Epidemiological studies on patients with a persistent vegetative state

Persistent vegetative state after severe brain damage was studied epidemiologically in 110 cases from 1973 to 1976. The causes of brain damage were varied. More than one-third of the cases were due to trauma, and about one-fifth were the result of vascular accidents. Three year observation revealed that 65% of the patients died during this period. Mean survival time for dead patients was 38 months. Reactivity, clinical signs, EEG findings, methods of management, and results of various trials of treatment were investigated in connection with the patient's prognosis.

Epidermoid tumor of the lateral ventricle

The authors present a case report of the successful removal of an epidermoid tumor of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle. The tumor was confined to the ventricular cavity and was not adherent or connected to the choroid plexus. Spilling of tumor material during surgery was presumed to have contributed to the development of a postoperative acute hydrocephalus, either by obstructing the cerebospinal fluid pathways or by causing an aseptic meningitis in conjunction with cholesterol in the ventricular fluid in the postoperative period.

Disease with abnormal intracranial vascular network complicated with intracerebral haematoma

A case of so-called Japanese cerebrovascular disease in association with intracerebral haematoma is presented. The patient had had no neurological symptoms before the onset, in spite of an extensive intracranial occlusive vascular process. Diagnosis was established preoperatively and massive haematoma was surgically evacuated from the left frontal lobe. The postoperative course was uneventful and residual neurological deficit was minimal.