后路经伤椎固定联合伤椎及后外侧植骨治疗胸腰椎爆裂性骨折脊髓神经功能恢复研究

目的探讨伤椎内植骨联合伤椎固定术治疗胸腰椎爆裂性骨折的安全性和临床疗效。方法将60例一侧或双侧椎弓根完好的胸腰椎爆裂性骨折患者,分为实验组(后路经伤椎固定联合伤椎植骨后外侧植骨)和对照组(伤椎弓根螺钉内固定后外侧植骨)各30例。观察术前、术后1周、术后3个月及术后12个月伤椎椎体恢复度(R)值(伤椎前缘高度/临近椎体前缘高度的均值×100%)、椎体Cobb角、固定并发症发生率、脊柱序列复位、神经功能恢复情况(Frankel评分)。结果 60例均随访12~20个月(实验组16.4±2.3,对照组16.1±2.7)个月。椎体固定并发症发生率、脊柱序列复位、神经功能恢复情况(Frankel评分)及术前、术后1周、术后3个月2组比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。术后12个月2组Cobb角及R值比较差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。术后3个月与12个月2组组内椎体R值、Cobb角、内固定并发症发生率、脊柱序列复位、Frankel评分比较,差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论后路经伤椎固定联合伤椎及后外侧植骨治疗胸腰椎爆裂性骨折,能有效恢复椎体前中柱支撑,减少伤椎高度丢失和后凸畸形,是治疗爆裂性胸腰段骨折的一种安全有效的方法。     

注射型磷酸钙人工骨椎体后凸成形固化治疗骨质疏松性胸腰椎压缩骨折

背景：椎体后凸成形目前常用的注射型聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯骨水泥椎体增强剂可达到增加椎体强度、稳定椎体、止痛的目的,但其组织相容性差,无生物降解性,容易造成使临近椎间盘或椎体发生变性、甚至骨折。 目的：观察注射型磷酸钙人工骨椎体后凸成形固化治疗骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折的效果。 方法：选择2007-12/2010-06哈尔滨医科大学附属第四医院骨外科收治的骨质疏松性胸腰椎压缩性骨折患者20例,均采用经双侧椎弓根球囊扩张注射型磷酸钙人工骨行椎体后凸成形固化治疗。手术前后行疼痛目测类比评分,胸(腰)椎正侧位X射线片及椎体前缘高度、Cobb角检测。 结果与结论：术后病椎前缘椎体平均高度较术前平均高度恢复(3.38±1.44) mm (P < 0.05)。术后Cobb角较术前平均恢复(7.63±2.52)° (P < 0.05),后凸矫正率为(38.90±11.28)%。术后3d及3周目测类比评分均较术前明显降低(P < 0.01)。说明经双侧椎弓根球囊扩张注射型磷酸钙人工骨行椎体后凸成形可以有效增加椎体强度、稳定椎体、明显缓解患者疼痛,是治疗骨质疏松性胸腰椎压缩骨折的有效方法。     

经皮椎体后凸成形术治疗严重骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折

目的 探讨经皮椎体后凸成形术治疗严重骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折的疗效。方法 2014年1月至2015年1月应用经皮椎体后凸成形术治疗严重骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折42例,分析手术前后Cobb's角、疼痛视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分、Oswestry功能障碍指数及骨折椎体高度变化。结果 术后椎体三柱高度显著大于术前（P<0.05）,而术后Cobb's角、VAS评分、Oswestry功能障碍指数均显著低于术前（P<0.05）。结论 经皮椎体后凸成形术治疗严重骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折,可以明显改善患者疼痛症状,恢复椎体高度,矫正后凸角度,有着较好的疗效。     

