Nimodipine can diminish oxidative stress in patients with severe head trauma.

AIM: Antioxidative effect of nimodipine was investigated in patient with severe head trauma. METHODS: The patients in group A were treated according to the standard procedures without nimodipine. Other patients in group B were treated with standard procedures plus intravenous nimodipine for a week. Three times per day, blood samples were taken from internal jugular venous saturation probe and central venous catheter for a week. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), nitrite, and nitrate, ascorbic acid, retinol and ß-carotene in the serum were measured. RESULTS: MDA levels in group B were significantly lower than those in the group A (P<0.05). As for GSH levels, it was observed that there was a significant increase in GSH levels in group B when compared to those in group A (P<0.01). Comparison of nitrate and nitrite levels in the serum of patient groups showed that these parameters were significantly higher in group B than those in group A (P<0.01). It was seen that there were a significant increase in ascorbic acid (P<0.01) and ß-carotene (P<0.05) levels in group B when compared to those in group A. Values of retinol levels were slightly higher in group B than that of group A, and there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: Severe head trauma may increase oxidative stress. Administration of nimodipine may prevent the oxidative stress and may augment endogenous antioxidative defense systems in patients with severe head trauma.

Development of pituitary apoplexy during TRH/GnRH test in a patient with pituitary macroadenoma.

Pituitary apoplexy occurs as a very rare complication following pituitary function tests. Signs and symptoms are due to the rapid expansion of an infarcted and/or haemorrhagic pituitary adenoma. We report a case of macroadenoma, in which pituitary apoplexy developed 30 minutes after administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) injections. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging had earlier revealed several haemorrhagic zones. After the TRH and GnRH injections, the patient complained of visual defect. MR imaging demonstrated an increase in the size of the pituitary adenoma and several haemorrhagic zones that formed a fluid-fluid level at the centre of the lesion. The pituitary mass was removed using the transsphenoidal approach. On immunostaining, follicle-stimulating and luteinising hormones were strongly positive, while prolactin was weakly positive. Pituitary functions were evaluated by dynamic function tests at six weeks post operation. The patient's pituitary functions and visual acuity were found to be normal.

A case of schizencephaly presenting with unilateral cryptophthalmos.

We describe an unusual case of schizencephaly associated with unilateral orbital meningoencephalocele, anophthalmos, orbital soft mass, cryptophthalmos and partial agenesis of corpus callosum, along with ectopic kidney and thumb anomaly.

Cervical spinal cord stimulation improves neurological dysfunction induced by cerebral vasospasm.

The effect of cervical spinal cord stimulation on the cerebral blood flow has been investigated both experimentally and clinically since 1986. Although the effect of the spinal cord stimulation on cerebral ischemia induced by cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage has been investigated widely, neurological dysfunction induced by cerebral vasospasm and the effect of the spinal cord stimulation on neurological dysfunction have not been investigated so far. The aim of this study is to investigate the neurological dysfunction induced by cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage and whether the spinal cord stimulation improves this neurological dysfunction or not in New Zealand albino rabbits. The animals were divided into sham and experiment groups: Sham group. Motor evoked potentials were recorded before experimental procedure was performed in this group. Just after, intracisternal saline was injected and 3 days later a stimulation electrode was placed in the cervical epidural space. Motor evoked potentials were recorded but electrical stimulation was not applied. Experiment group. Firstly, motor evoked potentials had been recorded before experimental procedure was performed in also this group. After then a stimulation electrode was placed in the cervical epidural space of the animals in which subarachnoid hemorrhage procedure was performed 3 days ago. Motor evoked potentials were recorded both before and after spinal cord stimulation. Motor evoked potential latencies and amplitudes did not change in the sham operation group. But, motor evoked potential latencies extended and the amplitudes decreased in the experiment group before spinal cord stimulation. Spinal cord stimulation improved the changes occurring in latencies and amplitudes in the experiment group. Spinal cord stimulation improves the neurological dysfunction induced by cerebral vasospasm and motor evoked potentials recording is a reliable electrophysiological method to detect cerebral vasospasm and to assess the effects of different treatments in cerebral vasospasm.

