No shinkei geka. Neurological surgery
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Long-term natural history of unruptured cerebral aneurysms is not found frequently. Hence, the indications for surgery on unruptured asymptomatic cerebral aneurysms are still unclear. The benefit of treatment ultimately depends on the relative risk of subsequent aneurysm rupture in untreated patients versus the risk involved in surgery. ⋯ It is our clinical impression, however, that they harbor an unruptured aneurysm with at least mild trepidation. With the rapid aging of the population, withholding aneurysm surgery merely because a patient is elderly may not necessarily be the most appropriate decision. Our conclusions are as follows: (1) Elderly patients in their early seventies are apt to agree to having surgical treatment for their unruptured aneurysms. (2) The cases reported herein show that asymptomatic middle cerebral artery aneurysms were able to be clipped very safely. (3) Most patients have experienced a decrease in quality of life from knowing they are living with an unruptured aneurysm.
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Review Case Reports
[Cervical epidural hematoma caused by cervical twisting after epidural anesthesia: a case report].
A case of cervical epidural hematoma caused by cervical twisting after epidural anesthesia was reported. A 41-year-old man who had had anterior fusion of C5 - 7 using a plate due to cervical spondylosis fifteen months before admission, had undergone epidural anesthesia through the C7/T1 interspace without difficulty for shoulder pain in a pain clinic. Two hours after injection, he complained of severe pain in his neck and both shoulders just after cervical twisting as was his custom. ⋯ Most of the reported epidural hematomas associated with epidural anesthesia were related to coagulopathy, anticoagulant therapy or difficult puncture. On review of the literature, this is the first case of spinal epidural hematoma cause by cervical twisting after spinal anesthesia and which was without impaired coagulation or difficult spinal puncture. Cervical epidural hematoma should be considered as a possible complication in patients with pain or neurological deficits after some cervical manipulations.
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A P4 segment aneurysm of the posterior cerebral artery has rarely been described. A case of ruptured P4 segment aneurysm, which re-ruptured after clipping procedure for unruptured internal carotid artery aneurysm, was reported. A 57-old-man had sudden onset of severe headache and vomiting and was transferred to our hospital. ⋯ When a thick subarachnoid hemorrhage distributed in the occipital interhemispheric fissure, quadrigeminal cistern, and ambient cistern is encountered, the existence of a possible P4 segment aneurysm should be suspected. Correct initial diagnosis and definite treatment of the ruptured lesion in the acute stage is essential in dealing with SAH-patient with multiple aneurysms. When they are unruptured lesions at a common aneurysm site, the existence of an unusually located aneurysm should not be overlooked as the possible source responsible for symptoms.
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Preoperative identification of precentral gyrus and intraoperative monitoring of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were performed to preserve postoperative motor function in seven patients with gliomas near the primary motor cortex. Tumors were astrocytomas in 3 patients, glioblastomas in 2 patients, anaplastic astrocytoma and mixed glioma in one patient each. Preoperative identification of the primary motor cortex was performed by three-dimensional (3D) display of magnetic resonance (MR) images and by functional images using MR imaging and single-photon emission tomography. ⋯ The primary motor cortex was stimulated electrically, and MEP (corticospinal evoked potential) was continuously monitored during surgery using electrodes inserted in the cervical epidural space. The amplitude of direct waves of MEPs during surgery was maintained above half of that recorded at the beginning of tumor removal, and all patients showed preservation of preoperative motor function. These results suggest that preoperative identification of precentral gyrus and intraoperative MEP monitoring provide useful information for preserving motor function in patients with gliomas near the primary motor cortex.
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The grading scale for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with inter-grade outcome differences is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of newly developed therapeutic modalities. Although Hunt's grade and WFNS scale have been widely used, these grading scales do not meet this requirement. We previously proposed a revised WFNS scale based solely on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) that has intergrade outcome differences of high-level significance. The Japan Coma Scale (JCS) has been long and widely used in Japan. The purpose of this study is to show whether it is possible to determine a reasonable SAH grading scale based on the JCS and to show a way to determine an SAH grading scale. ⋯ Taking all the 510 possible combinations of JCS into consideration, we obtained a reasonable combination containing 5 grades. Although this grading scale showed good inter-grade outcome differences, JCS is not preferable to GCS as a consciousness evaluation system in the acute phase of SAH. We emphasize the importance of this way to determine a grading scale with a combinatorial approach, which can be applicable for re-evaluating the grading scales in the future.