前島 伸一郎

Background: Cognitive disorders, such as memory disturbances, are often observed following a subarachnoid hemorrhage. We present a very rare case where rupture of a posterior cerebral artery aneurysm caused restricted damage to the hippocampus unilaterally, and caused memory disturbances. Case presentation: A 56-year-old, right-handed man, with a formal education history of 16 years and company employees was admitted to our hospital because of a consciousness disturbance. He was diagnosed as having a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a left posterior cerebral artery dissecting aneurysm, and coil embolization was performed. Subsequently, he had neither motor paresis nor sensory disturbances, but he showed disorientation, and both retrograde and anterograde amnesia. Although immediate recall and remote memory were almost intact, his recent memory was moderately impaired. Both verbal and non-verbal memories were impaired. Brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a cerebral hematoma in the left temporal lobe involving the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) demonstrated low perfusion areas in the left medial temporal lobe. Conclusions: We suggest that the memory impairment was caused by local tissue destruction of Papez's circuit in the dominant hemisphere due to the cerebral hematoma.

We report the case of a 68-year-old right-handed man who was admitted to our hospital because of sudden onset of headache. On admission, he presented with left homonymous hemianopsia, disorientation, and recent memory disturbance; however, he had normal remote memory and digit span. He was able to recall the room layout of his house and describe the route from the nearest station to his home on a map. However, at the hospital, he sometimes lost his way because of amnesia. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a subcortical hematoma in the right occipital forceps and the parietal lobe, involving the cingulate isthmus. Single-photon emission CT imaging showed reduced perfusion not only in the retrosplenial region but also in the right thalamus. These findings suggested that the retrosplenial amnesia might have been caused by the interruption of hippocampal input into the anterior thalamus.

Causative factors for pneumonia and their impact on prognosis were investigated in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Patient characteristics, swallowing function, lesions, and the presence or absence of intervention by dysphagia rehabilitation were assessed in 292 patients with acute cerebral infarction to determine the association of these factors with pneumonia. As a result, 52 patients (17.8%) experienced pneumonia. Of these, 14 developed pneumonia within 3 days of hospital admission and 38 developed the disease after 4 days or later. Pneumonia was frequently seen among elderly patients, those with severe neurological symptoms or cognitive disorders and those with bilateral multiple lesions, and was associated with prolonged length of stay and decline in activities of daily living at hospital discharge. In conclusion, elderly age, bilateral lesions, and severe neurological deficit were significantly associated with pneumonia. Pneumonia in turn strongly predicted inability to take food orally and be discharged from hospital to home.

Objective: A high incidence of dysphagia is seen during the acute phase of cerebral haemorrhage; however, there have been only rare reports of dysphagia caused by thalamic haemorrhage. We studied cases of thalamic haemorrhage during the acute period after hospitalization and examined the relationships between the frequency of dysphagia, stroke focus and haematoma volume. Methods:There were 113 subjects in this study, selected from 247 patients with thalamic haemorrhage who visited our rehabilitation centre. Patients were excluded if they had a history of dementia, stroke, confusion, epileptic seizure, surgical treatment or tracheotomy. We conducted a bedside swallowing assessment (BSA) by using the repetitive saliva swallowing test and modified water swallowing test. The relationships between oral intake condition at the time of hospital discharge, discharge destination (e.g. home), type of haematoma and haematoma volume were examined. Results: Abnormal BSA was found in 55% of the subjects (n = 62) with thalamic haemorrhage. Existence of a swallowing disorder was related to haematoma type and haematoma volume. A regular diet was possible in 41% of the subjects (n = 46). Age, haematoma volume, initial BSA evaluation and cognitive function had the greatest influence on a subject's ability to eat a general diet at the time of hospital discharge. Of those subjects in whom the initial BSA evaluation was normal, 70% were able to eat a regular diet at discharge. However, of those in whom the BSA evaluation was abnormal, >70% were discharged with enteral feeding. Furthermore, the rates of discharge to home were 95% in patients who could eat a regular diet and 30% in patients who needed enteral feeding. Conclusions: In the acute phase of thalamic haemorrhage, dysphagia was found in a high percentage of subjects. Dysphagia is associated with a poor prognosis for early hospital discharge. (C) 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel

We have investigated the prevalence of dry mouth among patients with autoimmune diseases other than Sjogren's syndrome. One hundred and forty-four patients, excluding patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome, were enrolled in this study. The volume of saliva secreted was measured with the screening technique for estimation of salivary flow, which uses a filter paper for diagnosing dry mouth. Disturbed salivary secretion was observed in 84 (58.3 %) of the 144 patients. In the case of patients free of Sjogren's syndrome, the prevalence of disturbed salivary secretion differed significantly among the disease groups (P < 0.05), with the prevalence being over 50 % in all disease groups other than the rheumatoid arthritis group and the highest in the systemic sclerosis group. There was significant positive correlation between the number of colored spots and oral visual analog scale score (r = 0.45, P < 0.0001). Autoimmune diseases can be accompanied by salivary gland dysfunction, regardless of the presence/absence of complication by Sjogren's syndrome. In the present study, the screening technique for estimation of salivary flow, which uses a filter paper for diagnosing dry mouth, was shown to be a useful means of detecting salivary gland dysfunction.

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used to evaluate motor functions in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to clarify whether imaging can be used to predict orthotic needs in patients with hemiplegia. We studied 25 patients (age range, 16-78 years) with intracerebral hemorrhages (putamen 15, thalamus 7, frontal subcortex 3). Diffusion tensor MR imaging was undertaken on admission at rehabilitation hospital for stroke patients. The fractional anisotropy (FA) value of the pyramidal tract was calculated. We compared the FA value in the ROI of the cerebral peduncle with the necessity for orthosis at discharge from the rehabilitation hospital. As a result, the FA values of the affected side in patients who needed orthosis at discharge were lower than those in patients who did not need orthosis. There was no significant difference in the FA values of the unaffected side. We concluded that the need for orthosis in patients with hemiplegia after stroke rehabilitation could be predicted using the diffusion tensor MR images of corticospinal tractography.

Background: The long-term prognosis of eating and swallowing disability has not been fully clarified. As community-based stroke care systems have developed in Japan, these data have become available. Methods: We examined changes in nutritional intake using data acquired from a community-based stroke care system. There were 334 stroke patients who were discharged from our acute care hospital and transferred to rehabilitation hospitals with tube feeding. We examined the relationship between the initial bedside swallowing assessment and the method of nutrition delivery at discharge from a rehabilitation hospital. We also calculated the functional independent measure (FIM) to examine the relationship between activities of daily living and nutritional intake. Results: There were 291 patients on oral intake and 43 on enteral feeding at discharge from a rehabilitation hospital. Patients with enteral feeding were older than patients with oral intake (69.4 +/- 11.4 v 75.2 +/- 9.9 years; P = .0016). The enteral feeding group also had lower FIM gain (27.5 +/- 28.3 v 16.5 +/- 23.5; P = .0161) and FIM efficiency (1.10 +/- 1.24 v 0.65 +/- 1.26; P = .0270) at the acute care hospital. Conclusions: Age, FIM gain, and FIM efficacy in the acute care hospital reliably predicted the long-term prognosis of eating and swallowing disability.

This retrospective study examined the effectiveness of cilostazol in preventing aspiration pneumonia in patients with acute cerebral infarction. The 189 subjects ranged in age from 31 to 95 years and included 57 with small-artery occlusion, 107 with large-artery atherothrombosis, and 25 with other disorders. Patients with cardiogenic cerebral embolism or preexisting pneumonia at the time of hospital admission were excluded from the analysis. Neurologic symptoms, cognitive function, and swallowing function were assessed at the first clinical examination, and the ability to perform activities of daily living was assessed at both hospital admission and discharge. Outcome and food intake status were also assessed at hospital discharge. Pneumonia was detected in 27 of 189 subjects (14.3%), in 20 subjects during nasogastric tube feeding implemented because of oral intake difficulties (fasting group) and in 7 subjects after initiation of oral feeding (oral intake group). Cilostazol was administered to 48 of the 189 subjects (25.4%). The incidence of pneumonia was 6.3% (3 of 48) in patients who received cilostazol, compared with 17% (24 of 141) in those who did not receive cilostazol. Our data suggest that cilostazol appears to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia in both the chronic and acute stages of cerebral infarction. © 2013 by National Stroke Association.

