Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Mar 1980
Pain reduction in amputees by long-term spinal cord stimulation. Long-term follow-up study over 5 years.
This follow-up study analyzes the results of dorsal column stimulation instituted between 1972 and 1974 for the relief of pain in 84 patients, including 64 amputees. Good results decreased from 52.4% after 2 years of stimulation to 39% after 5 years. Special therapeutic problems in amputees are discussed.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Feb 1980
Case ReportsMucormycosis presenting as positional nystagmus and hydrocephalus. Case report.
A case of mucormycosis presenting with signs of positional nystagmus and obstructive hydrocephalus is described. The authors believe that this presentation of Mucor is unique.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Oct 1979
Case Reports Comparative StudyLocalization in somatic sensory and motor areas of human cerebral cortex as determined by direct recording of evoked potentials and electrical stimulation.
This paper reports and illustrates in figurine style results obtained by electrical stimulation of the cortex in 20 patients and by recording of cortical evoked potentials (EPs) in 13 of these patients, whose surgery required wide exposure of the Rolandic or paracentral regions of the cortex. This study is unique in that cutaneous receptive fields related to specific cortical sites were defined by mechanical stimulation, as is done in animals, in contrast to electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves at fixed sites, as in scalp EP recordings. Observations were made on pre- and postcentral gyri, on the second somatic sensory-motor area, on the supplementary motor area, and on the supplementary sensory area. ⋯ In one patient with severe Parkinson's disease, stimulating currents subthreshold for the elicitation of movement resulted in disappearance of tremor and rigidity for short periods after stimulation of the precentral gyrus. The possible patterns of organization of the human pre- and postcentral areas are considered and compared with those of the chimpanzee and other primates. In patients in whom data from pre- and postcentral gyri were adequate, it appeared that the precentral face-arm boundary is situated 1 to 2 cm higher than the corresponding postcentral boundary.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Sep 1979
Ventricular dilatation and communicating hydrocephalus following spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Ventricular dilatation following spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a well recognized phenomenon. Its clinical significance, however, remains controversial. Two phases are distinguished, the acute or early, occurring soon after the ictus, and the chronic or late, developing after the second week. ⋯ Their findings suggest that ventricular dilatation soon after SAH is not always clinically significant and does not necessarily require shunting before definitive surgery. Delayed symptomatic ventricular enlargement (communicating hydrocephalus) occurs in 7% of the patients and can be safely diagnosed on the basis of the clinical picture and CT scan appearances. Treatment with a ventricular shunting system is almost invariably rewarding.