British journal of neurosurgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Does intensive rehabilitation improve the functional outcome of patients with traumatic brain injury? Interim result of a randomized controlled trial.
To evaluate the effects of intensive rehabilitation on the functional outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), we carried out a randomized controlled assessor-blind trial, comparing two groups of patients receiving different intensities of rehabilitation treatment (2 versus 4 h per day). Patients with moderate and severe TBI, aged from 12 to 65 years, were included. ⋯ Intensive rehabilitation may improve the early functional outcome of TBI patients. The interim results indicate that the study should be continued.
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Bifrontal decompressive craniectomy has been used on an ad hoc basis for the treatment of post-traumatic intracranial hypertension for more than thirty years. In this observational study we report the clinical outcome and physiological effects of the procedure in a series of 26 patients with refractory intracranial hypertension treated on a protocol driven basis. Bifrontal decompressive craniectomy was associated with significant reductions in mean ICP from 37.5 to 18.1 mmHg (p = 0.003). ⋯ A favourable outcome was achieved in 69% of patients; 8% were severely disabled and 23% died. We conclude that this study provides pathophysiological evidence that bifrontal decompressive craniectomy significantly reduces posttraumatic intracranial hypertension and improves pressure dynamics. Our results support the continued use of bifrontal decompressive craniectomy in selected patients after head injury.
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Lateral spread responses (LSR), an electrophysiological characteristic of hemifacial spasm (HFS), can be recorded during surgery. This work aims at evaluating the prognostic value of the persistence or suppression of the LSR at the end of the microvascular decompression (MVD) procedure of the facial nerve. Thirty-three patients with HFS, which had been evolving for 5.5 years, underwent MVD with intraoperative EMG. ⋯ Among those, seven were cured at early follow-up (3 months on average), whereas spasm disappeared at late follow-up (12 to 36 months) in the other three patients. The prognostic value of LSR monitoring is questionable; a good clinical result may be obtained in patients who presented with persistent LSR at the end of MVD. Delayed cure strongly supports the hypothesis that HFS is not only due to the mechanical pulsations of the elongated artery against the root exit zone of the facial nerve, but also to demyelination of the nerve and/or hyperactivity of the facial motornucleus generated by the neurovascular compression.
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The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the results of external ventricular drain (EVD) placement for the management of hydrocephalus. We present our experience with 103 consecutive cases over one year, 56 of which had subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Short tunnel ventriculostomy was performed at the bedside in the neurosurgical intensive care unit (NSICU), using sterile technique. ⋯ No rebleed from aneurysmal SAH was seen. There was no correlation between the duration of EVD and infection. We conclude that placement of short EVD in the NSICU is safe and can be maintained for the required duration of treatment with minimum infection rate.