Showing papers in "Journal of Neurosurgery in 1981"

Thresholds of focal cerebral ischemia in awake monkeys

Abstract: An awake-primate model has been developed which permits reversible middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion during physiological monitoring. This method eliminates the ischemia-modifying effects of anesthesia, and permits correlation of neurological function with cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neuropathology. The model was used to assess the brain's tolerance to focal cerebral ischemia. The MCA was occluded for 15 or 30 minutes, 2 to 3 hours, or permanently. Serial monitoring evaluated neurological function, local CBF (hydrogen clearance), and other physiological parameters (blood pressure, blood gases, and intracranial pressure). After 2 weeks, neuropathological evaluation identified infarcts and their relation to blood flow recording sites. Middle cerebral artery occlusion usually caused substantial decreases in local CBF. Variable reduction in flow correlated directly with the variable severity of deficit. Release of occlusion at up to 3 hours led to clinical improvement. Pathological examination showed microscopic foci of infarction after 15 to 30 minutes of ischemia, moderate to large infarcts after 2 to 3 hours of ischemia, and in most cases large infarcts after permanent MCA occlusion. Local CBF appeared to define thresholds for paralysis and infarction. When local flow dropped below about 23 cc/100 gm/min, reversible paralysis occurred. When local flow fell below 10 to 12 cc/100 gm/min for 2 to 3 hours or below 17 to 18 cc/100 gm/min during permanent occlusion, irreversible local damage was observed. These studies imply that some cases of acute hemiplegia, with blood flow in the paralysis range, might be improved by surgical revascularization. Studies of local CBF might help identify suitable cases for emergency revascularization.

Further experience in the management of severe head injury.

Abstract: A prospective and consecutive series of 225 patients with severe head injuries who were managed in a uniform way was analyzed to relate outcome to several clinical variables. Good recovery or moderate disability were achieved by 56% of the patients, 10% remained severely disabled or vegetative, and 34% died. Factors important in predicting a poor outcome included the presence of intracranial hematoma, increasing age, abnormal motor responses, impaired or absent eye movements or pupil light reflexes, early hypotension, hypoxemia or hypercarbia, and elevation of intracranial pressure over 20 mm Hg despite artificial ventilation. Most of these predictive factors were assessed on admission, but a subset of 158 patients was identified in whom coma was present on admission and was known to have persisted at least until the following day. Although the mortality in this subset (40%) was higher than in the total series, it was lower than in several comparable reported series of patients with severe head injury. Predictive correlations were equally strong in the entire series and in the subset of 158 patients with coma. A plea is made for inclusion in the definition of "severe head injury" of all patients who do not obey commands or utter recognizable words on admission to the hospital after early resuscitation.

Improved confidence of outcome prediction in severe head injury: A comparative analysis of the clinical examination, multimodality evoked potentials, CT scanning, and intracranial pressure

Abstract: ✓ An analysis of clinical signs, singly or in combination, multimodality evoked potentials (MEP's), computerized tomography scans, and intracranial pressure (ICP) data was undertaken prospectively in 133 severely head-injured patients to ascertain the accuracy, reliability, and relative value of these indicants individually, or in various combinations, in predicting one of two categories of outcome Erroneous predictions, either falsely optimistic (FO) or falsely pessimistic (FP), were analyzed to gain pathophysiological insights into the disease process Falsely optimistic predictions occurred because of unpredictable complications, whereas FP predictions were due to intrinsic weakness of the indicants as prognosticators A combination of clinical data, including age, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, pupillary response, presence of surgical mass lesions, extraocular motility, and motor posturing predicted outcome with 82% accuracy, 43% with over 90% confidence Nine percent of predictions were FO and 9% F

Diffuse cerebral swelling following head injuries in children: the syndrome of “malignant brain edema”

