Neurosurgery
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Arnold Chiari Type I malformation usually presents as headache, arm numbness, dysesthesia, upper weakness, or gait difficulty. We report a case of Chiari malformation presenting as a left trigeminal neuralgia. ⋯ The trigeminal neuralgia could be attributable to a compression of the trigeminal nucleus. The compression of the nucleus could explain both the pain and the regression after surgery. This is the second reported case of pure trigeminal neuralgia in Arnold Chiari malformation.
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Acute pupillary dilation in a head-injured patient is a neurological emergency. Pupil dilation is thought to be the result of uncal herniation causing mechanical compression of the IIIrd cranial nerve and subsequent brain stem compromise. However, not all patients with herniation have fixed and dilated pupils, and not all patients with nonreactive, enlarged pupils have uncal herniation. Therefore, we have tested an alternative hypothesis that a decrease in brain stem blood flow (BBF) is a more frequent cause of mydriasis and brain stem symptomatology after severe head injury. We determined the relation of BBF to outcome and pupillary response in patients with severe head injuries. ⋯ These findings suggest that pupillary dilation is associated with decreased BBF and that ischemia, rather than mechanical compression of the IIIrd cranial nerve, is an important causal factor. More important, pupil dilation may be an indicator of ischemia of the brain stem. If cerebral blood flow and cerebral perfusion pressure can be rapidly restored in the patient with severe head injury who has dilated pupils, the prognosis may be good.
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Traumatic fracture-dislocations of the lumbosacral junction are rare, with all previously reported cases involving fracture-dislocations at a single level. No cases of multiple fracture-dislocations of contiguous spinal segments in the lumbosacral spine have been reported. A case of traumatic adjacent fracture-dislocations of the fifth lumbar segment is presented. ⋯ The management of traumatic lumbosacral fracture-dislocations requires careful consideration of retroperitoneal structures and possible exploration of the iliac vessels in addition to spinal reconstruction.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Prognostic value and determinants of ultraearly angiographic vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
A small number of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage have angiographic evidence of cerebral vasospasm within 48 hours of the onset of hemorrhage. The present study analyzes the prognostic value and determinants of this ultraearly angiographic finding. ⋯ Our analysis suggests that patients with angiographic evidence of vasospasm at admission are at high risk for both symptomatic vasospasm and poor outcome. We also found that early surgery did not aggravate this risk.
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Comparative Study
Treatment of elevated intracranial pressure in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage: comparison between mannitol and hypertonic saline.
Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is related to mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). To develop effective strategies for the medical treatment of ICP in cases of ICH, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of mannitol and hypertonic saline in a canine model of ICH. ⋯ Hypertonic saline, in both 3 and 23.4% concentrations, is as effective as mannitol in the treatment of intracranial hypertension observed in association with ICH. Hypertonic saline may have a longer duration of action, particularly when used in 3% solution. None of three treatment regimens influence regional cerebral blood flow or cerebral metabolism.