EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE MORPHOLOGY OF CEREBRAL BRIDGING VEIN

To investigate the morphological properties of pig cerebral bridging vein. Methods. The morphology and fibre arrangement of 15 cerebral bridging veins obtained from 7 Danish Yorkshire landrace pigs were observed. Results. There was a narrow region at the junction of the cerebral bridging veins and superior sagittal sinus termed“ outflow cuff segment". The diameter and length of outflow cuff segment were much smaller and the thickness was higher than those of the cerebral bridging veins (P0.05). Conclusions. There were differences in fibre arrangement and morphological properties between the outflow cuff segment and the cerebral bridging vein, just like a resistance valve, the outflow cuff segment may play an important role in stabilizing cerebral venous outflow and regulating intracranial pressure.

Vascular changes caused by deep brain stimulation using double-dose gadolinium-enhanced brain MRI

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 32 patients with medically intractable idiopathic Parkinson＇s disease who had undergone staged bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subtha-lamic nuclei from January 2007 to May 2011. The vascularture of the patients who received two deep brain stimulations was detected using double-dose gadolinium-enhanced brain MRI. The dimensions of straight sinus, superior sagittal sinus, ipsilateral internal cerebral vein in the tha- lamic branch and ipsilateral anterior caudate vein were reduced. These findings demonstrate that bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nuclei affects cerebral venous blood flow.

Deep cerebral venous thrombosis in adults

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathogenesis, clinical features, radiographic findings and therapeutic outcomes of non-acute intracranial deep venous thrombosis in adults. METHODS: Five patients who presented with increased intracranial pressure were examined with computed tomography, magnetic resonance and angiography, diagnosed as having non-acute intracranial deep venous thrombosis, and treated with thrombolytic therapy. They were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 3 men and 2 women, aged from 22 to 49 years. Symptom duration ranged from 1 month to 7 months, and 4 of the 5 patients were associated with venous sinus thrombosis. Two patients developed cold and fever before the onset of disease, and 3 patients had no evident predisposing factors. After the infusion of thrombolytic and systemic anti-coagulant therapy, the neurological symptoms and signs of the patients were alleviated. CONCLUSIONS: Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is more sensitive and accurate than MRI on diagnosing intracranial deep venous thrombosis. It may play an important role in the assessment of the treatment of intracranial deep venous thrombosis. Thrombolysis and anticoagulation of intracranial deep venous thrombosis appears to be a safe and efficacious treatment not only in the acute stage but also in the non-acute stage.

Biological characteristics of the cerebral venous system and its hemodynamic response to intracranial hypertension

Background The role of the cerebral venous system （CVS） in intracranial pressure （ICP） regulation remains largely unclear. In the present study, the interaction between ICP and the cerebral venous system and its possible mechanism were investigated with respect to the biological characteristics of the cerebral venous system and its hemodynamic response under increased ICP. Methods We created intracranial hypertension animal model, measured and calculated the venous flow velocity and diameter of the outflow terminal of the CVS with color ultrasonic system and recorded the vascular morphology by 3-dimensional anatomical microscopy. Patients who suffered from raised ICP underwent MRI and digital subtraction angiography （DSA） examination to show the length in the vertical direction of the wall of the bridging vein representing the diameter value. Pathological autopsy was performed from bodies of patients who had died from non-cerebral causes to observe the juncture part between the venous sinuses and tributary vertical brain veins. Results Under increased ICP conditions, venous drainage through the outlet cuff segment, a unique structure between the bridge vein and sinus, was obstructed and in turn venous blood became congested. Therefore, the increased blood volume worsened the pre-existing ICP according to the well-accepted theory regarding volume-pressure relationship. This phenomenon was described as concurrent ＇k, enogenic intracranial hypertension＂, which is characterized by intracranial venous blood stasis responsive to and together with the original increased ICP. Conclusions The existence of this special pathophysiological process is prevalent, rather than rare, in various intracraniAI disorders. Thi.~ findinn would definitAIv nrovide new insinht into the. Area of cerebral venous svstem research.