A follow-up angiography study must be performed during the early stage (within approximately 3 weeks after onset of symptoms) to confirm the formation or enlargement of an aneurysm, because such conditions may be amenable to surgical treatment. Unruptured VA dissection could otherwise be treated and followed conservatively. Although the majority of dissected lesions seem likely to stabilize within a few months, as evidenced on angiography, in some cases a longer observation period is required.

Stereotactic aspiration of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) improves the general condition of patients, promotes improvement of consciousness, and decreases the incidence of pneumonia, but may induce rebleeding. The present study investigated the effects of stereotactic aspiration and factors that inhibit rebleeding in 70 consecutive patients who underwent stereotactic aspiration for ICH. Consciousness was significantly improved after surgery. Of patients who underwent surgery on day 0 or 1, 5 patients developed pneumonia and 29 patients did not. Of patients who underwent surgery on day 2 or later, 14 patients developed pneumonia and 22 patients did not. Early surgery within 2 days significantly reduced the rate of aspiration pneumonia. Patients with rebleeding tended to have liver dysfunction and hemorrhagic tendency. Early stereotactic aspiration of ICH facilitates better patient management than conservative treatment in patients with moderate consciousness disturbance. Patients with liver dysfunction and hemorrhagic tendency should be identified.

This study evaluated the aneurysm wall thickness by high-resolution T 1 -weighted imaging and the contact between the aneurysm and surrounding tissue by steady-state free precession (SSFP) imaging. The surgical findings were prospectively compared with these preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in 35 consecutive patients with 37 unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs). The aneurysm wall was not visible in 13 UCAs, but was visible in 23. Subarachnoid space between the aneurysm and surrounding tissue was visible in 16 UCAs, a visible layer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between the aneurysm and surrounding tissue in 12, and no visible layer in 7. MR imaging predicted the surgical findings in 29 UCAs (78%), showed different findings in six UCAs (16%), and two (5%) could not be evaluated due to insufficient quality of preoperative MR images. Among the UCAs with different findings, five UCAs had a partially thin wall even though high-resolution T 1 -weighted imaging had shown a visible wall, and one UCA showed less contact with the surrounding tissue even though the SSFP imaging had shown no visible CSF layer. In conclusion, high-resolution T 1 -weighted imaging and SSFP imaging provided significant additional preoperative information regarding UCAs and the surrounding tissue.