BACKGROUND: Trapping an aneurysm after the establishment of an extracranial to intracranial high-flow bypass is considered the optimal surgical strategy for ruptured blood blister-like aneurysms (BBAs) of the internal carotid artery (ICA). For high-flow bypass surgeries, a radial artery graft is generally preferred over a saphenous vein graft (SVG). However, SVGs can be advantageous in acute-phase surgeries because of their greater length, easy manipulability, ability to act as high-flow conduits, and reduced risk of vasospasms. In this study, the authors presented five cases of ruptured BBAs treated with high-flow bypass using an SVG followed by BBA trapping, and they reported on surgical outcomes and operative nuances that may help avoid potential pitfalls.
METHODS: After the surgeries, there were no ischemic or hemorrhagic complications, including symptomatic vasospasms. In three of the five cases, postoperative modified Rankin scale scores were between 0 and 2 at the 3-month follow-up. In one case, the SVG spontaneously occluded after surgery while the protective superficial temporal artery (STA) to middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass became dominant, and the patient experienced no ischemic symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: High-flow bypass using an SVG with a protective STA-MCA bypass followed by BBA trapping is a safe and effective treatment strategy.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV t-PA) is effective for the treatment of distal artery occlusion. However, after the use of IV t-PA, vascular occlusion in unaffected territories may occur. Early recurrent ischemic stroke (ERIS) is defined as the occurrence of new neurological symptoms that suggest the involvement of initially unaffected vascular territories after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). The authors reviewed the cases of ERIS that occurred within 24 hours after treatment with IVT.
METHODS: A 75-year-old woman with occlusion in the M2 segment of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) was treated with IV t-PA. However, 360 minutes later, the patient presented with occlusion in the M1 distal segment of the contralateral side, the right MCA, which was recanalized by endovascular treatment. Her modified Rankin Scale score was 4; however, aphasia was not observed. She was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital after 3 months.
CONCLUSIONS: ERIS is an extremely rare but catastrophic event. The underlying mechanism of ERIS most likely involves the disintegration and subsequent scattering of a preexisting intracardiac thrombus. Hence, caution must be used when managing not only hemorrhagic complications but also ischemic complications after IV t-PA. Endovascular management may be the only effective treatment for this type of large vessel occlusion.

BACKGROUND: When performing clip ligation of superior projecting aneurysms of the proximal (M1) segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), meticulous sylvian fissure dissection alone may be inadequate for safe clip application, especially in cases in which the aneurysm is buried in the limen recess, since the limen insulae may be positioned lateral to the aneurysm. In the present patient series, the authors present their surgical technique for clip ligation of aneurysms located in the limen recess, with partial resection of the limen insulae.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who had undergone clip ligation of MCA aneurysms located at the limen recess at a single institute was performed. Patients with angiographic and clinical follow-up data were considered eligible. A total of 11 aneurysms (4 ruptured and 7 unruptured aneurysms) in 11 patients were evaluated. Postoperative ischemic lesions were observed on images obtained within 1 week after surgery in 5 (45.5%) patients who had undergone partial resection of the limen insulae, although none of them presented with neurological deterioration.
CONCLUSIONS: Partial resection of limen insulae may be feasible to avoid severe ischemic complications following clip ligation of M1 aneurysms embedded in the limen recess.

BACKGROUND: The authors presented their experience with a case of repeat thrombectomy in a 93-year-old patient who showed a favorable outcome after recurrent large vessel occlusion treated with emergency mechanical thrombectomy.
METHODS: Mechanical thrombectomy has been proven to be effective in treating large vessel occlusion types of ischemic stroke. Most of the patient populations involved in the thrombectomy-related studies were younger than 80 years. In addition, recurrent mechanical thrombectomy is not a common procedure in clinical practice. This unusual case demonstrated the potential to achieve a favorable outcome with thrombectomy even in a patient older than 85 years with recurrent large vessel occlusion.
CONCLUSIONS: There can be a favorable neurological outcome after one or repeat thrombectomies for geriatric patients older than 90 years, and age should not be a deterrent to treatment.