Bedside swallowing assessments are often used to assess dysphagia. However, in some patients, aspiration pneumonia occurs without any problems on bedside swallowing assessments and some patients do not suffer aspiration pneumonia despite abnormal results of bedside swallowing assessments in acute stroke. To detect the differences of lesions related to bedside swallowing assessment abnormality and aspiration, we investigated swallowing-related functional lesions in terms of cerebral blood flow in patients with dysphagia after stroke. The study included 50 acute stroke patients who underwent bedside swallowing assessments and videofluorography as well as single-photon emission computed tomography (CT) at approximately the same time. Bedside swallowing assessments included repetitive saliva swallowing test and modified water swallowing test as dry and wet swallowing tasks. The presence or absence of aspiration was assessed using videofluorography. We divided patients into three subgroups based on the outcomes of the bedside swallowing assessments and presence or absence of aspiration. Statistical image analysis was performed using single-photon emission CT to determine their relationship with bedside swallowing assessments and videofluorography results. Twenty-seven (54.0 %) and 28 (56.0 %) patients had abnormal repetitive saliva swallowing test and modified water swallowing test results. Videofluorography indicated aspiration in 35 (70.0 %) patients. In comparing patients with and without abnormal results on each test, the groups with abnormal repetitive saliva swallowing test, abnormal modified water swallowing test, and aspiration demonstrated lower cerebral blood flow in the left precuneus, left insula, and anterior cingulate gyrus, respectively. Based on the analysis of cerebral blood flow, functional lesions differed across abnormal repetitive saliva swallowing test and abnormal modified water swallowing test findings and aspiration on videofluorography, and each test may assess different functions among the many processes involved in swallowing.

急性期脳出血における摂食・嚥下障害の頻度や，出血部位，血腫量との関連について検討した．対象は急性期脳出血447 名で，出血部位は被殻183 名，視床119 名，小脳30 名，脳幹25 名，皮質下90 名であった．初回ベッドサイド嚥下機能評価（BSA）として，反復唾液嚥下テストと改訂水飲みテストを施行し，嚥下障害を疑う129 名には嚥下造影検査を施行した．その結果，初回BSAにおいて447 名中289 名（64.7 ％）で異常を認めた．摂食・嚥下障害は被殻出血に最も多く，出血部位や血腫量で差を認めた．初回BSAで異常を認めなかった患者のほとんどは，急性期病院の退院時に常食を摂取できたが，初回BSAで異常を認めた患者が常食となることは稀であり，経管栄養のまま転院となることが多かった．以上より，脳出血による摂食・嚥下障害は決して稀ではなく，とくに急性期における早期介入が必要である．

Background and Purpose: The water-swallowing test (WST) is frequently used in clinical practice as a functional assessment to detect aspiration and prevent pneumonia. It is a standardized test used all over the world, but the amount of water given varies depending on the examiner. Furthermore, there are very few reports on the simultaneous performance of the WST and videofluorography (VF). This study compared the amount of swallowed water to investigate the reliability of WST to exclude aspiration following acute stroke. Methods: We assessed 111 stroke patients (65 men and 46 women) with suspected dysphagia/difficulty in swallowing and performed VF upon obtaining consent from the patients and their families. Patients were aged between 20 and 98 years (65.6 +/- 13.4 years); 64 had cerebral infarction, 26 cerebral hemorrhage, 13 subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 8 had other cerebrovascular disease. The time from stroke onset to VF was 16.6 +/- 10.3 days (range, 2-55). WSTs using 5, 10, 30, and 60 ml and the modified WST (MWST) were performed during VF. Results: We found that the number of instances of choking, cough, wet voice, and aspiration increased with higher amounts of water. The sensitivity and specificity of WST for aspiration ranged from 34.8 to 55.7% and from 78.9 to 93.2%, respectively. The MWST, which used only 3 ml of water, yielded a sensitivity of 55.3% and a specificity of 80.8% for aspiration. There was a positive correlation between the time for one swallow and age, but there was no difference between genders. There was also no connection between clinical findings during WST or the presence of aspiration with the number of swallows, swallowing speed, or time for one swallow. Conclusions: WSTs are not as powerful as VF as a screening instrument in acute stroke. WSTs with more water detected aspiration with greater sensitivity, but there is no justification for overconfidence when investigating aspiration. We recommend using WST as well as VF to investigate swallowing in stroke patients. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel

A 71-year-old right-handed man was admitted to our hospital with right hemiparesis and sensory impairment associated with mild aphasia. Although aphasia gradually resolved within 2 weeks after stroke onset, his writing ability remained disturbed. A computed tomography (CT) scan at stroke onset revealed a hematoma in the left thalamus, but no cortical lesions were observed. Further, a single-photon emission CT (SPECT) scan showed decreased blood flow in the left thalamus, in the cortical region extending from the left superior temporal gyrus to the parietal lobe, and in the frontal lobe. It is possible that agraphia may have directly resulted from the thalamic lesion, but SPECT findings strongly suggested that a general decrease in left cortical function concomitant with a disruption of the thalamocortical and cortico-thalamocortical projection fibers produced these cognitive deficits. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

We describe a case of bilateral caudate nucleus infarction caused by cardioembolic stroke associated with a variant circle of Willis. The patient was an 81-year-old man with atrial fibrillation who presented with a sudden disturbance of consciousness. When he became more alert a few days later, he was abulic with no spontaneous speech or activity. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain revealed cerebral infarction of bilateral caudate nucleus heads and the left frontal lobe. The left A1 segment was absent on 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography. One year later, abulia had completely resolved. Bilateral caudate nucleus infarction with variant circle of Willis is rare.

We examined the clinical features of patients with pontine infarction in the acute stage and the factors affecting functional prognosis and outcome. Lesions, neurological manifestations at initial physical status examinations, cognitive function, swallowing function and outcome [activities of daily living (ADL), status of nutritional intake at discharge and destination after discharge] were evaluated in 68 patients (47 males and 21 females) who had pontine lesions with acute phase cerebral infarction. The mean length of stay was 24.4 days. The symptoms (number of patients) observed included paralysis (50), dysarthria (47), ataxia (18), diplopia (11), dysphagia (49) and poor cognitive performance (37). The types of lesions (number of patients) included lacunar infarcts in the ventral pontine area (15), lacunar infarcts in the dorsal pontine area (13) and large lacunar infarcts (LLIs) (41). After hospital discharge, 23 patients were discharged home, 44 were transferred to another hospital and 1 died. Twenty-three patients were on a regular diet, 22 were receiving a dysphagia diet and 22 were on enteral feeding at discharge. Patients with LLIs more frequently had poor cognitive performance, paralysis, dysphagia at discharge and a tendency for a longer length of stay compared with patients who had lacunar infarct. Most patients who returned home were those who were younger in age, had fewer neurological symptoms, had better cognitive function and ADL performance, and could ingest food. In an acute hospital, age, neurological symptoms, ADL, cognitive function, and dysphagia were considered important factors for determining the outcome in patients with pontine infarction.

We report the case of a 61-year-old woman with a left thalamic hemorrhage causing agraphia of Kanji (morphograms). Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed a decrease in the blood flow in the left thalamus from the superior temporal convolution to the parietal lobe, as well as in the frontal lobe while computed tomography showed no remarkable lesions in the cortex. The agraphia in this case may be due to the thalamic lesion itself, but the SPECT findings strongly suggest that a secondary cortical lesion may be involved in producing the higher cognitive disorder.

We investigated the relationship between lifestyle and cognitive function in elderly subjects who had their checkups at a memory clinic. The 136 elderly study subjects included 51 with Alzheimer's disease, 22 with vascular dementia, 23 with frontotemporal dementia, 25 with mild cognitive impairment, and 15 healthy control. The patients' lifestyles were assessed using the Frenchay activities index (FAI), and their cognitive functions were assessed by neuropsychological tests, such as the mini-mental status examination and the frontal assessment battery (FAB). The FAI score was lower in the demented patients than in the control subjects. Strong correlations were observed between the FAI scores and the scores in the neuropsychological tests. The FAI scores did not correlate with the educational level or the duration of disease. The findings from the stepwise regression analysis indicated that the FAB score, the number of family members, gender, and age were factors independently affecting the FAI score. The results indicated that the lifestyles of the elderly people might be affected by not only their age and family organization but also their cognitive function. We concluded that cognitive function could play a role in the lifestyle of elderly people.

