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Clinical neurology and neurosurgery 04/2013; · 1.30 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Objective: To present a case involving a discrepancy in the presurgical data of a patient suffering from pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 47-year-old, female patient with complex partial seizures since her twenties came to be evaluated in the Epilepsy Surgery Unit. The ictal electroencephalogram suggested a left temporal epileptogenic zone and the magnetic resonance image showed an abnormality in the right mesial temporal lobe. Intracranial monitoring revealed a pacemaker zone in the right hippocampus that discharged fast spreading to the left mesial temporal lobe, a phenomenon known as 'burned-out hippocampus'. Conclusion: The intracranial recording, even though it is an invasive procedure, was necessary for the presurgical evaluation of our patient. This case demonstrates the risks of using surface electroencephalography to determine localization of epileptogenic zones.
Medical Principles and Practice 08/2012; · 0.89 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to establish a head trauma registry to (a) examine demographics, etiology, severity, clinical course, and outcome; (b) compare results with previous published series; (c) identify causes of bad outcomes; and (d) propose methods to improve therapy and prognosis.
The following data were collected on 1,000 consecutive victims with head injury over 14 years of age admitted during a 4-year period: demographic characteristics, cause of injury, clinical variables, neuroimaging, therapy data, and outcome in 6 months.
Seventy-four percent were men, and mean age was 43 years. Seventy-one percent suffered injuries due to road crashes, 14% due to alcohol, and 2% due to substances. The secondary transfer rate was 49%. For severe injuries, the time intervals from incident to hospital and subsequently to neurosurgical unit were 35 minutes and 4 hours, respectively. In 65% and 72% of cases, there was no record of preresuscitation hypoxia or hypotension, respectively, whereas suspected or definite episodes of hypoxia and hypotension were 27% and 13%, respectively. Most cases were mild trauma (63%), the remaining were severe (26%) and moderate (11%) injuries. Severe systemic trauma coexisted in 18%. Cranial surgery rate was 19% and it increased to 39% in severe trauma. The 6-month overall good outcome was 71%, with lower rates in moderate (58%) and severe (24%) injuries.
The organization of Greece's first head injury registry offered an important preliminary core data concerning brain trauma etiology, management, and long-term outcome.
The Journal of trauma 11/2008; 65(4):789-93. · 2.48 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A comparison of outcomes between different modes of head-injury treatment in the elderly has important bearing on questions of cost-effectiveness and medical ethics. Here, we have examined rates of mortality in elderly head-trauma victims to determine whether it is valid to differentiate an "edge" age group of younger elderly patients, 65-74 years of age, from older elderly patients, considering possible benefit from intensive treatment and surgical intervention. We collected data from 1926 cases of head trauma and separated them into three age groups: 14-64 years, 65-74 years, and 75 years or older. We then compared these groups with respect to cause of injury, severity of injury, and whether or not treatment included either admission to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or surgical intervention. We found that road traffic accidents were the major cause of head injury in the younger age group, whereas in the elderly falls predominated. Mortality was higher in the elderly in all the head injury severity subgroups. Young subjects with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of less than or equal to 8 tended to benefit from ICU treatment whereas patients 75 and over did not, regardless of their severity of injury. For these patients who were in the 65-74 age group, the data suggested that some benefit was likely. Patients 75 and older were significantly less likely to survive surgical intervention than younger patients. We conclude that it is valid to treat patients in the age group 65-74 years as a separate group from those patients 75 and older. Patients in this younger subset of the elderly may benefit from ICU treatment or surgical intervention. However, the patients in our older subset of elderly patients clearly did not, and they had a significantly higher risk of surgical mortality.
Journal of Neurotrauma 09/2007; 24(8):1355-61. · 3.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: S-100B protein is a promising marker of injury severity and outcome after head injury. We examined the relationship between serum S-100B concentrations and injury severity, clinical course, survival, and treatment efficacy after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Prospective observational study in a neurosurgical intensive care unit.