BACKGROUND: The authors report on four clinical cases with intraarterial verapamil administration to resolve vasospasm in patients who underwent surgery for intracranial tumors. Iatrogenic subarachnoid hemorrhage after tumor resection and subsequent vasospasm (an increase in the systolic linear velocity of blood flow through the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery of more than 250 cm/sec; Lindegaard index: 4.1) were observed in four patients during the early postoperative period after the removal of intracerebral tumors. Each vasospasm case was confirmed by angiography data, was clinically significant, and manifested as the development of a neurological deficit.
METHODS: Resolution of vasospasm with the intraarterial administration of verapamil was achieved in all four cases as confirmed by angiographic data in all four cases and complete regression of neurological symptoms in two cases. In all four presented cases, vasospasm was resolved; unfortunately, the resolution did not always lead to significant clinical improvement. However, lethal outcomes were avoided in two cases, and almost full recoveries were achieved in the other two.
CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe that the removal of intracranial tumors can cause expected and potential complications, such as cerebral vasospasm, which must be diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND: Occlusion of the unilateral P1 segment can result in bilateral paramedian thalamic infarction in patients with anatomical variants of the bilateral paramedian thalamic artery arising from a single P1 segment. Despite the life-threatening presentation of bilateral paramedian thalamic stroke, timely diagnosis is often challenging.
METHODS: The authors herein describe 3 patients treated with endovascular intervention for occlusion of the unilateral P1 segment wherein the bilateral paramedian thalamic arteries arose. All patients were admitted to the authors\' emergency department with sudden-onset coma and respiratory distress; however, initial computed tomography was unremarkable. Despite suspicion of basilar artery occlusion, vertebral and carotid angiography revealed occlusion of the unilateral P1 segment. All patients were successfully treated with endovascular intervention. Overall, 2 patients had favorable outcomes (modified Rankin scale [mRS] scores of 0 and 1), whereas in 1 patient, the mRS score reached a baseline score of 3.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with the variant of the bilateral paramedian thalamic artery arising from a single P1 segment, occlusion of the unilateral P1 segment can be life threatening; nevertheless, timely endovascular treatment is effective. Carotid and vertebral angiography, rather than magnetic resonance or computed tomography angiography, is useful for immediate and reliable diagnosis of the relatively small vascular lesions.

Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) occurs more frequently in elderly patients, while older patient age is associated with worse postoperative outcome following burr-hole drainage (BHD) of cSDH. The cSDH-Drain trial showed comparable recurrence rates after BHD and placement of either a subperiosteal drain (SPD) or subdural drain (SDD). Additionally, an SPD showed a significantly lower rate of infections as well as iatrogenic parenchymal injuries through drain misplacement. This post hoc analysis aims to compare recurrence rates and clinical outcomes following BHD of cSDH and the placement of SPDs or SDDs in elderly patients.
The study included 104 patients (47.3%) 80 years of age and older from the 220 patients recruited in the preceding cSDH-Drain trial. SPDs and SDDs were compared with regard to recurrence rate, morbidity, mortality, and clinical outcome. A post hoc analysis using logistic regression, comparing the outcome measurements for patients < 80 and ≥ 80 years old in a univariate analysis and stratified for drain type, was further completed.
Patients ≥ 80 years of age treated with an SDD showed higher recurrence rates (12.8%) compared with those treated with an SPD (8.2%), without a significant difference (p = 0.46). Significantly higher drain misplacement rates were observed for patients older than 80 years and treated with an SDD compared with an SPD (0% vs 20%, p = 0.01). Comparing patients older than 80 years to younger patients, significantly higher overall mortality (15.4% vs 5.2%, p = 0.012), 30-day mortality (3.8% vs 0%, p = 0.033), and surgical mortality (2.9% vs 1.7%, p = 0.034) rates were observed. Clinical outcome at the 12-month follow-up was significantly worse for patients ≥ 80 years old, and logistic regression showed a significant association of age with outcome, while drain type had no association with outcome.
The initial findings of the cSDH-Drain trial and the findings of this subanalysis suggest that SPD may be warranted in elderly patients. As opposed to drain type, patient age (> 80 years) was significantly associated with worse outcome, as well as higher morbidity and mortality rates.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common among the elderly, often treated with antiplatelet (AP) or anticoagulation (AC) therapy, creating new challenges in neurosurgery. In contrast to elective craniotomy, in which AP/AC therapy is mostly discontinued, in TBI usually no delay in treatment can be afforded. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of AP/AC therapy on postoperative bleeding after craniotomy/craniectomy in TBI.
Postoperative bleeding rates in patients treated with AP/AC therapy (blood thinner group) and in those without AP/AC therapy (control group) were retrospectively compared. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify risk factors for postoperative bleeding. Lastly, a proportional Cox regression analysis comparing postoperative bleeding events within 14 days in both groups was performed.
Of 143 consecutive patients undergoing craniotomy/craniectomy for TBI between 2012 and 2017, 47 (32.9%) were under AP/AC treatment. No significant difference for bleeding events was observed in univariate (40.4% blood thinner group vs 36.5% control group; p = 0.71) or Cox proportional regression analysis (log rank χ2 = 0.29, p = 0.59). Patients with postoperative bleeding showed a significantly higher mortality rate (p = 0.035). In the univariate analysis, hemispheric lesion, acute subdural hematoma, hematological disease, greater extent of midline shift, and pupillary difference were significantly associated with a higher risk of postoperative bleeding. However, in the multivariate regression analysis none of these factors showed a significant association with postoperative bleeding.
Patients treated with AP/AC therapy undergoing craniotomy/craniectomy due to TBI do not appear to have increased rates of postoperative bleeding. Once postoperative bleeding occurs, mortality rates rise significantly.

