Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1992
The treatment of oligodendrogliomas and mixed oligodendroglioma-astrocytomas with PCV chemotherapy.
Malignant oligodendrogliomas have been shown to be responsive to chemotherapy. The authors administered systemic chemotherapy to seven patients with oligodendroglioma or anaplastic oligodendroglioma, and to 14 with mixed oligodendroglioma-astrocytoma. Fourteen patients underwent chemotherapy before and seven after irradiation. ⋯ Stabilization of tumor growth followed PCV chemotherapy in four patients (two treated before and two after radiotherapy). Tumor growth progressed in two patients during therapy despite an initial response and in two patients despite therapy. The authors conclude that mixed oligodendroglial tumors as well as anaplastic oligodendrogliomas are responsive to PCV chemotherapy.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1992
Overall outcome in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A prospective study from neurosurgical units in Sweden during a 1-year period.
The present prospective study, with participation of five of the six neurosurgical centers in Sweden, was conducted to evaluate the overall management results in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The participating centers covered 6.93 million (81%) of Sweden's 8.59 million inhabitants. All patients with verified aneurysmal SAH admitted between June 1, 1989, and May 31, 1990, were included in this prospective study. ⋯ Early surgery (within 72 hours after SAH) was performed in 170 individuals, intermediate surgery (between Days 4 and 6 post-SAH) in 29 patients, and late surgery (Day 7 or later after SAH) in 47 individuals. Of 145 patients with supratentorial aneurysms who were preoperatively in Hunt and Hess Grades I to III and who were treated within 72 hours, 81% made a good recovery; in 5.5% of patients, the unfavorable outcome was ascribed to delayed ischemia. It is concluded that, among patients with all clinical grades and aneurysmal locations, almost six of 10 SAH victims referred to a neurosurgical unit can be saved and can recover to a normal life.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1992
Terson's syndrome: a reversible cause of blindness following subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Terson's syndrome refers to the occurrence of vitreous hemorrhage with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), usually due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Although it is a well-described entity in the ophthalmological literature, it has been only rarely commented upon in the neurosurgical discussion of SAH. Fundus findings are reported in a prospective study of 22 consecutive patients with a computerized tomography- or lumbar puncture-proven diagnosis of SAH. ⋯ Of the four survivors with intraocular hemorrhage, three showed gradual but significant improvement in their visual acuity by 6 months. The fourth underwent vitrectomy at 8 months after presentation and had a good visual result. With modern and aggressive medical and microsurgical management, Terson's syndrome should be recognized as an important reversible cause of blindness in patients surviving SAH.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1992
Reduced cerebral blood flow, oxygen delivery, and electroencephalographic activity after traumatic brain injury and mild hemorrhage in cats.
The authors investigated the effects of transient, mild hemorrhagic hypotension after fluid-percussion traumatic brain injury on intracranial pressure, cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral oxygen delivery (CBF x arterial O2 content), and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. Adult mongrel cats were anesthetized with 1.6% isoflurane in N2O:O2 (70:30) and prepared for trauma and for radioactive microsphere CBF measurement. Isoflurane concentration was decreased to 0.8%, and the cats were randomly assigned to one of four control groups or to an experimental group. ⋯ Following resuscitation from mild hemorrhage, mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, renal blood flow, and CBF were not significantly different from baseline; cardiac output and renal blood flow did not differ significantly from baseline 2 hours after Hetastarch resuscitation. Neither hemorrhage nor trauma alone produced significant decreases in CBF or in EEG activity, but trauma followed by hemorrhage and resuscitation produced significant (p less than 0.01) decreases in CBF, cerebral oxygen delivery, and EEG score. These data demonstrate that, following traumatic brain injury, even mild hemorrhagic hypotension is associated with significant deficits in cerebral oxygen availability and neurological function.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1992
In vitro efficacy of transferrin-toxin conjugates against glioblastoma multiforme.
The cytotoxic activity of immunotoxins constructed with human diferric transferrin (Tfn) as the carrier ligand and an abrin variant Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE) and the diphtheria toxin mutant cross-reacting material (CRM) 107 as the toxin moieties were studied in vitro. Three malignant human cell lines, the glioblastomas multiforme SNB19 and SF295 and the LOX melanoma, and a nonhuman control murine melanoma cell line B16 were assessed. The presence of transferrin receptors on the cell lines was confirmed by direct 125I-Tfn binding assays. ⋯ Monensin, a carboxylic ionophore, potentiated the effect of Tfn-abrin variant against glioma cells approximately 35-fold with IC50 values of 4.0 x 10(-13) M and 4.7 x 10(-12) M for SNB19 and SF295, respectively. Cytotoxic activity of Tfn-abrin variant (with or without monensin) and Tfn-PE was correlated with the degree of Tfn receptor expression measured on the cell lines. The exquisite in vitro cytotoxicity of Tfn-abrin variant and Tfn-PE immunotoxins against glioma and melanoma cells warrants further in vivo evaluation and future consideration of these agents for potential clinical application against glioblastoma multiforme and leptomeningeal neoplasia.