Current opinion in neurology and neurosurgery
-
Several discussions of the neuroimaging of inflammatory diseases with emphasis on computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and on rare diseases, such as sparganosis, neuroborreliosis and various types of encephalitis, have been published during the past year. Infectious processes in immunosuppressed patients have been described by many authors, especially in the field of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The importance of gadolinium-diethylenetriamine-penta-acetic acid (Gd-DTPA) in MRI for delineation, and differential diagnosis of the inflammatory processes has been considered. Newly introduced techniques such as technetium-99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) single photon emission CT (SPECT) and proton spectroscopy have made the early detection of diseases possible.
-
Curr Opin Neurol Neurosurg · Dec 1992
ReviewIntracranial pressure measurement/cranial vault mechanics: clinical and experimental observations.
The absolute value of intracranial pressure (ICP) should be considered in conjunction with evaluation of a patient's clinical condition. In addition, other aspects of cranial vault mechanics may be important in multiple disease states. Among the important physiological measures of cranial vault sufficiency are hydrodynamic interaction between brain tissue, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)--volume-pressure relation, CSF dynamics--CSF outflow resistance, CSF production rate, sagittal sinus pressure, and appearance of ICP waves. Clinical and experimental studies brought together in this review provide an insight into the dynamics of ICP and the cranial vault.
-
Usefulness of grading systems based on non-specific features (e.g. mitosis, necrosis) is unequivocal in only certain types of astrocytomas, and their efficiency remains to be seen in oligodendrogliomas and in mixed oligo-astrocytomas. The possibility of grading ependymomas is still uncertain. Accordingly, only a small proportion of gliomas which occur in children can be reliably graded. Lack of reproducibility is a severe impediment of both current conventional and kinetic methods in the prognosis of gliomas.