The influence of anaesthetic choice on seizure duration of electroconvulsive therapy; etomidate versus methohexital.

BACKGROUND: Many of the anaesthetic drugs used for electroconvulsive therapy have anticonvulsant properties and may influence efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy. With this study we aim to provide more information on the effect of etomidate and methohexital on seizure duration. We explore the relationship between induction drug, motor and electroencephalography seizure duration. Moreover, we study the relationship of seizure duration and number of therapies. METHODS: In this retrospective study we collected data from patient records from 2005 until 2016. Inclusion criteria were the use of etomidate and/or methohexital and documentation of dosage, electroconvulsive therapy dosage and seizure duration. Exclusion criteria were missing data on either induction drug, dosage or seizure duration. RESULTS: Thirty seven patients were analysed. The mean age was 52 years and seventy six percent were female. Most patients were suffering from affective disorders (81%). Motor and electroencephalography seizure duration were analysed in 679 and 551 electroconvulsive therapies, respectively. Compared to methohexital, motor and electroencephalography seizures under etomidate were 7 and 13 s longer, respectively. Furthermore, there was a negative association between seizure duration and number of treatment and a negative association between seizure duration and electroconvulsive therapy dosage. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates significant longer motor and electroencephalography seizure duration using etomidate compared to methohexital. Etomidate might therefore increase the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy. Moreover, we observed a negative association between seizure duration, number of treatment and electroconvulsive therapy dosage. With this study we contribute to the available literature comparing methohexital and etomidate as induction agents for electroconvulsive therapy.

Psychotic depressive subtype and white mater hyperintensities do not predict cognitive side effects in ECT: A systematic review of pretreatment predictors.

BACKGROUND: Most studies regarding cognitive side-effects following ECT for treating depression report transient forms of cognitive disturbances. However, a growing number of studies also report considerable differences among individual patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to identify pretreatment patient characteristics for predicting the risk of developing cognitive side-effects following ECT. METHODS: Online databases PubMed/Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched for articles published from 2002 through May 2019, using the following relevant search terms: #cognitive deficits AND #Electro Convulsive Therapy. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied for full-text inclusion. PRISMA guidelines were used. RESULTS: Our initial search yielded 2155 publications; 16 studies were included. A total of 16 possible predictive factors were identified. Two factors, psychotic features and white matter hyperintensities, were conclusively found to not predict cognitive side-effects following ECT; the remaining 14 factors were inconclusive. CONCLUSIONS: There is robust evidence that psychotic features and white matter hyperintensities are not predictive of cognitive side-effects following ECT. None of the other 14 factors examined were predictive, however these levels of evidence were weak and therefore inconclusive. Additional studies focusing primarily on pretreatment patient characteristics for predicting cognitive side-effects following ECT are needed, including demographic, clinical, physiological, neurobiological, and genetic factors. Finally, we provide suggestions for future research.

Insight into the Pathophysiologic Mechanisms behind Cognitive Dysfunction in Trigonocephaly.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between trigonocephaly and cognitive problems might be explained by: secondary mechanical factors related to growth restriction of the skull, and primary structural defects caused by a shared mechanism related to brain developmental disorder(s) and skull malformation. However, because the exact pathophysiology remains unknown, we examined the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind cognitive dysfunction in patients with trigonocephaly, with an aim of providing a model for cognitive dysfunction based on routinely available variables. METHODS: Included were 72 patients with trigonocephaly who were operated on. Postoperatively, intelligence was assessed prospectively. The two independent variables, secondary mechanical and primary brain developmental mechanisms, were evaluated retrospectively. Computed tomographic imaging was used to assess skull volume and severity of the frontal stenosis (secondary mechanical factors), width of the central part of the lateral ventricles, and other structural brain anomalies (primary brain developmental factors). Extracranial congenital anomalies were also taken into account. RESULTS: No association was found between secondary mechanical factors and postoperative IQ score. Width of the central part of the lateral ventricles, and an interaction effect between this width and additional extracranial anomalies, showed a significant negative association with postoperative IQ. CONCLUSIONS: Primary brain developmental disorders seem to play an important role in the development of cognitive problems in trigonocephaly. Assessment of width of the central part of the lateral ventricle scores and additional extracranial congenital anomalies for the early prediction of cognitive problems in patients with trigonocephaly could be clinically valuable and can be performed using routinely available tools.

Cognitive and behavioral functioning in 82 patients with trigonocephaly.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and features of autism spectrum disorders in trigonocephalic patients, using validated instruments and by ruling out the confounding influence of IQ. The second aim was to assess the association between extracranial anomalies and cognitive and/or behavioral problems in patients with trigonocephaly. METHODS: Objectives were studied in 82 trigonocephalic patients aged 4 to 18 years at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Features of autism spectrum disorders were assessed using the Social Communication Questionnaire. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Parent Version. The presence and nature of extracranial anomalies were ascertained by a clinician. RESULTS: Mental retardation (IQ <70) was present in 9 percent of patients with trigonocephaly. Findings indicated a 70 percent versus 24 percent prevalence of psychopathology (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, or features of autism spectrum disorder) in patients with IQ levels of, respectively, <85 and ≥85. In the latter group, psychopathology was not significantly more common than expected based on prevalence rates reported in community samples. Extracranial anomalies were significantly correlated with lower IQ levels. However, when adjusted for IQ, the presence of extracranial malformations was not associated with an increased risk of behavioral problems. CONCLUSION: The relatively high prevalence of behavioral problems in patients with trigonocephaly seems to be mainly attributable to the co-occurrence of trigonocephaly and low intelligence.

The risk of psychopathology in children with craniosynostosis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems in patients with craniosynostosis and to determine the prospective association of a beaten-copper pattern before 18 months of age with behavioral and emotional problems in patients with craniosynostosis. METHODS: The authors performed a follow-up study of 115 craniosynostosis patients at the Erasmus Children's University Hospital in Rotterdam. Behavioral and emotional problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist at a mean age of 8 years. The presence of beaten-copper pattern before the age of 18 months was assessed on presurgical radiographs. Analyses were adjusted for intelligence quotient. RESULTS: Whereas craniosynostosis patients with intelligence quotients of 85 or greater did not differ from children in the normal group, craniosynostosis patients with intelligence quotients less than 85 had a higher risk of behavioral and emotional problems. However, these results were comparable to the findings of other studies assessing psychopathology in children with lower intelligence levels. Type of craniosynostosis (single suture versus complex) and a beaten-copper pattern before the age of 18 months did not affect the risk for behavioral and emotional problems in children with craniosynostosis. CONCLUSION: When intelligence is taken into account, craniosynostosis is not associated with an increased risk of behavioral and emotional problems, nor is type of craniosynostosis or a beaten-copper pattern before the age of 18 months.