Population-based analysis of arteriovenous malformation treatment

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Hillman
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Intracerebral Hematoma ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Initial Manifestation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The author sought to describe overall management data on cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and to focus the actuarial need for different treatment modalities on a population-based scale. Such data would seem important in the planning of regional or national multimodality strategies for the treatment of AVMs. This analysis of a nonselected, consecutive series of patients representing every diagnosed case of cerebral AVM in a population of 1,000,000 over one decade may serve to shed some light on these treatment aspects. Methods. During the 11-year period from 1989 to 1999, data from every patient harboring a cerebral AVM that was presented clinically or discovered incidentally in a strictly defined population of 986,000 people were collected prospectively. No patient was lost to follow up. There were 12.4 de novo diagnosed AVMs per 1,000,000 population per year (135 AVMs). Large high-grade AVMs (Spetzler—Martin classification) were rare, and Grade 1 to 3 lesions represented 85% of the caseload. Hemorrhage was the initial manifestation of AVM in 69.6% of the cases. Intracerebral hematoma was the most common hemorrhagic manifestation occurring in 78 patients. There were 4.4 cases per 1,000,000 population per year of hematomas needing expedient surgical evacuation. In the remaining patients who did not require hematoma surgery, small, critically located Grade 3 and Grade 4 lesions amounted to 1.6 cases per 1,000,000 population per year. There were 5.8 cases per 1,000,000 population per year of Grade 1 to 2 and larger noncritically located Grade 3 malformations. There were 0.5 cases per 1,000,000 population per year of Grade 5 AVMs. The overall outcome in 135 patients was classified as good according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (Score 5) in 61% of the cases, and the overall mortality rate was 9%. Conclusions. In centers with population-based referral, AVM of the brain is predominantly a disease related to intracranial bleeding, and parenchymal clots have a profound impact on overall management outcome. The rupture of an AVM is as devastating as that of an aneurysm. Aneurysm ruptures are more lethal, whereas AVM rupture tends to result in more neurological disability due to the high occurrence of lobar intracerebral hematoma. In an attempt to quantify the need for different modalities of AVM treatment based on a population of 1,000,000 people, figures for surgeries performed range from six to 10 operations per year and embolization as well as gamma knife surgery procedures range from two to seven per year, depending on the strategy at hand. When using nonsurgical approaches to Grade 1 to 3 lesions, the number of patients requiring treatment with more than one method for obliteration increases drastically as does the potential risk for procedure-related complications.

Results of early operations for ruptured aneurysms

1981 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bengt Ljunggren ◽  
Lennart Brandt ◽  
Erik Kågström ◽  
Göran Sundbärg
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Part ◽  
Intracerebral Hematoma ◽  
Recurrent Bleeding ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Good Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Urgent Surgery ◽  
Child Bearing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fine Print

✓ In a consecutive series of 219 patients with a ruptured aneurysm of the anterior part of the circle of Willis, 119 patients (54%) made a good recovery and 67 (31%) died. Of 53 patients who did not have surgery, six (11%) made a good recovery and 37 (70%) died. Urgent surgery with evacuation of an associated significant intracerebral hematoma was performed in 30 patients; nine (30%) made a good recovery and 15 (50%) died. Delayed surgery was performed in 55 patients of whom 42 (76%) made a good recovery and two (4%) died. Early intracranial operation (within 48 to 60 hours after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)) was performed in 81 patients who were in Grades I to III prior to surgery. Sixty patients (74%) made a good recovery, and eight died within a month. Five patients were severely disabled and died 2 to 8 months after SAH and surgery. In 17 patients, although the immediate postoperative course was uneventful, evidence of cerebral ischemia developed 4 to 13 days after the bleed and resulted in death in eight patients. A poor outcome was correlated with a history of elevated blood pressure before SAH. Seven patients, of whom six were women of child-bearing age, demonstrated pronounced vasospasm on postoperative angiography; nevertheless, they remained well and free from ischemic symptoms after surgery. Early operation combined with removal of subarachnoid clots and rinsing the basal cisterns does not eliminate the risk of delayed ischemic dysfunction. Such early surgery, however, improves overall outcome by preventing recurrent bleeding, and may also reduce the frequency of hydrocephalus.

