Long-term abolition of parkinsonian tremor following attempted ventriculography

Three patients are described who were selected for stereotactic thalamotomy to alleviate the tremor and rigidity of Parkinson's disease but in whom these symptoms were abolished whilst attempting ventriculography. Discrete deep brain lesions were seen on post-operative CT scan and the basis for their relieving the patients' symptoms is discussed. Although the tremor and rigidity was abolished in these cases and a favourable result ensued, ventriculography is an invasive and potentially dangerous procedure and it is therefore recommended that CT-derived thalamic targets should be employed for functional stereotaxy.

The 'Cambridge' stereotactic biopsy instrument

The recent expansion in CT guided stereotactic biopsy has revealed deficiencies in biopsy instrumentation. In view of this, the authors have developed a versatile side-cutting cannula which has been used successfully in over eighty stereotactic biopsies as well as for the drainage of deep seated abscesses.

Prognosis for recovery of bladder function following lumbar central disc prolapse

From a retrospective review of 932 patients undergoing surgery for prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc a group of 33 cases with acute urinary retention was studied. There was no identifiable factor which predisposed this subgroup of patients to cauda equina compression. The mean duration of bladder paralysis prior to operation was 3.6 days. Ultimately almost 79% of patients claimed full recovery of bladder function, but only 22% were left without sensory deficit in the limbs or perineum. There was no correlation between recovery and the duration of bladder paralysis before surgery, except in three patients in whom there was no sciatica and where the correct diagnosis was delayed for many days. Retention developing less than 48 h after an acute prolapse was associated with a poorer prognosis. Despite claims that bladder paralysis should be treated with the same urgency as an extradural haematoma, there is no evidence in this study or in the literature to support the view that emergency surgery has any bearing upon the degree of clinical recovery. The exception may be if decompression can be undertaken within 6 h, the time estimated for axonal ischaemia to become irreversible. This should not however engender complacency in the management of this condition, which still requires prompt treatment. Whilst any apparent delay to surgery may have medicolegal implications should the patient fail to recover completely, in the majority of cases the die is cast at the time the prolapse occurs.

Computerized tomographic stereotaxy in the management of 200 consecutive intracranial mass lesions. Analysis of indications, benefits and outcome

Two hundred consecutive stereotactic procedures were performed. These were 153 biopsies and 43 therapeutic procedures. The latter included aspiration of craniopharyngiomata, arachnoid cysts, deep-seated abscesses, and the destruction of colloid cysts. Cryogenesis was used to treat an arteriovenious malformation (AVM) in one case. In four cases, the system was used to locate lesions during open surgery. Leksell stereotactic systems were used throughout. The ages of the patients ranged between 12 months and 83 years. Overall, in 35% of biopsies the preoperative diagnosis was not confirmed. When the provisional diagnosis was glioma 70% were confirmed; 21% of them were benign, with 9% some other form of malignancy. Biopsy provided tissue on which a histological diagnosis could be made in 140 procedures. In eight cases the biopsy was repeated and in seven cases a positive diagnosis was subsequently made. Mortality was 1%; there was transient deterioration postoperatively in 5% and prolonged deterioration in 1%. These observations suggest that stereotactic surgery is far superior to freehand burr hole biopsy in the management of these lesions. No radiation treatment should be considered without histological confirmation.

Delayed traumatic intracerebral hematoma: report of 15 cases operatively treated

Fifteen cases of delayed traumatic intracerebral hematoma (DTICH) operatively treated are reported. Patients who are awake or only drowsy on admission (Coma Grades 1 and 2, Grady scale) often undergo dramatic sudden neurological deterioration 48 to 72 hours after admission. Emergency computed tomographic scanning and prompt craniotomy for hematoma evacuation yield excellent clinical results in the majority of cases. Patients presenting in deeper grades of coma (Grades 3 to 5, Grady scale) who develop DTICH do quite poorly, often because the diagnosis is difficult to make and consequently is delayed. The development of DTICH is in our experience highly unpredictable, and often no clear secondary cause (hypercapnia, hypoxia, bleeding diathesis) can be demonstrated.

The penetration of misonidazole and desmethylmisonidazole into brain tumours and other central nervous system tissues in man

The concentration of drug after oral administration of 1 g misonidazole to patients undergoing neurosurgery has been studied in samples taken from intracerebral tumours, normal brain, cerebrospinal fluid and brain tumour cyst fluid. A total of 31 patients yielded samples at various times 2-8 h after drug administration. Results show a considerable range of tumour/plasma percentages but from about 2-5 h after drug administration this averaged between 65-80%. Normal brain and CSF showed similar good penetration but drug entry into cyst fluid was lower (30-50%). A further study with desmethylmisonidazole given to 11 additional patients showed a similar range of tumour penetration but lower concentrations in CSF and cyst fluid (10-20%). Low values were also seen in some but not all of the normal brain tissue samples. Necrotic tumour also had much lower concentrations than macroscopically viable tissue. These results are discussed in terms of their clinical relevance to sensitiser studies on patients with brain tumours with drugs of different lipophilicities.

Localization of opiate and histamine H1-receptors in the primate sensory ganglia and spinal cord

The autoradiographic localizations of opiate and histamine H1-receptors were studied quantitatively and compared following dorsal root section in the primate spinal cord. High densities of opiate and H1-receptors were found in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. Dorsal root section produced a 40-50% loss of both receptors types throughout layers I and II with no loss in deeper layers of the dorsal horn. "Bursts' of opiate and H1-receptor labelling was observed over a population of small diameter cells (35-45 micron or micrometer) in the primate dorsal root ganglion. These cells represented approximately 8% of the total cells present. Serial consecutive sections demonstrated a population of cells bearing both opiate and histamine H1-receptors.

A randomized study of misonidazole and radiotherapy for grade 3 and 4 cerebral astrocytoma

The results are reported of a small clinical trial carried out to assess the potential value of the hypoxic cell radiosensitizer misonidazole in the radiation treatment of Grade 3 and 4 supratentorial astrocytomas. A total of 55 patients were randomly allocated to one of 3 treatment groups. No significant differences were seen between the median survivals of patients in the 2 control radiation groups and that of the third group in which oral misonidazole at a dose of 3 g/m2 preceded each of 4 weekly radiation doses. Possible reasons why no improvement was seen are discussed in detail.

Hydrocephalus: electrocardiographic localization of the catheter in ventriculo-atrial shunts

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