Delayed cerebral vasospasm is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). While the cellular mechanisms underlying vasospasm remain unclear, it is believed that inflammation may play a critical role in vasospasm. Matrix metalloproteinasees (MMPs) are a family of extracellular and membrane-bound proteases capable of degrading the blood-rain ...

Rabies encephalitis is a uniformly fatal disease with several hypothesis proposed to explain pathogenesis and mortality. One such theory premises deficiency of neuronal nitric oxide synthetase deficiency causing selective cerebral vasospasm. We present transcranial Doppler findings in a case of rabies that did not show imaging evidence of vasospasm. Transcranial Doppler in two published cases h...

The left main coronary artery (LMCA) vasospasm is rare. We report a suspected acute coronary syndrome patient with hyperthyroidism who had LMCA vasospasm. Coronary angiogram showed 60% stenosis at LMCA. After administering nitroglycerin, re-angiography showed no significant stenosis. Then we evaluated LMCA lesion using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) showing no significant stenosis. We consider...

In their first description of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), Dote et al1 hypothesized that the disease was caused by multivessel coronary vasospasm, because 4 of 5 patients in their report had either spontaneous or provocable coronary vasospasm on coronary angiography. However, later studies did not find supporting evidence for the pathogenic role of coronary vasospasm. Recently, the vasospasm ...

BACKGROUND Protein S100B has proven to be a useful biomarker for cerebral damages. Increased levels of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) S100B have been shown in patients suffering subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), severe head injury and stroke. In patients with SAH, the course of S100B levels has been correlated with neurological deficits and outcome. Cerebral vasospasm is a major contributor t...

This paper reviews our recent studies on the mechanism of cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in monkeys. Middle cerebral artery (MCA) vasospasm was maximal at 7 days, resolving by 14 days, and absent at 28 days after SAH. Arterial fibrosis was not detected during vasospasm, although there was intimal hyperplasia with fibrosis 28 days after SAH. On scanning electron micro...

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) often induces a long-term narrowing of the cerebral artery called cerebral vasospasm. Myosin light chain (MLC) in the spastic basilar artery was reported previously to be phosphorylated by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent MLC kinase. Because Rho-kinase, which is activated by the small GTPase Rho, phosphorylates not only MLC but also myosin phosphatase at its myosin-bind...

Starting in 1984, the technique of angioplasty was no longer confined to only the treatment of peripheral and coronary arteries. In the original paper investigating the technique of angioplasty in cerebral arteries after cerebral vasospasm from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) , Zubkov et al. found an overall decrease in headaches and focal neurological deficits after the procedure (Zu...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) may be associated with the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This study aimed to clarify the role of MAPK expression and activation during cerebral vasospasm and to evaluate the therapeutic effect on cerebral vasospasm using an antisense MAPK oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN). METHODS Antisense MAPK,...

Background Cerebral artery vasospasm accounts for the majority of delayed neurological deficits in ruptured aneurysm patients. We report two cases and review the literature* of patients who developed symptomatic vasospasm after treatment for unruptured cerebral artery aneurysms with clip ligation. Preand post-operative imaging and studies revealed absence of subarachnoid or focal hemorrhage. Ca...