Ideggyogy Szemle
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Clinical Trial
[Effect of two month positive airway pressure therapy on the structure of sleep, cognitive function and anxiety].
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder, characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep, resulting intermittent hypoxia and disruption of the normal sleep pattern, which caused cognitive dysfunction in these patients. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure is the treatment of choice for this disorder. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of short-term positive airway pressure on sleep pattern (polisomnographic measures), cognitive function and anxiety. ⋯ Despite of treatment we did not find improvement in visuospatial learning. These results reveal that 2 and a half months of positive airway pressure treatment restored not only the normal respiration during sleep and normal sleep pattern, but also the cognitive functions. Our study suggests that cognitive dysfunction is at least partial reversible in obstructive sleep apnea patients after positive airway pressure treatment.
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Case Reports
Rare angioproliferative tumors mimicking aggressive spinal hemangioma with epidural expansion.
We present two cases of angio-proliferative tumors that were misdiagnosed and treated as typical hemangiomas with epidural expansion. ⋯ Rare angio-proliferative tumors, like benign metastasizing leiomyoma and myopericytoma radiologically may resemble aggressive vertebral hemangiomas of the spine. Unlike hemangiomas, such tumors require radical removal due to their likely recurrence. As imaging studies may not be able to completely exclude such pathologies, bone biopsy and thorough histopathological studies are warranted prior to the therapeutic decision.
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Based on our previous survey on the capacities of neurological services and on the predictable changes in the neurologist workforce in Hungary, we present a proposal for the organization of the structure of neurological services in the future. We discuss the diagnostic groups treated by neurologists, the neurological services and their progressive organization. Using the current capacities as baseline, we propose patient groups to be treated by neurologists in the future, and the levels of services. ⋯ In addition to the special outpatient units associated with university departments and regional/county hospitals, the general neurological outpatient services would be organized as private practices, similarly to the current system of general practitioners, where the individual practices contract independently with the health insurance fund. Their task would be a general neurological service offered 30 hours per week, and also basic, screening neurophysiological and neurosonological examinations, with proper equipment and trained assistance. A transformation in residency training and a change in financing is needed for this plan to fulfill.
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Prolonged EEG monitoring and video-EEG monitoring are basic methods on the level of epilepsy centers. These methods are able to make differences between epilepsy and non epileptic paroxysmal manifestations like psychogenic non epileptic seizures, parasomniac phenomena, narcolepsy. The application of the method, at least the video-EEG variant, needs team work, high level organisation, highly educated staff and high tech electrographic devices. Running the method even with these requirements is beneficial from the cost-benefit aspect as well.