Results of applying ADCON-L gel after lumbar discectomy: the German ADCON-L study

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Peter Richter ◽  
Erich Kast ◽  
Rainer Tomczak ◽  
Werner Besenfelder ◽  
Wilhelm Gaus
Keyword(s):  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Therapeutic Success ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Failed-back syndrome is still an unsolved problem. Use of ADCON-L gel, already commercially available, has been proven to reduce postoperative scarring in animal experiments. The authors of two controlled clinical studies have also shown positive results when applying the gel. They did not, however, establish patient-oriented endpoints. The authors report a study of ADCON-L in which they focus on patient-oriented endpoints. Methods. Patients with lumbar disc herniation were randomized to an ADCON-L—treated or control group. Therapeutic success was evaluated using the validated Hannover Questionnaire on Activities of Daily Living (FFbH) 6 months after surgery. The study took place between November 14, 1996, and April 20, 1998, in eight neurosurgical centers in Germany. A total of 398 patients was recruited; 41 patients dropped out during follow up. The mean functional FFbH score (100 points = all activities are possible without problem; 0 points = no activity is possible) was 78.5 points in the ADCON-L—treated group compared with 80 points in the control group. Furthermore, in terms of secondary outcome variables, the ADCON-L group did not have an advantage over the control group. Only the mean magnetic resonance imaging score showed a slight advantage of ADCON-L over the control group. Conclusions. The authors found no positive effect of treatment with ADCON-L gel in patients in whom one-level lumbar microdiscectomy was performed. Because of its rather large sample size and its homogeneity, the study had sufficient power to detect even small differences between the two groups.

Effect of hyperglycemia on brain pH levels in areas of focal incomplete cerebral ischemia in monkeys

1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 693-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Richard Marsh ◽  
Robert E. Anderson ◽  
Thoralf M. Sundt
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Cerebral Ischemia ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Squirrel Monkeys ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brain Ph ◽  
Fine Print ◽  
Incomplete Ischemia

✓ The adverse effect of a minimal cerebral blood flow (CBF) in models of global ischemia has been noted by many investigators. One factor believed important in this situation is the level of blood glucose, since a continued supply of this metabolite results in increased tissue lactate, decreased brain pH, and increased cell damage. The authors have extended these observations to a model of focal incomplete ischemia. Brain pH was measured in fasted squirrel monkeys in regions of focal incomplete ischemia after transorbital occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). In both control and hyperglycemic animals, CBF was reduced to less than 30% of baseline. At 3 hours after MCA occlusion, brain pH in the control group was 6.66 ± 0.68 as compared to 6.27 ± 0.26 in the glucose-treated group. This difference was statistically significant by Student's unpaired t-test (p < 0.05). Thus, hyperglycemia results in decreased tissue pH in regions of focal incomplete cerebral ischemia in monkeys.

Efficacy of multiple intraarterial papaverine infusions for improvement in cerebral circulation time in patients with recurrent cerebral vasospasm

2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 414-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Liu ◽  
Michael S. Tenner ◽  
Oren N. Gottfried ◽  
Edwin A. Stevens ◽  
Joshua M. Rosenow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Vasospasm ◽  
Cerebral Circulation ◽  
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Circulation Time ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cerebral Circulation Time ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Cerebral vasospasm that is caused by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and that is refractory to maximal medical management can be treated with selective intraarterial papaverine infusions. The effects of single papaverine treatments on cerebral circulation time are well known. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of multiple, repeated papaverine infusions on the cerebral circulation time in patients with recurrent vasospasm. Methods. A retrospective study was conducted in 17 patients who received multiple intraarterial papaverine infusions in 91 carotid artery (CA) territories for the treatment of cerebral vasospasm. Cerebral circulation times were measured from the first angiographic image, in which peak contrast was seen above the supraclinoid internal CA, to the peak filling of cortical veins. Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores assessed 12 months after discharge were reviewed. Cerebral circulation times in 16 CA territories were measured in a control group of 11 patients. Seventeen patients received a total of 91 papaverine treatments. Prolonged cerebral circulation times improved after 90 (99%) of 91 papaverine treatments. The prepapaverine mean cerebral circulation time was 6.54 seconds (range 3.35–27 seconds) and the immediate postpapaverine mean cerebral circulation time was 4.19 seconds (range 2.1–12.6 seconds), an overall mean decrease of 2.35 seconds (36%, p < 0.001). Recurrent vasospasm reflected by prolonged cerebral circulation times continued to improve with subsequent papaverine infusions. Repeated infusions were just as successful quantitatively as the primary treatment (mean change 2.06 seconds). The mean cerebral circulation time in the control group was 5.21 seconds (range 4–6.8 seconds). In five patients a dramatic reversal of low-attenuation changes was detected on computerized tomography scans. The mean GOS score at 12 months after discharge was 3.4. Conclusions. The preliminary results indicate that multiple intraarterial papaverine treatments consistently improve cerebral circulation times, even with repeated infusions in cases of recurrent vasospasm.

Low-dose aspirin prophylaxis and risk of intracranial hemorrhage in patients older than 60 years of age with mild or moderate head injury: a prospective study

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 661-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Spektor ◽  
Samuel Agus ◽  
Vladimir Merkin ◽  
Shlomo Constantini
Keyword(s):  
Head Injury ◽  
Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽  
Ct Scanning ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽  
Gcs Score ◽  
Fine Print

Object. The goal of this paper was to investigate a possible relationship between the consumption of low-dose aspirin (LDA) and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in an attempt to determine whether older patients receiving prophylactic LDA require special treatment following an incidence of mild-to-moderate head trauma. Methods. Two hundred thirty-one patients older than 60 years of age, who arrived at the emergency department with a mild or moderate head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] Scores 13–15 and 9–12, respectively), were included in the study. One hundred ten patients were receiving prophylactic LDA (100 mg/day) and these formed the aspirin-treated group. One hundred twenty-one patients were receiving no aspirin, and these formed the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to age, sex, mechanism of trauma, or GCS score on arrival at the emergency department. Most of the patients sustained the head injury from falls (88.2% of patients in the aspirin-treated group and 85.1% of patients in the control group), and had external signs of head trauma such as bruising or scalp laceration (80.9% of patients in the aspirin-treated group and 86.8% of patients in the control group). All patients underwent similar neurological examinations and computerized tomography (CT) scanning of the head. The CT scans revealed evidence of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in 27 (24.5%) patients in the aspirin-treated group and in 31 patients (25.6%) in the control group. Surgical intervention was required for five patients in each group (4.5% of patients in the aspirin-treated group and 4.1% of patients in the control group). A surprising number of the patients who arrived with GCS Score 15 were found to have traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, as revealed by CT scanning (11.5% of patients in the aspirin-treated group and 16.5% of patients in the control group). Surgery, however, was not necessary for any of these patients. Conclusions. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency or types of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage between patients who had received aspirin prophylaxis and those who had not. The authors conclude that LDA does not increase surgically relevant parenchymal or meningeal bleeding following moderate and minor head injury in patients older than 60 years of age.

Changes in nerve root motion and intraradicular blood flow during intraoperative femoral nerve stretch test

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeru Kobayashi ◽  
Yoshihiko Suzuki ◽  
Takahiro Asai ◽  
Hidezo Yoshizawa
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Disc Herniation ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Nerve Root ◽  
Lumbar Disc ◽  
Femoral Nerve ◽  
Nerve Roots ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fine Print

Object. It is not known whether changes in intraradicular blood flow (IRBF) occur during the femoral nerve stretch test (FNST) in patients with lumbar disc herniation. An FNST was conducted in patients with lumbar disc herniation to observe the changes in IRBF, and results were then compared with clinical features. Methods. The study was composed of four patients with L3–4 disc herniation who underwent microdiscectomy. Patients were placed prone immediately before surgery, so that their knee flexed on the operating table with the hip joint kept in hyperextension, and the FNST was performed to confirm at which region pain developed in the anterolateral thigh. During the operation, the hernia-affected nerve roots were visualized under a microscope. The needle sensor of a laser Doppler flowmeter was then inserted into each nerve root immediately above the hernia, and the change in IRBF was measured during the intraoperative FNST. After removal of the herniated disc, a similar procedure was repeated and IRBF was measured again. The intraoperative FNST showed that the hernia compressed the nerve roots and there was marked disturbance of gliding, which was reduced to only a few millimeters. During the test, IRBF decreased by 92.8 to 100% (mean 96.9 ± 3.7% [± standard error of the mean]) relative to the blood flow before the test. This study demonstrated that the blood flow in the nerve root is reduced when the nerve root is compressed in vivo. Conclusions. The intraoperative FNST showed that the hernia compressd the nerve roots and there was marked disturbance of gliding, which was reduced to only a few millimeters. During the test, IRBF decreased by 92.8 to 100% (96.9 ± 3.7% [mean ± standard error of the mean]).

