7 research outputs found
Contralateral acute epidural haematoma following evacuation of a chronic subdural haematoma with burr-hole craniostomy and continuous closed system drainage: a rare complication
Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is one of the most frequent causes for
neurosurgical intervention. Although the prognosis is generally good and
treatment modalities are well established, some devastating intracranial
haematomas can complicate its evacuation. The authors report here a case
of an acute epidural haematoma occurring after evacuation of a
contralateral chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) with burr-hole
craniostomy and continuous closed system drainage without irrigation.
Since this is a rare, but potentially life-threatening, complication,
clinicians should suspect its occurrence when an unexpected
postoperative course is demonstrated. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights
reserved
The ancient Hellenic and Hippocratic origins of head and brain terminology
Corpus Hippocraticum, a collection of Hippocratic writings, is
considered to be the first written monument of rationale medicine. This
article focuses on a series of ancient Hellenic words which are cited in
Hippocratic passages and have been adopted in current head and brain
terminology either invariably, i.e., keeping their original meaning, or
as component parts of newly formed terms. This study aims to demonstrate
first that the deeper roots of current neuroanatomical terminology
spread in Hippocratic writings and second, that ancient Hellenic remains
a living language that would probably ever continue to play a catalytic
role in the formation of neuroanatomical glossary by providing accurate,
emblematic, and functional terms. Clin. Anat. 25:548558, 2012. (C) 2012
Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Treatment of idiopathic head drop (camptocephalia) by deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus internus Case report
Deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus internus has been shown to
be beneficial in a small number of patients suffering from axial
dystonias. However, it has not yet been reported as an effective
treatment for the alleviation of idiopathic head drop. The authors
describe a 49-year-old woman with idiopathic cervical dystonia
(camptocephalia) who was unable to raise her head > 30 degrees when
standing or sitting; her symptoms would abate when lying down. This
disabling neurological condition was treated successfully with bilateral
chronic electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus internus. (DOI:
10.3171/2008.9.17659
Restoration of erect posture in idiopathic camptocormia by electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus internus
The authors report on 2 young patients who developed drug-resistant
idiopathic dystonic camptocormia (bent spine) and were treated
successfully by deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus
internus (GPi). The first patient, a 26-year-old woman, suffered for 3
years from such severe camptocormia that she became unable to walk and
was confined to bed or a wheelchair. The second patient, a 21-year-old
man, suffered for 6 months from less severe camptocormia; he was able to
walk but only for short distances with a very bent spine, the arms in a
parallel position to the legs, and the hands almost approaching the
floor to potentially support him in case of a forward fall. Within a few
days following DBS, both patients experienced marked clinical
improvement. At most recent follow-up (44 months in one case and 42 in
the other), the patients’ ability to walk upright remained normal.
Similar findings have only been reported recently in a few cases of
camptocormia secondary to Parkinson disease or tardive dyskinesia. On
the basis of the experience of these 2 idiopathic cases and the
previously reported cases of secondary camptocormia with a favorable
response to GPi DBS, the authors postulate that specific patterns of
oscillatory activity in the GPi are vital for the maintenance of erect
posture and the adoption of bipedal walking by humans. (DOI:
10.3171/2010.3.JNS09981