British journal of neurosurgery
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Case Reports
Copper deficiency myelopathy in the setting of advanced degenerative cervical spondylosis.
When presenting conjointly, degenerative cervical spondylosis and copper deficiency myelopathy may be difficult to differentiate providing the potential for mismanagement and unnecessary surgery. We present a case of a 69-year-old female with copper deficiency myelopathy secondary to previous bowel resection in the setting of advanced degenerative cervical spondylotic disease.
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For critically ill adult patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI), we assessed the clinical and cost-effectiveness of: (a) Management in dedicated neurocritical care units versus combined neuro/general critical care units within neuroscience centres. (b) 'Early' transfer to a neuroscience centre versus 'no or late' transfer for those who present at a non-neuroscience centre. ⋯ For critically ill adult patients with acute TBI, within neuroscience centres management in dedicated neurocritical care units versus combined neuro/general units led to improved QoL and higher costs, on average, but these differences were not statistically significant. This study finds that 'early' transfer to a neuroscience centre is associated with reduced mortality, improvement in QOL and is cost-effective.
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Object/Background: Vasospasm is a common cause of mortality and morbidity following rupture of intracranial aneurysm. Hemodynamic therapy instituted in these patients in the past has been replaced by direct manipulation of the spastic vessels by angioplasty and intra-arterial infusion of vasodilators. However, no case control studies exist proving its superiority. The purpose of our study was to compare the efficacy of intra-arterial nimodipine (IAN) to that of hemodynamic therapy in patients with vasospasm following aSAH. ⋯ Angiographic reversal of vasospasm is seen in majority of the patients following IAN. However, this does not necessarily translate into a long lasting clinical response. The final outcome in patients who received hemodynamic therapy is comparable to those who received additional IAN. IAN does not appear to provide a major added advantage over the conventional hemodynamic therapy.