Effectiveness of neurosurgical clip application in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1036-1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva H. Brilstra ◽  
Ale Algra ◽  
Gabriel J. E. Rinkel ◽  
Cornelis A. F. Tulleken ◽  
Jan van Gijn
Keyword(s):  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Poor Outcome ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Operative Complications ◽  
Clip Application ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Neurosurgical clip application is the standard method used to prevent rebleeding in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The authors assessed the magnitude of the reduction in poor outcomes that accompanies a strategy aimed at surgery. Methods. Three hundred forty-six consecutive patients with aneurysmal SAH were studied. The authors estimated the number of surgically treated patients with good outcomes who would have had poor outcomes as a consequence of rebleeding if clip application had not been performed (A). They also assessed the number of patients whose poor outcomes were exclusively caused by operative complications (B). Without an operation some of these patients would have had poor outcomes because of rebleeding (C). The authors represented the number of patients in whom poor outcome was prevented by surgery with the following formula: A − B + C. They assessed the relationships between baseline characteristics of patients and aneurysms and the likelihood that a patient underwent surgery, the risk of operative complications, and the risk of rebleeding. The absolute reduction in the risk of poor outcome found in patients who undergo surgery was 9.7%. This implies that to prevent a poor outcome in one patient, surgery had to be performed in 10. The relative risk of poor outcome following surgery compared with that after conservative treatment was estimated to be 0.81. Logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between patient age older than 65 years and the occurrence of operative complications (odds ratio [OR] 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–6.03), between age older than 65 years and the likelihood of undergoing surgery (OR 0.12; 95% CI 0.07–0.2), and between a poor clinical condition at admission and the likelihood of undergoing surgery (OR 0.26; 95% CI 0.14–0.47). The authors did not identify any predictive factors for rebleeding when the Cox proportional hazard model was used. Conclusions. The beneficial effect of a treatment strategy in which the goal is surgery is substantial. If new treatment modalities such as embolization with coils are explored, these should carefully be compared with surgery before they are generally introduced.

Gamma knife radiosurgery as a single treatment modality for large cerebral arteriovenous malformations

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Hung-Chi Pan ◽  
Wan-Yuo Guo ◽  
Wen-Yuh Chung ◽  
Cheng-Ying Shiau ◽  
Yue-Cune Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Knife ◽  
Arteriovenous Malformations ◽  
Radiation Treatment ◽  
Gamma Knife Radiosurgery ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Obliteration Rate ◽  
Complete Obliteration ◽  
Fine Print

Object. A consecutive series of 240 patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) treated by gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) between March 1993 and March 1999 was evaluated to assess the efficacy and safety of radiosurgery for cerebral AVMs larger than 10 cm3 in volume. Methods. Seventy-six patients (32%) had AVM nidus volumes of more than 10 cm3. During radiosurgery, targeting and delineation of AVM nidi were based on integrated stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and x-ray angiography. The radiation treatment was performed using multiple small isocenters to improve conformity of the treatment volume. The mean dose inside the nidus was kept between 20 Gy and 24 Gy. The margin dose ranged between 15 to 18 Gy placed at the 55 to 60% isodose centers. Follow up ranged from 12 to 73 months. There was complete obliteration in 24 patients with an AVM volume of more than 10 cm3 and in 91 patients with an AVM volume of less than 10 cm3. The latency for complete obliteration in larger-volume AVMs was significantly longer. In Kaplan—Meier analysis, the complete obliteration rate in 40 months was 77% in AVMs with volumes between 10 to 15 cm3, as compared with 25% for AVMs with a volume of more than 15 cm3. In the latter, the obliteration rate had increased to 58% at 50 months. The follow-up MR images revealed that large-volume AVMs had higher incidences of postradiosurgical edema, petechiae, and hemorrhage. The bleeding rate before cure was 9.2% (seven of 76) for AVMs with a volume exceeding 10 cm3, and 1.8% (three of 164) for AVMs with a volume less than 10 cm3. Although focal edema was more frequently found in large AVMs, most of the cases were reversible. Permanent neurological complications were found in 3.9% (three of 76) of the patients with an AVM volume of more than 10 cm3, 3.8% (three of 80) of those with AVM volume of 3 to 10 cm3, and 2.4% (two of 84) of those with an AVM volume less than 3 cm3. These differences in complications rate were not significant. Conclusions. Recent improvement of radiosurgery in conjunction with stereotactic MR targeting and multiplanar dose planning has permitted the treatment of larger AVMs. It is suggested that gamma knife radiosurgery is effective for treating AVMs as large as 30 cm3 in volume with an acceptable risk.

Craniopharyngioma arising de novo in middle age

1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1046-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc S. Arginteanu ◽  
Karin Hague ◽  
Robert Zimmerman ◽  
Mark J. Kupersmith ◽  
John H. Shaiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Image ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Benign Tumors ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sixth Decade ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors report the case of a 55-year-old woman who developed a symptomatic craniopharyngioma within 2 years of obtaining a normal magnetic resonance image of her brain. Craniopharyngiomas are histologically benign tumors. They are thought to arise from embryonic remnants of Rathke's pouch and sac and to manifest themselves clinically after a steady growth that commences in fetal life. To the authors' knowlege, this is the first report that documents a tumor arising de novo in the sixth decade of life. This report appears to challenge the concept of the origin and natural history of craniopharyngiomas.

