Neurosurgery
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Neurological deterioration, typically attributed to cerebral edema, is a rare but life-threatening complication in the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We report the case of a child with DKA who became comatose but demonstrated acute obstructive hydrocephalus, instead of cerebral edema. ⋯ These observations emphasize the importance of recognizing hydrocephalus as a potentially reversible cause of coma in DKA and of initiating prompt neurosurgical intervention, if warranted.
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Comparative Study
Intraoperative autologous blood transfusion in intracranial surgery.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of intraoperative autotransfusion of autologous blood on the conservation of allogenic blood, including cost-effectiveness and the consequences for hemoglobin level and coagulation tests. ⋯ Autologous blood transfusions were demonstrated to be safe in patients undergoing intracranial surgery and to be more cost-effective than allogenic blood transfusions. Intraoperative autologous blood transfusions may be used alone in more than half of the patients requiring transfusions during intracranial surgery and decrease the amount of allogenic blood used. Improvements in the monitoring for the need of performing this technique, as well as preoperative blood donations, would decrease the amount of allogenic blood transfused.
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To determine the incidence of acute lung injury (ALI) in comatose patients after isolated traumatic brain injury, to determine whether specific brain lesions diagnosed by cranial computed tomographic scans are associated with ALI, and to determine the outcome of patients with head injuries who developed ALI. ⋯ ALI was common in comatose victims with an isolated traumatic brain injury and was associated with an increased risk of death or a severe neurological morbidity. ALI was associated with the global severity of head injury but not with specific anatomic lesions diagnosed by cranial computed tomographic scans.
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Historical Article
Neurological surgery at New York University Medical Center.
New york university Medical Center underwent a complex evolution in a rapidly growing and dynamic city. Care for the hospital-based poor resulted in international preeminence in surgical techniques. Neurosurgery at New York University has also evolved to meet the demands of the Medical Center and the community. Developments in high technology surgery and telecommunications will provide an international resource and trainees who are prepared to face the challenges of practice in the next century.
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Biography Historical Article
One century after the description of the "sign": Joseph Babinski and his contribution to neurosurgery.
One hundred years ago, in 1896, Joseph Babinski published a preliminary report on "réflexe cutané plantaire" (cutaneous plantar reflex), which became widely known as the Babinski sign. However, Babinski did not view the description of the sign as his major achievement. Instead, he considered his greatest contribution to medicine to be his having "... indiqué la voie à Martel et à Vincent" (pointed the way to Thierry de Martel and Clovis Vincent, founders of French neurosurgery). ⋯ These include a report on the relief of papilledema by surgical decompression in 1901, the successful removal (in collaboration with de Martel) of an intracranial meningioma in 1909, the description (again with de Martel) of a cerebellopontine angle tumor treated by surgical excision with good result in 1925, and several manuscripts concerning diagnosis and treatment of compressive spinal cord lesions. Babinski's dream to establish a department of neurosurgery became a reality shortly after his death. The Hôpital de la Pitie in Paris, where Babinski did most of his work, established the first French department of neurosurgery chaired by Babinski's pupil, Vincent.