经皮椎体成形术治疗伴裂缝的椎体压缩性骨折

目的探讨应用经皮椎体成形术治疗伴裂缝的椎体压缩性骨折的技术及疗效,并总结分析压缩骨折中裂缝产生的原因及治疗方法。方法16例伴裂缝的椎体压缩性骨折患者术前均行X线平片、CT检查。X线平片或透视下可见裂缝的5例(组1),其中3例为仅在注射骨水泥时发现新出现的裂缝;术前仅CT可见裂缝的11例(组2)。所有患者均行6点疼痛评分及运动能力评分。组1中患者的平均疼痛评分为(4.45±0.47)分,运动能力评分(4.66±0.43)分;组2中患者的平均疼痛评分为(4.07±0.52)分,运动能力评分为(4.45±0.49)分。16例患者中6例有明确的外伤史,5例有轻微的外伤史,余5例没有明确的外伤史。所有患者均行活检,病理报告均为变性或坏死的骨组织。结果16例手术都获得成功,注射骨水泥3～7ml,14例疼痛完全缓解,2例明显缓解。术后2d重新进行疼痛及运动能力评分,组1的平均疼痛评分为(0.41±0.57)分,运动功能评分为(1.43±0.45)分;组2的平均疼痛评分为(0.47±0.41)分,运动功能评分为(1.56±0.39)分;配对t检验术前、术后有明显差异(P<0.01)。全部病例中共有2例骨水泥渗漏到椎间盘,没有骨水泥渗漏到椎体周围组织。术后随访1～9个月,无复发迹象,影像学检查提示骨水泥和椎体稳定。结论伴裂缝的椎体压缩性骨折是经皮椎体成形术的明确的适应证。椎体压缩性骨折一旦发现裂缝,尽早行经皮椎体成形术治疗可取得良好的疗效。     

椎体后凸成形与椎体成形修复重建胸腰压缩性骨折患者脊柱稳定性的系统评价和Meta分析

目的：利用Meta分析方法对国内应用椎体后凸成形与椎体成形修复重建胸腰压缩性骨折的对照试验进行荟萃分析，从而在较大样本量的前提下评价并比较两种方法修复胸腰压缩性骨折的有效性和安全性。 方法：收集中国期刊全文数据库(1998/2008)、中国生物医学数据库及维普期刊网关于椎体后凸成形术与椎体成形术治疗胸腰压缩性骨折的对照文献，对结果进行Meta分析。其中，试验组行椎体后凸成形术，对照组行椎体成形术。疗效及差异评价指标以比值比、加权均数差和95%可信区间(CI)表示。统计学分析采用Review Manager4.2软件。 结果：共收集国内8个随机对照研究，Meta分析结果显示，2组病例术后目测类比疼痛评分均降低，但差异无显著性意义[比值比为-0.07，95%CI(-0.35，-0.49)，P=0.75]。2组病例手术前后Cobb角均下降，但试验组较对照组下降更明显 [比值比为-8.60，95%CI(-13.36，-3.83)，P=0.0004]。2组病例手术前后椎体前缘平均高度恢复率均升高, 但试验组较对照组升高更明显[比值比为25.08，95% CI(9.30，40.87)，P=0.002)。2组病例手术前后椎体压缩率均降低，但试验组降低更明显[比值比为-12.04，95%CI(-17.03，-7.04)，P < 0.000 01]。 结论：与椎体成形术相比，椎体后凸成形术修复重建胸腰压缩性骨折能够更好地缩小Cobb角，降低椎体压缩率，同时椎体前缘平均高度得以更好的恢复，但两者在缓解术后疼痛方面无明显差异。     

不同治疗方案对胸腰椎体骨折疗效和神经损伤的影响

目的探讨不同治疗方案对胸腰椎体骨折疗效和神经损伤的影响。方法 50例胸腰椎体骨折根据治疗方式不同分为观察组和对照组。对照组接受传统的剥离伤椎椎旁肌肉治疗方式,观察组接受后路椎弓根Schanz螺钉内固定术部分剥离伤椎椎旁肌肉的治疗方式。对比2组手术时间、术中出血量、术后出血量、术前和术后1周疼痛视觉模拟量表评分(VAS)、椎体高度矫正率以及后凸Cobb角矫正率。结果观察组术中出血量和术后出血量明显低于对照组,手术时间明显短于对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05);2组椎体高度矫正率及后凸Cobb角矫正率差异均无统计学意义(P0.05);观察组术后1周后VAS评分明显低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论与传统后路手术方法相比,后路椎弓根Schanz螺钉内固定术部分剥离伤椎椎旁肌肉治疗胸腰椎骨折出血量少,手术时间短,疼痛程度低,恢复快,对神经损伤修复好,值得临床推广。     