Abstract: The commonest initial computerized tomography (CT) finding in head-injured children is bilateral diffuse cerebral swelling. Cerebral blood flow and CT density studies suggest that this swelling is due to cerebral hyperemia and increased blood volume, not to edema. The clinical history, course, and outcome of 63 children with this CT pattern are reviewed. Fourteen children had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of greater than 8; all made a complete recovery and follow-up CT scans were normal. Forty-nine children had Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 8 or less. Fifteen had a history of a lucid period following the initial unconsciousness. One of these children died of delayed brain swelling, the others recovered well with minimal neurological deficit. Thirty-four children were rendered immediately and continuously unconscious. There was a high incidence of second lesions on the CT scan, 50% of this group developed intracranial hypertension and five died. All of the others were in coma for periods ranging from weeks to months. Follow-up CT scans showed an extracerebral collection with a density of cerebrospinal fluid in 27% of the patients, and ventriculomegaly with large sulci in 35%, whereas this pattern was seen only once in those with a lucid period. The difference between those with and without a lucid period is related to the degree of primary diffuse impact injury to the white matter.

Chronic subdural hematomas" a review

Abstract: ✓ Present knowledge of the still controversial pathogenetic, ultrastructural, diagnostic, and treatment aspects of chronic subdural hematomas is reviewed.

Microsurgical anatomy of the middle cerebral artery

Abstract: The microsurgical anatomy of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was defined in 50 cerebral hemispheres. The MCA was divided into four segments: the M1 (sphenoidal) segment coursed posterior and parallel to the sphenoid ridge; the M2 (insular) segment lay on the insula; the M3 (opercular) segment coursed over the frontoparietal and temporal opercula; and the M4 (cortical) segment spread over the cortical surface. The Sylvian fissure was divided into a sphenoidal and an operculoinsular compartment. The M1 segment coursed in the sphenoidal compartment, and the M2 and M3 segments coursed in the operculoinsular compartment. The main trunk of the MCA divided in one of three ways; bifurcation (78% of hemispheres), trifurcation (12%), or division into multiple trunks (10%). The MCA's that bifurcated were divided into three groups: equal bifurcation (18%), inferior trunk dominant (32%), or superior trunk dominant (28%). The MCA territory was divided into 12 areas: orbitofrontal, prefrontal, precentral, central, anterior parietal, posterior parietal, angular, temporo-occipital, posterior temporal, middle temporal, anterior temporal, and temporopolar. The smallest cortical arteries arose at the anterior end and the largest one at the posterior end of the Sylvian fissure. The largest cortical arteries supplied the temporo-occipital and angular areas. The relationship of each of the cortical arteries to a number of external landmarks was reviewed in detail.

Pathophysiology of “tethered cord syndrome”

Abstract: ✓ The tethered cord syndrome is a clinical entity manifested by progressive motor and sensory changes in the legs, incontinence, back or leg pain, and scoliosis. In order to elucidate the pathophysiology involved in the tethered cord, the reduction/oxidation ratio (redox) was used in vivo of cytochrome a,a3 to signal oxidative metabolic functioning in human examples of tethered cord and in animal models. Studies in experimental models indicate marked metabolic and electrophysiological susceptibility to hypoxic stress to lumbosacral cord under traction with greater weights (3, 4, or 5 gm). Similar effects were demonstrated in redox behavior of human tethered cord during surgical procedures. The authors conclude that symptoms and signs of tethered cord are concomitant with lumbosacral neuronal dysfunction which could be due to impairment of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism under constant or intermittent cord stretching. It is assumed that prolonged or accentuated neuronal dysfunction may lead to structura...

