Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 1998
Efficiency and safety of bilateral contemporaneous pallidal stimulation (deep brain stimulation) in levodopa-responsive patients with Parkinson's disease with severe motor fluctuations: a 2-year follow-up review.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of bilateral contemporaneous deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients who have levodopa-responsive parkinsonism with untreatable motor fluctuations. Bilateral pallidotomy carries a high risk of corticobulbar and cognitive dysfunction. Deep brain stimulation offers new alternatives with major advantages such as reversibility of effects, minimal permanent lesions, and adaptability to individual needs, changes in medication, side effects, and evolution of the disease. ⋯ Bilateral pallidal DBS is safe and efficient in patients who have levodopa-responsive parkinsonism with severe fluctuations. Major improvements in motor score, ADL score, and off time persisted beyond 2 years after the operation, but signs of decreased efficacy started to be seen after 12 months.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 1998
Case ReportsContinuous hemodialysis for the management of acute renal failure in the presence of cerebellar hemorrhage. Case report.
In this report the authors describe the use of continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) in a medically unstable patient who suffered from a spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage. Conventional dialysis techniques carry the risk of developing the dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) when performed in the presence of a variety of intracranial diseases. ⋯ The CVVHD did not result in elevations in intracranial pressure (ICP) and the patient made a full recovery from both acute renal failure and life-threatening posterior fossa hemorrhage. This case is noteworthy because of the absence of abnormally high ICP elevations or development of DDS in a patient with a large acute posterior fossa intraparenchymal brain hemorrhage and acute renal failure whose case was managed with CVVHD in the acute period.
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Anterior approaches to the spine for the treatment of spinal tumors have gained acceptance; however, in most published reports, patients with primary, metastatic, or chest wall tumors involving cervical, thoracic, or lumbar regions of the spine are combined. The purpose of this study was to provide a clear perspective of results that can be expected in patients who undergo anterior vertebral body resection, reconstruction, and stabilization for spinal metastases that are limited to the thoracic region. ⋯ These results suggest that transthoracic vertebrectomy and spinal stabilization can improve the quality of life considerably in cancer patients with spinal metastasis by restoring or preserving ambulation and by controlling intractable spinal pain with acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialA multicenter trial on the efficacy of using tirilazad mesylate in cases of head injury.
The authors prospectively studied the efficacy of tirilazad mesylate, a novel aminosteroid, in humans with head injuries. ⋯ Striking problems with imbalance concerning basic prognostic variables were observed in spite of the large population studied. These imbalances concerned pretreatment hypotension, pretreatment hypoxia, and the incidence of epidural hematomas. In future trials of pharmacological therapy for severe head injury, serious consideration must be given to alternative randomization strategies. Given the heterogeneous nature of head injury and the identification of populations that do relatively well with standard therapy, target populations with a higher risk for mortality and morbidity may be more suitable for clinical trials of such agents.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 1998
Cerebral monitoring by means of oximetry and somatosensory evoked potentials during carotid endarterectomy.
Cerebral ischemia that occurs during carotid endarterectomy is commonly monitored by means of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and electroencephalography (EEG). The authors conducted this study to determine whether cerebral ischemia could also be reliably detected by cerebral oximetry. ⋯ The results indicate that at least as measured with the INVOS3100A instrument, a decrease in rSO2 of -10 or more or a decrease below an rSO2 of 50 is indicative of cerebral ischemia of sufficient severity to decrease the amplitude of SSEPs.