Journal of neurology
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Journal of neurology · Aug 2013
Antiplatelet therapy, but not intravenous thrombolytic therapy, is associated with postoperative bleeding complications after decompressive craniectomy for stroke.
Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is an established treatment in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke (AIS). IVT might increase the risk of postoperative complications if applied prior to decompressive craniectomy (DC). Therefore, we analyzed the management of patients with and without IVT prior to DC. ⋯ IVT prior to DC did not predict unfavourable outcome. There was no evidence in this observational study that IVT prior to DC places patients at undue risk of bleeding complications after subsequent DC. Patients with or without IVT prior to DC suffered significantly more often from postoperative bleeding complications if antiplatelet therapy was applied before onset of AIS.
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Journal of neurology · Aug 2013
Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Self-Assessment Disability Scale in patients with Parkinson's disease in Serbia.
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) worsen over time affecting performance and causing disability. The purpose of this study was to translate the Self-Assessment Disability Scale in patients with Parkinson's disease (SADS-PD) into the Serbian language and assess its validity and reliability. From January to July 2012, 114 consecutive PD patients were recruited at the Neurology Clinic in Belgrade. ⋯ Duration of the disease, Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) stage, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score, history of falls, Hamilton's Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales (HDRS and HARS) scores were significantly correlated with the total SADS-PD score. On factor analysis 25 items in the SADS-PD questionnaire were separated in two clusters with total matrix variance of 79.7 %. The psychometric properties of the cross-culturally adapted SADS-PD questionnaire (Serbian version) have outstanding validity and reliability as an instrument for evaluation of the extent of disability in patients with PD.
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Journal of neurology · Aug 2013
Stereotactic radiosurgery of cerebral arteriovenous malformations: long-term follow-up in 164 patients of a single institution.
This retrospective study aimed to investigate long-term outcome in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVM) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Between 1998 and 2008, 164 patients with AVM received SRS. Median age was 36 years (range 7-69 years). ⋯ After SRS an improvement in epileptic episodes, headaches and motor-sensory deficits was found in 8.5, 14 and 15 % of patients, respectively. Our long-term follow-up data show that SRS is an effective treatment option in AVM with low toxicity and bleeding risk, depending on AVM size and Spetzler-Martin grade. An improvement of neurologic symptoms is achievable.