Annals of neurology
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Annals of neurology · Feb 1985
Hyponatremia and cerebral infarction in patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms: is fluid restriction harmful?
We studied retrospectively the relationship between hyponatremia and cerebral infarction in 134 consecutive patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. In 44 patients sodium levels fell below 135 mmol/L on at least two consecutive days between the second and the tenth day after the hemorrhage. Twenty-five of these patients fulfilled the criteria for the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone. ⋯ Cerebral infarctions were more often fatal in patients with hyponatremia (p less than 0.01). Twenty-six of the 44 patients had been treated with fluid restriction to correct the serum sodium levels, and infarctions developed in 21. Fluid restriction to correct hyponatremia appears to be potentially dangerous in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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Annals of neurology · Sep 1984
Case ReportsDescending paralysis resulting from occult wound botulism.
A 30-year-old male drug abuser developed ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and limb weakness responsive to edrophonium. However, potentiation of a low-amplitude evoked muscle action potential was produced with repetitive nerve stimulation at 10 Hz, and the clinical and electrophysiological data suggested the diagnosis of botulism. ⋯ Wound botulism may be underdiagnosed because of confusion with inflammatory neuropathy or myasthenia gravis. Neuromuscular transmission studies in patients with acute craniosomatic paralysis can prevent such oversights.
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Nervous connections between the trigeminal ganglia and cerebral blood vessels have recently been identified in experimental animals and have been termed the trigeminovascular system. Existence of this system in humans is inferential. ⋯ Substance P dilates pial arteries, increases vascular permeability, and activates cells that participate in the inflammatory response. The relationship of trigeminovascular fibers to the pathogenesis of vascular head pain sheds light on possible mechanisms of migraine and other central nervous system conditions associated with headache and inflammation.
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Annals of neurology · Jan 1984
High blood glucose level on hospital admission and poor neurological recovery after cardiac arrest.
To evaluate the relationship between blood glucose and neurological recovery after cardiac arrest, we retrospectively reviewed our experience with 430 consecutive patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. All these patients had received variable amounts of intravenous 5% glucose solutions before admission. ⋯ Among the 276 who awakened, 90 patients with persistent neurological deficits had higher mean glucose levels on admission than did 186 without deficits (286 versus 251 mg per 100 milliliters; p less than 0.02). These significant differences persisted after excluding all patients whose glucose levels were higher than 500 mg per 100 milliliters and after controlling for potentially confounding variables using multiple regression analysis.