102 adult patients with severe TBI, admitted between June 2001 and November 2003 (30 months).
Serum S-100B levels were measured by immunoluminometric technique on admission and every 24 h thereafter for a maximum of 7 days.
Initial S-100B levels were significantly related to pupillary status, computed tomography severity 1, and 1-month survival. Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis showed that initial S-100B was an independent predictor of 1-month survival, in the presence of dilated pupils, and with increased age. Subjects with initial levels above 1 microg/l had a nearly threefold increased probability of death within 1 month. Serum S-100B alteration indicated neurological improvement or deterioration. Finally, surgical treatment reduced S-100B levels.
Serum S-100B protein reflects injury severity and improves prediction of outcome after severe TBI. S-100B may also have a role in assessing the efficacy of treatment after severe TBI.
Intensive Care Medicine 03/2007; 33(2):255-60. · 5.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: One of the reasons for shunt infection is valve erosion through the skin. In such cases, it is common practice to instantly relocate the shunt to avoid infection. We present a 77-year-old female patient with a 15-month history of hydrocephalus valve extrusion. Despite her poor mental status, clinical condition and hygiene, and the prolonged extrusion period, she developed neither a local nor a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) infection. The patient was ultimately treated with shunt removal and repositioning. An extensive literature review revealed no previous report of such a case. This case indicates that under rare conditions, central nervous system (CNS) implantable devices might not become contaminated and may remain functional, even if they remain exposed for prolonged periods.
Southern Medical Journal 11/2006; 99(10):1127-9. · 0.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Serum S-100B protein is an established biochemical marker of traumatic brain injury. At the same time, the question of extra-cranial S-100B release has been raised. This study evaluates the post-traumatic and post-operative release kinetics of S-100B in 45 trauma victims without head injury.
Serum S-100B protein was measured on admission and every 24 hours for 4 consecutive days.
Initial S-100B was slightly increased (median: 0.54 microg L-1) and correlated with the severity of extra-cranial trauma (p = 0.0004, Mann-Whitney test). Both severely (abdominal or chest trauma with or without bone fractures) and mildly (long bone fractures) injured showed a rapid decline of S-100B (< 0.2 microg L-1) around 72 hours post-trauma. Extra-cranial surgery caused a secondary increase of S-100B, especially in the mildly injured group (p = 0.004, Wilcoxon signed rank test).
Extra-cranial injury results in a mild elevation of serum S-100B protein that declines rapidly (1-3 days after injury).
Brain Injury 07/2006; 20(8):867-72. · 1.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To estimate the functional benefit in patients with severe spasticity treated with intrathecal baclofen infusion through an implantable pump and to stress the need for functional assessment of these patients with a functional scale.
Between 1999 and 2003, 22 patients with a long history of severe and disabling pharmaceutically intractable spasticity, underwent implantation of a pump for continuous intrathecal baclofen infusion. The patients were subdivided into two categories according to the aetiology of spasticity: 15 had Multiple Sclerosis and seven had suffered a Spinal Cord Injury at different levels (from C4 to T11). Clinical status was assessed with the Ashworth and Penn spasm scales. Functional benefits were evaluated with the Barthel index score and pain relief with a self-reported visual analogue pain scale.
Postoperatively, all patients presented improvement in spasticity, reduction of spasm frequency, significant improvement in functional status, enhancement of life comfort and reduction of pain.
Reduction of spasticity and spasms achieved with intrathecally delivered baclofen, leads to functional improvement and pain relief.
Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 07/2005; 107(4):289-95. · 1.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The authors report the case of a 69-year old female with a persistent history of low back pain. Plain lumbar radiographs, performed at symptom initiation, revealed lumbar spondylolisthesis. Low back pain was attributed to this, and the patient received conservative treatment with partial relief of symptoms. Four years later, and as a result of acute onset of radicular symptoms, a lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed, revealing an epidural cystic lesion. The cyst was removed, and histopathology revealed a synovial cyst.
