Neurochirurgijos ištakos XIX a. pradžios Vilniaus klinikose

[full article and abstract in Lithuanian; abstract in English] Objectives Before the end of the XIXth century neurosurgical operations were rarely performed in European university clinics and city hospitals. The development of neurosurgery was not possible without major medical discoveries: anaesthetics and antiseptics, effective haemostasis and atraumatic surgical techniques. The aim of this work is to discover the origins of neurosurgery, to determine what type of surgical operations of the nervous system were performed in the beginning of the XIXth century in Vilnius. Material and methods We analyzed doctoral theses devoted for neurosurgery and defended in Imperial university of Vilnius during 1803–1832. Results Five theses (out of 26) were included into analysis: dissertation on brain commotion, external head injuries, trepanation, encephalocele and brain fungus, and the ligation of the common carotid artery. Evaluating patients with external head injuries, University professors and students performed primitive neurological examination and estimated signs of brain compression. Dizziness, somnolence and stupor, stertorous breathing, headache and weakness of voluntary movements were evaluated, taking the side of hemiplegia as one of the most important signs. If the patient presented with head trauma which caused brain compression, but no external head injuries and signs of skull fractures were observed, then the side of limbs paralysis was evaluated and trepanation performed contralaterally to paralysis. Post mortem examinations of the deceased patients in Vilnius Surgery clinic were performed to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Conclusions The origin of neurosurgery in Vilnius goes back to the beginning of the 19th century. Trepanation, evacuation of epidural or subdural hematomas, ligation of the common carotid artery and excision or ligation of the surface head tumors were performed in Vilnius Surgery clinic.[straipsnis ir santrauka lietuvių kalba; santrauka anglų kalba] Įvadas Iki XIX a. pabaigos neurochirurginės operacijos Europos klinikose buvo atliekamos retai. Neurochirurgijos raida buvo neįmanoma be esminių medicinos atradimų: anestezijos ir antiseptikos, efektyvios hemostazės ir atraumatinės operavimo technikos. Šio darbo tikslas – aptarti neurochirurgijos mokslo ištakas, nustatyti, kokių nervų sistemos chirurgijos operacijų buvo atliekama XIX a. pr. Vilniaus imperatoriškojo universiteto Chirurgijos klinikoje. Šaltiniai ir metodai Analizuotos lotynų kalba parašytos Vilniaus imperatoriškojo universiteto (1803–1832 m.) medicinos magistrų disertacijos nervų sistemos chirurgijos tema. Tyrimo metodai: šaltinių analizė, lyginamasis ir analogijos metodai. Rezultatai Iš 26 disertacijų, nagrinėjusių nervų ligų klausimus, atrinktos penkios, skirtos nervų sistemos chirurgijai: disertacija apie galvos smegenų sukrėtimą, išorinius galvos sužalojimus, trepanaciją, encefalocelę ir galvos smegenų grybą bei bendrosios miego arterijos perrišimą. Vertinant galvos traumas patyrusius ligonius, įgimtomis CNS ydomis sirgusių kūdikių būklę ar kitą chirurginę nervų sistemos patologiją, stebėtos gyvybinės ligonio funkcijos, vertinta bendrasmegeninė (galvos skausmas, mieguistumas, koma) ir židininė (paralyžiai, konvulsijos, jutimo sutrikimai) neurologinė simptomatika. Vilniaus chirurgai, rinkdamiesi, kurioje galvos pusėje reikėtų dėti trepaną, jei nepastebėta jokių išorinių sužalojimų požymių, tačiau įtariama kraujosruva, ligonio vienpusį paralyžių siejo su tikėtino galvos smegenų pažeidimo, kontralateralinio paralyžiui, lokalizacija. Chirurgijos klinikoje buvo atliekamos mirusių ligonių autopsijos ir, remiantis post mortem radiniais, tvirtinamos klinikinės diagnozės. Išvados Neurochirurgijos mokslo ištakos Vilniuje siekia XIX a. pradžią. Vilniaus imperatoriškojo universiteto Chirurgijos klinikoje atlikta pavienių kaukolės trepanacijų, subdurinės hematomos pašalinimo, bendrosios miego arterijos perrišimo ir paviršinių galvos darinių ekscizijos ir ligavimo operacijų