Acute subdural hematoma

1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry A. Shenkin
Keyword(s):  
Computerized Tomography ◽  
Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Neurological Status ◽  
Neurological Dysfunction ◽  
Acute Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subdural Hematomas ◽  
Fine Print

✓ In a consecutive series of 39 cases of acute subdural hematoma (SDH), encountered since computerized tomography diagnosis became available, 61.5% were found to be the result of bleeding from a small cortical artery, 25.6% were of venous origin, 7.7% resulted from cerebral contusions, and 5% were acute bleeds into chronic subdural hematomas. Craniotomy was performed promptly on admission, but there was no difference in survival (overall 51.3%) between patients with arterial and venous bleeds. The only apparent factor affecting survival in this series was the preoperative neurological status: 67% of patients who were decerebrate and had fixed pupils prior to operation died. Of patients with less severe neurological dysfunction, only 20% failed to survive.

Risk of late stroke and survival following carotid endarterectomy procedures for symptomatic patients

1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Turner ◽  
Jay Tracy ◽  
Stephen J. Haines
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Endarterectomy ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Stroke Risk ◽  
Neurological Symptoms ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postoperative Stroke ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The long-term outcome following carotid endarterectomy for neurological symptoms was analyzed using a retrospective life-table approach in 212 patients who had undergone 243 endarterectomy procedures. The postoperative follow-up period averaged 38.9 ± 2.1 months (mean ± standard error of the mean). The endpoints of stroke and death were evaluated in these patients. Patient groups with the preoperative symptoms of amaurosis fugax, transient ischemic attack, and prior recovered stroke were similar in terms of life-table outcome over the follow-up period. Sixty-two percent of symptomatic patients were alive and free of stroke at 5 years. The late risk of stroke (after 30 days postoperatively) averaged 1.7% per year based on a linear approximation to the hazard at each life-table interval (1.3% per year for ipsilateral stroke). The trend of late stroke risk was clearly downward, however, and could be fitted more accurately by an exponential decay function with a half-life of 33 months. Thus, the risk of stroke following carotid endarterectomy for neurological symptoms was highest in the perioperative period, slowly declined with time, and occurred predominantly ipsilateral to the procedure. The definition of a prospective medical control group remains crucial for a critical analysis of treatment modalities following the onset of premonitory neurological symptoms. In the absence of an adequate control group for this series, the calculated perioperative and postoperative stroke risk from this study was compared to data obtained from the literature on stroke risk in medically treated symptomatic patients. This uncontrolled comparison of treatment modalities suggests the combined perioperative and postoperative stroke risk associated with carotid endarterectomy to be modestly improved over medical treatment alone.

Endoscopic surgery versus medical treatment for spontaneous intracerebral hematoma: a randomized study

1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludwig M. Auer ◽  
Wolfgang Deinsberger ◽  
Kurt Niederkorn ◽  
Günther Gell ◽  
Reinhold Kleinert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Functional Recovery ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Surgical Patients ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
Intracerebral Hematoma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A controlled randomized study of endoscopic evacuation versus medical treatment was performed in 100 patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral (subcortical, putaminal, and thalamic) hematomas. Patients with aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, brain tumors, or head injuries were excluded. Criteria for inclusion were as follows: patients' age between 30 and 80 years; a hematoma volume of more than 10 cu cm; the presence of neurological or consciousness impairment; the appropriateness of surgery from a medical and anesthesiological point of view; and the initiation of treatment within 48 hours after hemorrhage. The criteria of randomization were the location, size, and side of the hematoma as well as the patient's age, state of consciousness, and history of hypertension. Evaluation of outcome was performed 6 months after hemorrhage. Surgical patients with subcortical hematomas showed a significantly lower mortality rate (30%) than their medically treated counterparts (70%, p < 0.05). Moreover, 40% of these patients had a good outcome with no or only a minimal deficit versus 25% in the medically treated group; the difference was statistically significant for operated patients with no postoperative deficit (p < 0.01). Surgical patients with hematomas smaller than 50 cu cm made a significantly better functional recovery than did patients of the medically treated group, but had a comparable mortality rate. By contrast, patients with larger hematomas showed significantly lower mortality rates after operation but had no better functional recovery than the medically treated group. This effect from surgery was limited to patients in a preoperatively alert or somnolent state; stuporous or comatose patients had no better outcome after surgery. The outcome of surgical patients with putaminal or thalamic hemorrhage was no better than for those with medical treatment; however, there was a trend toward better quality of survival and chance of survival in the operated group.

