Neurosurg Focus
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An intractable increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) leading to a progressive decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) is the dominating cause of death in patients with severe brain trauma. Arterial hypotension may further compromise CPP (and CBF) and significantly contributes to death. In addition, the injured brain is sensitive to raised CPP due to an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to crystalloids and an impaired pressure autoregulation of the CBF. ⋯ This level varies among different patients and different areas of the brain. In fact, the penumbral zones surrounding focal brain lesions appear to be the most sensitive. In the individual patient, preservation of normal cerebral energy metabolism within areas at risk during a decrease in CPP can be guaranteed by performing intracerebral microdialysis and bedside biochemical analyses.
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Review Case Reports
Intracranial hypotension syndrome: a comprehensive review.
Intracranial hypotension may have variable clinical presentations, but has a rather uniform component of postural headache among its symptomatology. Its symptoms are explainable given the effects of the hypotension and attempts within the craniospinal axis to maintain volume homeostasis in the face of cerebrospinal fluid leakage (Monro-Kellie hypothesis). The imaging corollaries of the consequences of intracranial hypotension are especially well depicted on magnetic resonance imaging studies.
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Head injury is a major cause of death and disability in children. Despite advances in resuscitation, emergency care, intensive care monitoring, and clinical practices, there are few data demonstrating the predictive value of certain physiological variables regarding outcome in this patient population. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), intracranial pressure (ICP), and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP = MABP - ICP) are routinely monitored in patients in many neurological intensive care units throughout the world, but there is little evidence indicating that advances in care have been matched with corresponding improvements in outcome. ⋯ Some medical management strategies can have detrimental effects, and there is now a good case for undertaking a controlled trial of immediate or delayed craniectomy. Independent outcome in children following severe head injury is associated with higher levels of CPP. The ability to tolerate different levels of CPP may be related to age, and therefore any such surgical trial would need a carefully defined protocol so that the potential benefit of such a treatment is maximized.
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Comparative Study
Outcome of severe traumatic brain injury: comparison of three monitoring approaches.
The determination of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is regarded as vital in monitoring patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Besides indicating the status of cerebral blood flow (CBF), it also reveals the status of intracranial pressure (ICP). The abnormal or suboptimal level of CPP is commonly correlated with high values of ICP and therefore with poor patient outcomes. ⋯ Only time between injury and arrival (p = 0.001) was statistically significant. There was a statistically significant difference in the proportions of good outcomes between the multimodality group compared with the group of patients that underwent a single intracranial-based monitoring method and the group that received no monitoring (p = 0.003) based on a disability rating scale after a follow up of 12 months. Death was the focus of outcome in this study in which the multimodality approach to monitoring had superior results.
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Sacral tumors are relatively rare, and experience related to resection of these tumors is therefore usually limited to a small number of patients. The purpose of this retrospective study was to review the authors' experience with sacral neoplasms over the last 12 years. ⋯ Despite the potential for complications, sacrectomy can be performed successfully, and is an important procedure in the treatment of primary sacral tumors.