Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 1997
Comparative StudyEffect of hemodilution with diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin on intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, and fluid requirements after head injury and shock.
Hemodilution has been shown to increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) and reduce lesion volume in models of occlusive cerebral ischemia, but it has not been evaluated in the setting of head trauma and shock in which ischemia is thought to play a role in the evolution of secondary injury. In a porcine model of brain injury and shock the authors compared hemodilution with diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin (DCLHb) to a standard resuscitation regimen using Ringer's lactate solution and shed blood. After creation of a cryogenic brain injury followed by hemorrhage, the animals received a bolus of either 4 ml/kg of Ringer's lactate solution (Group 1, six animals) or DCLHb (Group 2, six animals), followed by infusion of Ringer's lactate solution to restore mean arterial pressure (MAP) to baseline. ⋯ Cerebral O2 delivery was not significantly different between groups at any time. Lesion volume as determined at postmortem examination was not significantly different between the groups. The increased MAP and CPP and lower ICP observed in the Group 2 animals indicate that hemodilution with DCLHb may be beneficial in the treatment of head injury and shock.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 1997
Selection criteria and outcome of operative approaches for thoracolumbar burst fractures with and without neurological deficit.
Criteria for choosing operative techniques for the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures remain disputed, particularly in neurologically intact patients. A retrospective study of 25 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures was performed to assess fracture characteristics, operative approaches, fixation, radiographic results, and neurological, functional, and pain outcomes. Anterior corpectomy, allograft strut, and plate fixation were performed in 14 patients with or without neurological deficit when vertebral compression or canal encroachment was at least 40% or kyphosis was 15 degrees or more with a stable posterior column. ⋯ Operative morbidity occurred in three cases (12%). Satisfactory neurological and functional outcomes were achieved in a majority of patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures after correction of canal compromise, middle column compression, and attendant deformity. These results indicate that anterior decompression and a weight-bearing strut graft are critical to clinical success in patients with significant vertebral destruction.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 1997
Diagnosis of root avulsions in traumatic brachial plexus injuries: value of computerized tomography myelography and magnetic resonance imaging.
Surgical management and prognosis of traction injuries of the brachial plexus depend on the accurate diagnosis of root avulsion from the spinal cord. Myelography, computerized tomography (CT) myelography, and recently magnetic resonance (MR) imaging have become the main radiological methods for preoperative diagnosis of cervical root avulsions. Most of the previous studies on the accuracy of CT myelography and MR imaging studies have correlated the radiological findings with the extraspinal surgical findings at brachial plexus surgery. ⋯ The most common reasons for false-positive or false-negative findings were: 1) partial rootlet avulsion; 2) intradural fibrosis; and 3) dural cystic lesions. Computerized tomography myelography scans using 1- to 3-mm axial slices prove to be the most reliable method to evaluate preoperatively the presence of complete or partial root avulsion in traumatic brachial plexus injuries. Because extradural judgment of cervical root avulsion can be unreliable, accurate assessment of intraspinal root avulsion enormously simplifies the decision concerning the choice of donor nerves for transplantation and/or neurotization during brachial plexus surgery.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 1997
Outcome analysis for adults with spondylolisthesis treated with posterolateral fusion and transpedicular screw fixation.
The outcomes of 52 adult patients with symptomatic low-grade spondylolisthesis treated with autologous posterolateral arthrodesis and pedicle screw fixation were retrospectively reviewed. Although a 90% rate of successful fusion was obtained using this technique, only 60% of patients were considered to have good outcomes. Treatment failures consisted mostly of back pain and were not predicted by preoperative symptoms. ⋯ The authors conclude that autologous posterolateral arthrodesis combined with pedicle screw fixation resulted in a high fusion rate, and contributed to successful outcomes in the treatment of certain subgroups of adults with spondylolisthesis. In the absence of other risk factors, patients may obtain significant benefit from surgery despite older age and a single failed operation. Careful patient selection appears critical in predicting the maximum benefit from this technique.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 1997
Modified open-door cervical expansive laminoplasty for spondylotic myelopathy: operative technique, outcome, and predictors for gait improvement.
Twenty-five patients underwent an expansive cervical laminoplasty for nontraumatic cervical spondylosis with myelopathy during the period from June 1990 to November 1994, and all had a minimum of 18 months of follow-up review. The open-door laminoplasty procedure presently reported consisted of the same approach evaluated by Hirabayashi in 1977, except that the authors of this report used three rib allografts to anchor the "open door," rather than spinous process sutures or autologous bone grafts. Posterior foraminotomies and decompression were performed in patients with clinical radiculopathy and radiographic evidence of foraminal stenosis. ⋯ Various predictors of surgical outcome based on gait improvement were evaluated. Age greater than 60 years at the time of presentation, duration of symptoms more than 18 months prior to surgery, preoperative bowel or bladder dysfunction, and lower-extremity dysfunction were found to be associated with poorer surgical outcome. Even when these conditions were present, gait improvement was noted in at least 70% of the patients.