Large experiences with the treatment of pediatric arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) remain relatively rare, with limited data on presentation, treatment, and long-term functional outcomes. Because of the expected long lifespan of children, caregivers are especially interested in outcome measures that assess quality of life. The authors\' intention was to describe the long-term functional outcomes of pediatric patients who undergo AVM surgery and to identify predictors of sustained neurological deficits.
The authors analyzed a 21-year retrospective cohort of pediatric patients with intracranial AVMs treated with microsurgery at two institutions. The primary outcome was a persistent neurological deficit at last follow-up. Secondary outcome measures included modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score and independent living.
Overall, 97 patients (mean age 11.1 ± 4.5 years; 56% female) were treated surgically for intracranial AVMs (mean follow-up 77.5 months). Sixty-four patients (66%) presented with hemorrhage, and 45 patients (46%) had neurological deficits at presentation. Radiologically, 39% of lesions were Spetzler-Martin grade II. Thirty-seven patients (38%) with persistent neurological deficits at last follow-up were compared with those without deficits; there were no differences in patient age, presenting Glasgow Coma Scale score, AVM size, surgical blood loss, or duration of follow-up. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a focal neurological deficit on presentation, AVM size > 3 cm, and lesions in eloquent cortex were independent predictors of persistent neurological deficits at long-term follow-up. Overall, 92% of the children had an mRS score ≤ 2 on long-term follow-up.
Pediatric patients with AVMs treated with microsurgical resection have good functional and radiological outcomes. There is a high rate (38%) of persistent neurological deficits, which were independently predicted by preoperative deficits, AVMs > 3 cm, and lesions located in eloquent cortex. This information can be useful in counseling families on the likelihood of long-term neurological deficits after cerebral AVM surgery.

Postoperative neurological deficits impair the overall outcome of revascularization surgery for patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) is approved for the treatment of ischemic stroke in China. This pilot study evaluated the effect of NBP on perioperative stroke and neurological deficits in patients with MMD.
The authors studied cases in which patients underwent combined revascularization surgery for MMD at their institution, with or without NBP administration. The overall study group included 164 patients (213 surgically treated hemispheres), including 49 patients who received NBP (25 mg twice daily) for 7 postoperative days. The incidence of perioperative stroke and transient neurological deficit (TND) and the severity of neurological deficits were compared between 49 propensity score-matched case pairs with or without NBP treatment. Subgroup analyses by type of onset and preoperative neurological status were also performed to determine specific characteristics of patients who might benefit from NBP administration.
In the overall cohort, baseline characteristics differed with respect to preoperative stroke and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score between patients who received NBP and those who did not receive it. In the 49 propensity score-matched pairs, postoperative stroke was observed in 11 patients and TND occurred in 21 patients, with no significant difference in incidence between the 2 groups. However, the TND was less severe in the NBP-treated group (p = 0.01). At 1 month after surgery, the neurological outcome was more favorable (p = 0.001) and the disability-free recovery rate was higher in patients with NBP treatment (p < 0.001). The number of patients who experienced an improved neurological function, compared to preoperative function, as measured by mRS, was greater in the NBP group than in the no-NBP group (p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that NBP administration was associated with decreased severity of TND (OR 0.28, p = 0.02), improved neurological function (OR 65.29, p = 0.04), and lower postoperative mRS score (OR 0.06, p < 0.001). These beneficial effects of NBP remained significant in ischemic type MMD and patients with preoperative mRS scores of 2 or greater.
Postoperative administration of NBP may alleviate perioperative neurological deficits after revascularization surgery for MMD, especially in patients with ischemic MMD and unfavorable preoperative status. The results of this study suggest that randomized controlled trials to assess the potential benefit of NBP in patients with MMD may be warranted.