Neurochirurgie
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Botulinum toxin injections are a new treatment for limb spasticity. Intramuscular injections can be performed in spastic muscles; efficacy occurs one or two weeks later, with a mean duration of three months. Clinical action is related to chemical denervation of presynaptic motor end nerves by the botulinum toxin. ⋯ Kinematic parameters of gait are improved in lower limb spasticity, especially in children with cerebral palsy disorders. There were no reports of serious side effects. Botulinum toxin is a safe and effective treatment of localized spasticity in adults and children.
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The neuropathological study of corpus callosum agenesis requires a two-phase approach: first it should analyze the putative causal factors, i.e. absence of callosal neurons, commissuration inability or synapse remodelling defect; secondly it has to detect any morphogenetic effects stemming from the absence of commissure such as nonregression of archicortical structures, ventricular enlargement or possible invasion of the remaining telencephaplic commissure by callosal neurons. Absence of callosal neurons due to abnormal corticogenesis gives rise to corpus callosum agenesis without callosal axon, that is without Probst's bundles. ⋯ In the latter situation, the commissural defect could affect the other cerebral commissures i.e. anterior or hippocampal commissures, or could become integrated into a more diffuse midline pathology involving both cerebral and extracerebral structures. Finally, it could be assumed that a synapse remodelling defect could lead to atrophy or hypertrophy of the commissure, that occurs in the absence of white matter pathology.
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Practice Guideline Guideline
[Guidelines concerning severe cranial trauma. French Society of Neurosurgery].
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We present the results of a prospective study of post-operative angiographic data in a consecutive series of 267 intracranial aneurysms (in 217 patients) operated on by the same surgeon (M.S.). ⋯ In most cases the surgeon can easily control peroperatively under the microscope, after puncture-evacuation of the sac, the watertightness of clipping and the absence of any residual neck or sac of the aneurysm. Therefore the remaining place for a postoperative arteriography can be limited to those cases when the surgeon has some doubt concerning the perfection of clipping, as well as for giant and/or "difficult" aneurysms. A re-operation or a complementary endovascular treatment can be discussed for remnants in graded III, IV or V. Knowledge concerning the percentages of aneurysm with neck remnant only and of aneurysms with sac remnant obtained by surgery is interesting at the present time when endovascular treatment is becoming popular. In our series they amounted at 4.1% and 2.2%, respectively. These percentages are those of a series comprising all types of aneurysms. Needless to say, that the percentage of incomplete occlusion will be less if only the aneurysms with small-sized neck were taken into account.