经皮椎体后凸成形治疗中骨水泥渗漏对椎体高度恢复的影响

摘要 背景：将经皮椎体后凸成形通过球囊加压扩张在椎体内形成周围有相对致密松质骨的空腔,可有效降低骨水泥渗漏率,同时扩张的球囊有助于塌陷椎体的复位,矫正脊柱后凸畸形。 目的：回顾性分析手法复位后将经皮椎体后凸成形注入骨水泥治疗骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折渗漏情况及对椎体高度恢复的影响。 方法：选择2008-02/2010-06华北石油总医院骨科行经皮椎体后凸成形治疗骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折患者31例,41椎体。平均年龄69(53~82)岁。并于术前手法按压使腰部过伸复位。观察患者术后疼痛缓解、椎体高度恢复以及骨水泥渗漏情况。 结果与结论: 所有患者术后随访8~13(11.0±1.6)个月。患者视觉模拟疼痛评分由术前6.7±1.9下降至术后1.3±1.2,差异有显著性意义(P < 0.05)。椎体高度由术前(15.7±5.2) mm恢复至(20.2±4.5) mm,椎体高度显著恢复(P < 0.05)。发生骨水泥渗漏3例,均无明显临床症状。说明术前手法复位后经皮椎体后凸成形将骨水泥注入骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折可以显著恢复椎体高度,止痛效果良好且无严重渗漏发生。 关键词：经皮椎体后凸成形;骨质疏松;骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折;骨水泥;生物材料 doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-8225.2010.42.038     

微创经椎间孔腰椎间融合术联合经皮螺钉内固定融合术治疗退行性腰椎滑脱

目的探讨微创经椎间孔腰椎间融合术(MIS-TLIF)联合经皮螺钉内固定融合术治疗退行性腰椎滑脱的临床疗效。方法采用MIS-TLIF联合经皮螺钉内固定融合术共治疗32例退行性腰椎滑脱患者,比较术前和术后1周、3个月、末次随访时视觉模拟评分(VAS)、Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)和36条简明健康状况调查表(SF-36)评分,以及X线测量腰椎前凸角、冠状位Cobb角、冠状位和矢状位躯干偏移、腰椎滑脱程度(Meyerding分度)并计算滑脱率,X线或CT判断椎体融合率,MRI评价减压程度。结果 32例患者平均手术时间160 min,术中出血量120 ml,住院时间7.22 d,术后随访10.83个月。手术融合41个椎体节段,范围覆盖L2~S1节段。与术前相比,术后1周、3个月和末次随访时VAS(均P=0.000)和ODI(均P=0.000)评分增加,SF-36评分减少(P=0.002,0.000,0.000),腰椎前凸角(均P=0.000)、冠状位Cobb角(均P=0.000)和滑脱率(均P=0.000)均减小。至末次随访时,ODI改善率为(80.51±6.02)%,椎体融合率达92.22%且螺钉位置均良好。32例患者中1例术后感染、2例脑脊液漏,经对症治疗均痊愈;无一例发生神经功能缺损等严重并发症、内固定失败、椎弓根螺钉和钛棒断裂或Cage移位,无一例死亡。结论 MIS-TLIF联合经皮螺钉内固定融合术创伤小、术中出血量少、并发症轻微、复位效果好、疗效确切,尽管存在手术时间较长、学习曲线较长、术中X线照射量较大等缺点,但仍是治疗退行性腰椎滑脱的有效方法。     

微创经椎间孔腰椎间融合术联合经皮椎弓根螺钉内固定长节段融合术治疗退行性腰椎侧弯

目的探讨微创经椎间孔腰椎间融合术(MIS-TLIF)联合经皮椎弓根螺钉内固定长节段融合术治疗退行性腰椎侧弯的临床疗效。方法采用MIS-TLIF联合经皮椎弓根螺钉内固定长节段融合术治疗17例退行性腰椎侧弯患者,比较术前和术后1周、3个月、末次随访时视觉模拟评分(VAS)、Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)和36条简明健康状况调查表(SF-36)评分,以及X线测量冠状位Cobb角、矢状位前凸角、冠状位和矢状位躯干偏移,X线或CT判断椎体融合率,MRI评价减压程度。结果 17例患者手术融合56个椎体节段(T12~S1节段);平均手术时间200 min,术中出血量320 ml,住院时间8.21 d,术后随访12.13个月。与术前相比,术后1周、3个月和末次随访时VAS(均P=0.000)和ODI(均P=0.000)评分均减少,SF-36评分增加(均P=0.000),冠状位Cobb角(均P=0.000)、矢状位前凸角(均P=0.000)、冠状位和矢状位躯干偏移(均P=0.000)均减小。至末次随访时,ODI改善率(86.51±6.02)%,椎体融合率达89.21%,且螺钉位置良好。无一例出现术后神经功能缺损、感染、脑脊液漏等严重并发症,无一例内固定失败、椎弓根螺钉和钛棒断裂或Cage移位,无死亡病例。结论 MIS-TLIF联合经皮椎弓根螺钉内固定长节段融合术治疗退行性腰椎侧弯具有手术创伤小、术中出血量少、并发症发生率低、矫形效果好、疗效确切等优点,尽管存在手术时间和学习曲度较长等缺点,但仍是退行性腰椎侧弯微创治疗的有效方法。     