Microsurgical anatomy of the supraclinoid portion of the internal carotid artery

Abstract: The microsurgical anatomy of the supraclinoid portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) was studied in 50 adult cadaver cerebral hemispheres using X 3 to X 40 magnification. The ICA was divided into four parts: the C1 or cervical portion; the C2 or petrous portion; the C3 or cavernous portion; and the C4 or supraclinoid portion. The C4 portion was divided into three segments based on the origin of its major branches: the ophthalmic segment extended from the origin of the ophthalmic artery to the origin of the posterior communicating artery (PCoA); the communicating segment extended from the origin of the PCoA to the origin of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA); and the choroidal segment extended from the origin of the AChA to the bifurcation of the carotid artery. Each segment gave off a series of perforating branches with a relatively constant site of termination. The perforating branches arising from the ophthalmic segment passed to the optic nerve and chiasm, infundibulum, and the floor of the third ventricle. The perforating branches arising from the communicating segment passed to the optic tract and the floor of the third ventricle. The perforating branches arises from the choroidal segment passed upward and entered the brain through the anterior perforated substance. The anatomy of the ophthalmic, posterior communicating, anterior choroidal, and superior hypophyseal branches of the C4 portion was also examined.

Treatment of 54 traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas.

Abstract: A series of 54 traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas has been treated with detachable balloon catheters. The balloon was introduced through one of three different approaches: the endarterial route; the venous route through the jugular vein, the inferior petrosal sinus, and the cavernous sinus; or surgical exposure of the cavernous sinus; with occlusion of the fistula by a detachable balloon directly positioned in the cavernous sinus. Full follow-up review demonstrated that the carotid blood flow was preserved in 59% of cases. The most frequent complication was a transient oculomotor nerve palsy, which occurred in 20% of cases. In three cases where both the fistula and the carotid artery were originally occluded by the balloon, the superior portion of the fistula was later found not to be completely occluded, and these patients had intracranial ligation of the supraclinoid portion of the carotid artery. Three patients had hemiparesis, transient in two cases and permanent in the other. The results show that the fistula was totally occluded in 53 cases; in the one exception the patient became asymptomatic but had a minimal angiographic leak.

Pituitary apoplexy: its incidence and clinical significance

Abstract: The occurrence of hemorrhage from pituitary adenoma (so-called "pituitary apoplexy") was investigated in a consecutive series of 560 cases operated on during the past 30 years. There were 93 cases (16.6%) in which hemorrhage from pituitary adenomas was confirmed either clinically or surgically. These patients were analyzed in terms of age, sex, symptoms and signs, size of tumor, hormonal function, and histological types of adenomas, and computerized tomography findings. In 90 cases (16.6%), hematoma or old bloody fluid was verified within the tumor tissue at surgery. Three other patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage, but there was no detectable intratumor hematoma in any of them. Among these 93 patients, 42 (7.5%) showed no evidence of clinical symptoms related to hemorrhage (asymptomatic hemorrhage). Fifty-one patients (9.1%) had definite histories of an acute episode that suggested sudden bleeding (symptomatic hemorrhage: pituitary apoplexy). Thirty-eight patients (6.8%) had a major attack manifested by disturbances of consciousness, hemiparesis, loss of vision, or ocular palsy. In two acromegalic patients, pituitary apoplexy developed during bromocriptine treatment. There was one case of sudden death due to massive hemorrhage from the tumor 14 months after the completion of postoperative radiation therapy. The other 13 symptomatic patients (2.3%) developed a minor attack which included headache, nausea, vomiting, and vertigo. Bleeding from pituitary adenomas was not statistically correlated with any of the following factors: sex, hormonal function of adenomas, and histological types, but it was correlated with age. The number of asymptomatic cases in the third decade was significantly greater than that of the whole group of pituitary adenoma patients in the same decade. The present investigation revealed that the incidence of pituitary apoplexy was unexpectedly high: a major attack in 6.8% of pituitary adenoma patients, a minor attack in 2.3%, and asymptomatic hemorrhage in 7.5% of the cases. This risk of pituitary apoplexy should be kept in mind in treating pituitary adenomas.

