1/3. Intrathecal baclofen alleviates autonomic dysfunction in severe brain injury.Sympathetic storm phenomena are well known therapeutic problems in patients with severe brain injury. We have treated four patients with intrathecal baclofen (ITB) who suffered from severe hypertension, tachycardia and other sympathetic storm phenomena after different primary events. In all patients conventional therapy with sedatives and antiadrenergic medication had been taken to the upper limits before initiating ITB. Autonomic dysfunction immediately improved in three of four patients. In all patients ITB, via lumbar or ventricular route, proved safe and without complications. The anatomical and pharmacological basis of the GABA-B agonist action on such sympathetic storm phenomena are not yet fully understood. However, the positive results observed in three out of four patients are promising and require further investigation. ITB is a new therapeutic approach to control otherwise unresponsive sympathetic storm phenomena in severe brain injury.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. Intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to autonomic dysreflexia in a young person with incomplete C8 tetraplegia: A case report.Intracerebral hemorrhage is an unusual complication of autonomic dysreflexia and can be fatal if massive bleeding occurs with brain herniation. We report the case of a man in his midthirties with incomplete tetraplegia who suffered right putaminal hemorrhage during an episode of autonomic dysreflexia. Prompt recognition and removal of the triggering factors of autonomic dysreflexia quickly brought his blood pressure under control and the patient had a favorable functional outcome after rehabilitation. A review of the literature suggests that the location of hemorrhage in autonomic dysreflexia-induced cases is similar to that in the general population. The most common triggering factors are bladder distension in men and labor induction in women. Hemorrhagic stroke can also occur in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) who develop autonomic dysreflexia. The role of sympathetic skin response examination is also discussed. This life-threatening complication should be kept in mind in the case of people with SCI.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 62.847635658552keywords = cerebral, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. cerebral hemorrhage due to autonomic dysreflexia in a spinal cord injury patient.STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To report an uncommon case of cerebral hemorrhage due to autonomic dysreflexia (AD) in a spinal cord injury (SCI) patient. SETTING: Institut Guttmann, Neurorehabilitation Hospital in Barcelona, spain. CASE REPORT: An SCI patient developed AD due to urinary tract infection after surgery for a pressure sore. The hypertension was difficult to control and the case progressed to hypertensive encephalopathy. MRI of the brain was performed showing a hemorrhagic lesion on the left occipital area. The hypertension was finally controlled and the neurological status improved although with some cognitive deficits. CONCLUSION: This is an uncommon case of cerebral hemorrhage due to AD, showing the importance of an adequate diagnosis and treatment of AD to avoid this life-threatening complication.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 25.239054263421keywords = cerebral, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |