Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
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There is no consensus in the literature on the effects of the development of hydrocephalus on survival and disability after intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and the benefits of external ventricular drainage (EVD). In this open, prospective study, we investigated the clinical courses, radiological findings and outcome scores of 47 consecutive patients who were admitted to our clinic with spontaneous ICH. Hydrocephalus developed in 6 (12.8%) of the 47 patients, and EVD was applied in these 6 cases. ⋯ Hospital mortality and functional outcome were not significantly different between patients with and without hydrocephalus. Our results shown that acute obstructive hydrocephalus should be anticipated if haematoma is near the ventricle or if it is opening to the ventricle. EVD is a life-saving and effective procedure that should be performed in patients who develop hydrocephalus following spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.
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Aretrospective hospital-based case-control study was performed with the aim to evaluate the association between exposure to anesthesia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). A total of 115 AD patients, 230 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and 230 patients with non-degenerative neurological disease were studied. Each AD case was matched for sex, age (+/-3 years) and geographic area of residence with four controls (2 PD patients and 2 with other neurological disease). ⋯ The present study reveals a lack of association between exposure to general anesthesia and AD. Prospective epidemiological studies are needed in order to investigate levels of exposure to anesthesia, as well as any possible relationships between anesthetic exposure and genetic factors (e. g. APOEepsilon4 genotype).