OBJECTIVETo establish a new macrophotographic measurement of brain surface area to evaluate brain edema after focal cerebral ischemia in mice.

METHODSPermanent focal cerebral ischemia was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in mice. The brains were removed 10,30 min,1,3,6,12 and 24 h after MCAO, and photographed in dorsal and lateral views by a digital camera. Then, 6 coronal slices of 1 mm thick were cut and photographed. Finally, the water content of brain tissue was measured by heating at 110 degrees C for 24 h. The left and right hemisphere areas of the brains and the brain slices were analyzed and calculated by MedBrain 2 imaging analyzer to evaluate brain edema.

RESULTThe macrophotographic measurement showed that the ischemic hemisphere areas significantly increased from 1 h after focal cerebral ischmia, which was similar to the measurement of water content. This measurement for brain edema correlated well with those of water content and brain slice volume.

CONCLUSIONThe macrophotographic measurement is an objective and quantitative method for evaluating brain edema after focal cerebral ischemia.

Animals ; Brain Edema ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; psychology ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Photography

OBJECTIVETo explore the value of electroencephalogram (EEG) in early diagnosis of brain injury in neonates with asphyxia.

METHODSEEG examination was performed in 49 neonates with asphyxia (mild: n=9; severe: n=40) within 6 hrs of their births. Of the 49 asphyxiated neonates, 33 had concurrent HIE, including 20 cases of mild, 9 cases of moderate and 4 cases of severe HIE.

RESULTSTwenty-one (63.6%) out of the 33 patients with HIE showed abnormal EEG, but only one (6.3%) in the asphyxia group without HIE. All of 13 patients with moderate-severe HIE showed abnormal EEG. The degree of EEG abnormality in neonates with HIE was consistent with the clinical grading of HIE. The neonates whose EEG showed electrical silence and burst suppression and the abnormalities were kept unrecoverable for more than 2 weeks had very poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSEEG can reflect brain injury caused by neonatal asphyxia and the severity of brain injury. It may be useful for early diagnosis of brain injury following asphyxia in neonates.

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; complications ; physiopathology ; Early Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; diagnosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

No abstract available.
Adult ; Brain Ischemia/diagnosis/*etiology ; Cerebral Angiography ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperventilation/complications ; Moyamoya Disease/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/diagnosis/*etiology ; Thyroid Crisis/*complications/diagnosis/therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) complicated by myocardial ischemic injury.

METHODSThirty-five neonates with HIE (17 cases with concurrent myocardial injury and 18 cases without) were enrolled. Twenty healthy neonates were used as the control group. Plasma NT-proBNP levels were measured using enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTSThe mean plasma NT-proBNP levels in patients with myocardial injury (338.8 + or - 76.2 fmol/mL) were significantly higher than those in patients with non-myocardial injury (137.5 + or - 45.1 fmol/mL) and in the control group (113.7 + or - 53.6 fmol/mL) (p<0.01). The NT-proBNP levels in mild, moderate and severe HIE neonates were 141.3 + or - 41.6, 271.8 + or - 118.1 and 347.2 + or - 85.1 fmol/mL, respectively. Compared with the control group, the NT-proBNP levels in the moderate and the severe HIE groups significantly increased (p<0.01). There were significant differences in the NT-proBNP level among the mild, moderate and severe HIE groups (p<0.05). In patients with myocardial injury, the NT-proBNP levels significantly decreased in the convalescent phase compared with those in the acute phase (225.0 + or - 80.0 fmol/mL vs 338.8 + or - 76.2 fmol/mL (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSPlasma NT-proBNP levels increase in neonates with HIE complicated by myocardial ischemic injury in the acute phase. Detection of NT-proBNP levels may be useful in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemic injury and the severity evaluation of HIE.

Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; complications ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; blood ; diagnosis ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; Peptide Fragments ; blood

Asphyxia Neonatorum ; complications ; Humans ; Hypothermia, Induced ; methods ; trends ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Infant, Newborn ; Neurologic Examination

OBJECTIVETo compare the occurrence of hearing loss in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and very low-birth weight infant (VLBW) body mass, and to provide evidence for early intervention.

