneurysms was found in 6(12%) patients through the evaluation of postoperative angiography. Among them, three cases were located on the middle cerebral artery territory. Whereas the patient age, sex, Hunt-Hess grade, and Fisher grade were not significant(p>0.05), an intraoperative premature rupture had a statistical significance(p<0.05). A severe vasospasm occurred in 24(48%) cases and one patient with anterior communicating aneurysm was reoperated due to residual sac. Conclusion : According to our experience, the surgeons' judgement is the most reliable factor in deciding the postoperative angiography. During the aneurysmal surgery, the premature rupture always disturbs a complete clipping of aneurysms. Therefore, the temporary clipping of parent arteries is considered essential for a successful clipping. We believe that the postoperative angiography has a role in decreasing the re-bleeding risk due to clip migration and an inaccurate clipping only in the selected cases.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of this study was to review the safety and durability of aneurysms treated with stent-assisted coiling of ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysms with small parent vessels (< 2.0 mm). Methods : Retrospective review of all ruptured aneurysm treated with stent assisted endovascular coiling between March 2005 and March 2009 at our institution was conducted. We report 11 cases of the Neuroform stent placement into cerebral vessels measuring less than 2.0 mm in diameter (range, 1.3-1.9 mm) in anterior cerebral artery. Clinical follow-up ranged from 3 to 12 months and imaging follow-up was performed with cerebral angiography at 6 months and 12 months after discharge. Results : Complete occlusion was achieved in 10 patients, and a remnant neck was evident in one. No stent displacement or no dislodgement occurred during stent placement. There was no evidence of thromboembolic complication, arterial dissection and spasm during procedure. We performed follow-up angiography in all patients at 6 months and/or 12 months from the first procedure. The follow-up angiographic data showed successfully results except one in-stent stenosis case. All patients improved clinical performances except one patient with severe vasospasm who showed poor clinical condition initially. Conclusion : We have safely and successfully treated 11 vessels smaller than 2.0 mm in diameter with self-expanding stents with good short and intermediate term results. More clinical data with longer follow-ups are needed to establish the role of stent-assisted coiling in ruptured aneurysms with small parent vessels.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2005

Objective : This study is performed to evaluate the procedural complications, aneurysm occlusion rate, and mid-term outcome of endovascular treatments in intracranial aneurysms. Methods : We retrospectively investigated 135 patients with 161 cerebral aneurysms who were treated by endovascular means at our institute from March 1999 to December 2004. We statistically analyzed overall outcome, occlusion rate, and occurrence of complications according to the location, size, rupture history, and neck size of aneurysms. Results : Forty-nine patients [36.3%] had experienced acute intracranial or extracranial complications related to the procedure. Among these, there were 13cases of perforation of the aneurysm, 9 of local vasospasm, 8 of thromboembolism, 4 of coil migration, 3 of occlusion of parent vessels due to coil protrusion, and 1 of seizure. Extracranial complications occurred in 14cases including alopecia [9cases], femoral artery thrombosis [2cases], acute renal failure [2cases], and hypovolemic shock [1case]. One hundred twenty-six aneurysms [78.3%] had complete occlusion of the aneurysm and 35 [21.7%] incomplete occlusion at 6months angiographic follow-up. Postembolization clinical follow-up ranged from 1 to 60months [mean, 14.2months]. Seven of the 161 aneurysms underwent additional embolization and 2 incomplete embolized aneurysms required subsequent surgery. Conclusion : The procedural complications and incomplete occlusion rates are substantial. Therefore, endovascular treatment needs close and continued neurosurgical and neuroradiological concerns for the therapy of intracranial aneurysms.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2000

Purpose: Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is a useful technique to diagnose and to predict prognosis in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the prognostic value of normal exercise $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and to analyze results with regard to those of exercise electrocardiography or coronary angiography. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 301 patients (mean age $52{\pm}10$ years, 166 males and 135 females) with normal exercise $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT performed for suspected coronary artery disease. Subject were evaluated for cardiac events and followed for 8-55 months (mean $19{\pm}10$ months) after imaging. Results: During the follow-up period, there was no cardiac death but only one non-fatal myocardial infarction (event rate 0.21% per year). In addition, only one patient underwent coronary revascularization. There was no significant difference in cardiac event rate between patients with positive (n=27) and negative (n=235) exercise electrocardiography (p:NS). There was no cardiac event in 17 patients who underwent coronary angiography (4 patients with >50% luminal narrowing, 2 patients with vasospasm and 11 patients with no significant lesion). Conclusion: Patients with normal exercise $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT has a very low risk for cardiac events regardless of exercise electrocardiographic and coronary angiographic findings.