The course of chronic subdural hematomas after burr-hole craniostomy and closed-system drainage

Abstract: ✓ A consecutive series of 32 adult patients with chronic subdural hematoma was studied in respect to postoperative cerebral reexpansion (reduction in diameter of the subdural space) after burr-hole craniostomy and closed-system drainage. Patients with high subdural pressure showed the most rapid brain expansion and clinical improvement during the first 2 days. Nevertheless, a computerized tomography (CT) scan performed on the 10th day after surgery demonstrated persisting subdural fluid in 78% of cases. After 40 days, the CT scan was normal in 27 of the 32 patients. There was no mortality and no significant morbidity. Our study suggests that well developed subdural neomembranes are the crucial factors for cerebral reexpansion, a phenomenon that takes at least 10 to 20 days. However, blood vessel dysfunction and impairment of cerebral blood flow may participate in delay of brain reexpansion. It may be argued that additional surgical procedures, such as repeated tapping of the subdural fluid, craniotomy, an...

Brain abscess: a review of 400 cases

Abstract: The author reviews 400 cases of brain abscess treated in China over 20 years. The commonest cause was chronic ear infection, with abscesses in the temporal lobe and cerebellum. Signs of increased intracranial pressure were present in most cases, localizing neurological signs in two-thirds, and clinical signs of infection in only 57%. The difficulties of early diagnosis may be considerable. Definitive diagnosis was dictated by the techniques available: when clinical features and ultrasound indicated a localized abscess, a burr hole and exploratory aspiration were used; otherwise, and in complicated cases, angiography or ventriculography were required. Antibiotics were given in full doses for an extended period. Aspiration was the initial treatment in 253 cases, with 22% mortality. Excision was the sole treatment in 128 patients, of whom 17.2% died. A further 76 patients underwent aspiration followed by excision; 25% of these patients died. There was no significant difference in mortality in these treatment groups. The most important predictor of outcome was the patient's condition when first seen. In 103 cases, signs of brain herniation were present; the mortality was 64% in these patients. In the 297 without herniation, mortality was only 8.4%. Early referral for specialist care, computerized tomography, correct choice and dosage of antibiotics, and the surgical methods in present use should make this a benign disease.

Hyponatremia in intracranial disease: perhaps not the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)

Abstract: ✓ Patients with intracranial disorders are prone to develop hyponatremia with inability to prevent the loss of sodium in their urine. This was originally referred to as “cerebral salt wasting,” but more recently is thought to be secondary to the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Blood volume determinations were made in 12 unselected neurosurgical patients with intracranial disease who fulfilled the laboratory criteria for SIADH. Ten of the 12 patients had significant decreases in their red blood cell mass, plasma volume, and total blood volume. The finding of a decreased blood volume in patients who fulfill the laboratory criteria for SIADH is better explained by the original concepts of cerebral salt wasting than by SIADH. The primary defect may be the inability of the kidney to conserve sodium.

Radiofrequency neurolysis in a clinical model: Neuropathological correlation

Abstract: Reports differ on which nerve fibers are affected by radiofrequency lesions made in peripheral nerves, some stating that primarily the myelinated delta and unmyelinated C fibers are destroyed, others stating that the destruction affects all sizes of nerve fibers and both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. This study was designed to confirm one of those two findings, and to study the role that different temperatures might play in determining which fibers are affected. Radiofrequency lesions (85 degrees C for 2 minutes) were made in dogs by placing a temperature-monitored electrode into the lumber intervertebral foramina. The dogs were killed at intervals up to 6 weeks after rhizotomy, and the lesions were studied by light and electron microscopy. In all lesions, there was a total loss of unmyelinated fibers and a nearly total loss of myelinated fibers. In other dogs, 2-minute lesions were made at 45 degrees, 55 degrees, 65 degrees, and 75 degrees C, and the lesions examined 1 week later. Again, all sizes and all types of fibers were destroyed.

Long-term results of the surgical treatment of 129 intramedullary spinal gliomas.

Abstract: The authors report the late results of surgical treatment of 129 intramedullary gliomas (48 ependymomas, 53 astrocytomas, 13 spongioblastomas, five glioblastomas, one oligodendroglioma, and nine others), with follow-up periods ranging from 1 to 27 years. The value of surgical treatment is considered in relation to postoperative results.