Effect of chemical sympathectomy on cerebral blood flow in rats

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 906-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidenori Kobayashi ◽  
Minoru Hayashi ◽  
Hirokazu Kawano ◽  
Yuji Handa ◽  
Masanori Kabuto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Cerebral Blood Flow ◽  
Systemic Blood Pressure ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Left Lateral Ventricle ◽  
6 Hydroxydopamine ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Thirty male Wistar rats, weighing 350 to 400 gm each, received stereotactic injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (300 µg/kg) into the left lateral ventricle. The same amount of saline was injected into a control group of 15 rats. Seven days after this procedure, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by the hydrogen clearance method. A hypertensive condition at a mean arterial pressure of about 160 mm Hg was maintained for 1 hour by intravenous infusion of phenylephrine. In the 6-hydroxydopamine-treated group, CBF increased significantly after the elevation of systemic blood pressure compared with that in the control group, and cerebral autoregulation was impaired. After a 1-hour study, the specific gravity of the cerebral tissue in the treated group significantly decreased; electron microscopic studies at that time revealed brain edema. It is suggested that depletion of brain noradrenaline levels causes a disturbance in cerebral microvascular tone and renders the cerebral blood vessels more vulnerable to hypertension.

Antibiotic prophylaxis in neurosurgery

1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 724-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Geraghty ◽  
Micheal Feely
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Prophylactic Antibiotics ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Wound Infections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fine Print

✓ A randomized trial was performed to support the contention that prophylactic antibiotics can reduce the incidence of postoperative neurosurgical wound infections. The regime outlined by Malis was followed. Vancomycin and gentamicin were administered systemically just prior to surgery and streptomycin was added to the irrigating solution. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: control and treated. The infection rate in the control group was 3.5% and in the treated group 0.5%.

Experimental feline hydrocephalus

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Shapiro ◽  
Futoshi Takei ◽  
Arno Fried ◽  
Ira Kohn
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Dural Opening ◽  
Container Model ◽  
Csf Absorption ◽  
Fine Print

✓ In a craniectomy-durectomy model of kaolin-induced feline hydrocephalus, the pressure-volume index (PVI) technique of bolus manipulations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was used to study the biomechanical changes associated with hydrocephalus. Steady-state intracranial pressure (ICP), PVI, and the resistance to the absorption of CSF were determined acutely and 3 to 5 weeks later in hydrocephalic cats and time-matched control cats. Steady-state ICP was 11.0 ± 2.1 mm Hg (± standard deviation) in the hydrocephalic cats, compared to 10.8 ± 2.2 mm Hg in the chronic control group (p > 0.1). The ICP in both the chronic hydrocephalic and chronic control groups was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than after acute durectomy (mean ICP 8.5 ± 1.2 mm Hg). Immediately after dural opening, the mean PVI was 3.6 ± 0.2 ml (± standard error of the mean); over time, it decreased to 1.3 ± 0.1 ml in the chronic control group (p < 0.001), but remained elevated in the hydrocephalic group at 3.5 ± 0.4 ml (p < 0.001). Resistance to CSF absorption was 9.1 ± 1.4 mm Hg/ml/min immediately after dural opening and increased to 28.8 ± 4.5 mm Hg/ml/min (p < 0.001) in the hydrocephalic cats; it increased even further in the chronic measurements in control cats, to 82.3 ± 9.2 mm Hg/ml/min (p < 0.001). Ventricular size was moderate to severely enlarged in all hydrocephalic cats, and normal in the control group. These results indicate that the biomechanical profile of the altered brain container model of kaolin-induced feline hydrocephalus resembles that described in hydrocephalic infants. As shown in the control subjects, an absorptive defect alone is not sufficient to cause progressive ventricular enlargement. Increased volume-buffering capacity coupled with a moderate increase of CSF absorption resistance facilitates volume storage in the ventricles.