The role of craniectomy in the treatment of chronic subdural hematomas

1980 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 776-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Tyson ◽  
W. Ellis Strachan ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
H. Richard Winn ◽  
Albert Butler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Infarction ◽  
Chronic Subdural Hematoma ◽  
Neurological Deterioration ◽  
Neurological Dysfunction ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Clinical Improvement ◽  
Acute Neurological Deterioration ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A consecutive series of 48 adult patients with a chronic subdural hematoma is reported. These patients were treated according to a protocol consisting of a sequence of conventional surgical procedures ranging from simple burr-hole drainage to craniotomy and subdural membranectomy. Seven patients (15%) continued to demonstrate severe neurological dysfunction, or suffered acute neurological deterioration after completion of this protocol. However, after undergoing excision of the cranial vault overlying the hematoma site, six of these seven patients demonstrated a significant clinical improvement. Based on analysis of these seven cases, the authors suggest that craniectomy be considered in those patients who suffer a symptomatic reaccumulation of subdural fluid following craniotomy and membranectomy, or who demonstrate further neurological deterioration as a result of cerebral swelling subjacent to the hematoma site. However, this procedure probably has no efficacy once extensive cerebral infarction has occurred.

Dose—response tolerance of the visual pathways and cranial nerves of the cavernous sinus to stereotactic radiosurgery

1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus A. Leber ◽  
Jutta Berglöff ◽  
Gerhard Pendl
Keyword(s):  
Stereotactic Radiosurgery ◽  
Cavernous Sinus ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Cranial Nerves ◽  
Visual Pathways ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Response Tolerance ◽  
Fine Print

As the number of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery increases, it becomes particularly important to define with precision adverse effects on distinct structures of the nervous system. Object. This study was designed to assess the dose—response tolerance of the visual pathways and cranial nerves after exposure of the cavernous sinus to radiation. Methods. A total of 66 sites in the visual system and 210 cranial nerves of the middle cranial fossa were investigated in 50 patients who had undergone gamma knife treatment for benign skull base tumors. The mean follow-up period was 40 months (range 24–60 months). Follow-up examinations consisted of neurological, neuroradiological, and neuroophthalmological evaluations. The actuarial incidence of optic neuropathy was zero for patients who received a radiation dose of less than 10 Gy, 26.7% for patients receiving a dose in the range of 10 to less than 15 Gy, and 77.8% for those who received doses of 15 Gy or more (p < 0.0001). Previously impaired vision improved in 25.8% and was unchanged in 51.5% of patients. No sign of neuropathy was seen in patients whose cranial nerves of the cavernous sinus received radiation doses of between 5 and 30 Gy. Because tumor control appeared to have been achieved in 98% of the patients, the deterioration in visual function cannot be attributed to tumor progression. Conclusions. The structures of the visual pathways (the optic nerve, chiasm, and tract) exhibit a much higher sensitivity to single-fraction radiation than other cranial nerves, and their particular dose—response characteristics can be defined. In contrast, the oculomotor and trigeminal nerves have a much higher dose tolerance.

Complications of invasive subdural grid monitoring in children with epilepsy

2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Çagatay Önal ◽  
Hiroshi Otsubo ◽  
Takashi Araki ◽  
Shiro Chitoku ◽  
Ayako Ochi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intractable Epilepsy ◽  
Intracerebral Hematoma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acceptable Risks ◽  
Grid Monitoring ◽  
Superficial Wound ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks ◽  
Sick Children ◽  
Fine Print

Object. This study was performed to evaluate the complications of invasive subdural grid monitoring during epilepsy surgery in children. Methods. The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 35 consecutive children with intractable localization-related epilepsy who underwent invasive video electroencephalography (EEG) with subdural grid electrodes at The Hospital for Sick Children between 1996 and 2001. After subdural grid monitoring and identification of the epileptic regions, cortical excisions and/or multiple subpial transections (MSTs) were performed. Complications after these procedures were then categorized as either surgical or neurological. There were 17 male and 18 female patients whose mean age was 11.7 years. The duration of epilepsy before surgery ranged from 2 to 17 years (mean 8.3 years). Fifteen children (43%) had previously undergone surgical procedures for epilepsy. The number of electrodes on the grids ranged from 40 to 117 (mean 95). During invasive video EEG, cerebrospinal fluid leaks occurred in seven patients. Also, cerebral edema (five patients), subdural hematoma (five patients), and intracerebral hematoma (three patients) were observed on postprocedural imaging studies but did not require surgical intervention. Hypertrophic scars on the scalp were observed in nine patients. There were three infections, including one case of osteomyelitis and two superficial wound infections. Blood loss and the amounts of subsequent transfusions correlated directly with the size and number of electrodes on the grids (p < 0.001). Twenty-eight children derived significant benefit from cortical resections and MSTs, with a more than 50% reduction of seizures and a mean follow-up period of 30 months. Conclusions. The results of this study indicate that carefully selected pediatric patients with intractable epilepsy can benefit from subdural invasive monitoring procedures that entail definite but acceptable risks.

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