Surg Neurol
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Cisternal irrigation therapy with urokinase and ascorbic acid was introduced to prevent symptomatic vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). To dissolve and wash out the subarachnoid clot, cisternal irrigation with urokinase is used. Ascorbic acid is added to degenerate oxy-hemoglobin, one of the strongest spasmogenic substances, into verdohemelike products, which are nonspasmogenic. The efficacy and safety of this therapy were evaluated. ⋯ These results suggest that cisternal irrigation therapy with urokinase and ascorbic acid is effective in preventing symptomatic vasospasm after aneurysmal SAH.
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Case Reports
Lumbar herniated disc presenting with cauda equina syndrome. Long-term follow-up of four cases.
Cauda equina syndrome is a relatively rare presenting symptom of lumbar herniated discs. Early operative decompression is advocated, but it may not always restore the bladder function. In such cases, knowing the long-term outcome of bladder or sphincter disturbances is quite useful in planning the management of these patients. ⋯ Even if short-term recovery of bladder function is poor after lumbar disc surgery for cauda equina syndrome, the long-term outcome is not necessarily so. We should follow up on these patients with such measures as intermittent self-catheterization and drug therapy, expecting slow but steady recovery of bladder and sphincter function.
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Endothelin-1 (ET-1) was originally identified as a potent vasoconstrictor peptide. Numerous reports have suggested its roles in various disorders. Although there is a great deal of evidence establishing the relationship between ET-1 and cerebral vasospasm in animals, this relationship still remains to be clarified in humans. ⋯ We confirmed that the concentration of ET-1 in CSF increased before the onset of cerebral vasospasm caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage. The ET-1 concentration in the CSF could be a useful marker to detect cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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Laminectomy bone is used widely in posterolateral lumbar fusion, but not interbody fusion. No prospective evaluation of interbody fusion using bone grafts from the posterior neural arch in spondylolisthesis has been found in the literature. We prospectively studied series of patients operated on for lumbar spondylolisthesis to evaluate clinical improvement and bony fusion. ⋯ Laminectomy bone seems to be optimal for posterior interbody fusion and together with transpedicular rigid fixation the long-term clinical and radiological results are convincingly good. The method is advisable even for severe spondylolisthesis.
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Review Case Reports
Cerebral aneurysm rupture after r-TPA thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction.
Intracranial hemorrhage is the most dreaded risk of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction because of the high mortality and disability rates associated with this complication. Brain structural lesions may predispose a patient to bleeding. To date, aneurysm rupture has not been described as a complication of such therapy. ⋯ Cerebral aneurysms should be considered as a possible contributing factor to intracranial bleeding after thrombolytic therapy.