Index by author

This study assessed the use of metabolites seen on MRS as markers of change in cognitive status after carotid artery surgery. MRS and neurocognitive testing were obtained before and after surgery in 100 patients. The results showed that cognition remained unchanged in 80%, improved in 10%, and was impaired in 10% of patients postoperatively and that in these last 2 groups, NAA/Cr correlated well the clinical status. Thus, NAA/Cr may serve as a marker of neurologic status after carotid artery surgery (see accompanying editorial by Lövblad and Pereira).

This group of authors came up with a scoring system to predict seizures in patients with brain AVMs. They retrospectively reviewed imaging studies of 1299 patients and found 33 with unruptured AVMs and seizures and 45 with unruptured lesions without seizures. Features that predicted seizures included: arterial dilation, pial recruitment, fistula, intranidal aneurysm, pial long draining vein, pseudophlebitic pattern, venous outflow obstruction, and venous ectasia. Because seizures are associated with significant morbidity, AVMs with these features may be targeted for treatment with surgery and/or embolization.