Radiation treatment for medulloblastoma. A 21-year review.

Abstract: ✓ One hundred and twenty-two patients with medulloblastoma received postoperative irradiation at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, from 1958 to 1978, inclusive. The surgical procedure in these patients was total resection (44 patients), subtotal resection (66 patients), or biopsy alone (12 patients). Twenty-five patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 56% and 43%, respectively. Improved survival rates were associated with an increased degree of resection and with posterior fossa radiation doses of 5200 rads or more. The posterior fossa was the common site of first relapse (in 56 patients, 46%). Systemic metastases at first relapse occurred in 18 of 52 patients (35%), and were associated with the use of ventriculosystemic shunts. Millipore filters did not prevent systemic relapse in shunted patients. A subset of 15 patients who received a posterior fossa dose of 5200 rads or more after a total resection had a 5-year survival rate of 77%, which remained con...

Neuropathological and computerized tomographic findings in experimental brain abscess

Abstract: The neuropathological progression of brain abscess formation was studied experimentally at sequential stages in dogs, and the findings correlated with the appearance on computerized tomographic (CT) brain scans. The evolution of brain-abscess formation was divided into four stages based on histological criteria: early cerebritis (Days 1 to 3); late cerebritis (Days 4 to 9); early capsule (Days 10 to 13); and late capsule (Days 14 and later). The cerebritis stage was characterized by prominent perivascular cuffing by inflammatory cells in the area adjacent to the developing necrotic center. However, the early elements of capsule formation appeared with the presence of fibroblasts by Day 5. The CT scans showed ring-shaped contrast enhancement by Day 3. Delayed scans at 30 minutes revealed diffusion of the contrast material into the developing necrotic center, forming a solid lesion. In lesions that were well encapsulated (14 days and older), five distinct histological zones were apparent: 1) a well formed necrotic center; 2) a peripheral zone of inflammatory cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts; 3) the dense collagenous capsule; 4) a layer of neovascularity associated with continuing cerebritis; and 5) reactive astrocytes, gliosis, and cerebral edema external to the capsule. The CT appearance of well encapsulated abscesses showed a typical ring-shaped contrast-enhancing lesion. On the delayed scans, the "ring" did not fill in with contrast enhancement. The diameter of the ring correlated best with the presence of cerebritis (perivascular infiltrates in the adventitial sheaths of vessels surrounding the abscess). The discussion focuses on the relevance of this study to the current management of patients with brain abscess.

Risk of bleeding from unruptured aneurysms in cases with multiple intracranial aneurysms

Abstract: ✓ The author presents a follow-up review of 61 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and at least two intracranial artery aneurysms, in whom only the ruptured aneurysm had been clipped. During a 10-year follow-up period, seven patients bled from a previously unruptured aneurysm; four of the hemorrhages were fatal. Three additional patients suffered fatal bleeding more than 10 years after the first SAH. The surgical mortality rate when operating on a ruptured aneurysm at this clinic was 4.2% in 1979. Considering that the mortality rate after rebleeding during an average follow-up period of 16 years was 11.5%, operation for unruptured aneurysms seems to have a slight edge over conservative treatment.

Effect of naloxone on posttraumatic ischemia in experimental spinal contusion

Abstract: ✓ The effect of naloxone on blood flow and somatosensory evoked potentials was studied in cats subjected to 400 gm-cm contusion injuries of the thoracic spinal cord. Eight cats were treated with 10 mg/kg naloxone 45 to 60 minutes after injury, 11 cats were given 10 ml of saline instead of naloxone, and six cats were neither injured nor treated. Hydrogen clearance was used to measure blood flow in the lateral white columns at the contusion site. Naloxone, given intravenously, significantly improved the blood flow rates in the lateral column white matter. At 2 hours after injury, the mean blood flow in the saline-treated cats fell to 50% (p 0.50) in naloxone-treated cats, and 12% (p > 0.50) in uninjured cats. At the 3rd hour after injury, the respective flows fell 47% (p 0.50), and increased 15% (p > 0.50) of the preinjury flow rates. The naloxone-treated cats had striking preservation of sensory function and somatosensory ev...

