Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasingly being described as a cause of acute sinusitis. We present a patient with acute MRSA sinusitis complicated by rapid intracranial extension, marginal vancomycin susceptibility (MIC = 2 mg/L), delayed drainage of intracranial abscess, and subsequent development of rifampin resistance. Given the relatively high risk of intracranial ...

A comatose 23-year-old woman with acute liver failure due to an overdose of acetaminophen had indications of intracranial hypertension and underwent liver transplantation. Her level of arousal did not improve, and on postoperative day 1, clinical signs of cerebral herniation became apparent. An intracranial pressure monitor was placed, and intracranial hypertension was documented. Elevations in...

BACKGROUND The risk factors for intracranial atherosclerosis are unclear but may differ from those for other stroke subtypes. Here, we investigated whether metabolic syndrome, an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is associated with intracranial atherosclerotic stroke. METHODS Using the Adults Treatment Panel III criteria, we evaluated the components of metabolic syndrome in 439...

Inflammation plays a key role in formation and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Because hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) protects against vascular inflammation, we sought to assess the role of endogenous HGF in the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysms. Circulating HGF concentrations in blood samples drawn from the lumen of human intracranial aneurysms or femoral arteries were compared in 16 p...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is an uncertainty about the association between intracranial aneurysms and aortic dissection. We aimed to determine the prevalence of intracranial aneurysms in patients with aortic dissection and evaluate the independent risk factors for the presence of intracranial aneurysms in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy-one patients with a confirmed aortic dis...

PURPOSE To analyze retrospectively the risk factors of spinal recurrence in patients with intracranial germinoma and clinical outcomes of patients who developed spinal recurrence. METHODS AND MATERIALS Between 1980 and 2007, 165 patients with no evidence of spinal metastases at diagnosis were treated with cranial radiotherapy without spinal irradiation. The median follow-up in all 165 patient...

DESPITE THE CATASTROPHIC consequence of ruptured intracranial aneurysms, very little is understood regarding their pathogenesis, and there are no reliable predictive markers for identifying at-risk individuals. Given that intracranial aneurysms have a strong but complex genetic component and well-characterized modifiable risk factors, it seems likely that the most valuable approach to developin...

Entrainment of air following exploration of posterior cranial fossa in the sitting position was studied in five patients. Intracranial pressure was monitored through a ventriculostomy catheter after closure of the dura. In three patients nitrous oxide was added to the breathing mixture only after the baseline intracranial pressure had stabilised following closure of the dura. A marked rise in i...

BACKGROUND Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is a rare cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causing intracranial hypertension. METHODS Case report. RESULTS We report a case of RCVS-related ICH leading to refractory intracranial hypertension. A decompressive craniectomy was performed to control intracranial pressure. We discuss here the management of RCVS with intracran...