Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2016
Clinical Association Between Brain MRI Findings With Epidural Blood Patch in Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension.
Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is characterized by spontaneous postural headache with neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and vertigo in patients with low cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Epidural blood patch (EBP) can be a treatment of choice in patients nonresponsive to the initial noninvasive treatments. We compared brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and clinical variables between patients with conservative management only and patients with added EBP, to help physicians plan the management modalities for SIH patients. In addition, clinical factors associated with MRI abnormalities in SIH, and the response to EBP between elderly and young patients were assessed. ⋯ The results of our study indicated no difference between MRI findings in both conservative treatment and EBP modalities; however, there were differences in initial pain score. Therefore, clinical presentation of SIH patients may be critical and help physicians make a decision of EBP procedure.
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We provide a synopsis of innovative research, recurring themes, and novel experimental findings pertinent to the care of neurosurgical patients and critically ill patients with neurological diseases. The following broad topics are covered: general neurosurgery, spine surgery, stroke, traumatic brain injury, anesthetic neurotoxicity, perioperative cognitive dysfunction, and monitoring.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2016
Case ReportsEffects of Insula Resection on Autonomic Nervous System Activity.
The insula is an essential component of the central autonomic network and plays a critical role in autonomic regulation in response to environmental stressors. The role of the insula in human autonomic regulation has been primarily investigated following cerebrovascular accidents, but interpretation of these findings is complicated by lack of control over time-related processes preceding and following cerebrovascular accidents. Surgical resection of tumors in the insula provides unique information about the neural circuits of autonomic dysregulation and subsequent cardiac arrhythmias. ⋯ These findings suggest that the right insula plays a critical role in parasympathetic autonomic modulation and subsequent cardiac arrhythmias. Additional research is needed to establish the long-term effects of right versus left insula resection as related to autonomic dysregulation and adverse brain-heart interactions, particularly in patients at risk of cardiac arrhythmias.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2016
Transcranial Color Duplex Ultrasound: A Reliable Tool for Cerebral Hemodynamic Assessment in Brain Injuries.
Transcranial color duplex ultrasound (TCCD) is becoming an important tool for cerebral monitoring of brain-injured patients. To date, TCCD reproducibility has been studied in healthy volunteers or patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and its efficiency in many brain injuries has not been proved. Our aim was to evaluate TCCD interobserver agreement in different brain injuries. ⋯ We reported the reliability of TCCD interobserver agreement in brain-damaged patients.