Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a critical life-support intervention for severe cardiopulmonary failure. Venoarterial (VA)-ECMO presents unique challenges in neuroradiological assessment due to hemodynamic alterations and the presence of imaging artifacts. Case Report: This case report describes an adult post-heart transplant patient on peripheral VA-ECMO who developed left-sided hemiparesis, suggestive of cerebrovascular events. While our patient developed multifocal ischemic infarcts, the initial computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging indicated hypoperfusion of the entire right hemisphere. Given the discrepancy in the patient’s clinical assessment, which was suggestive of a more circumscribed right hemispheric involvement, and the CTP findings, subsequent digital subtraction angiography was performed, which demonstrated adequate vascular filling with no large vessel occlusion. Conclusion These findings highlight the diagnostic complexities of ECMO-related artifacts, even in the presence of neurological complications that can mimic true perfusion deficits and potentially lead to misdiagnosis.

We report a case of a 24-year-old patient who presented after a head trauma with a traumatic occlusion of his left internal carotid artery. He underwent diagnostic cerebral angiogram and was found to have a direct left carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) with retrograde filling from the posterior circulation across the posterior communicating artery. Because of the severe injury to the left internal carotid artery (ICA), reconstructive repair of the ICA was not possible. The patient underwent deconstructive repair of the CCF by coil embolization using a posterior retrograde approach. Coils were successfully placed in the cavernous sinus and back into the left ICA with complete cure of the CCF and restoration of cerebral perfusion distal to the treated CCF. We review the types of CCFs, their clinical presentation, and their endovascular treatments. Retrograde access of a direct CCF is rarely reported in the literature, and we believe this approach offers a viable alternative in appropriately selected patients.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a critical life-support intervention for severe cardiopulmonary failure. Venoarterial (VA)-ECMO presents unique challenges in neuroradiological assessment due to hemodynamic alterations and the presence of imaging artifacts. Case Report: This case report describes an adult post-heart transplant patient on peripheral VA-ECMO who developed left-sided hemiparesis, suggestive of cerebrovascular events. While our patient developed multifocal ischemic infarcts, the initial computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging indicated hypoperfusion of the entire right hemisphere. Given the discrepancy in the patient’s clinical assessment, which was suggestive of a more circumscribed right hemispheric involvement, and the CTP findings, subsequent digital subtraction angiography was performed, which demonstrated adequate vascular filling with no large vessel occlusion. Conclusion These findings highlight the diagnostic complexities of ECMO-related artifacts, even in the presence of neurological complications that can mimic true perfusion deficits and potentially lead to misdiagnosis.

We report a case of a 24-year-old patient who presented after a head trauma with a traumatic occlusion of his left internal carotid artery. He underwent diagnostic cerebral angiogram and was found to have a direct left carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) with retrograde filling from the posterior circulation across the posterior communicating artery. Because of the severe injury to the left internal carotid artery (ICA), reconstructive repair of the ICA was not possible. The patient underwent deconstructive repair of the CCF by coil embolization using a posterior retrograde approach. Coils were successfully placed in the cavernous sinus and back into the left ICA with complete cure of the CCF and restoration of cerebral perfusion distal to the treated CCF. We review the types of CCFs, their clinical presentation, and their endovascular treatments. Retrograde access of a direct CCF is rarely reported in the literature, and we believe this approach offers a viable alternative in appropriately selected patients.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a critical life-support intervention for severe cardiopulmonary failure. Venoarterial (VA)-ECMO presents unique challenges in neuroradiological assessment due to hemodynamic alterations and the presence of imaging artifacts. Case Report: This case report describes an adult post-heart transplant patient on peripheral VA-ECMO who developed left-sided hemiparesis, suggestive of cerebrovascular events. While our patient developed multifocal ischemic infarcts, the initial computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging indicated hypoperfusion of the entire right hemisphere. Given the discrepancy in the patient’s clinical assessment, which was suggestive of a more circumscribed right hemispheric involvement, and the CTP findings, subsequent digital subtraction angiography was performed, which demonstrated adequate vascular filling with no large vessel occlusion. Conclusion These findings highlight the diagnostic complexities of ECMO-related artifacts, even in the presence of neurological complications that can mimic true perfusion deficits and potentially lead to misdiagnosis.

We report a case of a 24-year-old patient who presented after a head trauma with a traumatic occlusion of his left internal carotid artery. He underwent diagnostic cerebral angiogram and was found to have a direct left carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) with retrograde filling from the posterior circulation across the posterior communicating artery. Because of the severe injury to the left internal carotid artery (ICA), reconstructive repair of the ICA was not possible. The patient underwent deconstructive repair of the CCF by coil embolization using a posterior retrograde approach. Coils were successfully placed in the cavernous sinus and back into the left ICA with complete cure of the CCF and restoration of cerebral perfusion distal to the treated CCF. We review the types of CCFs, their clinical presentation, and their endovascular treatments. Retrograde access of a direct CCF is rarely reported in the literature, and we believe this approach offers a viable alternative in appropriately selected patients.

