We present a case report of a 45-year-old woman with spontaneous pneumocephalus accompanied by pneumorrhachis of the thoracic spine, which is a very rare condition generally associated with trauma and thoracic or spinal surgery. The patient had undergone an operation about 10 years earlier to treat a giant cell tumor of the thoracic spine. During the operation, a metallic device was installed, which destroyed the bronchus and caused the formation of a broncho-paraspinal fistula. This is the suspected cause of her pneumocephalus and pneumorrhachis. To our knowledge, this is a very rare case of pneumocephalus accompanied by pneumorrhachis induced by metallic device, and when considering the length of time after surgery these complications presented are also exceptional.
Bronchi ; Female ; Fistula ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pneumocephalus ; Pneumorrhachis ; Spine

Postpartum cerebral angiopathy is a main cause of postpartum stroke. We describe a 27-year-old woman with postpartum cerebral angiopathy after taking bromocriptine. Her brain FLAIR MR image revealed several lesions of sulcal hyperintensity. The sulcal hyperintensity in the MR image may be a sequelae of bromocriptine-induced angiopathy during the postpartum period.
Adult ; Brain ; Bromocriptine* ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Postpartum Period* ; Stroke

Most nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhages are induced by the rupture of a saccular aneurysm. Acute nontraumatic cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage at the convexity of a cerebral hemisphere is a relatively rare occurrence with various vascular or nonvascular causes. Furthermore, the clinical manifestation of acute nontraumatic cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage differs from that of aneurysmal rupture. We experienced five cases of acute nontraumatic cortical subarachnoid hemorrhage with diverse neurological symptoms. Consecutive workup revealed the various etiologies of that hemorrhage.
Aneurysm ; Cerebral Arterial Diseases ; Cerebrum ; Hemorrhage ; Rupture ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Distal filter devices (DFDs) are known to reduce the occurrence of embolic events by capturing embolic debris and thereby preventing intracranial embolization during carotid artery stenting (CAS). However, there are few reports addressing DFD use in CAS procedures. Therefore, we evaluated the technical feasibility and clinical outcomes associated with DFD use in all CAS procedures. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between June 2004 and June 2008, all CAS procedures performed at our center were completed with DFD protection. We recorded periprocedural data and watched for new neurologic abnormalities for 24 hours after the procedure. One-month clinical outcomes were also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 100 carotid lesions in 94 patients (age 68+/-8 years; 79 men) were treated with percutaneous stenting using DFDs (FilterWire EZ(TM), Boston Scientific Co, US). DFD application was successful in all procedures. Periprocedural strokes occurred in five procedures (one major, one minor, and three transient ischemic attacks). The one-month rates of stroke and death were 6% and 2%, respectively. Difficult filter placement occurred in two procedures due to tight stenosis and severe common carotid artery (CCA)-to-internal carotid artery (ICA) angulation. Difficult stent delivery occurred in three instances: one due to severe lesion calcification and two due to proximal tortuosity. The retriever failed to acquire the filter in nine procedures. Four of nine retrieval difficulties were related to severe CCA-ICA angulation. CONCLUSION: DFD use was successful in all CAS procedures, was relatively safe, and had few periprocedural complications.
Boston ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dapsone ; Humans ; Protective Devices ; Stents ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: Gallstone is the most common disease of the biliary system. Most cases of gallstone are asymptomatic and we incidentally found gallstones during a community health survey. Our study was designed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for gallstone in a population who underwent health screening. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 36,314 persons who visited the health promotion center in Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea from 1998 to 2004. They had their gallbladder or biliary system examined with using ultrasonography. The body mass index and biochemical parameters from liver function tests, the lipid profiles and the fasting blood sugar were all measured. All the subjects were divided into several groups and the particular prevalence for gallstone disease for each group was calculated. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis assessed the risk factors for gallstone disease. RESULTS: Among 36,314 persons, (19,345 males (53.3%) and 16,969 females (46.7%)), gallstone was found in 735 persons (2.0%). On univariate analysis, the risk factors for gallstone disease were age, body mass index, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and serum aspartate aminotransferase. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the the risk factors were high body mass index, older age and high fasting blood sugar. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors seem to show a common pathogenesis for gallstone disease. Although the relation between gallstone disease and metabolic syndrome has not been established, it appears to be associated with metabolic syndrome, but further study on a general population is required.
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Biliary Tract ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Gallbladder ; Gallstones* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Health Promotion ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Function Tests ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors* ; Triglycerides ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Aorta, Thoracic