• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.267-274
• /
• 2013

Purpose : To re-evaluate additional clinical significance of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map in the inference of infarction stage, authors studied the evolution patterns of the DWI and the ADC map of the brain infarction. Materials and Methods: In 127 patients with cerebral infarctions, including follow-up checks, 199 studies were performed. They were classified as hourly (117 studies)-, daily (108 studies)-, weekly (62 studies)-based groups. The signal intensity (SI) was measured at the core of the infarction and contralateral area with ROI of 0.3 $cm^2$ or more on the images of the DWI and the ADC map, and calculated the ratios of SI and ADC value of the infarction area / contralateral normal area, and compared the patterns of the change according to the evolution. Results: Infarction was detected as early as 1 hour after the attack, and the ratio of SI in the DWI became over than 2 after 12 hours, which showed a plateau until the 6th day. Thereafter, it decreased slowly to 1 on the 30th day, and changed to lower SI than the surrounding brain. The ratio in the ADC map became 0.46 in 24 hours after the attack, and increased slowly to 1 in the 15th day. Thereafter, it became a higher value than the surrounding brain. Overall, the ratio in the ADC map changed earlier than in the DWI, and the ratio curves showed inverse pattern each other according to the evolution of the infarction. Conclusion: The evolution patterns of infarction on the ADC map showed an inverse curve of DWI curve, which means that the ADC value is accurately predictable from DWI, and the ADC map joined with the DWI seems helpful in the determination of subacute infarction between 15 to 30 days.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.347-366
• /
• 2012

The aim of this new statement is to provide comprehensive and timely evidence-based recommendations on stroke management for clinical practitioners. Many countries are already well engaged in developing and releasing their own clinical practice guidelines, whereas Korean Medicine (KM) is still beginning. It will take time and effort to develop evidence-based guidelines and recommendations of KM or other traditional medicine because they are weak in the area of scientific evidence. The clinical practice guideline of Korean medicine for stroke was formulated through extensive review of published literature and consensus meeting of Korean medicine specialists. This project was supported by a grant of the Oriental Medicine R&D Project, the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Referring to guidelines developed in other countries, the experts in the subject tried to organize and develop guidelines and recommendations adequate for domestic medical circumstances. In December, 2008, a multi-disciplinary team called the Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Development Group (EBCPGsDG) for Stroke was organized. The writing committee was comprised of experts in internal medicine, acupuncture, rehabilitation, and Sasang constitution. Outside specialists and associated panels were invited for consultation. The scope of the guideline encompasses acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine (including Korean medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Kampo medicine) as interventions for stroke patients. It includes statements about ischemic stroke (I63), stroke not specified as hemorrhage or infarction (I64), and sequelae of cerebrovascular disease (I69) according to the International Classification of Disease (ICD). The committee subdivided the description of herbal medications into acute stroke management, subacute stroke management, post-stroke management, and secondary prevention of stroke. Guidelines on the practice of acupuncture and moxibustion were described in order for acute stroke management, subacute stroke management, chronic stroke management, and post-stroke rehabilitation. Clinicians who are working in the field of stroke care can adopt this guideline for their practice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.84 no.5
• /
• pp.1140-1145
• /
• 2023

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-RI) is an encephalopathy caused by inflammation of β-amyloid peptide deposition in cerebrovascular vessels. It is a rare disease that mainly occurs in the elderly and is characterized by rapidly progressive dementia, headache, seizures, and focal neurologic deficits. CAA-RI can demonstrate characteristic brain MRI findings and can be reversed by steroids or other immunosuppressive therapies. Here, we report a case of CAA-RI, which was initially misdiagnosed as a subacute infarction but was diagnosed while reviewing follow-up brain MRI images, and spontaneous remission was achieved.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.413-415
• /
• 2007

