Neurologia medico-chirurgica
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Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) · Jan 2014
A simple, 10-minute procedure for transforaminal injection under ultrasonic guidance to effect cervical selective nerve root block.
The aim is to provide a detailed procedure of a simple and 10-minute cervical nerve root block (CNRB) under ultrasonic guidance, and to report the clinical outcomes, disorders, and complications. Records of patients who had undergone CNRB, were reviewed under ultrasonic guidance at the hospital from 2010 through 2012. The procedure is described in detail. ⋯ At the final follow-up periods, 17.2 (10-24 months), the median VAS score of the patients, 23 (0 to 71 mm), was significantly improvement (P = 0.001) in comparison to before injection 88 (range; 56-100). No complications occurred. The cervical nerve root block under ultrasonic guidance simply, safely, and efficaciously decreased radicular pain for 17.2 months in 62% patients with intolerable radicular pain.
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Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) · Jan 2014
Case ReportsSuccessful coil embolization of a ruptured basilar artery aneurysm in a child with leukemia: a case report.
Ruptured intracranial aneurysms are rare in the pediatric population compared to adults. This has incited considerable discussion on how to treat children with this condition. Here, we report a child with a ruptured saccular basilar artery aneurysm that was successfully treated with coil embolization. ⋯ The patient recovered without new neurological deficits after ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Recent reports indicate that both endovascular and microsurgical techniques can be used to effectively treat ruptured cerebral aneurysms in pediatric patients. A minimally invasive endovascular treatment was effective in the present case, but long-term follow-up will be necessary to confirm the efficiency of endovascular treatment for children with ruptured saccular basilar artery aneurysms.
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Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) · Jan 2014
Factors associated with blunt cerebrovascular injury in patients with cervical spine injury.
Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is known to be a potentially fatal complication of cervical spine injury (CSI). Methods for screening the appropriate population remain to be elucidated, especially in Japan. This retrospective study was conducted to predict the risk factors relevant to BCVIs. ⋯ Multiple logistic regression analyses for BCVI and BVAI were carried out using stepwise methods. On univariate and multivariate analysis, hyperextension injury was significantly associated with BVAI (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02), and subluxation (dislocation of vertebral body > 5 mm) was a significant predictor of BCVI (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03) and BVAI (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01). Prompt evaluation for BCVIs is recommended in CSI patients with hyperextension injury and dislocation of the vertebral body.
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Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) · Jan 2014
Is Simpson grade I removal necessary in all cases of spinal meningioma? Assessment of postoperative recurrence during long-term follow-up.
It is generally accepted that the first choice of treatment for spinal meningiomas is "radical" surgical removal. However, Simpson grade I removal is sometimes difficult, especially in cases with ventral dural attachment, because of the risk of spinal cord damage or the difficulty of dural repair after radical resection. In addition, there is no consensus on a surgical strategy for radicality, whether or not Simpson grade I resection should be performed in all cases of spinal meningioma. ⋯ Of these 3 recurrent cases, 1 was a case of non-dura-based meningioma and another was a case of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2); both of them are known as risk factors for recurrence after surgical removal of spinal meningiomas. Considering this background of these two recurrences, the clinical results of the present study are consistent with previous results. Therefore, we propose that surgeons do not always have to achieve Simpson grade I removal if dural repair is complicated and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage or neurological worsening are estimated after resection of dural attachment and repair of dural defect.
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Neurol. Med. Chir. (Tokyo) · Jan 2014
Chronic subdural hematoma in elderly patient with EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia recently treated with aspirin and warfarin: case report.
A 78-year-old man who had a history of myocardial and cerebral infarction and who was treated with aspirin and warfarin, presented with left chronic subdural hematoma. Cerebral computed tomography showed severe brain compression of hematoma with midline shift, indicating the need for emergent surgery. The hematology and clotting tests upon admission revealed severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count, 1.3 × 10(4)/μL) with normal clotting activity. ⋯ Treatment with KM dissociated EDTA-induced platelet aggregation and revealed platelet counts with highest accuracy (no KM treatment, 1.3 × 10(4)/μL; KM treatment, 15.2 × 10(4)/μL). This phenomenon is called EDTA-Dependent Pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP) defined as falsely low platelet counts reported by automated hematology analyzers due to platelet aggretgation. Awareness of the phenomenon will enable neurosurgeons to manage patients with PTCP appropriately and clinical laboratory especially in emergency hospital is recommended to prepare for the hematological tubes being added KM in routine analysis, resulting in preventing mistaken diagnosis.