Selective peripheral denervation for cervical dystonia: long-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: 61 procedures with selective peripheral denervation for cervical dystonia were retrospectively analysed concerning surgical results, pain, quality of life (QoL) and recurrences. METHODS: The patients were assessed with the Tsui torticollis scale, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and Fugl-Meyer scale for QoL. Evaluations were performed preoperatively, early postoperatively, at 6 months, then at a mean of 42 (13–165) months. All patients underwent electromyogram at baseline, which was repeated in cases who presented with recurrence of symptoms after surgery. RESULTS: Six months of follow-up was available for 55 (90%) of the procedures and late follow-up for 34 (56%). The mean score of the Tsui scale was 10 preoperatively. It improved to 4.5 (p<0.001) at 6 months, and 5.3 (p<0.001) at late follow-up. VAS for pain improved from 6.5 preoperatively to 4.2 (p<0.001) at 6 months and 4 (p<0.01) at late follow-up. The Fugl-Meyer score for QoL improved from 43.3 to 46.6 (p<0.05) at 6 months, and to 51.1 (p<0.05) at late follow-up. Major reinnervation and/or change in the dystonic pattern occurred following 29% of the procedures, and led in 26% of patients to reoperation with either additional denervation or pallidal stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Selective peripheral denervation remains a surgical option in the treatment of cervical dystonia when conservative measures fail. Although the majority of patients experience a significant relief of symptoms, there is a substantial risk of reinnervation and/or change in the pattern of the cervical dystonia

Protein expression in experimental malignant glioma varies over time and is altered by radiotherapy treatment

Radiotherapy is one of the mainstays of glioblastoma (GBM) treatment. This study aims to investigate and characterise differences in protein expression patterns in brain tumour tissue following radiotherapy, in order to gain a more detailed understanding of the biological effects. Rat BT4C glioma cells were implanted into the brain of two groups of 12 BDIX-rats. One group received radiotherapy (12 Gy single fraction). Protein expression in normal and tumour brain tissue, collected at four different time points after irradiation, were analysed using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionisation – time of flight – mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Mass spectrometric data were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS). Using these multivariate projection methods we detected differences between tumours and normal tissue, radiation treatment-induced changes and temporal effects. 77 peaks whose intensity significantly changed after radiotherapy were discovered. The prompt changes in the protein expression following irradiation might help elucidate biological events induced by radiation. The combination of SELDI-TOF-MS with PCA and PLS seems to be well suited for studying these changes. In a further perspective these findings may prove to be useful in the development of new GBM treatment approaches

The Swedish Malignant Middle cerebral artery Infarction Study: Long-term results from a prospective study of hemicraniectomy combined with standardized neurointensive care

Hemicraniectomy in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (mMCA) infarct may be life-saving. The long-term prognosis is unknown. Patients with mMCA infarct treated with hemicraniectomy between 1998 and 2002 at three hospitals were included. The criterion for surgical intervention was if the patients deteriorated from awake to being responding to painful stimuli only. All patients were followed for at least 1 year. Outcome was defined as alive/dead, walkers/non-walkers or modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score <= 2. Thirty patients were included (median age at stroke onset 49 years, range 17-67 years). Fourteen patients had mMCA infarct on the left side and 16 patients on the right side. Fourteen patients had pupil dilatation before surgery. Hemicraniectomy was performed at a median of 52 h (range 13-235 h) after stroke onset. Nine patients died within 1 month after surgery because of cerebral herniation (n = 6), myocardial infarction (n = 1) or intensive care complications (n = 2). No further deaths occurred during follow-up, which was at median 3.4 years after surgery. Status for the 21 survivors at the last follow-up was: mRS 2 or less (n = 6) and mRS 3-5 (n = 15). The oldest patient with mRS 2 or less was 53 years at stroke onset. Thirteen patients (43%) could walk without substantial aid. The long-term survival after mMCA infarction treated with hemicraniectomy seems to be favourable if the patient survives the acute phase. The outcome as measured with mRS may be better among younger patients