Effect of methylprednisolone in compression trauma to the feline spinal cord

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of methylprednisolone sodium succinate on clincal recovery and tissue preservation following compression trauma of feline spinal cord. Cats were anesthetized with pentobarbital and injured by placing a 170-gm weight on the spinal cord for 5 minutes. One hour after injury, the animals were given intravenous steroid (15 mg/kg/day) for 2 days in three devided doses, 15 mg/kg/day for 1 day intramuscularly, 7.5 mg/kg/day intramuscularly for 3 days, and 3.75 mg/kg/day intramuscularly for 3 days, for a total of 9 days. In a control group, the animals were injured but untreated. At 60 days after injury, the animals were sacrifieced by perfusion fixation with 10% formalin. The spinal cord was removed and evaluated for a number of morphometric parameters, including percentage of spinal cord cross-sectional area containing the cavity (%area) and percentage of spinal cord volume occupied by the cavity (%volume). A clinical recovery score (recovery index) was devised to evaluate neurological recovery. Steroid-treated cats showed significantly greater recovery than the untreated controls (p less than 0.001). Moreover, the spinal cord of treated cats displayed greater tissue preservation as measured by %area (p leass than 0.005) and %volume (p less than 0.004). Correlation coefficients comparing the recovery index with morphometric parameters revealed a negative correlation between cavity size and recovery. These data provide evidence for a beneficial effect of methylprednisolone in promoting recovery and preserving spinal cord tissue following blunt injury to the feline spinal cord.

Gangliogliomas: pathological and clinical correlation

Abstract: ✓ Fourteen cases of ganglioglioma are analyzed. This tumor can be found anywhere within the central nervous system. The histological appearance is highly variable and does not relate to the biological behavior. The prognosis depends on the location and possible modes of treatment. Overall, the lesion appears to be nonaggressive and consistent with long survival.

Early management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: A report of the Cooperative Aneurysm Study

Abstract: The overall results are presented of early medical management and delayed operation among 249 patients studied during the period 1974 to 1977, treated within 3 days of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and evaluated 90 days after aneurysm rupture. The results included 36.2% mortality, 17.9% survival with serious neurological sequelae, and 46% with a favorable outcome. Of the patients admitted in good neurological condition, 28.7% had died and only 55.7% had a favorable recovery at 90 days after SAH. These figures represent the results despite effective reduction in early rebleeding by antifibrinolytic therapy and successful surgery in those patients reaching operation. Further therapeutic advances are needed for patients hospitalized within a few days after SAH.

The effect of a lipid hydroperoxide of arachidonic acid on the canine basilar artery: An experimental study on cerebral vasospasm

Abstract: ✓ The in vivo spasmogenic capacity of a lipid hydroperoxide (15-hydroperoxy arachidonic acid: 15-HPAA) was studied in a chronic experiment using the dog. The 15-HPAA was injected into the cisterna magna (0.2 or 2 mg emulsified in bovine serum albumin solution). The changes in diameter of the basilar artery were followed by angiography, and the morphological changes were studied by electron microscopy. The cisternal injection of 0.2 mg of 15-HPAA caused a mild constriction of the basilar artery which lasted about 7 hours. The cisternal injection of 2 mg of 15-HPAA caused a biphasic constriction, the initial phase of which was a moderate narrowing lasting about 10 hours. The second phase started on the 2nd or the 3rd day after injection. The intensity of the arterial narrowing was more pronounced in the second phase than in the first. The prolonged secondary constriction of the basilar artery continued until sacrifice on the 7th day after injection. Electron microscopic study revealed a marked degenerative ...

Prognostic implications of early multimodality evoked potentials in severely head-injured patients. A prospective study.

