Níveis diferentes de MT-I/II entre pacientes com MTLE com ou sem crise generalizada: os níveis hipocampais de MT-I/II afetam o alastramento das crises, ou o alastramento das crises promove expressão diferencial de MT-I/II?

In the central nervous system, zinc is released along with glutamate during neurotransmission and, in excess, can promote neuronal death. Experimental studies have shown that metallothioneins I/II (MT-I/II), which chelate free zinc, can affect seizures and reduce neuronal death after status epilepticus. Our aim was to evaluate the expression of MT-I/II in the hippocampus of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Hippocampi from patients with pharmacoresistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) were evaluated for expression of MT-I/II and for neuronal, astroglial, and microglial populations. Compared to control cases, MTLE group displayed widespread increase in MT-I/II expression, astrogliosis and reduced neuronal population. MT-I/II levels did not correlate with any clinical variables, but patients with secondary generalized seizures (SGS) had less MT-I/II than patients without SGS. In conclusion, MT-I/II expression was increased in hippocampi from MTLE patients and our data suggest that it may be associated with different seizure spread patterns

Cerebromeningeal hemorrhage: analysis of autopsies performed over a 10-year period

A study was conducted on the medical records of 353 patients who died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and who were submitted to autopsy over the last 10 years. SAH was associated with arterial hypertension in 180 (51%) cases, with ruptured aneurysms in 102 (28.9%), and with other pathologies in 71 (20.1%). The patients with hemorrhage associated with arterial hypertension were mostly males, and those with hemorrhage due to aneurysms were mostly females. Of the patients with aneurysms, 36 (35.3%) had aneurysms in the anterior communicating artery, 30 (29.4%) in the internal carotid artery, and 23 (22.6%) in the middle cerebral artery. Among the patients with aneurysms who suffered rebleeding and vasospasm, 59.1% and 61.5%, respectively, were classified as grade I and II upon admission, and all evolved toward grade IV after these complications, Vasospasm predominated from the 3rd to the 10th day after hemorrhage, and rebleedine from the 9 to 16th day and both were most frequent among patients with aneurysms of the anterior communicant artery. Sixty eight percent of the patients with aneurysms died during the first 9 days after hemorrhage. Because of our conduct was to operate systematically late, a considerable number of patients lost the oportunity to be treated surgically with possible favorable evolution due to vasospasm or rebleeding

Lesões múltiplas não neoplásicas na tomografia computadorizada do crânio

A observação de lesões múltiplas na tomografia computadorizada do crânio é sempre motivo de preocupação devido à possibilidade frequente de etiologia neoplásica, embora patologias granulomatosas, infecto-parasitárias ou não, e acidentes vasculares cerebrais possam produzir lesões semelhantes. Neste trabalho são analisados 5 casos de pacientes que se apresentaram com quadros neurológicos sugestivos de processos expansivos intracranianos e que na tomografia computadorizada mostraram lesões hipercaptantes múltiplas que induziram ao diagnóstico inicial de neoplasia. Em todos os pacientes a complementação diagnóstica e/ou a evolução clínica mostraram a natureza não neoplásica das lesões. Em três pacientes a lesão era inflamatória (um paciente com tuberculomas intracranianos e dois pacientes com neurocisticercose) e os dois pacientes restantes apresentavam infartos cerebrais múltiplos, sem outro substrato. O conhecimento das várias patologias que ocasionam lesões múltiplas na tomografia computadorizada do crânio permite o direcionamento do diagnóstico etiológico que é fundamental para o tratamento adequado, evitando-se a irradiação de lesões não neoplásicas e cirúrgicas desnecessárias. Portanto, especialmente em nosso meio, as doenças granulomatosas parasitárias, principalmente a neurocisticercose, a tuberculose e as micoses profundas, devem constar do diagnóstico diferencial das lesões múltiplas intracranianas observadas na tomografia computadorizada, juntamente com os infartos cerebrais e as neoplasias

Surgical treatment of multiple intracranial aneurysms

A retrospective study was conducted on 42 patients with multiple aneurysms surgically treated from 1975 to 1986. Thirty one of them had 2 aneurysms 6 had 3, 3 had 4 and 2 had 5 (62 in the internal carotid, 27 in the middle cerebral artery, 11 in the anterior cerebral and 3 in the basilar artery). All patients had subarachnoid hemorrhage and were classified as follows upon admission: 11, grade I; 12, grade II; 15, grade III, and 4, grade IV, and most of them improved before surgery (29, grade I, 7, grade II, and 6, grade III). In most cases, surgery was delayed and the 42 patients needed 57 craniotomies for clipping the aneurysms. Of the 24 patients with bilateral aneurysms, 15 were operated on both sides (11 are asymptomatic, 1 has hemiparesis, and 3 died later). Of the 9 patients submitted to unilateral craniotomy, 4 died and 5 are alive and well. Of the 18 patients with unilateral aneurysms, 11 are asymptomatic, 2 have hemiparesis, 1 has diplegia and behavioral disorders, and 4 died. Overall mortality was 26.1%, intraoperative mortality was 11.9%, and no mortality occurred among the patients operated over the last 5 years. The management of the these patients is discussed

