Treatment of malignant gliomas: a new approach.

The aim of this study is to describe the authors' experience with intra-arterial ACNU chemotherapy of malignant gliomas. The prognosis of cerebral malignant gliomas remains poor, whatever traditional therapy is applied. ACNU is a well tolerated nitrosourea with a strong antimitotic effect on neurogenic cells both in vitro and in vivo; this drug has enhanced efficacy when used at high concentrations, particularly as an intraarterial infusion. Seventy-six patients have been studied to date, 68 of whom are evaluable; these patients were treated by intra-arterial infusion of ACNU (100 mg/m2) every 6 weeks, with a mean of 2.5 courses per patient. The objective response (OR) was 28% and analysis of pretreatment factors revealed that survival was influenced by histological grade, other types of therapy applied, and age. In general IAC is well tolerated and the response and survival appear to be better than with systemic chemotherapy.

Transcranial Doppler sonographic monitoring during cerebral aneurysm embolization: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The wide application of embolization in the treatment of aneurysms has created the need for an intraprocedural means to anticipate a poor outcome by monitoring hemodynamic changes in the brain. METHODS: Transcranial Doppler sonography was used to monitor flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 23 patients undergoing embolization with Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) of either incidental or symptomatic intracranial aneurysms. Sonographic values were recorded from the ipsilateral MCA at the beginning, middle, and end of the interventional procedure and 24 hours afterward. RESULTS: No complications occurred in 15 patients. In these cases, sonography showed an average decrease in MCA flow velocity of 2.7% after GDC application, returning to baseline at the end of treatment and then increasing by about 17% 24 hours later. In four patients with vasospasm on posttreatment angiograms, MCA flow velocity increased to values higher than 120 cm/s after GDC application, returning to baseline after 24 hours. In four patients with ischemic complications (two transient ischemic attacks, one stroke, one vascular death), MCA flow velocity decreased more than 30% and did not return to preoperative values within 24 hours. CONCLUSION: The application of transcranial Doppler sonographic monitoring during endovascular treatment may help to identify patients at risk for posttreatment cerebral ischemia.

Tuberculous spondylitis: a retrospective study on a series of 12 patients operated on in a 25-year period.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of tuberculous spondylitis, which had declined steadily for over 40 years in our countries, started increasing again in the eighties, paralleling the resurgence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore it has become a matter of discussion in contemporary literature, because it can be a diagnostic challenge and, in spite of its severe neurological complications, it is a potentially curable illness. METHODS: In this retrospective study the authors report their experience concerning 12 patients operated on in a 25-year period because of serious cord compression from thoracic (9 cases) and cervical (1 case) tuberculous spondylitis or from thoracic tubercular epidural lesion (2 cases). Surgical techniques were selected on the basis of the cause of cord compression. Fusion with autologous bone and metallic osteosynthesis was performed in the cervical case (1986); no other patient received spinal instrumentation, and this can be explained with the consideration that all but one cases of Pott's paraplegia were treated in the years 1968-1977. In all of these cases fusion was achieved by means of plaster jackets and prolonged bed rest. Prolonged chemotherapy was systematically administered. RESULTS: Follow-up data collected in 1995 show good and long-lasting results. CONCLUSIONS: They conclude that surgical treatment is required in case of cord compression and results can be excellent even in presence of severe neurological impairment; spinal instrumentation available in our era should be now considered in order to make rehabilitation earlier and morphologic results more satisfactory.

The role of CSF ventricular drainage in controlling intracranial hypertension in patients with brain lesions. Comparison of three methods. Preliminary results.

Results obtained with three different CSF ventricular drainage methods (intermittent with no outflow resistance, continuous against a positive pressure, continuous with pre-arranged positive pressure), were evaluated in fifty nine cases of traumatic cerebral lesions and spontaneous intracerebral hematomas with intracranial hypertension. Continuous CSF withdrawal gives better clinical results and is more effective in controlling intracranial pressure than intermittent drainage (50% vs 13% successes respectively). Results obtained with continuous drainage against a steady positive pressure and with a pre-arranged pressure ("tidal drainage") are almost similar. However an outflow resistance 3-5 mmHg higher than diastolic level of ICP represents a rational approach to the problem.

Percutaneous twist-drill craniostomy for the treatment of chronic subdural haematoma.

A consecutive series of 65 adult patients with chronic subdural haematoma was reviewed to ascertain the efficacy of twist-drill craniostomy and closed-system catheter drainage. In all patients but two the percutaneous evacuation of the haematoma alone was enough to bring about their recovery. Infections or neurological complications were never observed. Pneumocephalus was likewise absent in all patients. Therefore this technique should be recommended as the "first intention" management of the disease, particularly in elderly patients.

Callosotomy for the treatment of drug resistant generalized seizures.

Fifteen patients have been followed for more than one year following callosotomy having presented with long standing epilepsy, no well defined focus amenable to radical excision, and severely incapacitating atonic seizures that were refractory to anticonvulsant therapy. Atonic fits have been reduced by more than 80% in thirteen patients, with two patients suffering long term sequelae (slight dysarthria in one, and dyslexia with mild visuo-spatial disturbances in another). Anticonvulsant therapy was still required post-operatively.