Magnesium sulfate therapy after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Veyna ◽  
Donald Seyfried ◽  
Don G. Burke ◽  
Chris Zimmerman ◽  
Mark Mlynarek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Magnesium Sulfate ◽  
Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Symptomatic Vasospasm ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Vasospasm remains a significant source of neurological morbidity and mortality following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), despite advances in current medical, surgical, and endovascular therapies. Magnesium sulfate therapy has been demonstrated to be both safe and effective in preventing neurological complications in obstetrical patients with eclampsia. Evidence obtained using experimental models of brain injury, cerebral ischemia, and SAH indicate that Mg may also have a role as a neuroprotective agent. The authors hypothesize that MgSO4 therapy is safe, feasible, and has a beneficial effect on vasospasm and, ultimately, on neurological outcome following aneurysmal SAH. Methods. A prospective randomized single-blind clinical trial of high-dose MgSO4 therapy following aneurysmal SAH (Hunt and Hess Grades II–IV) was performed in 40 patients, who were enrolled within 72 hours following SAH and given intravenous MgSO4 or control solution for 10 days. Serum Mg++ levels were maintained in the 4 to 5.5 mg/dl range throughout the treatment period. Clinical management principles were the same between groups (including early use of surgery or endovascular treatment, followed by aggressive vasospasm prophylaxis and treatment). Daily transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonographic recordings were obtained, and clinical outcomes were measured using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). The patients' GOS scores and the TCD recordings were analyzed using the independent t-test. Forty patients were enrolled in the study: 20 (15 female and five male patients) received treatment and 20 (11 female and nine male patients) comprised a control group. The mean ages of the patients in these groups were 46 and 51, respectively, and the mean clinical Hunt and Hess grades were 2.6 ± 0.68 in the MgSO4 treatment group and 2.3 ± 0.73 in the control group (mean ± standard deviation [SD], p = 0.87). Fisher grades were similar in both groups. Mean middle cerebral artery velocities were 93 ± 27 cm/second in MgSO4-treated patients and 102 ± 34 cm/second in the control group (mean ± SD, p = 0.41). Symptomatic vasospasm, confirmed by angiography, occurred in six of 20 patients receiving MgSO4 and in five of 16 patients receiving placebo. Mean GOS scores were 3.8 ± 1.6 and 3.6 ± 1.5 (mean ± SD, p = 0.74) in the treatment and control groups, respectively. Significant adverse effects from treatment with MgSO4 did not occur. Conclusions. Administration of high-dose MgSO4 following aneurysmal SAH is safe, and steady Mg++ levels in the range of 4 to 5.5 mg/dl are easily maintained. This treatment does not interfere with neurological assessment, administration of anesthesia during surgery, or other aspects of clinical care. We observed a trend in which a higher percentage of patients obtained GOS scores of 4 or 5 in the group treated with MgSO4, but the trend did not reach a statistically significant level. A larger study is needed to evaluate this trend further.

Effects of head elevation on intracranial hemodynamics in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts

1994 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 829-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotaro Higashi ◽  
Kazuya Futami ◽  
Hiroshi Matsuda ◽  
Junkoh Yamashita ◽  
Masaaki Hashimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photon Emission ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Upright Position ◽  
Differential Pressure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Head Elevation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The present study was performed to investigate the effects of head elevation on intracranial hemodynamics in patients with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts. The series included 35 hydrocephalic patients and five individuals without hydrocephalus who were used as controls. The hydrocephalic patients were divided into three groups: 15 patients who received VP shunts with a differential-pressure valve (DP group); 11 who received VP shunts with a variable-resistance valve (VR group), and 13 hydrocephalic patients (Hyd group) who had not received shunts (four underwent VP shunts later). The cerebral blood flow (CBF) of patients in the supine and upright positions was measured by technetium-99m hexamethylpropylenamine oxide (HMPAO) single-photon emission computerized tomography in each patient, using the subtraction technique. Cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) was taken as the difference between the mean arterial blood pressure and ventricular fluid pressure, both referenced to the level of the foramen of Monro. The patients' heads were elevated stepwise from supine to upright. Percent changes of the mean CBF in the upright position (%ΔmCBFupr) were 24.9% ± 4.3% (mean ± standard error of the mean) in the DP group, 6.2% ± 2.7% in the VR group, 3.5% ± 2.6% in the Hyd group, and 4.5% ± 2.2% in the control group. Patients in the DP group showed a pathological increase in CPP with head elevation, whereas those in the Hyd and VR groups showed a physiological decrease in CPP. Three patients with differential-pressure valves, whose %ΔmCBFupr was markedly high, developed low-intracranial pressure syndrome. In conclusion, shunted patients with a DP valve showed pathological intracranial hemodynamics in the upright position. This pathological hemodynamic stress in patients with long-standing differential-pressure valve implantation may induce pathological changes in the brain such as subependymal gliosis.

Induced seizures as therapy for experimental stroke in monkeys

1972 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 711-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melville Roberts ◽  
Guy Owens ◽  
Juliet Vilinskas ◽  
David D. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Tension ◽  
Artery Occlusion ◽  
Experimental Stroke ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cerebral Artery Occlusion ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Seizures were induced in 12 monkeys rendered hemiparetic by middle cerebral artery occlusion. In a control group of five hemiparetic monkeys seizures were not induced. A mass spectrometer was used to monitor regional oxygen tension (pO2), carbon dioxide tension (pCO2) and the partial pressure of argon (pA) within the ischemic brains. Seisure activity resulted in a 74.3% mean increase in pO2 and 16.9% mean decrease in pCO2. The mean argon washout time was decreased 29.1%. The changes were transient and recovery from hemiparesis was no better in the experimental group than in the control group.

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