Aktuelle Traumatologie
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Aktuelle Traumatologie · Dec 1993
[Effect of external cervical spine immobilization on intracranial pressure].
We measured the intracranial pressure (ICP) in 18 patients with severe head injury in the neurosurgical intensive-care unit before and after placement of a rigid collar for cervical spine immobilisation. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the rigid collars, commonly used to, prevent cervical spine movement during transport to the treatment facility could lead to an increase in ICP. Patients who had an epidural transducer in place were studied and their ICP recorded during placement of either the Spieth cervical collar (n = 12) or the Philadelphia cervical collar (n = 6). ⋯ No significant changes in ICP could be demonstrated during this study. Placement of the cervical collar is a simple and practical measure to immobilize the cervical spine during rescue and transport of intubated and ventilated patients. Its risk of increasing the ICT appears to be low even in the patient with severe head injury.
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Aktuelle Traumatologie · Dec 1993
[Subacute and chronic epidural hematoma after craniocerebral trauma].
During an 8-year period, fifteen patients with subacute or chronic epidural haematoma were seen among 110 treated cases of extradural haematoma corresponding to a frequency of 13.6%. Increasing headache, nausea, vomiting, mild drowsiness and cranial nerve palsy were the symptoms resulting in the correct diagnosis in most cases. ⋯ The most important factors are cerebral atrophy, age, source of bleeding and location. By means of early CT (computed tomography) diagnosis of haematoma, fatal outcome could be prevented in most of the cases.