Journal of the peripheral nervous system : JPNS
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Peripheral neurotoxicity is an important side-effect of several chemotherapeutic agents. These agents may cause a usually axonal neuropathy, which may ultimately lead to severe and disabling symptoms and signs. We describe in this review the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, neurophysiologic findings, nerve biopsies and the relation between cumulative dosage/dosage per cycle and neuropathy for the cytostatic drugs for which neurotoxicity is an important side-effect: cisplatin, vincristine, paclitaxel, docetaxel and suramin. ⋯ Although several nerve growth factors, gluthatione and ethiofos hold promise as possible neuroprotective factors, the clinical data on these drugs are still limited. New trials are needed to confirm the value of these drugs. If neurotoxicity could indeed be prevented or delayed, this may lead to more effective treatment regimens.
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J. Peripher. Nerv. Syst. · Jan 1997
Effects of aging on nerve conduction block induced by bupivacaine and procaine in rats.
To test the hypothesis that the dose requirement for local anesthetics is changed in aged animals, the effects of two different local anesthetics on nerve conduction block were tested in young and old rats. Young (6 months) and old (27 months) male Fisher-344 rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal pentobarbital and diazepam. Stimulating electrodes were placed in the sciatic notch and in the ankle and recording electrodes were placed distally in the ipsilateral foot to record evoked electrical activity of the interosseous muscles. ⋯ To test the effects of aging on conduction block, equipotent doses of bupivacaine (0.2%), an amide-linked local anesthetic, or procaine (0.6%), an ester-linked local anesthetic, were injected next to exposed sciatic nerves and evoked electrical activity was monitored following repeated stimulation at the sciatic notch. At 10 minutes after injection, bupivacaine produced significantly greater nerve block in old rats (100 +/- 0.0%) than young rats (29.8 +/- 41.6%) (P < 0.01); the difference for procaine (old 67.5 +/- 40.4% vs. young 30.4 +/- 35.3%) was not statistically significant. The lower dose requirement for bupivacaine, and the apparent differences compared to procaine, may have implications for the use of local anesthetics in an aging patient population.