球囊扩张椎体后注入丙烯酸树脂骨水泥重建脊柱稳定性

目的：评估丙烯酸树脂骨水泥经皮球囊后凸椎体成形治疗脊柱转移瘤重建脊柱稳定性的特点。 方法：选择2006-10/2008-01暨南大学医学院附属第二医院深圳市人民医院脊柱外科33例椎体转移瘤患者行球囊后凸椎体成形术治疗。所有病椎伴有不同程度骨质破坏并压缩骨折，经皮球囊后凸椎体成形在C臂X射线机的监视下完成，行双侧椎弓根穿刺，分别置入球囊，扩张椎体后注射丙烯酸树脂骨水泥，胸椎注射骨水泥平均量3.6 mL、腰椎4.8 mL。随访6个月，评估材料与宿主生物相容性、病椎高度的变化及手术前后疼痛程度及活动能力。 结果: 33例49个椎体中有43个椎体经皮球囊后凸椎体成形均一次成功。5例因肿瘤全身转移死亡。43个锥体进入结果分析。①病椎高度比较：手术前后椎体前缘[（2.2±0.6）cm，(2.6±0.6) cm]和后缘高度[(2.6±0.6) cm, (2.9±0.7) cm]，经配对t检验，差异均有显著性意义(P < 0.05)，术后椎体高度较术前增高。②术前目测类比评分为(8.1±0.5) 分，术后24 h、1周和6个月分别为(2.1±1.4) 分、(1.3±1.6) 分和(0.9±1.5) 分， 4个时间点比较差异有显著性意义（P﹤0.01）；术前活动能力评分为(3.4±0.5) 分，术后24 h、1周和6个月分别为(1.6±0.8) 分、(1.3±0.6) 分和(1.3±0.6) 分，4个时间点比较差异有显著性意义（P < 0.01）。经重复测量设计的方差分析，时间效应有统计学意义，呈线性趋势。③术前3例有神经根受损症状者术后缓解不明显；术中1例发生骨水泥椎管内渗漏及时改为开放手术，未发生神经受损症状；2例发生椎旁静脉内渗漏，未出现临床症状。除死亡者其余椎体未进一步压缩。 结论：丙烯酸树脂骨水泥能有效增高压缩椎体高度，改善后凸畸形，增强病椎强度和稳定性，与宿主生物相容性好，经皮球囊后凸椎体成形微创手术能迅速缓解椎体转移瘤引起的疼痛。     

Diagnostic Difficulties and Treatment Implications

Summary: Differentiation between types of epileptic seizures has been aided in recent years by the introduction of intensive neurodiagnostic techniques and the development of increasingly detailed classification systems. Paradoxically, these developments have not simplified the task of matching the appropriate antiepileptic drug to a particular seizure type. It is reasonable to assume that anticonvulsant drugs will have different effects on different types of seizures, but faulty, circular reasoning can enter the picture if one also assumes that responses of seizures to different drugs signify different seizure types. There are several examples of differential diagnoses that can fall prey to this problem, including the diagnosis between partial seizures with secondary generalization and generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and the diagnosis between complex partial seizures and absence seizures with automatisms, among others. Considerations of etiology in future classification systems can further complicate the problem: should one then choose an anticonvulsant drug on the basis of individual seizure type or on the basis of the type of epilepsy? Ramifications of this issue extend even to the drug approval process. Official sanction is not given for use of a drug for a seizure type not included in the original efficacy studies, even if later scientific evidence shows that seizure type to be related to a type that is included. New trials must be undertaken. These problems arise from how we choose to classify seizures.     