Background/Aims: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a life-threatening condition that necessitates early identification and intervention and is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic burden. However, several diagnostic challenges remain regarding risk stratification and the optimal timing of endoscopy. The PillSense System is a noninvasive device developed to detect blood in patients with UGIB in real time. This study aimed to assess the safety and performance characteristics of PillSense using a simulated bleeding model. Methods: A preclinical study was performed using an in vivo porcine model (14 animals). Fourteen PillSense capsules were endoscopically placed in the stomach and blood was injected into the stomach to simulate bleeding. The safety and sensitivity of blood detection and pill excretion were also investigated. Results: All the sensors successfully detected the presence or absence of blood. The minimum threshold was 9% blood concentration, with additional detection of increasing concentrations of up to 22.5% blood. All the sensors passed naturally through the gastrointestinal tract. Conclusions This study demonstrated the ability of the PillSense System sensor to detect UGIB across a wide range of blood concentrations. This ingestible device detects UGIB in real time and has the potential to be an effective tool to supplement the current standard of care. These favorable results will be further investigated in future clinical studies.

Perianeurysmal cysts are a rare and poorly understood finding in patients both with treated and untreated aneurysms. While the prior literature suggests that a minority of perianeurysmal cysts develop 1-4 years following endovascular aneurysm treatment, this updated review demonstrates that nearly half of perianeurysmal cysts were diagnosed following aneurysm coiling, with the other half diagnosed concurrently with an associated aneurysm prior to treatment. 64% of perianeurysmal cysts were surgically decompressed, with a 39% rate of recurrence requiring re-operation. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with vertigo and nausea and was found to have a 3.4 cm perianeurysmal cyst 20 years after initial endovascular coiling of a ruptured giant ophthalmic aneurysm. The cyst was treated with endoscopic fenestration followed by open fenestration upon recurrence. The case represents the longest latency from initial aneurysm treatment to cyst diagnosis reported in the literature and indicates that the diagnosis of perianeurysmal cyst should remain on the differential even decades after treatment. Based on a case discussion and updated literature review, this report highlights proposed etiologies of development and management strategies for a challenging lesion.

Objective: Stroke is the second-leading cause of death globally. Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) represents 10-15% of ischemic strokes in Western countries and up to 47% in Asian countries. Patients with ICAS have an especially high risk of stroke recurrence. The aim of this meta-analysis is to reassess recurrent stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and other outcomes with stenting versus best medical management for symptomatic ICAS. Methods: The search protocol was developed a priori according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The OVID Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to August 14th, 2022. Results: This Meta-analysis Included Four Randomized Controlled Trials (Rcts), With A Total Number Of 991 Patients. The Mean Age Of Participants Was 57 Years. The Total Number Of Intracranial Stenting Patients Was 495, And The Number Of Medical Treatment Patients Was 496. The Included Studies Were Published Between 2011 And 2022. Two Studies Were Conducted In The Usa, And The Other Two In China. All Included Studies Compared Intracranial Stenting To Medical Treatment For Icas. Conclusions In patients with ischemic stroke due to symptomatic severe intracranial atherosclerosis, the rate of 30-day ischemic stroke, 30-day intracerebral hemorrhage, one-year stroke in territory or mortality favored the medical treatment alone without intracranial stenting. The risk of same-territory stroke at last follow-up, disabling stroke at last follow-up, and mortality did not significantly favor either group. Intracranial stenting for atherosclerosis did not result in significant benefit over medical treatment.

Introduction: Constant stress predisposes medical students to anxiety. The study aimed to determine the association between animal companionship and anxiety among medical students at UERMMMCI. Methods: The study utilized an analytical cross-sectional design via an online form with the anxiety portion of the HADS questionnaire. Participants included first to third year medical students of a private medical school. Results: A total of 161 responses were recorded. Sex and year-level exhibited significant association with anxiety. Those with anxiety were 2.71 times more likely to be females (p = 0.007). Stratification showed that those with anxiety were 1.72 times less likely to be females with pets (p = 0.37) while, in contrast, those with anxiety were 3.64 times more likely (p = 0.02) to be males with pets. Those with anxiety were likely to belong to first and second-years (p = 0.01 and p = 0.06), respectively and pet owners, though, not statistically significant (p = 0.357). Conclusion An association between sex and year-level with anxiety was noted. Those with anxiety were likely to be females, first-years, and males with animal companionship. Although they did not reach statistical significance.
Anxiety ; Animals ; Students, Medical