Research Spotlight

Roman, N.I.S., Rodriguez, P., Nasser, H., Cox, M., Ramchand, P., Choudhri, O., Satti, S.R., Kung, D., Pukenas, B. and Hurst, R.W. (2022). “Artery of Davidoff and Schechter: A Large Angiographic Case Series of Dural AV Fistulas.” Neurohospitalist 12(1): 155-161.

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The artery of Davidoff and Schechter (ADS) is the only meningeal branch of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA), supplying the medial tentorial margin and posterior portions of the falx. Given its small size, it is rarely identified on angiographic studies, unless enlarged in pathologies such as dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) or vascularized masses. This artery was first described by Wollschlaeger and Wollschlaeger in 1965, and to date, only a few reports have described its significance. The objective of this study is to report our experience with the ADS in dural fistulas from 2 tertiary medical centers and to emphasize the importance of recognizing this artery during angiographic examination of vascular tentorial and posterior fossa lesions. To our knowledge, this report demonstrates the largest angiographic case series published to date, recognizing a total of 7 patients with ADS arising secondary to a posterior fossa or tentorial DAVF and one of the largest reported series of DAVFs supplied by the ADS treated by endovascular and surgical techniques. Our cases validate the importance of prompt identification of the ADS for the diagnosis as well as endovascular treatment of vascular malformations in the posterior fossa and tentorial region.

Sundararajan, S.H., Cox, M., Sedora-Roman, N., Ranganathan, S., Hurst, R. and Pukenas, B. (2022). “Image-Guided Percutaneous Calvarial Biopsy with Low-Dose CT-Fluoroscopy: Technique, Safety, and Utility in 12 Patients.” Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 45(1): 134-136.

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To the Editor, We would like to take this opportunity to share our institutions’ retrospective review of cases referred for percutaneous calvarial biopsy performed with low-dose CT-fluoroscopy to delineate its feasibility and clinical utility despite reductions in conventional acquisition dose parameters. [No abstract available; excerpt from article].

Roberts, W.C., Salam, Y.M. and Roberts, C.S. (2022). “Morphologic Findings in Native Mitral Valves Replaced for Isolated Acute Infective Endocarditis.” Am J Cardiol 162: 136-142.

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Described here are some clinical and morphological observations in 37 adults having mitral valve replacement for active infective endocarditis limited to the mitral valve. The operatively-excised mitral valves are illustrated in 11 of the 37 patients, and photographs in them show that mitral valve repair in them would have been fruitless. Of the 37 patients, 32 (86%) survived the early operative period (30 days) and 31 (84%) were alive one year after the mitral operation. Of the 37 patients, 34 (92%) appeared to have had anatomically normal mitral valves before the infective endocarditis appeared.

Roberts, C.S. (2022). “The Physician Legacy of Stewart R. Roberts, MD (1878-1941), “The Osler of the South”.” Am J Cardiol 162: 191-196.

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A comparison of Stewart R. Roberts, MD, to the great Sir William Osler (1849–1919) is not the purpose or argument of this article. Virtually no one compares to Osler, who was considered the greatest physician of his generation in the English-speaking world. His single-authored medical textbook of 1892 was a tremendous achievement.² The career path of Osler, from Montreal to Philadelphia to Baltimore, and finally to Oxford, England, never crossed that of Roberts, who was born a generation later and spent his entire medical career in the South, peculiar in its agrarian tradition and racial demography and, by far, the most economically depressed region in the United States for decades after the Civil War. [No abstract; excerpt from article].

Preston, A., West, C., McCollough, M. and Hosler, G.A. (2021). “Melanocytic Panfolliculoma: A Case Report of a Rare Benign Follicular Tumor.” Am J Dermatopathol Dec 28. [Epub ahead of print].

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Panfolliculomas (PF) are rare, benign, follicular tumors that differentiate toward multiple components of the hair follicle, and several variants have been described. We present a case of a rare pigmented PF presenting on actinically damaged skin in an 83-year-old man, which was clinically concerning for malignancy. This tumor arose near an area of atypical squamous proliferation and has evidence of infundibular, outer root sheath, and matrical differentiation and foci of heavy melanin pigmentation and increased melanocytes. We propose the novel designation of “melanocytic PF,” akin to melanocytic matricoma but with panfollicular differentiation.