Abstract: Results of multimodality evoked potential (MEP) studies recorded from 100 comatose patients soon after severe head injury were analyzed prospectively, using a previously established grading system, to assess the prognostic value of MEP's with respect to patient outcome, to evaluate the effect of clinically relevant sequelae of head injury on the prediction of outcome by MEP's and to describe time to clinical recovery as a function of initial MEP grade. Graded MEP's when recorded in the first few days after head injury, could predict patient outcome at 1 year with approximately 80% accuracy. Exclusion from the analysis of patients who died from causes unrelated to the brain and those with severe systemic complications that occurred after the evoked potentials were recorded improved the accuracy of outcome prediction to nearly 100%. The presence of a mass lesion requiring surgery reduces the probability if good to moderate outcome for a given MEP grade by approximately 25% to 40% from the seen in patients without mass lesions. The clinical outcome predicted shortly after head injury by MEP grades may not be realized for many months. Patients with mild MEP abnormality (Grade I or II) generally reach their outcome by 3 to 6 months, whereas those with more severe deficits (Grade III) may not show improvement for at least 1 year.

Late complications of carotid ligation in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms

Abstract: The results in 57 consecutive patients treated with carotid ligation for an intracranial aneurysm were analyzed to define the risks of late complications The average age for the group was 46 years Eighty percent of the aneurysms were located on the internal carotid artery (ICA) The acute morbidity and mortality of the treatment and the natural history of the disease was 29% Twenty-four patients were discharged with a common carotid artery (CCA) ligation, and 21 patients with an ICA ligation Three patients from each ligation group could not be located for review The follow-up period for the 21 patients with CCA ligation ranged from 1 to 15 years, with an average of 84 years, and for the 18 patients with ICA ligation it ranged from 2 to 195 years, with an average of 125 years Excluding deaths from unrelated causes, five of the 21 patients with CCA ligation developed a late complication Two patients had a transient ischemic attack (TIA) Two patients had a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), one of which was fatal and was preceded by a TIA Two patients developed monocular blindness None of the patients had a stroke Excluding deaths from unrelated causes, five of the 18 patients with ICA ligation developed a late complication One patient had a fatal SAH Three patients had a TIA, two of which were followed by a stroke One patient had a stroke in the cerebral hemisphere contralateral to the side of the carotid ligation

Changes in extracellular potassium concentration in cortex and brain stem during the acute phase of experimental closed head injury

Abstract: A high potassium concentration ([K+]o) in brain tissue impedes neuronal activity, as observed in spreading cortical depression Experimental studies were performed on mice and rats to determine the role of changes of [K+]o in cerebral concussion In the first experiment, a 600 gm-cm impact was delivered to the vertex of the mouse skull This impact induced arrest of spontaneous movement for 465 +/- 559 seconds (mean +/- SD), accompanied by apnea, bradycardia, and low-voltage electroencephalographic recordings (EEG) The injury was also frequently followed immediately by epilepsy This impact induced an increase of cortical [K+]o from the control level of 41 +/- 18 mM to 20-30 mM, with gradual recovery within 30 minutes to the control level In the second experiment, an impact of 9000 gm-cm was delivered to the midline parieto-occipital area of the rat and produced concussion-like phenomena similar to those elicited in mice This level of trauma induced a significant increase of cortical [K+]o from the control level of 42 +/- 08 mM to 20-50 mM in all of the rats, and also a significant increase of brain-stem [K+]o from 39 +/- 06 to 20-30 mM in 73% of the rats In these latter rats, the impact also induced apnea and a transient elevation of blood pressure, and resulted in low-voltage EEG recordings In 23% of the rats in which [K+]o changes in the brain stem were not significant, the impact caused a transient reduction of blood pressure The present study disclosed that an increase of [K+]o in the cerebral cortex and also in the brain stem is an important element in the phenomenon of concussion