Southern Medical Journal 03/2005; 98(2):223-5. · 0.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: S-100B protein is an established serum marker of primary and secondary brain damage in head injury and stroke. Despite major progress in neurophysiologic monitoring, there are still difficulties in the early identification and quantification of evolving edema or trauma after craniotomy for tumor. In this study we aimed to correlate serum S-100B values with early postoperative neurologic course as well as late outcome in meningioma surgery.
We enrolled 50 consecutive patients who underwent meningioma resection. Serum S-100B was measured preoperatively and postcraniotomy for 7 consecutive days. Twenty-five patients (50%) developed immediate postoperative neurologic deterioration, and 15 (30%) had unfavorable 6-month outcomes. We used the Mann-Whitney U-test to assess the association of S-100B with all variables of interest. We used multiple logistic regression to search for the most significant predictor of postoperative deterioration.
Increased S-100B was highly correlated with larger tumors, intraoperative difficulties, postcraniotomy acute deterioration, and long-term poor outcome. In addition, multiple logistic regression showed that age, sex, site, preoperative edema, history of meningioma resection, extent of resection, and histologic type did not correlate with postoperative increases in S-100B. Furthermore, patients with postoperative S-100B values >0.4 microg/L had increased risk of deterioration (relative risk = 9.0; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-34; P <0.0001) and of poor ultimate outcome (relative risk = 11; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-77; P = 0.002).
After meningioma excision, postcraniotomy increases in serum S-100B appear to be an early indicator of short-term postoperative neurologic deterioration and of a poor longer-term outcome.
Clinical Chemistry 01/2005; 51(1):202-7. · 7.91 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Protein S-100B is an established serum marker of primary and secondary brain damage and stroke. A group of patients after mild head injury (MHI) develop post-concussion symptoms that interfere with the ability in the short-term to return to work or undertake certain activities. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation of serum S-100B with short-term outcome after MHI. We studied 100 subjects who were referred to the Emergency Department (ED) after a MHI. All subjects had a GCS of 15 either with or without loss of consciousness (LOC) and/or post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). Serum S-100B was collected within 3 h from the injury and a value of > or = 0.15 microg/L was considered as abnormal. Subjects with other injuries, including scalp or cervical spine, were excluded, as well as those with alcohol/narcotic drug consumption or history of serious physical/mental illness. An independent observer measured the return to work/activities within one week. Thirty-two (32%) subjects had elevated S-100B. The failure to return to work/activities was significantly correlated with elevated S-100B: subjects with increased S-100B had a failure rate of 37.5% versus 4.9% of those with normal values (p = 0.0001). In MHI, the elevated S-100B seemed to correlate with an unfavorable short-term outcome. This might be useful in (1) selecting patients who need closer observation, hospitalization, and further investigations (such as CT scan or MRI), and (2) the prognosis of genuine post-concussion symptoms, that interfere with return to work or activities, versus other causes such as premorbid personality, labyrinthine dysfunction, whiplash syndrome, postinjury stress, occupational injury, litigation, and malingering.
Journal of Neurotrauma 08/2004; 21(8):1070-5. · 3.65 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To assess thyroid function abnormalities in survivors of severe head trauma and to examine their relationship with indices of brain injury severity.
Prospective study.
General intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital.
Twenty-two (21 men) head-injured patients, with a median age of 25.5 years at the time of injury, were investigated. Severity of brain trauma was assessed by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, Marshall Computerized Tomographic Classification, intracranial pressure levels and serum S-100b concentrations measured over a 6-day period.
Thyroid function testing was performed 1 year after ICU discharge and included the measurement of free thyroxine, triiodothyronine and thyrotropin.
