Clinical neurology and neurosurgery
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The main causes of brachial plexus palsies are traction, due to extreme movements, and heavy impact. In downward traction of the arm and forcible widening of the shoulder-neck angle the lesion will occur in the upper roots and trunk. Forcible upward traction will cause avulsion of T1 and C8. ⋯ Rupture of the cords and/or individual infraclavicular nerves will be produced by traction and/or forcible widening of the scapulohumeral angle. Vascular structures are subjected to the same mechanism and injuries of these structures give information about the site and severity of nerve lesions; fractures of the skull, cervical spine, clavicle, first rib or arm yield further data on the mechanism of trauma that has produced the brachial plexus palsy. Heavy impact or crush lesions are caused by direct trauma to the (supra)clavicular region and are nearly always associated with fracture of the clavicle.
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Cervicogenic headache is characterized by unilaterality without sideshift, and the pain attack starts in the neck, in contradistinction to what is the case in common migraine. Signs of neck involvement (e.g. reduction of the range of motion; mechanical precipitation of attacks; ipsilateral, diffuse arm/shoulder pain) are typical in cervicogenic headache but not in common migraine. These and many other features aid in distinguishing these two headaches.
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Clin Neurol Neurosurg · Jan 1991
Review Case ReportsTransient cerebellar mutism after posterior cranial fossa surgery in an adult. Case report and review of the literature.
Transient mutism, without disorders of consciousness or cranial nerve deficits, arising after surgical operations on the posterior cranial fossa is a recently described entity. To date 22 cases have been reported, to which we add the present case (the first report of the syndrome in an adult). We review the salient features of the syndrome in the light of the published cases and speculate on the underlying physiopathology.
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Clin Neurol Neurosurg · Jan 1991
Review Case ReportsSubdural hematoma after lumbar puncture: two case reports and review of the literature.
Two cases of intracranial subdural hematoma following lumbar puncture are presented. A review of all previously reported cases shows that subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture is a rare but serious complication. The pathogenesis of subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture is probably related to that of post lumbar puncture headache. Application of an epidural blood patch may therefore be a safe way not only to treat typical post lumbar puncture headache but also to prevent subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture.