• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.228-231
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• 2010

Posttraumatic syringomyelia may result from a variety of inherent conditions and traumatic events, or from some combination of these. Many hypotheses have arisen to explain this complex disorder, but no consensus has emerged. A 28-year-old man presented with progressive lower extremity weakness, spasticity, and decreased sensation below the T4 dermatome five years after an initial trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large, multi-septate syrinx cavity extending from C5 to L1, with a retropulsed bony fragment of L2. We performed an L2 corpectomy, L1-L3 interbody fusion using a mesh cage and screw fixation, and a wide decompression and release of the ventral portion of the spinal cord with an operating microscope. The patient showed complete resolution of his neurological symptoms, including the bilateral leg weakness and dysesthesia. Postoperative MRI confirmed the collapse of the syrinx and restoration of subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. These findings indicate a good correlation between syrinx collapse and symptomatic improvement. This case showed that syringomyelia may develop through obstruction of the subarachnoid CSF space by a bony fracture and kyphotic deformity. Ventral decompression of the obstructed subarachnoid space, with restoration of spinal alignment, effectively treated the spinal canal encroachment and post-traumatic syringomyelia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.251-256
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• 2014

Severe intraventricular hemorrhaging (IVH) in premature infants and subsequent posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) causes significant mortality and life-long neurological complications, including seizures, cerebral palsy, and developmental retardation. However, there are currently no effective therapies for neonatal IVH. The pathogenesis of PHH has been mainly explained by inflammation within the subarachnoid spaces due to the hemolysis of extravasated blood after IVH. Obliterative arachnoiditis, induced by inflammatory responses, impairs cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) resorption and subsequently leads to the development of PHH with ensuing brain damage. Increasing evidence has demonstrated potent immunomodulating abilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various brain injury models. Recent reports of MSC transplantation in an IVH model of newborn rats demonstrated that intraventricular transplantation of MSCs downregulated the inflammatory cytokines in CSF and attenuated progressive PHH. In addition, MSC transplantation mitigated the brain damages that ensue after IVH and PHH, including reactive gliosis, cell death, delayed myelination, and impaired behavioral functions. These findings suggest that MSCs are promising therapeutic agents for neuroprotection in preterm infants with severe IVH.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.962-975
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• 2020

The accurate segmentation of infant brain MR image into white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is very important for early studying of brain growing patterns and morphological changes in neurodevelopmental disorders. Because of inherent myelination and maturation process, the WM and GM of babies (between 6 and 9 months of age) exhibit similar intensity levels in both T1-weighted (T1w) and T2-weighted (T2w) MR images in the isointense phase, which makes brain tissue segmentation very difficult. We propose a deep network architecture based on U-Net, called Triple Residual Multiscale Fully Convolutional Network (TRMFCN), whose structure exists three gates of input and inserts two blocks: residual multiscale block and concatenate block. We solved some difficulties and completed the segmentation task with the model. Our model outperforms the U-Net and some cutting-edge deep networks based on U-Net in evaluation of WM, GM and CSF. The data set we used for training and testing comes from iSeg-2017 challenge (http://iseg2017.web.unc.edu).

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.sup1
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• pp.29-31
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• 2016

Glucose transport 1 (GLUT-1) deficiency is a rare syndrome caused by mutations in the glucose transporter 1 gene (SLC2A1) and is characterized by early-onset intractable epilepsy, delayed development, and movement disorder. De novo mutations and several hot spots in N34, G91, R126, R153, and R333 of exons 2, 3, 4, and 8 of SLC2A1 are associated with this condition. Seizures, one of the main clinical features of GLUT-1 deficiency, usually develop during infancy. Most patients experience brief and subtle myoclonic jerk and focal seizures that evolve into a mixture of different types of seizures, such as generalized tonic-clonic, absence, myoclonic, and complex partial seizures. Here, we describe the case of a patient with GLUT-1 deficiency who developed infantile spasms and showed delayed development at 6 months of age. She had intractable epilepsy despite receiving aggressive antiepileptic drug therapy, and underwent a metabolic workup. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showed CSF-glucose-to-blood-glucose ratio of 0.38, with a normal lactate level. Bidirectional sequencing of SLC2A1 identified a missense mutation (c.1198C>T) at codon 400 (p.Arg400Cys) of exon 9.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.10
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• pp.395-401
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• 2016

Since the outbreak of the enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection in Malaysia in 1997, large epidemics of EV71 have occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. Many children and infants have died from serious neurological complications during these epidemics, and EV71 infection has become a serious public health problem in these areas. EV71 infection causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, and usually resolves spontaneously. However, EV71 occasionally involves the central nervous system (CNS), and induces diverse neurological complications such as brainstem encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, and acute flaccid paralysis. Among those complications, brainstem encephalitis is the most critical neurological manifestation because it can cause neurogenic pulmonary hemorrhage/edema leading to death. The characteristic clinical symptoms such as myoclonus and ataxia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, and brainstem lesions on magnetic resonance imaging, in conjunction with the skin rash of HFMD and the isolation of EV71 from a stool, throat-swab, or CSF sample are typical findings indicating CNS involvement of EV71 infection. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and milrinone are recommended in cases with severe neurological complications from EV71 infection, such as brainstem encephalitis. Despite the recent discovery of receptors for EV71 in human cells, such as the scavenger receptor B2 and P-selection glycoprotein ligand 1, it is not known why EV71 infection predominantly involves the brainstem. Recently, 3 companies in China have completed phase III clinical trials of EV71 vaccines. However, the promotion and approval of these vaccines in various countries are problems yet to be resolved.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.152-156
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• 1999

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a rare syndrome which causes postural headache associated with low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, without preceding events such as lumbar puncture, back trauma, operative procedure or illness. The headche is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, neck stiffness, vertigo, photophobia and in rare cases diplopia, transient visual obscuration. Brain MRI may show subdural effusion, downward displacement of brain and diffuse and continuous meningeal enhancement when enhanced by gadolinium. Low opening pressure was shown through lumbar puncture. The value of protein and cell count of CSF may be slightly elevated. This syndrome usually resolves itself spontaneously or with strict bed rest. When the headache is persistent or incapacitating, more aggressive treatment may be necessary. We treated two cases of SIH in which epidural blood patch produced immediate and complete relief of the symptoms.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.670-673
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• 2009

Purpose: Epidural abscesses and subdural empyemas after craniotomy are uncommon, potentially lethal, complications of neurosurgery. Patients with these complications may be difficult to manage and dural reconstruction in these patients are challenging. Methods: A 28 - year - old female patient showed recurrent intracranial infection after craniotomy for evacuation of a arachnoid cyst and subdural hematoma. Despite prolonged systemic antibiotic administration and a debridement of the subdural space, infection persisted, as evidenced by persistent fever, an elevated WBC count, CSF leakage, low CSF glucose level, and purulent wound discharge. The authors removed the previously applied lyophilized dura and transferred free omental flap to reconstruct the dura, obliterate the cyst and cover the cerebral hemisphere in the craniotomy defect. Microvascular anastomosis was between gastroepiploic and superficial temporal vessels. Results: The postoperative course was uneventful and flap survival was excellent. The infection - resistant omental tissue allowed sufficient blood circulation and dead space control. The patient was discharged 1 month after surgery and wound discharge or recurrence was absent during 13 months of follow up periods. Conclusion: The use of vascularized free omentum proved useful in cases of intractable cranial wound infection and cerebrospinal fluid leakages.

• Journal of Electrodiagnosis and Neuromuscular Diseases
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2018

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) after trauma and general orthopedic surgery is rare. A 74-year-old woman showed ascending paralysis symmetrically, dysarthria, dysphagia and areflexia on 14 days after minimally invasive endoscopic thermoannuloplasty on L4-5 level. Brain and lumbar magnetic resonance imaging demonstrate no abnormal findings. The electrodiagnostic study showed prolonged distal motor, sensory latencies and F-wave latencies and reduced amplitude of compound muscle action potential in nerves of upper and lower extremities. In the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination, total protein and IgG were increased. We diagnosed Guillain-Barre Syndrome based on clinical features, electrodiagnostic study and CSF examination and the patient improved symptoms after immunoglobulin injection and rehabilitation. Because the occurrence of GBS after minimally invasive procedure has not been reported, we report a case of GBS after minimally invasive procedure with literature review.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.841-845
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• 2022

Objective : Chiari III malformations are extremely rare hindbrain malformations that are associated with a high early mortality rate, or severe neurologic deficits in the survivors. The treatment is early operative closure and cerebrospinal fluid diversion (CSF) shunting. Methods : We operated on 15 patients by repair and excision between July 2014 till June 2020 and retrospective data collection was done. Only one patient doesn't need ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt and the other 14 patients need a VP shunt. We described stepwise dissection and untethering of the cerebellum from the bony edge to regrowth and herniation of cerebellum again into this potential space and simple dural closure or repair with graft was done. Results : We started with VP in eight patients (53%) and the other seven patients (46.7%) started with excision and then six patients need VP shunt later on because four patients developed CSF leak and two patients developed increased high intracranial tension. Only four patients (26.7%) needed a blood transfusion. Conclusion : There are variations in the outcome and not all cases of Chiari malformation III will die and severe developmental delay is not a must. Proper management and repair carry a good prognosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.376-381
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• 2024

Choroid plexus hyperplasia (CPH), also known as diffuse villous hyperplasia of choroid plexus, is a rare condition characterized by excessive production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), resulting in hydrocephalus. Diagnosing CPH can be challenging due to the absence of clear imaging criteria for choroid plexus hypertrophy and the inability to assess CSF production non-invasively. As a result, many CPH patients are initially treated with a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, but subsequently require additional surgical intervention due to intractable ascites. In our study, we encountered two CPH patients who presented with significantly enlarged subarachnoid spaces, reduced parenchymal volume, and prominent choroid plexus. Initially, we treated these patients with a VP shunt, but eventually opted for endoscopic choroid plexus cauterization (CPC) to address the intractable ascites. Following the treatment with endoscopic CPC, we observed a gradual reduction in subarachnoid spaces and an increase in parenchymal volume. In cases where bilateral prominent choroid plexus, markedly enlarged subarachnoid spaces, and cortical atrophy are present, CPH should be suspected. In these cases, considering initial treatment with combined endoscopic CPC and shunt may help minimize the need for multiple surgical interventions.