On admission to the ICU, GCS ranged from 3 to 8. Peak S-100b was 1.49 microg/l (range: 0.37-5.26 microg/l). Median triiodothyronine and thyrotropin were 123 ng/dl and 1.60 microIU/ml, respectively. Free thyroxine was 1.08+/-0.22 ng/dl (range: 0.7-1.5 ng/dl). Overall, 7 of the 22 patients (32%) had thyroid dysfunction. Four patients had central hypothyroidism and three patients had subclinical hypothyroidism. Peak S-100b correlated negatively with free thyroxine (r=-0.47, p=0.02). There were no correlations between other brain injury severity indices and thyroid hormone levels.
A significant subset of brain injury patients presents with changes in thyroid function 1 year after ICU discharge; these depend upon biochemical serum markers of head trauma severity.
Intensive Care Medicine 03/2004; 30(2):298-301. · 5.40 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Tumors metastatic to the pituitary gland are an unusual complication of systemic cancer typically seen in elderly patients with diffuse malignant disease. Breast and lung are the commonest sites of the primary tumor, whereas diabetes insipidus is the most frequent symptom at presentation. Their rarity and usually indolent course, as well as the lack of specific clinical and radiological features, impede their differentiation from other more common sellar area lesions, particularly when history of malignancy is absent. Management of these patients may also be very difficult because the prognosis depends on the course of the primary neoplasm. A 68-yr-old man, with no history of malignancy, presented with recent onset of hypopituitarism, mild diabetes insipidus, headaches, left oculomotor nerve palsy, and progressive bilateral deterioration of visual acuity and visual fields. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large sellar mass compressing the optic chiasm and invading the left cavernous sinus, whereas a prolactin elevation at 438.6 ng/ml (19.73 nmol/liter) was noted. Decompression of the sellar region was attempted, and pathology disclosed a metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. On postoperative investigation, primary liver tumor was identified and confirmed by biopsy. The patient improved transiently but died 3 months after diagnosis because of deterioration of the liver disease. The relevant literature is reviewed in light of this unusual case, illustrating the problems in the diagnosis and management of patients with metastasis to the pituitary.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 03/2004; 89(2):574-80. · 6.50 Impact Factor
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The New Zealand medical journal 11/2003; 116(1183):U631.
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ABSTRACT: The effective treatment of intracranial abscess remains controversial. Progress in technology, linked with the development of neuronavigational systems, has made stereotactic aspiration and drainage of intracerebral abscesses effective and valid alternatives to traditional methods, namely, conservative medical treatment or open surgical excision. Between 1995 and 2002, 12 patients at our hospital underwent drainage of intracerebral abscesses under stereotactic guidance. Ten patients had solitary lesions and two had multiple abscesses. The appropriate antibiotic schemes were administered following culture of the aspirated material. The size of the abscess, the mass effect, and response to antibiotic treatment were followed up by repeated CT scans. All patients showed improvement and, at the end of treatment, returned to their previous activities. There were neither deaths nor any postoperative complication. A second aspiration was required in one patient due to recurrence of the abscess. The CT-guided stereotactic aspiration of brain abscesses helps achieve all treatment goals. It drains the contents of the abscess, reduces mass effect, and confirms diagnosis. It is minimally invasive, carries minimal morbidity and mortality, and can be performed on compromised patients under local anesthesia.
Neurosurgical Review 08/2003; 26(3):206-9. · 2.04 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report the case of a 65-year-old woman who presented with severe neurologic complications after envenomation by a viper snake. A computed tomography (CE) scan revealed multiple brain hemorrhagic infarcts. Conservative treatment in this case proved to be sufficient and repetitive CT scans displayed a complete resolution of the radiologic findings. Possible mechanisms for the cerebral infarctions are discussed. The mechanism of infarctions in this case was believed to be the vasomotor and coagulation disorders caused by the toxins present in the snake's venom and was one of the reasons that led to conservative treatment.
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 03/2003; 68(2):253-7. · 2.59 Impact Factor