METHODSTotally 299 high-risk neonates (598 ears) were divided into six groups: pure hyperbilirubinemia group, pure HIE group, hyperbilirubinemia with HIE group, hyperbilirubinemia with VLBW group, HIE with LBWI group, hyperbilirubinemia with VLBW and HIE mass group. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was detected in all groups.

RESULTSThe hearing threshold of ABR and the abnormal rate of hyperbilirubinemia with LBWI and HIE were much higher than that of pure hyperbilirubinemia and pure HIE neonates.

CONCLUSIONSOf the three high-risk factors, hearing loss occurs more often and more serious in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia and with VLBW while as HIE body mass. So the babies should receive hearing screening with ABR and be treated in time or following up as early as possible.

Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; complications ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; complications ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Male ; Risk Factors

INTRODUCTIONPosterior segment involvement has been described to be associated with central nervous system involvement in sarcoidosis as a result of direct sarcoid tissue infiltration or mass effect of a cerebral lesion. However, isolated intermediate uveitis occurring concurrently with central nervous system involvement prior to extensive systemic disease is rare.

CLINICAL PICTUREWe describe a patient with neuro-ophthalmic manifestations of intermediate uveitis and an enhancing basal ganglia lesion at initial presentation, in the absence of extensive systemic disease.

TREATMENTHe was treated with high-dose systemic steroids which was progressively tailed down over 6 months.

OUTCOMEThere was prompt resolution of vitritis with good preservation of visual acuity.

CONCLUSIONThe difficulties of the initial diagnosis of sarcoidosis and the indications for initiation of steroid therapy are illustrated. We use this case to emphasise the need for a high clinical suspicion of sarcoidosis in the presence of similar unusual and seemingly unrelated combinations of neurological manifestations so as to facilitate the prompt institution of appropriate treatment when indicated.

Adult ; Angiography ; Basal Ganglia ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; diagnosis ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Sarcoidosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; Time Factors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Uveitis ; complications ; diagnosis

A 58-year-old Indian woman presented with asystole after an episode of haemetemesis, with a patient downtime of 20 mins. After initial resuscitation efforts, computed tomography of the brain, obtained to evaluate neurological injury, demonstrated evidence of severe hypoxic ischaemic brain injury. The imaging features of hypoxic ischaemic brain injury and the potential pitfalls with regard to image interpretation are herein discussed.
Adolescent ; Brain Ischemia ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Cerebellum ; diagnostic imaging ; Critical Care ; Female ; Heart Arrest ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; complications ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

To evaluate the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging in brainstem stroke, we studied 21 cases of clinically definite brainstem ischemic stroke with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and conventional computed tomography (CT). MRI demonstrated brainstem lesions in 79% of the cases (16.5 out of 21), while CT revealed 33% (7 out of 21) when cases with suspicious lesions counted as 0.5. Although MRI was done a few days later than CT in most cases, MRI was superior to CT in detecting the number and the size of ischemic lesions, with clear delineation of anatomy and visualization of the status of the blood flow in the vertebral-basilar artery. Disappearance of the flow signal void in the basilar artery can be an important clue in diagnosing occlusion or thrombus of the basilar artery. By delineating the extent and the location of the infarction, MRI findings allowed an interpretation of whether the ischemic vessel is a small basilar branch or a large vessel vertebral or basilar artery.
Adult ; Aged ; Brain Ischemia/complications/*diagnosis/radiography ; Brain Stem/blood supply/*pathology/radiography ; Cerebral Infarction/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The onset of pregnancy may predispose women to a variety of neurological diseases due to changes in their hemodynamics, hormonal effects, and complications associated with childbirth. The spectrum of neurological disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth include hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhaging, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) (secondary to eclampsia), Wernicke encephalopathy, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, Sheehan's syndrome, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (secondary to pulmonary amniotic fluid embolism), multifocal infarctions, and extra-potine myelinolysis. The recognition of the various imaging findings of these diseases, along with the clinical presentations, should aid in their early diagnosis and prompt treatment. The purpose of this pictorial assay is to describe the characteristic CT and MR findings of these diseases with a literature review to explain the mechanisms and clinical symptoms.
Amniotic Fluid ; Brain ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; Infarction ; Nervous System Diseases ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; Sinus Thrombosis, Intracranial ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wernicke Encephalopathy