A 26-year-old man was admitted to our department due to intermittent left hemiparesis for 3 months. Magnetic resonance Image showed subacute infarction in the right precentral gyrus. Digital subtraction angiography and magnetic resonance angiography revealed an aneurysmal protrusion at the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation. It was difficult to differentiate the aneurysm from the occlusion of the middle trunk of the MCA trifurcation. Brain single photon emission computerized tomography showed a decrease in perfusion in the right posterior frontal lobe without vascular reserve. Therefore, we planned a superficial temporal artery MCA anastomosis with an exploration of the right MCA bifurcation. Intraoperatively, the aneurysmal opacification on preoperative angiography proved to be the proximal stump of the occluded middle trunk of the MCA trifurcation. An aneurysmal protrusion at the MCA bifurcation does not always indicate an aneurysm. In diagnosing protruding vascular lesions at the MCA bifurcation, the possibility of a vascular stump should be considered according to their angioanatomical appearance and the history of the patient.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.313-323
• /
• 2009

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been demonstrated to be a practical method for the diagnosis of various brain diseases such as acute infarction, brain tumor, and white matter disease. In this study, we used two techniques to examine the average signal intensity (SI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the brains of patients who ranged in age from 10 to 60 years. Our results indicated that the average SI was the highest in amygdala (as derived from DWI), whereas that in the cerebrospinal fluid was the lowest. The average ADC was the highest in the cerebrospinal fluid, whereas the lowest measurement was derived from the pons. The average SI and ADC were higher in $T_2^*$-DW-EPI than in FLAIR-DW-EPI. The higher the b-value, the smaller the average difference in both imaging techniques; the lower the b-value, the greater the average difference. Also, comparative analysis of the brains of patients who had experienced cerebral infarction showed no distinct lesion in the general MR image over time. However, there was a high SI in apparent weighted images. Analysis of other brain diseases (e.g., bleeding, acute, subacute, chronic infarction) indicated SI variance in accordance with characteristics of the two techniques. The higher the SI, the lower the ADC. Taken together, the value of SI and ADC in accordance with frequently occurring areas and various brain disease varies based on the b-value and imaging technique. Because they provide additional useful information in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with various brain diseases through signal recognition, the proper imaging technique and b-value are important for the detection and interpretation of subacute stroke and other brain diseases.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.12 no.7
• /
• pp.273-283
• /
• 2012

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have significantly reduced in-stent restenosis, compared to bare-metal stents (BMS). However, there remains concern for the increased risk of stent thrombosis (ST) associated with DES. The present study sought to evaluate the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcome of ST in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) during a 1-year follow-up. 80 patients who developed ST were divided into 2 groups according to stent type: group I (DES-ST, n = 57 ) and group II (BMS-ST, n = 23 ). There were no differences between group I and II in the overall incidence of ST (2.7% vs. 4.3%, p=0.064) and in the incidence of each type of ST: acute ST (8.8% vs. 2.3%), subacute ST (50.9% vs. 60.9%), late ST (19.3% vs. 8.7%), and very late ST (21.1% vs. 17.4%) (p=0.605). Predictors of 1-year mortality were the occurrence of ST (OR 8.12, 95% CI 2.83-23.61, p<0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction<40% (OR 6.41, 95% CI 2.42-16.96, p<0.001), and age${\geq}$75 years (OR 4.98, 95% CI 1.95-12.74, p=0.001).

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.281-287
• /
• 2011

Objective : Pituitary apoplexy is life-threatening clinical syndrome caused by the rapid enlargement of a pituitary tumor due to hemorrhage and/or infarction. The pathogenesis of pituitary apoplexy is not completely understood. We analyzed the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pituitary tumors and subsequently correlated the radiological findings with the clinical presentation. Additionally, immunohistochemistry was also performed to determine whether certain biomarkers are related to radiological apoplexy. Methods : Thirty-four cases of pituitary adenoma were enrolled for retrospective analysis. In this study, the radiological apoplexy was defined as cases where hemorrhage, infarction or cysts were identified on MRI. Acute clinical presentation was defined as the presence of any of the following symptoms: severe sudden onset headache, decreased visual acuity and/or visual field deficit, and acute mental status changes. Angiogenesis was quantified by immunohistochemical expression of fetal liver kinase 1 (Flk-1), neuropilin (NRP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, while microvascular density (MVD) was assessed using Endoglin and CD31. Results : Clinically, fourteen patients presented with acute symptoms and 20 for mild or none clinical symptoms. Radiologically, fifteen patients met the criteria for radiological apoplexy. Of the fifteen patients with radiologic apoplexy, 9 patients presented acute symptoms whereas of the 19 patient without radiologic apoplexy, 5 patients presented acute symptoms. Of the five biomarkers tracked, only VEGF was found to be positively correlated with both radiological and nonradiological apoplexy. Conclusion : While pituitary apoplexy is currently defined in cases where clinical symptoms can be histologically confirmed, we contend that cases of radiologically identified pituitary hemorrhages that present with mild or no symptoms should be designated subacute or subclinical apoplexy. VEGF is believed to have a positive correlation with pituitary hemorrhage. Considering the high rate of symptomatic or asymptomatic pituitary tumor hemorrhage, additional studies are needed to detect predictors of the pituitary hemorrhage.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.7-16
• /
• 1998

