Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jan 2002
Case ReportsVascular complications in anterior thoracolumbar spinal reconstruction.
Anterior approaches in thoracic and lumbar spinal surgery have potentially serious vascular injury-related complications. In this study the authors evaluate the incidence of vascular complications in anterior approaches to the thoracic and lumbar spine in cases requiring reconstructive surgery. ⋯ Vascular injury to the great vessels is a known and potentially serious complication associated with anterior spinal reconstructive procedures. The authors found, however, that the incidence is relatively low in cases in which venous injuries occurred acutely and arterial injuries presented in a delayed fashion.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2001
Case ReportsMetabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and cardiovascular collapse after prolonged propofol infusion.
The authors present the hospital course of a 13-year-old girl with a closed head injury who received a prolonged infusion of propofol for sedation and, subsequently, died as a result of severe metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and cardiovascular collapse. The patient had been treated for 4 days at a referring hospital for a severe closed head injury sustained in a fall from a bicycle. During treatment for elevations of intracranial pressure, she received a continuous propofol infusion (100 microg/kg/min). ⋯ The patient died of myocardial collapse with severe metabolic acidosis and multisystem organ failure (involving renal, hepatic, and cardiac systems) approximately 15 hours after admission to the authors' institution. This patient represents another case of severe metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, and cardiovascular collapse observed after a prolonged propofol infusion in a pediatric patient. The authors suggest selection of other pharmacological agents for long-term sedation in pediatric patients.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2001
Convection-enhanced delivery in intact and lesioned peripheral nerve.
Although the use of multiple agents is efficacious in animal models of peripheral nerve injury, translation to clinical applications remains wanting. Previous agents used in trials in humans either engendered severe side effects or were ineffective. Because the blood-central nervous system barrier exists in nerves as it does in the brain, limited drug delivery poses a problem for translation of basic science advances into clinical applications. Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is a promising adjunct to current therapies for peripheral nerve injury. In the present study the authors assessed the capacity of convection to ferry macromolecules across sites of nerve injury in rat and primate models, examined the functional effects of convection on the intact nerve, and investigated the possibility of delivering a macromolecule to the spinal cord via retrograde convection from a peripherally introduced catheter. ⋯ Convection provides a safe and effective means to deliver macromolecules to regenerating neurites in crush-injured peripheral nerves. Convection block in lacerated and suture-repaired nerves indicates a significant intraneural obstruction of the extracellular space. a disruption that suggests an anatomical obstruction to extracellular and, possibly, intraaxonal flow, which may impair nerve regeneration. Through peripheral retrograde infusion, convection can be used for delivery to spinal cord gray matter. Convection-enhanced delivery provides a promising approach to distribute therapeutic agents to targeted sites for treatment of disorders of the nerve and spinal cord.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2001
Changes in functional outcome and quality of life in patients and caregivers after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Although the case-fatality rate after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) does not change considerably after the first 4 weeks, functional outcome and the quality of life (QOL) may. To assess the extent of changes in functional outcome and QOL after SAH, the authors conducted a follow-up study at 18 months in patients and caregivers who had participated in a previous study of QOL 4 months after SAH. ⋯ Functional outcome improves significantly between 4 months and 18 months post-SAH; studies on functional outcome after SAH can be compared only if outcome is assessed at the same time interval. The improved functional outcome seems to be accompanied by an improved QOL.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2001
Historical ArticleThe history and evolution of transsphenoidal surgery.
Initial attempts at transcranial approaches to the pituitary gland in the late 1800s and early 1900s resulted in a mortality rate that was generally considered prohibitive. Schloffer suggested the use of a transsphenoidal route as a safer, alternative approach to the sella turcica. He reported the first successful removal of a pituitary tumor via the transsphenoidal approach in 1906. ⋯ Jules Hardy, who used intraoperative fluoroscopy while learning the transsphenoidal approach from Guiot, then introduced the operating microscope to further refine the procedure; he thereby significantly improved its efficacy and decreased surgical morbidity. With the development of antibiotic drugs and modern microinstrumentation, the transsphenoidal approach became the preferred route for the removal of lesions that were confined to the sella turcica. The evolution of the transsphenoidal approaches and their current applications and modifications are discussed.