Abstract Background: Although the risk of developing malignant lymphoma is higher in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than in the general population, the occurrence of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in patients with RA is extremely rare. In recent years, there has been concern that biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMRADs), which are widely administered to patients with RA, may increase the risk of developing cancer. We report the first case of PCNSL in a patient with RA who was treated with the biological DMRADs, tocilizumab. Case description: A 70-year-old man, who was diagnosed with RA in 2010 was treated with low-dose methotrexate from 2010 to 2015. He was started on tocilizumab in 2012. In 2018, he suffered from gait disturbance and was diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis. He underwent L2/3 posterior fusion surgery, but his paraplegia gradually deteriorated. Two months after the surgery, a head Gd-MRI showed multiple contrast-enhanced lesions in the basal ganglia and brain stem. A stereotactic brain biopsy was performed and DLBCL was diagnosed, and finally PCNSL was diagnosed because of no neoplastic lesions in other organs. He was treated with 5 courses of MTX 3.5g/m2 with rituximab and has been in remission for 23 months. He has maintained an independent life with residual paraplegia, but his ADLs gradually worsened. He was restarted on tocilizumab with a diagnosis of worsening RA. Conclusion: Low-dose methotrexate and biological DMRADs including tocilizumab, have been concerned to increase the risk of cancer in patients with RA, but there is no solid evidence. Since it has been a short time since the use of biological DMRADs, further accumulation of cases and careful follow-up are necessary.
Objective: We report a case of ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm in which residual aneurysm after coil embolization could be completely occluded by LVIS Jr. stent placement.
Initial experiences are reviewed in an integrated operation theater equipped with an intraoperative high-field (1.5 T) magnetic resonance (MR) imager and neuro-navigation (BrainSUITE®), to evaluate the indications and limitations. One hundred consecutive cases were treated, consisting of 38 gliomas, 49 other tumors, 11 cerebrovascular diseases, and 2 functional diseases. The feasibility and usefulness of the integrated theater were evaluated for individual diseases, focusing on whether intraoperative images (including diffusion tensor imaging) affected the surgical strategy. The extent of resection and outcomes in each histological category of brain tumors were examined. Intraoperative high-field MR imaging frequently affected or modified the surgical strategy in the glioma group (27/38 cases, 71.1%), but less in the other tumor group (13/49 cases, 26.5%). The surgical strategy was not modified in cerebrovascular or functional diseases, but the success of procedures and the absence of complications could be confirmed. In glioma surgery, subtotal or greater resection was achieved in 22 of the 31 patients (71%) excluding biopsies, and intraoperative images revealed tumor remnants resulting in the extension of resection in 21 of the 22 patients (95.4%), the highest rate of extension among all types of pathologies. The integrated neuro-navigation improved workflow. The best indication for intraoperative high-field MR imaging and integrated neuro-navigation is brain tumors, especially gliomas, and is supplementary in assuring quality in surgery for cerebrovascular or functional diseases. Immediate quality assurance is provided in several types of neurosurgical procedures.
People with epilepsy have a high incidence of mood disorders that may affect their quality of life. Lamotrigine(LTG)is one of the antiepileptic drugs that are commercially available in Japan these days and its mood-stabilizing qualities were well known. First, 66 outpatients with epilepsy were evaluated for changes in mood states by the Profile of Mood States(POMS)and the Japanese-edition Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition(BDI-II)on self report. The POMS questionnaire includes 30 items that address six components of mood. At baseline, one third of the outpatients with epilepsy had mood problems compared by POMS health reference. The mean BDI-II baseline score was 14.9±10.1, and one third of these epilepsy patients exhibited moderate or severe depression. Second, in the twelve patients with epilepsy, LTG was added to other antiepileptic drugs, and the POMS and BDI-II were administered at baseline and after addiction to LTG. 4 out of 8(50%)patients with simple partial seizure and 5 out of 8(62.5%)patients after the adjunctive therapy experienced at least a 50% reduction in the number of seizures compared with the self-reported baseline before the adjunctive therapy. The component scores of Depression-Dejection, Anger-Hostility and Confusion-Bewilderment in POMS were statistically improved in these patients completing adjunctive LTG(pared t-test, p<0.05). In these patients, the mean BDI-II baseline score was 25.8±13.1. Following administration of LTG, there was a significant decrease in the mean BDI-II scores(15.0±6.6)between baseline and the end of adjunctive LTG. This study suggests that, in addition to seizure control, LTG may have a mood-stabilizing effect and improve the quality of life in patients with epilepsy.
The surgical techniques for treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), a common neurosurgical condition, have been discussed in a lot of clinical literature. However, the recurrence proportion after CSDH surgery remains high, ranging from 10 to 20%. The standard surgical procedure for CSDH involves a craniostomy to evacuate the hematoma, but irrigating the hematoma cavity during the procedure is debatable. The authors hypothesized that the choice of irrigation fluid might be a key factor affecting the outcomes of surgery. This multicenter randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether intraoperative irrigation using artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACF) followed by the placement of a subdural drain would yield superior results compared to the placement of a subdural drain alone for CSDH.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the newly-established technique in the field of neurological surgery for fusion imaging of three-dimensional magnetic resonance image (3D-MRI) and/or three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) for brain tumor surgery. Combining neuronavigation technology and intraoperative MRI, this method remarkably demonstrates spatial relationships of neurovascular structures and/or skull base landmarks and is very useful for intraoperative evaluation of completed neurosurgical operations. Using the navigation system and intraoperative MRI during surgery, it is possible to resect the brain tumor maximally and preserve essential neurological functions. Furthermore, advanced multimodal neuroradiological images such as functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MR spectroscopy (MRS), and positron emission tomography (PET) clearly demonstrate the dominant cortex including the speech center, primary motor gyrus, primary sensory gyrus, and support high-quality operation with less invasive surgery. In conclusion, multimodal neuroradiological images are very useful for invasive noncircumscribed brain tumors such as glioma and, in combination with such highly technological analyses, advanced neurosurgical procedures are possible.