Cognitive Dysfunction Associated with Antiepileptic Drug Therapy

Summary: Epilepsy is frequently associated with cognitive dysfunction. However, the reasons for this correlation are unclear. Possible influential factors include patient age; duration, frequency, etiology, and type of seizures; hereditary factors; psychosocial issues; and antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Whereas many of these factors are beyond the physician's control, AED therapy is one element that can be addressed in treatment decisions by recognizing the potential cognitive effects of particular AEDs. For example, phenobarbital impairs memory and concentration; phenytoin affects attention, problem solving ability, and performance of visuomotor tasks. In contrast, carbamazepine may affect concentration, while valproate would appear to have minimal effects on cognition. Moreover, cognitive effects of AEDs are amplified with coadministration of multiple anticonvulsants (polytherapy). A review of studies on the cognitive effects of monotherapy with AEDs, as opposed to those of polytherapy, provides evidence that drug-related cognitive dysfunction can be reversed if patients are switched to a simpler therapeutic regimen. Future research should be directed toward developing reliable measures for assessing and monitoring cognition, and understanding the particular cognitive side effects of each AED. Physicians also need to revise their opinions about which side effects are "tolerable" for epileptic patients.     

Carbamazepine Efficacy in Adults With Partial and Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures

Summary: Carbamazepine and phenytoin are drugs of choice in initial monotherapy for adult partial and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures. These designations reflect the results of the Veterans Administration Epilepsy Cooperative Study Group of 1985. An earlier comparative study of carbamazepine and phenytoin by Ramsay and associates found both drugs equally effective in controlling new-onset seizures. Among the advantages of carbamazepine is that it causes relatively few cognitive and dysmorphic side effects. Its disadvantages are its unavailability in parenteral formulation and its metabolic autoinduction. The latter must be compensated for by planned dosage increases to maintain therapeutic plasma steady-state levels during the first 2 or 3 months of treatment. Carbamazepine is judged a drug of choice in the treatment of these secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and the drug of choice in children, adolescents, and women susceptible to the dysmorphic side effects associated with other anticonvulsant agents.     

Etiologic and Preventive Aspects of Epilepsy in the Child–Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory and Clinic

Summary: Four broad categories of basic phenomena are pertinent to developing ways to prevent epilepsy. These include mechanisms of epileptogenesis, ictal initiation and temporary entrainment by the seizure discharge of normally functioning brain, seizure propagation, and control mechanisms that function both to restrain the cascade of epileptic events culminating in a seizure and to arrest the epileptic event and restore the interictal state. In newborns and children, hypoxia-ischemia is a major factor leading to epileptogenesis, and several schemes are proposed to classify, quantify, and prevent hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Control mechanisms must be better understood in order to develop prophylactic recommendations for epilepsy, and an experimental model of "kindling antagonism" may increase our understanding of these. Programs of prevention of seizures in children will evolve only if basic researchers and clinicians work productively together to develop an adequate understanding of factors important in epileptogenesis and antiepileptogenic control mechanisms.     

Predisposing and Causative Factors in Childhood Epilepsy

Summary: We review information from large studies of defined populations, examining the role of known factors and especially of prenatal and perinatal factors in contributing to nonfebrile seizure disorders of early childhood. We depend especially, but not exclusively, on the recently completed analyses from the Collaborative Perinatal Project of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, the NCPP. About 4% of children in the NCPP who had at least one non-febrile nonsymptomatic seizure by the age of 7 years had a previous seizure during acute neurologic illness, such as meningitis or during the acute illness after trauma. Many such seizures should potentially be preventable. Of children with seizures, 10% had had a neonatal seizure and 13% had had a febrile seizure. Among the hundreds of prenatal and perinatal factors explored as predictors of childhood seizure disorders, the principal predictors identified were congenital malformations of the fetus, cerebral and noncerebral; family history of certain neurologic disorders; and neonatal seizures. In agreement with the British National Child Development Study, labor and delivery factors in the NCPP appeared to contribute very little to childhood seizure disorders. Maldevelopment, rather than damage at birth to an initially intact nervous system, appeared to be the more common mechanism. Most seizure disorders of early childhood remained unexplained by the large set of prenatal and perinatal characteristics examined.     

Anticonvulsant Drugs and Cognitive Function: A Review of the Literature

Summary: Alterations of cognitive function are separate from disturbances of behavior seen in association with epilepsy. The nature of the cognitive disability may to a certain extent depend on the seizure type. Partial seizures, mainly derived from a temporal lobe focus, impair memory tasks, while generalized seizures seem to have more effect on attentional abilities. A number of studies, reviewed in this paper, suggest that anticonvulsant drugs further impair cognitive function. Maximal impairments are seen in patients receiving polytherapy: rationalization of polytherapy improves cognitive abilities. Studies in children and adults have allowed differentiation of the effects of various commonly used antiepileptic agents. Maximal cognitive deficits are seen with. phenytoin, while phenobarbital and sodium valproate induce moderate disturbances, and carbamazepine seems relatively free from such toxicity. Further research is needed on the interrelationship between types of seizure disorders, types of anticonvulsant medications, and cognitive function.     

