大谷 啓介

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is a safe treatment option for chronic obstructive hydrocephalus. However, we encountered a case of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) with bilateral large hematoma volumes after ETV for chronic obstructive hydrocephalus. We herein report a rare complication of ETV. The patient was a 53-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with asymptomatic ventricular enlargement with aqueductal stenosis 5 years previously. However, over the course of 5 years, her gait and cognitive function gradually declined. ETV was administered to relieve symptoms. Head Magnetic resonance imaging performed 1 week after ETV indicated bilateral subdural hygroma. Three weeks after ETV, she presented with headache and left incomplete paralysis, and head Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated bilateral CSDH with a large volume hematoma. Burr-hole evacuation and drainage of the bilateral CSDH were performed, after which the symptoms resolved. However, 7 weeks after ETV, she again presented with headache and incomplete right paralysis, and CT revealed bilateral CSDH re-enlargement. After the second burr-hole evacuation and drainage of bilateral CSDH, her symptoms resolved. The bilateral CSDH continued to shrink following the second hematoma evacuation surgery and completely disappeared on CT scan performed 3 months after ETV. Ventricular enlargement due to chronic obstructive hydrocephalus stretches the brain mantle for several years. This long-term stretching may have diminished the brain compliance and led to the development, growth, and recurrence of CSDH. In ETV for chronic obstructive hydrocephalus, surgeons should consider the risk of postoperative CSDH with a high hematoma volume and tendency to recur.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but its diagnosis is challenging in some cases. A brain biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing PCNSL, but its invasiveness can be problematic. Thus, noninvasive imaging examinations have been developed for the pre-surgical diagnosis of PCNSL, including gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 123I-N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine single-photon emission computed tomography (123I-IMP SPECT), and positron emission tomography with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG PET). Here, we report the case of a 71-year-old woman with negative imaging findings for PCNSL, but who was diagnosed with PCNSL by a brain biopsy and histological analysis. Her imaging results were negative for gadolinium-enhanced cranial MRI, with low uptake in 123I-IMP SPECT and hypometabolism in 18F-FDG PET. However, a stereotactic brain biopsy from an abnormal lesion revealed that many round cells had infiltrated into the brain. Moreover, many infiltrating cells were positive for cluster of differentiation (CD)20 and CD79a, and proliferation marker protein Ki-67-positive cells accounted for nearly 80% of all cells. Based on these results, our final pathological diagnosis was PCNSL. The present case highlights the possibility of a PCNSL diagnosis even when all imaging-related examinations display negative results.

The nation-wide status of epilepsy care in the rural areas of Japan has not been studied and is not known. To obtain the basic information, we conducted a survey targeting the alumni and alumnae of Jichi Medical University, who are obliged to serve as primary care physicians for rural areas for a predetermined period. The questionnaire items of Web-based surveillance included diagnosis and treatment, social welfare, driver's license and support from local epilepsy centers, covering many aspects of clinical epilepsy care. While clinical guidelines are widely used for standardized practice among rural physicians, level of examinations and available medications varied among districts. Their awareness of local epilepsy centers is still limited. The support system by local epilepsy specialists is to be improved for epilepsy care in the rural districts.

An epileptic seizure during the course of driving can result in a serious car accident. However, basic data on how epileptic seizures actually affect driving performance is significantly lacking. To understand the relationship, it is crucial to conduct not only behavioral but also electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis during epileptic seizures. Therefore, we developed a mobile driving simulator which makes it possible to record driving-related parameters time-lined with video-EEG. We report a case in which behavioral and EEG changes were successfully recorded during ictal periods of focal impaired awareness seizure in a patient engaged with the system. With the current lack of objective data describing how seizures impair driving performance, such an accumulation of information could improve personalized medical management, influence legal adjudication and assist in the development of driving support systems for people with epilepsy.