1/39. Correlation between jugular bulb oxygen saturation and partial pressure of brain tissue oxygen during CO2 and O2 reactivity tests in severely head-injured patients.PURPOSE: To correlate the jugular bulb oxygen saturation (SjvO2) and brain tissue oxygen pressure (PbtO2) during carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) reactivity tests in severely head-injured patients. methods AND RESULTS: In nine patients (7 men, 2 women, age: 26 /- 6.5 years, GCS of 6.5 /- 2.9), a polarographic microcatheter (Clark-type) was inserted into nonlesioned white matter (frontal lobe). PbtO2 and SjvO2 were monitored simultaneously and cerebral vasoreactivity to CO2 and O2 was tested on days three, five and seven after injury. Simultaneous measurements of vasoreactivity by transcranial Doppler (TCD) were undertaken. A total of twenty-one CO2 and O2 reactivity tests were performed. Critical values of PbtO2 (< 15 mm Hg) during induced hyperventilation could be observed four times in two patients. High PbtO2 values up to 80 mm Hg were observed during hyperoxygenation (FiO2 100%). CO2 vasoreactivity by means of PbtO2 was absent in four tests in which measurements by TCD showed intact responses. A stronger correlation between SjvO2 and PbtO2 during the O2 reactivity tests was observed (r = 0.6, p < 0.001), in comparison to values obtained during the CO2 reactivity tests (r = 0.33, p < 0.001). In addition, there was no statistically significant correlation (r = 0.22, p = 0.26) between CO2 reactivity values measured by TCD (4.5 /- 5.7%) and PbtO2 (3 /- 2.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Correlation between SjvO2 and PbtO2 during CO2 reactivity test is low, even if significant differences between normo- and hyperventilation values are present. In comparison to SjvO2, monitoring of PbtO2 might more accurately detect possible focal ischaemic events during rapidly induced hyperventilation in severely head-injured patients. The CO2 vasoreactivity by means of changes in Vm MCA seems to be higher in comparison to changes of PbtO2. These observations lead to the hypothesis that vasoreactivity measured by TCD overestimates the cerebrovascular response to CO2.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/39. Fatal secondary increase in serum S-100B protein after severe head injury. Report of three cases.The S-100B protein is a small cytosolic protein that is found in astroglial or schwann cells. It is highly specific for brain tissue and is increasingly being investigated as a diagnostic tool to assess the neurological damage after head injury, stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and cardiopulmonary bypass. The authors report on three patients with severe head injury with otherwise normal cerebral perfusion pressure, SaO2, PaCO2, and controlled intracranial pressure (ICP), in whom a secondary excessive increase in serum S-100B was observed. In all cases, the S-100B increase was followed by an increase in ICP. All three patients died within 72 hours after the excessive increase in S-100B. These findings indicate that major secondary brain damage may occur at a cellular level without being identified by current neuromonitoring techniques.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/39. Induced hypothermia in the management of cerebral oedema secondary to fulminant liver failure.The use of mild hypothermia in the management of blunt head trauma has been shown to significantly improve clinical outcomes. The use of moderate controlled hypothermia in the patient with severely raised intracranial pressure (ICP) secondary to fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) has similar potential benefits, but is not a widely accepted practice. We report a case where the use of hypothermia in the management of severely raised ICP both before and after liver transplantation was thought to effect a beneficial outcome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.027698913791598keywords = trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/39. flushing in relation to a possible rise in intracranial pressure: documentation of an unusual clinical sign. Report of five cases.This report documents clinical features in five children who developed transient reddening of the skin (epidermal flushing) in association with acute elevations in intracranial pressure (ICP). Four boys and one girl (ages 9-15 years) deteriorated acutely secondary to intracranial hypertension ranging from 30 to 80 mm Hg in the four documented cases. Two patients suffered from ventriculoperitoneal shunt malfunctions, one had diffuse cerebral edema secondary to traumatic brain injury, one was found to have pneumococcal meningitis and hydrocephalus, and one suffered an intraventricular hemorrhage and hydrocephalus intraoperatively. All patients were noted to have developed epidermal flushing involving either the upper chest, face, or arms during their period of neurological deterioration. The response was transient, typically lasting 5 to 15 minutes, and dissipated quickly. The flushing reaction is postulated to be a centrally mediated response to sudden elevations in ICP. Several potential mechanisms are discussed. flushing has clinical importance because it may indicate significant elevations in ICP when it is associated with neurological deterioration. Because of its transient nature, the importance of epidermal flushing is often unrecognized; its presence confirms the need for urgent treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 234.9124072153keywords = brain injury, traumatic brain injury, traumatic brain, injury, trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/39. Surgical approach in terson syndrome: vitreous and retinal findings.PURPOSE: To report some interesting findings in patients with bilateral Terson syndrome. methods: We describe six eyes from three patients with Terson syndrome. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed in one eye twelve weeks, and in four eyes six months after the acute event. In one eye blood was suddenly spontaneously absorbed after four months. RESULTS: The four eyes operated six months after injury showed severe complications and final visual acuity was between light perception and 0.6. The eye with surgical attendance twelve weeks after the acute injury had an uneventful course, and final visual acuity was 0.7. CONCLUSIONS: Because of severe ocular complications and with a view to early rehabilitation, vitrectomy has been recommended for eyes with bilateral Terson syndrome, without spontaneous blood resorption. Surgery should be performed in at least one eye not later than four to eight weeks after the acute injury.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/39. Delayed hemispheric neuronal loss in severely head-injured patients.Recent experimental studies have revealed that traumatic brain injury as well as ischemic brain injury can cause chronic progressive neuronal damage. In the present study, we demonstrate previously unreported delayed cerebral atrophy on computerized tomography (CT) scans in severely head-injured patients. Seventeen severely head-injured patients who required mild hypothermia to control intracranial hypertension after the failure of conventional therapies were retrospectively analyzed. All 17 patients survived more than 1 year. Delayed neuronal loss (DNL) was observed in only eight of the 17 patients. Eight patients with DNL required longer durations of mild hypothermia to control intracranial hypertension than nine patients without DNL. Six of these eight patients with DNL achieved functional recovery despite progressive atrophic changes demonstrated on CT scans. On CT scans, DNL was characterized by (1) the sudden appearance at several months postinjury of a low-density area in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the injury; (2) the preservation of essential cortical structure although related white matter structures showed severe atrophic changes; and (3) no spread of the low-density area to the contiguous territory of the other main cerebral artery. It is concluded that focal primary injury to underlying brain, if severe enough, can result in delayed hemispheric atrophy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 356.7894943796keywords = brain injury, traumatic brain injury, traumatic brain, injury, trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/39. The application of controlled intracranial hypertension in slit ventricle syndrome patients with obstructive hydrocephalus and shunt malfunction.When a shunted patient with slit-ventricle syndrome (SVS) presents with a shunt malfunction or infection, the third ventricle may not be of sufficient caliber, despite the shunt malfunction, to allow atraumatic passage of an endoscope to the floor of the third ventricle. We describe four slit ventricle syndrome patients with respectively 24, 12, 18 and 2 prior shunt revisions who presented with shunt infection. In each patient the shunt was externalized and controlled intracranial hypertension (CIH) was applied over an average of 5.8 days by raising the height of the external ventricular drain (EVD) bag to a mean height of 18.8 cm above EAM. This increased the mean transverse third ventricular diameter from an average of 0.28 cm on admission to 1.13 cm after application of CIH. Endoscopic third ventriculocisternostomy (ETV) was satisfactorily performed in three of the four patients who remain shunt free after a mean follow-up of 21.3 months. CIH followed by ETV is an option in selected SVS patients who present with shunt malfunction or infection.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.027698913791598keywords = trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/39. Early recognition of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome after carotid stenting--a case report.The hyperperfusion syndrome is a recognized complication of carotid endarterectomy. Reports of cerebral hyperperfusion injury following internal carotid artery angioplasty and stenting are few We report a case of 76-year-old hypertensive man who was admitted to our hospital for assessment 2 years after experiencing an ischemic stroke of right hemisphere. angiography confirmed 60% stenosis of left internal carotid artery (ICA). Percutaneous transluminal stenting of left internal carotid artery was performed without any immediate complications. Two hours after the procedure, the patient suddenly deteriorated. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain revealed extensive intracerebral hemorrhage and he died 5 days later. There was precipitating migranous headache, and his blood pressure was moderately elevated at the time of deterioration. Sentinel headache could solely indicate the early sign of hyperperfusion injury after carotid stenting, especially in the presence of arterial hypertension. patients with sentinel headache after angioplasty should be recognized early and they deserve intensive study for other features of cerebral hyperperfusion injury and prompt early management.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/39. Determination of cerebral water content by magnetic resonance imaging after small volume infusion of 18% hypertonic saline solution in a patient with refractory intracranial hypertension.Hypertonic saline solution (HSS) has been investigated in the treatment of intracranial hypertension (ICH) in a limited number of studies, usually after failure of conventional treatment. HSS, used in concentrations that vary from 3% to 23.4%, seems to be effective in reducing refractory ICH and to be devoid of adverse effects. We treated a patient with refractory ICH with a small-volume infusion of 18% HSS, and performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after HSS infusion. MRI showed a marked reduction in cerebral water content 1 h after the infusion. To our knowledge, this is the first MRI study in a patient with brain injury to evaluate the effect of HSS on brain water content. Further studies are necessary to test HSS efficacy and to identify, through MRI or computed tomography (CT) scan imaging, a subgroup of patients with brain injury who would be best treated with HSS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 237.75417432859keywords = brain injury, injury (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/39. Epidural hematomas in a child with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.INTRODUCTION. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder. It is characterized by severe growth failure, premature aging, and very early atherosclerosis with coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease. CASE REPORT. A 10-year-old boy with HGPS was admitted to our department because of progressive deterioration after a mild head injury. The CT scans revealed epidural hematoma in posterior fossa and another one in the temporal region on the left side. On admission the child was given an estimated score of 10 on the GCS. Neurological examination revealed right hemiparesis. The boy was operated on, and both hematomas were evacuated. In a few days the neurological symptoms disappeared, and he was discharged from the hospital with only residual, minimal right hemiparesis. CONCLUSION. Intracranial pathology was certainly caused by the head trauma, but was more severe than would have been expected had the trauma been the sole cause. We suggest that progressive atherosclerosis of intracranial vessels was responsible for formation of the hematomas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.0553978275832keywords = injury, trauma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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