Background and Purpose The increasing evidence for neurally mediated cardiac damage and sudden death has focused attention on the central autonomic control of cardiac function. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability(HRV) can detect autonomic consequences of stroke. We performed power spectral analysis of heart rate variability from 24-hour holter recording to identify cerebral hemispheric lateralization and gender effect in cardiac autonomic control. Methods Data were obtained from 24-hour holter recordings in 30 consecutive patients with hemispheric brain infarction in the subacute phase. We analysed the time domain and frequency domain measures of HRV and ST segment by hemispheric lateralization and Gender. Results ST segment was depressed in women compared with man. There was no statistically significant differences between right and left hemisphere stroke patients in any standard index of HRV and ST segment changes. Conclusions These data are partial consistent with evidence from the recent literature that two cerebral hemispheres and gender have a differential influence on the nature and severity of cardiac dysfunction. We think the prospective and definite study was necessary.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.628-640
• /
• 2017

Purpose: To describe the effectiveness of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) on the patients with secondary dementia (case 1: Rt. MCA infarction; case 2: traumatic subacute subdural hemorrhage and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage; case 3: delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning). Methods: We used a complete TKM treatment. The acupoints used were as follows: acupoints frequently used in hemiparesis (GV20, GV24, ST4, LI11, LI14, ST36, GB34, SP9, and LR3), and we used herbal medicine (補腎益腦湯加味, Boshiniknoe-tang-gami). The efficacy was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Results: After treatment, the total MMSE-DS score was increased from 14 to 24 (case 1), 14 to 19 (case 2), and 0 to 17 (case 3). The total K-MBI was increased from 30 to 44 (case 1), 82 to 86 (case 2), and 30 to 86 (case 3) Conclusions: We suggest that TKM could positively influence cognition and improve activity of daily living (ADL). This study has limitations, so further studies are needed.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.22 no.11
• /
• pp.1875-1885
• /
• 2021

Objective: Central nervous system involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been increasingly reported. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the incidence of radiologically demonstrated neurologic complications and detailed neuroimaging findings associated with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search of MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE databases was performed up to September 17, 2020, and studies evaluating neuroimaging findings of COVID-19 using brain CT or MRI were included. Several cohort-based outcomes, including the proportion of patients with abnormal neuroimaging findings related to COVID-19 were evaluated. The proportion of patients showing specific neuroimaging findings was also assessed. Subgroup analyses were also conducted focusing on critically ill COVID-19 patients and results from studies that used MRI as the only imaging modality. Results: A total of 1394 COVID-19 patients who underwent neuroimaging from 17 studies were included; among them, 3.4% of the patients demonstrated COVID-19-related neuroimaging findings. Olfactory bulb abnormalities were the most commonly observed (23.1%). The predominant cerebral neuroimaging finding was white matter abnormality (17.6%), followed by acute/subacute ischemic infarction (16.0%), and encephalopathy (13.0%). Significantly more critically ill patients had COVID-19-related neuroimaging findings than other patients (9.1% vs. 1.6%; p = 0.029). The type of imaging modality used did not significantly affect the proportion of COVID-19-related neuroimaging findings. Conclusion: Abnormal neuroimaging findings were occasionally observed in COVID-19 patients. Olfactory bulb abnormalities were the most commonly observed finding. Critically ill patients showed abnormal neuroimaging findings more frequently than the other patient groups. White matter abnormalities, ischemic infarctions, and encephalopathies were the common cerebral neuroimaging findings.