Prehospital Stroke Care. Paramedic Training Needs, and Hospital-Directed Feedback in Lithuania

Background: Emergency medical services (EMS) are the first health care contact for the majority of stroke patients. However, there is a lack of data on the current paramedics’ hospital-directed feedback and training needs across different health care settings. We aimed to evaluate paramedics’ prehospital stroke care knowledge, training needs, and current status of feedback on suspected stroke patients. Methods: We surveyed paramedics from the Vilnius region from September to November 2019 and compared the answers between the city and the district agencies. The questionnaire content included questions on paramedics’ demographic characteristics, prehospital stroke care self-assessment, knowledge on stroke mimics, stroke training needs, and the importance of hospital-directed feedback on suspected stroke patients. Results: A total number of 161 paramedics (or 49.4% of all paramedics from our stroke care network) were surveyed, with more district paramedics rating their prehospital stroke care knowledge as inadequate (44.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 32.8–57.6) vs. 28.1% (95% CI 20.1–27.8), p = 0.028). In addition, more district paramedics indicated a need for additional stroke training (83.1% (95% CI 71.5–90.5) vs. 69.8% (60.0–78.1), p = 0.043). However, respondents reported being the most confident while dealing with stroke (71.3%, 95% CI 63.8–77.7) compared to other time-critical conditions (p < 0.001). Vertigo (60.8%, 95% CI 53.0–68.0), brain tumors (56.3%, 95% CI 48.5–63.8), and seizures (54.4%, 95% CI 46.7–62.0) were indicated as the most common stroke mimics. Only 6.2% (95% CI 3.4–11.1) of respondents received formal feedback on the outcome of suspected stroke patients brought to the emergency department. Conclusions: A high proportion of paramedics self-perceive having inadequate stroke knowledge and an urgent need for further stroke training. The EMS staff indicate receiving insufficient feedback on suspected stroke patients, even though its usefulness is perceived as paramount.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Interactive Training of the Emergency Medical Services Improved Prehospital Stroke Recognition and Transport Time

Funding Information: This study received funding from Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH & Co KG Lithuania. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit for publication. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Funding Information: We greatly acknowledge the EMS staff for taking part in the training. LS was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation postdoctoral scholarship (P2GEP3_191584). This article/publication is based on work from the IRENE COST Action—Implementation Research Network in Stroke Care Quality (CA18118), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology; www.cost.eu ). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Sveikata, Melaika, Wiśniewski, Vilionskis, Petrikonis, Stankevičius, Jurjans, Ekkert, Jatužis and Masiliūnas.Background and Purpose: Acute stroke treatment outcomes are predicated on reperfusion timeliness which can be improved by better prehospital stroke identification. We aimed to assess the effect of interactive emergency medical services (EMS) training on stroke recognition and prehospital care performance in a very high-risk cardiovascular risk population in Lithuania. Methods: We conducted a single-center interrupted time-series study between March 1, 2019 and March 15, 2020. Two-hour small-group interactive stroke training sessions were organized for 166 paramedics serving our stroke network. We evaluated positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity for stroke including transient ischemic attack identification, onset-to-door time, and hospital-based outcomes during 6-months prior and 3.5 months after the training. The study outcomes were compared between EMS providers in urban and suburban areas. Results: In total, 677 suspected stroke cases and 239 stroke chameleons (median age 75 years, 54.8% women) were transported by EMS. After the training, we observed improved PPV for stroke recognition (79.8% vs. 71.8%, p = 0.017) and a trend of decreased in-hospital mortality (7.8% vs. 12.3, p = 0.070). Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, gender, EMS location, and stroke subtype showed an association between EMS stroke training and improved odds of stroke identification (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.6 [1.1–2.3]) and onset-to-door ≤ 90 min (aOR 1.6 [1.1–2.5]). The improvement of PPV was observed in urban EMS (84.9% vs. 71.2%, p = 0.003), but not in the suburban group (75.0% vs. 72.6%, p = 0.621). Conclusions: The interactive EMS training was associated with a robust improvement of stroke recognition, onset to hospital transport time, and a trend of decreased in-hospital mortality. Adapted training strategies may be needed for EMS providers in suburban areas. Future studies should evaluate the long-term effects of the EMS training and identify optimal retraining intervals.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Multifactorial predictors of late epileptic seizures related to stroke: evaluation of the current possibilities of stratification based on existing prognostic models - a comprehensive review

