Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jul 1984
Pain relief from peripheral conditioning stimulation in patients with chronic facial pain.
In a prospective study, 50 consecutive patients, referred to a pain treatment unit for surgery to alleviate various forms of facial pain, were all given transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TNS) therapy and followed for 2 years. Of the 44 patients remaining at the 2-year follow-up review, 20 (45%) reported satisfactory analgesia from conventional or acupuncture-like TNS. The latter technique markedly improved the overall results. ⋯ Atypical facial pain of known etiology responded best to treatment, but satisfactory relief was often produced with tic douloureux. Duration of the pain condition as well as sex of the patient were predictors of treatment results. It is concluded that TNS therapy represents a valid alternative to surgery when pharmacological therapy fails, especially in the elderly and in patients with atypical facial pain.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 1984
Case ReportsAcute nonlymphocytic leukemia following treatment of malignant glioma. Report of two cases.
Two patients with malignant brain tumors who developed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia after treatment with radiation and chemotherapy are described. Both patients survived more than 2 years after diagnosis of the brain tumor. ⋯ A review of the literature reveals that leukemia after combined-modality treatment of malignant brain tumors is rare. A prolonged survival period from diagnosis of the primary tumor, treatment with nitrosoureas and radiation, plus the development of a preleukemic myelodysplastic syndrome are all important features of therapy-related nonlymphocytic leukemia.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 1984
Letter Comparative StudyNutritional support in acute head injuries.
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Journal of neurosurgery · May 1984
Serial measurement of regional cerebral blood flow in patients with SAH using 133Xe inhalation and emission computerized tomography.
A noninvasive three-dimensional method for measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF), xenon-133 inhalation and emission computerized tomography, was used to investigate the CBF changes accompanying delayed neurological deterioration following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). A total of 67 measurements were performed on 20 patients in Hunt and Hess' clinical Grades I to III in the first 21 days post SAH. ⋯ Severe vasospasm was noted in three of these patients in whom arteriography was performed in the 2nd week post SAH. Diffuse bihemispheric CBF decreases were noted later in the course of delayed neurological deficits; however, measurements obtained soon after the onset of focal symptoms suggest that the only CBF decreases directly produced by vasospasm in Grade III patients are regional changes.