Angioplasty in acute middle cerebral artery stroke due to atrial fibrillation selected by CT perfusion: a case report.

We report the experience of a case of acute stroke in a patient affected by Rendu Osler syndrome and atrial fibrillation. The combination of dynamic computerized tomography perfusion scans and the use of a high-compliance balloon allowed increasing the treatment window for intra-arterial recanalization over 6 h after stroke onset in a patient with middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Correlation of transcranial color Doppler to n20 somatosensory evoked potential detects ischemic penumbra in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Normal subjects present interhemispheric symmetry of middle cerebral artery (MCA) mean flow velocity and N20 cortical somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP). Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) can modify this pattern, since high regional brain vascular resistances increase blood flow velocity, and impaired regional brain perfusion reduces N20 amplitude. The aim of the study is to investigate the variability of MCA resistances and N20 amplitude between hemispheres in SAH. METHODS: Measurements of MCA blood flow velocity (vMCA) by transcranial color-Doppler and median nerve SSEP were bilaterally performed in sixteen patients. MCA vascular changes on the compromised hemisphere were calculated as a ratio of the reciprocal of mean flow velocity (1/vMCA) to contralateral value and correlated to the simultaneous variations of interhemispheric ratio of N20 amplitude, within each subject. Data were analysed with respect to neuroimaging of MCA supplied areas. RESULTS: Both interhemispheric ratios of 1/vMCA and N20 amplitude were detected >0.65 (p <0,01) in patients without neuroimages of injury. Both ratios became <0.65 (p <0.01) when patients showed unilateral images of ischemic penumbra and returned >0.65 if penumbra disappeared. The two ratios no longer correlated after structural lesion developed, as N20 detected in the damaged side remained pathological (ratio <0.65), whereas 1/vMCA reverted to symmetric interhemispheric state (ratio >0.65), suggesting a luxury perfusion. CONCLUSION: Variations of interhemispheric ratios of MCA resistance and cortical N20 amplitude correlate closely in SAH and allow identification of the reversible ischemic penumbra threshold, when both ratios become <0.65. The correlation is lost when structural damage develops.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty and spinal cord compression: a case report.

This report describes a 60-year-old woman with intensive back pain due to metastatic vertebral body collapse, who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty. Subsequently, the patient developed metastatic lesion extrusion into the spinal canal because of pressure of the cement, with compression of the left anterolateral spinal cord. During percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure in patient with malignant tumors, the complication rate increases owing to the risk of leakage of cement resulting from the vertebral body destruction, but as also seen in our case, for the extrusion of the neoplastic tissue and increase of the pressure in the vertebral body due to the introduction of the cement.

Ill-lighting syndrome: prevalence in shift-work personnel in the anaesthesiology and intensive care department of three Italian hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Light is one of the most important factors in our interaction with the environment; it is indispensable to visual function and neuroendocrine regulation, and is essential to our emotional perception and evaluation of the environment. Previous studies have focussed on the effects of prolonged anomalous exposure to artificial light and, in the field of work-related illness. Studies have been carried out on shift-work personnel, who are obliged to experience alterations in the physiological alternation of day and night, with anomalous exposure to light stimuli in hours normally reserved for sleep. In order to identify any signs and symptoms of the so-called ill-lighting syndrome, we carried out a study on a sample of anaesthesiologists and nurses employed in the operating theatres and Intensive Care Departments of three Italian hospitals. We measured the subjective emotional discomfort (stress) experienced by these subjects, and its correlation with environmental discomfort factors, in particular the level of lighting, in their workplace. METHODS: We used a questionnaire developed by the Scandinavian teams who investigated Sick-Building Syndrome, that was self-administered on one day in the environments where the degree of illumination was measured according to UNIEN12464-1 regulations. RESULTS: Upon comparison of the types of exposure with the horizontal luminance values (lux) measured (< 700 lux, between 1000-1500 lux, > 1500 lux) and the degree of stress reported, (Intensive Care: mean stress = 55.8%, high stress = 34.6%; Operating Theatres: mean stress = 51.5%, high stress = 33.8%), it can be observed that the percentage of high stress was reduced as the exposure to luminance was increased, although this finding was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We cannot share other authors' enthusiasm regarding the effects on workers well-being correlated to the use of fluorescent lighting. The stress level of our workers was found to be more heavily influenced by their familial and working conditions, irrespective of the ambient light stimulus.

The KBG syndrome: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: The KBG syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant condition, first described by Hermann et al. in 1975. Fundamental findings are: mild development delay, short stature, craniofacial dysmorphism and skeletal anomalies. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32 years old woman, Caucasian race, weight 57 Kg, affected by KBG syndrome was sent to our clinics for preoperative anaesthesia evaluation. She was schedules for left ossicular reconstruction under general anaesthesia for bilateral hearing loss. A psycho-motor retardation was associated to morphological anomalies such as short neck, hyperlordosis without neck extension imparirment, craniofacial anomalies and dento-skeletal abnormalities. An echocardiography showed the presence of interatrial defect with left-to-right shunt. The patient was sent to a cardiac surgery centre. CONCLUSION: Perioperative evaluation of patients affected by KBG syndrome must take into consideration the management of difficult airways, due to the associated craniofacial dysmorphism. The possible presence of cardiac anomalies in the KBG syndrome is currently being evalueted. In this report the finding of cardiomegaly and congestion of the pulmonary circulation was attributed to presence of an interatrial defect with left-to-right shunt. The risk of cardiopulmonary failure led us to ask for a cardiac surgery consult. Perioperative management of these patients should be extremely accurate, even in the case of minor surgery, and should include also chest X-rays and echocardiography evaluation.