Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · May 2010
Validation of the Stroke Specific Quality of Life scale in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Disease specific quality of life measures have been validated for patients with ischaemic stroke and intracerebral haemorrhage, but not for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). The aim of this study was to validate the Stroke Specific Quality of Life (SS-QoL) scale for patients with SAH. ⋯ The SS-QoL is a valid measure to assess quality of life in patients after aneurysmal SAH. Using physical and psychosocial SS-QoL summary scores simplifies the use of this measure without concealing differences in outcomes on different quality of life domains.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · May 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialMagnesium and headache after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
In patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), headache typically is severe and often requires treatment with opioids. Magnesium has analgesic effects in several conditions, but whether it reduces headache after SAH is unknown. ⋯ In SAH patients, elevated serum magnesium levels are associated with slightly less severe headache and less frequent use of opioids. These data imply that intravenous magnesium therapy, besides a supposed beneficial effect on outcome, also provides pain relief for SAH patients, for whom it might also improve functional outcome.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · May 2010
Comparative StudyAssociation between restless legs syndrome and migraine.
An association between restless legs syndrome and migraine has been reported recently. The clinical correlates and impact of comorbidity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are not fully described in patients with migraine. ⋯ An association between migraine and RLS among different primary headache disorders is demonstrated. Comorbid RLS in migraine patients worsened sleep quality. A shared underlying mechanism may account for the correlates between migraine features and comorbid RLS.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · May 2010
Aetiological differences in neuroanatomy of the vegetative state: insights from diffusion tensor imaging and functional implications.
An improved in vivo understanding of variations in neuropathology in the vegetative state (VS) may aid diagnosis, improve prognostication and help refine the selection of patients for particular treatment regimes. The authors have used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to characterise the extent and location of white matter loss in VS secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischaemic-hypoxic injury. ⋯ DTI may help to characterise differences in patients in VS. These findings may have implications for response to therapies, and should be taken into account in trials of interventions aimed at arousal in VS.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · May 2010
Facial nerve motor-evoked potential monitoring during microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm.
To determine whether monitoring facial nerve motor-evoked potentials (FNMEPs) elicited by transcranial electrical stimulation during microvascular decompression (MVD) for hemifacial spasm (HFS) is useful for predicting postoperative outcome. ⋯ The FNMEP amplitude from the orbicularis oculi muscle decreased after MVD in HFS patients whose symptoms were resolved postoperatively, thus suggesting normalisation of facial nerve excitability. FNMEP monitoring during MVD surgery as well as LSR monitoring could predict postoperative outcome in HFS patients.