【目的】内頸動脈-前脈絡叢動脈破裂脳動脈瘤コイル塞栓術後に重度の健忘症候群を呈した症例を報告する.【症例】34歳,男性.くも膜下出血で発症し,多発脳動脈瘤を認め,内頸動脈前脈絡叢動脈分岐部瘤を含めた計3ヶ所の動脈瘤に対し,コイル塞栓術を施行した.術中に一時的な前脈絡叢動脈の閉塞を認め対処したが,術後,見当識障害,近時記憶障害や記銘力障害,遂行機能障害を認めた.MRIでは右内包膝部,脳梁膨大部等に多発性梗塞巣を認めた.【結論】本例は後交通動脈が未発達で前脈絡叢動脈から視床灰白隆起動脈が分岐していたために,同血管の一時的な血行途絶が直接的に辺縁系のPapez回路を損傷し,健忘症候群が生じたと考えられた.(著者抄録)

目的：脳動脈瘤破裂によるくも膜下出血術後の記憶障害の詳細を明らかにするため，破裂部位や重症度の違いによる聴覚的言語性記憶検査の成績を健常群と比較した．方法：くも膜下出血の術後患者45 名(前大脳動脈系14 名，中大脳動脈系12 名，椎骨動脈系7 名，内頸動脈系12 名)に対し，Auditory verbal learning test(AVLT)を行い，記憶の指標を算出し，学習曲線を比較した．結果：短期記憶や全即時記憶，再認に差はなかったが，前大脳動脈系では言語学習能力，椎骨動脈系では逆向性干渉効果で健常群と差を認め，学習後半での学習曲線の平坦化がみられた．AVLTの成績とくも膜下出血の重症度には有意な関連はなかった．結論：前大脳動脈系や椎骨脳底動脈系の破裂動脈瘤後は，記憶に問題を生じやすく，記憶障害の質や重症度を詳細に評価する必要があるものと思われた．

かつては Silent area と言われた前頭葉前野にも多くの脳機能が存在し, 人が生きていくために非常に大切な役割を果たすことが明らかとなってきた。前頭葉損傷では, 失語症や半側空間無視に加え, 記憶障害, 注意障害がみられる。また, 遂行機能障害に加え, 脱抑制や人格変化などの社会的行動障害, 発動性低下や無関心などの症状がみられる。前頭葉損傷を論じるためには, 前頭葉の機能解剖や病態生理を理解した上で, 詳細な評価を行わねばならない。ただし前頭葉機能検査の多くは, 限局した前頭葉病変に特異的な検査ではなく, 別の部位の損傷によっても低下がみられることもあるので注意が必要である。適切な評価を行い, 病状を正確に把握することは, 患者が快適な社会生活を送るための第一歩になると思われる。

Background:The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of voluntary training with family participation in addition to conventional rehabilitation for stroke patients. Methods/Design: The subjects were 49 first-time stroke patients with severe hemiplegia. They were divided into two groups: a family participation group, in which voluntary training was performed with family members (21 patients), and a non-family participation group, in which voluntary training was performed with a physical therapist (28 patients). The groups were compared by background, cognitive and physical function, postadmission course, and outcome. Results: There were shortened lengths of stay and higher rates of home discharge in family participation group, but no differences in functional recovery. Conclusions: Voluntary training with family participation was effective in shortening the length of hospital stay and in improving the rate of home discharge in a convalescent rehabilitation ward. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel

Background: Robotic devices are expected to be widely used in various applications including support for the independent mobility of the elderly with muscle weakness and people with impaired motor function as well as support for nursing care that involves heavy laborious work. We evaluated the effects of a hybrid assistive limb robot suit on the gait of stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation. Methods: The study group comprised 16 stroke patients with severe hemiplegia. All patients underwent gait training. Four patients required assistance, and 12 needed supervision while walking. The stride length, walking speed and physiological cost index on wearing the hybrid assistive limb suit and a knee-ankle-foot orthosis were compared. Results: The hybrid assistive limb suit increased the stride length and walking speed in 4 of 16 patients. The patients whose walking speed decreased on wearing the hybrid assistive limb suit either had not received sufficient gait training or had an established gait pattern with a knee-ankle-foot orthosis using a quad cane. The physiological cost index increased after wearing the hybrid assistive limb suit in 12 patients, but removal of the suit led to a decrease in the physiological cost index values to equivalent levels prior to the use of the suit. Conclusions: Although the hybrid assistive limb suit is not useful for all hemiplegic patients, it may increase the walking speed and affect the walking ability. Further investigation would clarify its indication for the possibility of gait training.