Extracranial congenital arteriovenous malformations are often associated with dural and/or cerebral malformations. One case is presented. The angiography of the common carotid artery revealed no evidence of abnormal vessels into the internal or external carotid territory. The injection of contrast medium into an enlarged epicranial vein showed the extracranial malformation, well opacified; the phlebography revealed also a small dural malformation draining in the superior sagittal sinus. The Authors outline the importance of complete angiographic study in all the cases of extracranial vascular malformations even if the carotid angiography is apparently normal.

Angiography↗

PubMed1975

Art therapy for the elderly and the disabled.

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Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intrathecal radioisotopes and phlebography in investigation of ventriculo-atrial shunts in children.

The Authors describe their experience in investigating the functioning and patency of ventriculo-venous shunts in hydrocephalic patients. They examined 41 hydrocephalic children with Pudenz valves, with radioisotope techniques. The radioactive tracers were administered by the lumbar route, by the ventricular route, or directly into the shunt. For lumbar or ventricular administration 131I-HSA, 99mTc-HSA and 169Yb-DPTA were used, whilst 99mTCO4 was the only isotope used for direct introduction into the shunt, effected by piercing the pump of the Pudenz system. The results of these investigations show that introduction of the isotope into the shunt allows obtaining morphological information, depending on the patency of the shunt and on the site of any obstruction. It also provides information about the functioning of the shunt, depending on the presence of hyper- or hypo-shunting. In cases where revision of the distal catheter might be necessary, moreover, phlebographic investigations of the superior vena cava were made. These proved to be particularly useful for indicating the patency of the affluent veins of the heart, thus enabling a precise surgical schedule to be planned prior to operation.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term monitoring of intracranial pressure in hydrocephalic children not affected by cerebral tumor.

Long-term epidural intracranial pressure (ICP) recordings were performed in 10 hydrocephalic children, not affected by cerebral tumor. The work concerns the identification of A and B Lundberg's waves during normal sleep in the ICP pattern. Plateau-waves of high amplitude and long duration were measured in one patient. A base-line pressure higher than normal was found in the other cases in which waves during sleep were seldom revealed. Five children were monitored by studying the pressure pattern after shunt surgery. The Authors discuss the implication of the rarity of plateau-waves in infancy and the cause of this phenomenon.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts↗