Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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Phantom limb phenomena were correlated with psychophysiological measures of peripheral sympathetic nervous system activity measured at the amputation stump and contralateral limb. Amputees were assigned to one of three groups depending on whether they reported phantom limb pain, non-painful phantom limb sensations, or no phantom limb at all. Skin conductance and skin temperature were recorded continuously during two 30 minute sessions while subjects continuously monitored and rated the intensity of any phantom limb sensation or pain they experienced. ⋯ The hypothesis of a sympathetic-efferent somatic-afferent mechanism involving both sudomotor and vasoconstrictor fibres is proposed to explain the relationship between stump skin conductance responses and non-painful phantom limb paresthesiae. It is suggested that increases in the intensity of phantom limb paresthesiae follow bursts of sympathetic activity due to neurotransmitter release onto apposing sprouts of large diameter primary afferents located in stump neuromas, and decreases correspond to periods of relative sympathetic inactivity. The results of the study agree with recent suggestions that phantom limb pain is not a unitary syndrome, but a symptom class with each class subserved by different aetiological mechanisms.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Sep 1992
The combined monitoring of brain stem auditory evoked potentials and intracranial pressure in coma. A study of 57 patients.
Continuous monitoring of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) was carried out in 57 comatose patients for periods ranging from 5 hours to 13 days. In 53 cases intracranial pressure (ICP) was also simultaneously monitored. The study of relative changes of evoked potentials over time proved more relevant to prognosis than the mere consideration of "statistical normality" of waveforms; thus progressive degradation of the BAEPs was associated with a bad outcome even if the responses remained within normal limits. ⋯ The stability of BAEP's despite "significant" ICP rises was associated in our patients with a high probability of survival, while prolongation of central latency of BAEPs in response to ICP modifications was almost invariably followed by brain death. Continuous monitoring of brainstem responses provided a useful physiological counterpart to physical parameters such as ICP. Serial recording of cortical EPs should be added to BAEP monitoring to permit the early detection of rostrocaudal deterioration.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 1992
Prognostic factors in patients with intracerebral haematoma.
In a prospective study, the prognostic value of clinical characteristics in 157 consecutive patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhage were examined by means of multivariate analysis. Two days after the event 37 (24%) patients had died. Factors independently contributing to the prediction of two day mortality were pineal gland displacement on CT of 3 mm or more (p less than 0.001), blood glucose level on admission of 8.0 mmol/l or more (p = 0.01), eye and motor score on the Glasgow Coma Scale of eight out of 10 or less (p = 0.022) and haematoma volume of 40 cm3 or more (p = 0.037). ⋯ The 120 patients with intracerebral haemorrhage who were still alive two days after the event were matched with 120 patients with cerebral infarction, according to age, level of consciousness on the third day after stroke (Glasgow Coma Scale) and handicap (Rankin grade). Survival and handicap after one year did not differ between these two groups. The conclusion drawn is that it is not the cause (intracerebral haemorrhage or cerebral infarction) but the extent of the brain lesion that determines the outcome in patients who survive the first two days.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Aug 1992
Biography Historical ArticleFranciscus de le Boë or Sylvius 1614-72.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jul 1992
Somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potential in congenital craniovertebral anomaly; effect of surgical management.
Clinical features and evoked potential recordings were analysed in 32 patients with congenital atlantoaxial dislocation before and after surgery. Seven patients (group 1) had atlantoaxial dislocation, while 22 patients had associated basilar invagination (group 2). In both groups, pyramidal tract signs, posterior column signs, wasting of the upper limbs, and abnormality of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) were similar. ⋯ In group 1 the patient's BAEP remained unaffected following posterior fixation, however, in group 2, eight patients over 53% showed improvement in brainstem function following posterior fixation. This study shows the value of evoked potentials in congenital atlantoaxial dislocation, and rationalizes the surgical procedure in these patients. In patients with basilar invagination, odontoid excision is the preferred first stage procedure.