Effects of NMD A- and AMPA-Receptor Antagonists on Different Forms of Epileptiform Activity in Rat Temporal Cortex Slices

Summary: Lowering extracellular magnesium induces different patterns of epileptiform activity in rat hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Short recurrent epileptiform discharges in the hippocampus are stable over time, whereas seizurelike events (SLEs) in the entorhinal cortex, the subiculum, and the neighboring neocortex develop into late recurrent discharges which are not blocked by clinically employed antiepileptic drugs. We tested the sensitivity of the different epileptiform discharge patterns to. /V-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)- and non-NMDA-receptor antagonists. As NMDA-receptor antagonist we used dextrorphan, ket-amine, and 2-aminophosphonovalerate (2APV); as α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA)-receptor antagonist we employed the quinoxaline derivative glutamate 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). The findings show that the different patterns of epileptiform activity, including the late recurrent discharges, are sensitive to all NMDA-receptor antagonists. However, when dextrorphan was employed to suppress seizure-like events, later recurrent discharges did not develop during the remaining time course of the experiment. CNQX reversibly suppressed recurrent discharges in the hippocampus and SLEs in the entorhinal cortex. However, late recurrent discharges become insensitive to CNQX, even at a high concentration of 60 μM m. This finding suggests a prominent role for NMDA receptors in the generation of late recurrent discharges.     

Treatment Considerations in Anticonvulsant Monotherapy

Summary: The long-standing practice of polypharmacy in treating epilepsy is giving way to use of monotherapy. Monotherapy can improve seizure control as well as reduce the risk of serious idiosyncratic reactions, dose-related side effects, and complex drug interactions. Monotherapy also offers improved compliance and cost-effectiveness. The basis of monotherapy is accurate diagnosis and assessment of the patient's seizure type(s), followed by selection of a single appropriate anticonvulsant drug. Many patients currently treated with multiple anticonvulsants can be successfully converted to monotherapy with a carefully monitored program in which troublesome and redundant drugs are gradually withdrawn from the therapeutic regimen.     

The influence of comorbid depression on seizure severity

PURPOSE: To determine the relation between depressive symptoms and seizure severity among people with epilepsy. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was used to survey a nationwide community sample about seizures and depression. The Seizure Severity Questionnaire (SSQ) assessed the severity and bothersomeness of seizure components. The Centers for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale categorized levels of depression. RESULTS: Respondents categorized as having current severe (SEV, n = 166), mild-moderate (MOD, n = 74), or no depression (NO, n = 443) differed significantly in SSQ scores (all p < 0.0001). People with SEV or MOD reported significantly worse problems than did those with NO depression for overall seizure recovery (mean, 5.3, 4.9, 4.5, respectively); overall severity (5.0, 4.5, 4.2); and overall seizure bother (5.3, 4.8, 4.4) (all p < 0.005). Cognitive, emotional, and physical aspects of seizure recovery also were rated worse among people with SEV than with NO depression (all p < 0.05). Symptoms of depression were significantly correlated with higher levels of all components of generalized tonic-clonic seizure severity (r = 0.33-0.48; all p < 0.0001), and partial seizures (r = 0.31-0.38; all p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Clinically depressed people with epilepsy reported higher levels of perceived severity and bother from seizures, as well as greater problems with overall seizure recovery than did nondepressed people experiencing similar types of seizures. The pervasive influence of depressive symptoms on reports of seizure activity suggests that people with epilepsy should be screened for depression. These data highlight the importance of detecting and treating depression among people with epilepsy.     

Dextromethorphan: Cellular Effects Reducing Neuronal Hyperactivity

Summary: Dextromethorphan is a dextrorotary morphinan without affinity for opioid receptors, commonly used as an antitussive medication. During the past 5 years, interest in the compound and its demethylated derivative, dextrorphan, has been revived because additional neuroprotective and an-tiepileptic properties were found in in vitro studies, animal experiments, and a few clinical cases. Both morphinans are able to inhibit N -methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor channels and voltage-operated calcium and sodium channels with different potencies. The inhibition of the NMDA receptor is believed to be the predominant mechanism of action responsible for the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties of the compounds.