Acta neurochirurgica
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Acta neurochirurgica · Aug 2001
Blood flow velocities in the basal vein after subarachnoid haemorrhage. A prospective study using transcranial duplex sonography.
Early recognition of emerging delayed neurological deficits (DND) in patients after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is not always possible by transcranial Doppler sonography. Aim of this study was to investigate a) whether determination of blood flow velocities in deep cerebral basal veins can predict DND in these patients b) the correlation of venous flow velocity to cerebral blood flow (CBF). ⋯ In case of elevated VMCA, patients with higher VBVR seem to have a better outcome. Changes in CBF correlate better with VBVR than with arterial flow velocities.
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Focal ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) forms one of the rare causes of thoracic myelopathy. The lower thoracic spine is most frequently affected and the patients present with initial posterior column disturbances followed by progressively increasing spastic paraparesis. The pathogenesis of OLF has not been conclusively established. ⋯ OLF may significantly contribute to a spatial reduction of the thoracic spinal canal resulting in paraparesis. The T2 weighted sagittal image of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the modality of choice for screening of the longitudinal extent of the OLF. A rapid neurological improvement occurs following decompressive laminectomy and excision of the OLF. However, the persistence of residual spasticity at follow-up may be due to irreversible changes within the cord by the significant thecal compression and the delay between the onset of initial symptoms and signs and surgical decompression.