Background: Epilepsy associated with strokes is a significant clinical and public health problem and has a negative impact on prognosis and clinical outcome. A late epileptic seizure occurring seven days after stroke is actually equated with poststroke epilepsy due to the high risk of recurrence. Predictive models evaluated in the acute phase of stroke would allow for the stratification and early selection of patients at higher risk of developing late seizures. Methods: The most relevant papers in this field were reviewed to establish multifactorial predictors of late seizures and attempt to standardize and unify them into a common prognostic model. Results: Clinical and radiological factors have become the most valuable and reproducible predictors in many reports, while data on electroencephalographic, genetic, and blood biomarkers were limited. The existing prognostic models, CAVE and SeLECT, based on relevant, readily available, and routinely assessed predictors, should be validated and improved in multicenter studies for widespread use in stroke units. Conclusions: Due to contradictory reports, a common and reliable model covering all factors is currently not available. Further research might refine forecasting models by incorporating advanced radiological neuroimaging or quantitative electroencephalographic analysis

Inflammatory Disorders of the Central Nervous System Vessels: Narrative Review

Inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) vessels, also called CNS vasculitides, can cause substantial disability or even be fatal. Inflammation of the CNS vessels can be caused by primary angiitis of the CNS (PACNS), inflammatory cerebral amyloid angiopathy, or systemic inflammatory disorders. Clinical symptoms of these disorders are often non-specific, such as encephalopathy, cognitive and affective abnormalities, headache and focal neurological symptoms. Diagnostic workup includes a thorough neuropsychiatric examination, blood and cerebrospinal fluid analysis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and its vessels. Biopsy of the brain remains the gold standard diagnostic test. Timely diagnosis and treatment initiation is of high importance, as it might prevent severe complications, such as ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. In this review, we describe the specific characteristics of primary and secondary non-infectious CNS vasculitides which help to establish the diagnosis, discuss the peculiarities of the diagnostic workup and present current treatment recommendations

Patent foramen ovale in young stroke patients: diagnostic challenge and a new approach to the secondary prevention (a case report and review of literature)

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) occurs in about 25% of healthy adults, however, it is significantly more common among patients with cryptogenic stroke. Although PFO might be a direct cause of ischemia, it is often an accidental finding in stroke patients. In most cases, cryptogenic stroke with PFO is just a presumed diagnosis as it is difficult to prove PFO as etiological factor. Randomized trials and meta-analysis have showed controversial results in searching for the most effective prevention of cryptogenic stroke with PFO recurrence in the last six years. Nevertheless, currently available data suggests that PFO closure is superior to medical therapy. Two problems remain in clinical settings: identification of patients who would benefit from PFO closure most and the exact indications for intervention. In this article we present a clinical case and review literature examining diagnostic and secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke with PFO

Ultragarsinio tyrimo reikšmė sergant temporaliniu arteritu

Introduction. Temporal arteritis (TA) is usually diagnosed according to clinical criteria, and temporal artery biopsy is considered as a golden standard for the diagnosis. Temporal artery biopsy is a surgical intervention on a head site and is not well-tolerated by the patients. As an alternative for temporal artery investigation, ultrasound examination may be used. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the performance of ultrasound examination of a temporal artery of patients with and without TA, but with similar clinical findings. Materials and results. Thirteen patients seen at Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos during 2006–2009 with suspicion of TA were included into this study, and ultrasound examination of their both right and left superficial temporal arteries was performed. Eight patients were diagnosed with TA according to clinical criteria, and 5 patients had headaches of another origin. Two patients had a biopsy-proven diagnosis. The thickened wall (“halo” sign) and / or stenosis / occlusion were found on ultrasound examination in three patients. The presence of abnormality was found in five patients from the setting of TA patients, and no abnormalities were detected in the control group. Although the groups were very small and the data scanty, we consider the sensitivity of the abnormalities detected by ultrasound to be 62.5%, and the specifi city was close to 100% in this pilot study. Conclusions. Authors recommend bilateral ultrasound examination of temporal arteries for patients with suspicion of giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis). Our pilot study showed a suffi cient sensitivity of this diagnostic test, although it greatly depends on the experience and skills of the performer