Atypical and anaplastic meningiomas in a public hospital in São Paulo State, Brazil

Atypical/anaplastic (World Health Organization (WHO) grades II and III) are less common and have poorer outcomes than benign meningiomas. This study aimed to analyze the outcome of patients with these tumors.Method Overall/recurrence-free survivals (RFS) and the Karnofsky Performance Scale of 52 patients with grades II (42) and III (9) meningiomas surgically treated were analyzed (uni/multivariate analysis).Results Total/subtotal resections were 60.8%/35.3%. Patients 60 years-old, de novo meningioma and radiotherapy had longer survival and patients <60 years-old and with grade II tumors had longer RFS (multivariate analysis). Recurrence rate was 51% (39.2% Grade II and 66.7% Grade III). Operative mortality was 1.9%.Conclusion Age <60 years-old, grade II tumors and de novomeningiomas were the main predictors for better prognosis among patients with grades II and III meningiomas

Subarachnoid hemorrhage after aneurysm surgery

The surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms by clipping is recognized as effective and definitive. However some cases that suffered a new subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) some time after they were submitted to aneurysm clipping have raised doubts about the concept of "cure"after this treatment. Eleven patients previously submitted to aneurysm clipping who presented a new SAH were analyzed. The time elapsed from surgery to SAH varied from 3 to 10 years. After SAH four patients had a poor outcome. The new episode of SAH occurred due to intrinsic factors of the cerebral vasculature: 1. a weak point of the vessel wall near the previous aneurysm, 2. a weak point of another vessel far from the previous aneurysm, 3. a previous infundibular dilation of the posterior communicating artery; and due to technical problems: 1. aneurysm not identified during the previous treatment, 2. aneurysm deliberately left untreated, 3. persistence of the aneurysm due to inappropriate surgery, 4. persistency of part of the aneurysm neck after clipping and 5. slipping of the clip from the neck of the aneurysm. The measures to prevent new SAH after surgery start with adequate preoperative angiographic studies, a careful inspection of the position of the clip and emptying of the aneurysm. Early angiography studies may reveal a persistent neck and later ones may reveal newly developed aneurysms. In conclusion, SAH after aneurysm clipping is a late and severe phenomenon and the concept of "cure" after this surgery should be interpreted with caution.<br>O tratamento cirúrgico dos aneurismas cerebrais através de sua clipagem é reconhecido como eficaz e definitivo. Entretanto alguns casos sofrem nova hemorragia algum tempo após a cirurgia, deixando dúvidas sobre a "cura" pelo tratamento. Onze pacientes submetidos anteriormente a clipagem do aneurisma e que apresentaram nova hemorragia foram analisados. O intervalo de tempo da cirurgia para a nova hemorragia foi de 3 a 10 anos. Após a nova hemorragia, 4 pacientes tiveram evolução desfavorável. O novo episódio de hemorragia subaracnóide ocorreu devido a fatores intrínsicos dos vasos cerebrais ou a problemas técnicos. Dentre os fatores intrínsicos temos: l.um ponto fraco da parede do vaso próximo ao aneurisma, 2. um ponto fraco em outro vaso longe do aneurisma, 3. dilataçâo infundibular já existente próximo a artéria comunicante posterior. Devido a problemas técnicos encontramos: 1. aneurismas não identificados no tratamento anterior, 2. aneurisma deliberadamente não tratado, 3. persistência do aneurisma por cirurgia inapropriada, 4. persistência de parte do colo do aneurisma após a cirurgia, S. escorregamento do clip. As medidas para prevenir a nova hemorragia subaracnóide iniciam-se no estudo angiográfico pré-operatório, inspeção cuidadosa da posição do clip e no esvaziamento do aneurisma. A angiografia precoce pode revelar a persistência do colo e a tardia pode revelar o desenvolvimento de novos aneurismas. A hemorragia subaracnóide após a clipagem de aneurisma é um evento tardio e severo, e o conceito de "cura" após a cirurgia deve ser visto com reservas