Neurosurgery
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Historical Article
Introduction of the human Horsley-Clarke stereotactic frame.
It is well known that the Horsley-Clarke frame was developed and first used by Robert Henry Clarke and the pioneer neurosurgeon Victor Horsley in 1906 for making lesions in the central nervous system of animals. The Horsley-Clarke frame was extensively used throughout the next 4 decades for excitation and lesion production in animals. Aubrey Mussen, a student of Clarke, designed a stereotactic apparatus for use in humans, but no procedures were actually performed with the instrument. ⋯ Spiegel and Henry T. Wycis. Events leading to the development of stereotactic frames and their subsequent use in humans for the treatment of epilepsy, movement disorders, and psychosurgery are reviewed.
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The morphological consequences of delayed posttraumatic brain hyperthermia (39 degrees C) after fluid percussion brain injury were assessed in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with 4% halothane and maintained on a 70:30 mixture of nitrous oxide:oxygen and 0.5% halothane underwent moderate (1.5-2.0 atm) traumatic brain injury with the injury screw positioned parasagittally over the right parieto-occipital cortex. At 24 hours after traumatic brain injury, the rats were reanesthetized and randomized into two groups in which either a 3-hour period of brain normothermia (36.5 degrees C, n = 18) or hyperthermia (39 degrees C, n = 18) was maintained. ⋯ For example, numbers of swollen axons within the sixth layer of the right somatosensory cortex, corpus callosum, and internal capsule were 7.3 +/- 1.3, 4.2 +/- 1.4, and 3.0 +/- 1.2 axons (mean +/- standard error of the mean) with normothermia, respectively, compared with 24.7 +/- 12.1, 33.1 +/- 4.2, and 27.3 +/- 3.1 axons with hyperthermia, respectively (P < 0.01). An ultrastructural examination of the swollen axons demonstrated a severely thinned myelin sheath containing axoplasm devoid of cytoskeletal components. These experimental results indicate that posttraumatic brain hyperthermia might increase morbidity and mortality in patients with head injury by aggravating axonal and microvascular damage.
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The diagnosis of ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow has relied primarily on clinical and electrodiagnostic findings. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used in the evaluation of peripheral nerve entrapment disorders to document signal and configuration changes in nerves. We performed a prospective study on a population of 31 elbows in 27 patients with ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow. ⋯ The mean total length of ulnar nerve enlargement was 12 mm. The 12 patients who underwent a surgical procedure for ulnar nerve entrapment were found to have ulnar nerve compression, with 9 (75%) having excellent and 3 (25%) having good postoperative results. In this study, MRI was both sensitive and specific in diagnosing ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow as defined by clinical, electrodiagnostic, and operative findings.
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Review Case Reports
Microsurgical excision of a pontomedullary epidermoid cyst with prepontine extension: case report.
We report the case of a patient with a pontomedullary epidermoid cyst extending into the prepontine cistern. The patient presented with a progressive VIth nerve palsy, ataxia, and headache. ⋯ Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the removal of both intra- and extra-axial components. We discuss the anatomic configuration, radiological appearances, and management of this unusual pathological finding.
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Comparative Study
Nonoperative management of Types II and III odontoid fractures: the Philadelphia collar versus the halo vest.
The nonoperative management of patients with Types II and III fractures of the odontoid process consists of a prolonged course of cervical immobilization. The need for rigid fixation, demonstrated by the routine use of the halo vest in many institutions, has never been rigorously substantiated. We retrospectively analyzed our results with the nonsurgical management of odontoid fractures to ascertain whether cranial fixation affected overall outcome. ⋯ In general, nonsurgical management of Type III odontoid fractures was recommended, accompanied by use of a cervical orthosis. The determination of operative versus nonoperative treatment for Type II fractures was made on the basis of fracture anatomy, patient age, other associated injuries, and patient preference. The lack of a significant difference in the need for late surgical procedures or late instability, improved patient comfort with the cervical orthosis, and elimination of the risk of halo-related complications favored the use of the rigid cervical orthosis in the majority of these cases.