Cervical spinal cord stimulation increases cerebral cortical blood flow in an experimental cerebral vasospasm model.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral microcirculatory changes during cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) are still controversial and uncertain. The aim of our study is to demonstrate that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) augments cerebral cortical microcirculatory blood flow in an experimental cerebral vasospasm model by using Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF). METHOD: The experiments were carried out on 24 New Zealand rabbits. Three experimental groups were designed. In group 1, Cerebral cortical blood flow (CCoBF) was evaluated by LDF in 8 rabbits. In group 2, Intracisternal saline injection and cervical epidural electrode placement without SCS were performed in 8 animals before LDF. In group 3, LDF was performed before and after SCS on the 4th day of SAH in 8 rabbits. CCoBF parameters obtained from LDF data were compared. FINDINGS: The occurrence of vasospasm after SAH was demonstrated with significant changes in LDF values. In all SAH animals, SCS resulted in significant increase (approximately 30%) in CCoBF. This increase was observed to continue even after the cessation of the stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that SCS improves cortical ischemia due to vasospasm after induced SAH. The cervical SCS may constitute a new therapeutic modality in treating disturbed CCoBF due to vasospasm.

The effects of the electrical stimulation of the nasal mucosa on cortical cerebral blood flow in rabbits.

The cerebral vessels have sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory innervations. A sensory innervation of the cerebral vessels originating in the trigeminal ganglion has been described in a number of species by several investigations. It has been shown that the electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion causes an increase of cerebral blood flow (CBF). The aim of our present study is to stimulate the trigeminal ganglion with an extracranial and non-invasive method. A stimulating electrode was put in the nasal mucosa via right nares of rabbits and trigeminal ganglion was stimulated orthodromically via nasociliary nerve (NCN). Variations in the cortical CBF were evaluated by laser Doppler flowmetry. In experiment group, CBF increased together with the beginning of electrical stimulation. The flow values were remained high as long as the stimulation. In post-stimulation period, the CBF was decreased gradually and returned to the baseline values at 120s. This study demonstrated that the electrical stimulation of the NCN branch of the trigeminal nerve increases the cortical CBF under physiological conditions.

Orbital lymphangioma and its association with intracranial venous angioma.

Orbital lymphangioma is an uncommon, benign cystic lesion, generally manifest in childhood. It usually presents with a slowly progressive proptosis, displacement of the globe, ptosis and restriction of eye movements. Occasionally, focal lesions may remain asymptomatic. Spontaneous intraorbital haemorrhage may cause acute proptosis, compressive optic neuropathy and loss of vision. An 8-year-old girl presented with progressive left proptosis and a unilateral soft tissue mass at the supraorbital frontal region. Multiple intracranial venous angiomas were seen on MRI. Surgical decompression of the optic nerve was performed because of progressive decrease in visual acuity. We review the relevant literature; rarity of the orbital lymphangioma and its association with non-contiguous intracranial vascular anomalies were emphasized.

Primary multiple cerebral hydatid cysts with unusual features.

We present a case of 45 years old female patient with two primary cerebral hydatid cysts, each localised in separate hemispheres. Detailed studies revealed no evidence of hydatid disease elsewhere in the body. The cysts were removed by two separate operations. Though the cyst in the right posterior parietal lobe was delivered unruptured, seven months later a new cyst was detected in the same cavity, which seems to show relatively rapid growth in a year, and was also removed unruptured. This case is presented here for its unusual features such as having two primary cerebral hydatid cysts simultaneously in separate hemispheres, one of which partly localised intraventricularly, and the occurrence of a new cyst in the same cavity following intact removal of the previous cyst.

Stab wound of the cervical spinal cord and ipsilateral vertebral artery injury.

Stab wound of the cervical spinal cord with ipsilateral vertebral artery injury is rare. We report a case of a penetrating injury by scissors to the cervical spinal cord and right vertebral artery. The management is discussed and literature reviewed.

Vertebral plasma cellular osteomyelitis.

Plasma cellular osteomyelitis is a chronic recurrent, unifocal or multifocal inflammatory disorder, which has an unknown aetiology. The infectious focus or foci may occur in different sites of the skeleton. This unusual clinical entity has been reported in over 200 cases in the relevant literature, but the involvement of the spine with plasma cellular osteomyelitis has not been reported before. Because of the rarity of this disease and the possible difficulty in differentiating plasma cell osteomyelitis, both clinically and histopathologically from the other similar afflictions of the spine, we describe our case.