The surgical treatment of intracranial abscesses today.

The indications and the results of different surgical procedures for the management of intracranial abscesses are dealt in a cooperative study. Two series, amounting 68 patients altogether, collected in epidemiologically homogeneous areas with high percentage of rural population without adequate medical control, are appraised. Due to the high rate of chronic lesions, particularly in the pre-CT scan era (1968-1975), radical excision was required in 70.6% of cases. Overall postoperative mortality was 14.7%: 7.3% during the hospital stay, mostly due to pyrogenic ventriculitis in patients with large deep located abscesses, and 7.4% for different complications, both intra- and extracerebral, at home or other institutions several months after surgery. 29% of patients recovered completely and 45.6% have only minor disability, only 10.3% remained severely crippled and dependent. The results of the surgery, both in terms of operative mortality and functional recovery seem to depend on the neuropathological background rather than on the kind of therapeutic procedure implemented. Even though it must be acknowledged that at present conservative and minor surgical procedures are more often successfully used, radical excision still appears to keep far from negligible indications.

[Remarks on callosotomy in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy]. / Remarques sur la callosotomie dans le traitement de l'épilepsie pharmaco-résistante.

In this report 17 patients with long-standing non-focal epilepsy underwent callosotomy (this was total in two patients and performed in two stages, and anterior-subtotal in the remaining patients). In all patients the atonic-hypertonic seizures with sudden falls were the most disabling epileptic fits. Callosotomy proved efficient in controlling atonic fits in 10 out of 15 patients in whom surgical results are evaluated. In 3 additional patients the frequency of atonic fits was reduced by more than 50%. In the remaining two patients, no therapeutic effect was observed. Callosotomy was less effective on seizures which were not atonic. Therefore, this procedure appears to be indicated in patients in whom atonic fits are predominant. The main effect of callosotomy is to transform drug-resistant seizures into drug-sensitive ones. Neuropsychological sequels are insignificant unless the splenium is severed. However, considerable psychic and behavioral improvement was nearly always observed after surgery. Despite the fact that on a therapeutic level results were often satisfactory, a number of practical problems still remain. These concern the full spectrum of indications for callosotomy, the extent of corpus callosum section, choice of methods in severely mentally retarded patients and, finally, the age at which the operation should be carried out.

[The problem of private insurance for patients with epilepsy (author's transl)]. / Il problema dell'assicurazione privata nei pazienti epilettici.

324 epileptics were questioned about their approach to private insurance. Only 9,26% of them were covered by a life or accident insurance policy: 3,70% had life insurance, 3,70% accident insurance and 1,86% both. None of the patients had declared his disability to the insurance company. In 6,17% of the 324 epileptic cases an insurance policy had been taken out by their parents. In comparison about 35% of the Italian population in general are insured. A questionnaire was sent to 20 insurance companies; only 5 of them replied, saying that as far as accidents were concerned, they considered epileptics uninsurable. As for life insurance, policies can be contracted at increased premiums, according to the individual case (including the severity of the illness). Physicians must give epileptics fuller information about their insurance plans because, if their illness is detected after an accident, they will find themselves not covered by insurance. Government intervention is called for with the setting-up of special funds for this purpose.

[The driving license and epilepsy (author's transl)]. / Il problema della patente di guida nei soggetti epilettici (Contributo clinico).

Italy is one of the few countries in Europe with no legislation specifically concerning driving licenses and epilepsy. We made a survey of 321 epileptics all over 18 years of age; 80,4% of them had epilepsy (temporal lobe). 47,7% of the 321 had a driving license, 2,8% had their license withdrawn because of epilepsy. The frequency of attacks among those with licenses was as follows: 52,9% rarely had attacks (1 every 2 years or even less often), 17,7% had attacks yearly and 29,4% had frequent attacks (1 a month, 1 a week or even daily). About 2% of the patients examined had had accidents because of attacks; none of the accidents were very serious. In spite of the lack of legislation, a high number of patients has driving license. However our investigations have shown that they were careful in their driving and scrupulous about treatment and medical check-ups. The main problem is that epileptics with a driving license may encounter serious difficulties with insurance companies if they have a car accident. It is to be hoped that in Italy appropriate measures are taken parallel to those of other European Countries.

[Institutionalized epileptic patients in the "Marche" region (preliminary data) (author's transl)]. / L'istituzionalizzazione dei pazienti epilettici nelle Marche (dati preliminari).

The purpose of this survey was to gather information about long stay epileptic patients in 16 institutions of the "Marche" region. The 203 institutionalized subjects were examined and the information fed into computer. All the patients, in addition to epilepsy, had psychiatric and or neurological handicaps, which were often more disabling than their epilepsy (with difficult social adjustment in most cases). The socio-economic level of the families was usually rather low. Ths survey showed satisfactory as well as unsatisfactory aspects of rehabilitation facilities, equipment, medical and para-medical staff, in these institutions. The deficiencies were mostly caused by the lack of coordination and programming at regional level. Each institution, in effect, acted independently.