High-dose cyclophosphamide chemotherapy for recurrent CNS tumors in children

Abstract: A Phase Ii chemotherapy trial was conducted in 18 children with recurrent brain tumors, using high doses (80 mg/kg or greater) of intravenous cyclophosphamide cyclophosphamide. All eight patients with medulloblastomas responded; two patients with systemic metastases had complete responses and six others had partial responses. In seven patients with gliomas, there were one complete and four partial responses. In a third group, all three patients with intracranial germ-cell tumors had partial responses. The overall response rate was, therefore, 89% (16 of 18 patients), and the mean duration of response was 7 months (range 2 to 24 or more months). The hematological toxicity was considerable, with two deaths possibly related to chemotherapy: one patient, a recipient of unirradiated packed cells, died from a graft versus host reaction, and the other died from an intracranial hemorrhage during a thrombocytopenic episode. Four patients had prior chemotherapy, and 10 patients had prior neuraxis radiation therapy. These patients tolerated aggressive chemotherapy reasonably well. The results are sufficiently encouraging to justify a Phase III trial in patients with newly diagnosed disease.

Results of early operations for ruptured aneurysms

Abstract: In a consecutive series of 219 patients with a ruptured aneurysm of the anterior part of the circle of Willis, 119 patients (54%) made a good recovery and 67 (31%) died. Of 53 patients who did not have surgery, six (11%) made a good recovery and 37 (70%) died. Urgent surgery with evacuation of an associated significant intracerebral hematoma was performed in 30 patients; nine (30%) made a good recovery and 15 (50%) died. Delayed surgery was performed in 55 patients of whom 42 (76%) made a good recovery and two (4%) died. Early intracranial operation (within 48 to 60 hours after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)) was performed in 81 patients who were in Grades I to III prior to surgery. Sixty patients (74%) made a good recovery, and eight died within a month. Five patients were severely disabled and died 2 to 8 months after SAH and surgery. In 17 patients, although the immediate postoperative course was uneventful, evidence of cerebral ischemia developed 4 to 13 days after the bleed and resulted in death in eight patients. A poor outcome was correlated with a history of elevated blood pressure before SAH. Seven patients, of whom six were women of child-bearing age, demonstrated pronounced vasospasm on postoperative angiography; nevertheless, they remained well and free from ischemic symptoms after surgery. Early operation combined with removal of subarachnoid clots and rinsing the basal cisterns does not eliminate the risk of delayed ischemic dysfunction. Such early surgery, however, improves overall outcome by preventing recurrent bleeding, and may also reduce the frequency of hydrocephalus.

The effects of mannitol on blood viscosity

Abstract: To determine the effect of mannitol on blood viscosity, serial measurements were carried out on venous blood in patients undergoing craniotomies for intracranial aneurysms. Blood samples were drawn immediately prior to, and 30 minutes, 2, and 4 hours after administration of mannitol. Complete blood counts, serum osmolarities, and erythrocyte microsieving studies were also performed on each sample. Whole-blood viscosity decreased at 30 minutes and 2 hours, but not at 4 hours after mannitol administration. This decreased appeared at high shear rates only, where erythrocyte deformability is critical viscosity. This effect was independent of the hematocrit. Removal of mannitol from the suspension returned red cell deformability to preadministration values indicating that the increased erythrocyte deformability required the presence of mannitol and the relative hyperosmolarity induced by this agent. The reduced erythrocyte rigidity and subsequent decreased whole-blood viscosity should enhance tissue perfusion in the microcirculation.

Observations on 82 patients with extradural hematoma Comparison of results before and after the advent of computerized tomography

Abstract: ✓ A consecutive, unselected series of 82 patients with epidural hematoma treated between 1973 and 1980 is presented. Forty-one patients were managed before the advent of computerized tomography (CT) and the other 41 after this neuroradiological method was available. Mortality and disability rates which were 29.2% and 31.7% during the pre-CT period decreased to 12.1% and 19.5%, respectively, with the aid of CT scanning. This technique allowed a more rapid and accurate diagnosis of the hematomas than angiography, and defined better the presence and the evolutional changes of the associated cerebral lesions. As a consequence, surgery has been more effectively planned and executed during the CT era.