Control of post anaesthetic shivering with nefopam hydrochloride in mildly hypothermic patients after neurosurgery

Postoperative shivering may be prevented by maintaining normothermia intraoperatively or it may be treated using specific drugs. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of nefopam hydrochloride (nefopam) to that of clonidine and meperidine in patients undergoing elective neurosurgical procedures. Three groups of patients were included in the study. Patients in group A (60) received i.v., at random, 20 mg of nefopam, 50 mg of meperidine or 150 μg of clonidine in the immediate postoperative period. The incidence of shivering and the time at which shivering ceased were noted, along with central temperature and main haemodynamic changes. Group B (20) received i.v., at random, either 10 mg of nefopam or saline before awakening from anaesthesia. The effects of nefopam on central temperature, oxygen consumption (Vo₂), carbon dioxide production (VcO₂), basal metabolic rate (BMR) and energy expenditure (EE) were investigated. Group C (10) received i.v. 20 mg of nefopam during surgery: cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were monitored. In group A nefopam stopped shivering in 95% of patients when compared to meperidine and clonidine, which were effective in 32% and 40% of patients respectively. In group B, only 10% of patients receiving nefopam had postoperative shivering, Vo2, VcO2 and EE were significantly lower in patients treated with nefopam than those in the control group. No changes in CSFP, CPP or EEG were observed in group C. In conclusion, nefopam seems to be more effective than clonidine or meperidine in quickly suppressing shivering, without producing significant adverse reactions.     

改良额颞-颞下窝入路切除中颅凹底内外沟通瘤

目的：为了更完全地切除中颅凹底内外沟通性肿瘤。方法：采用经过改良的Ｍｉｃｋｅｙ额颞颞下窝入路。其改良主要是将额骨瓣连同其表面附着的颞肌以及游离后的眶颧骨块一并向下翻开，并将手术程序作了相应改变。结果：成功切除了１３例肿瘤。术后３例恢复了轻工作，６例能自主生活，３例生活仍需别人照顾，１例复发未再次手术。结论：采用改良的额颞颞下窝入路对中颅凹底内外沟通性肿瘤暴露充分，切除广泛。Ｍｉｃｋｅｙ入路改良的优点：颞肌血运的保留，有利于骨瓣与正常颅骨的早期融合。同时颞肌附着点的保留，有利于咀嚼功能。     

癫痫的外科治疗

本文报告40例癫痫病人采用手术治疗。30例作了CT检查、脑电图检查,6例作脑电地形图检查,对手术定位有较大帮助。术中用脑皮层电图监测,有效地提高了癲痫源灶的切除率,手术有效者34例(85.0%)。作者还应用了胼胝体切开术,从病灶切除的病理所见,癫痫的外科治疗应引起神经外科的重视。     

Illustrations of neurosurgical techniques in early period of Ottoman Empire by Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu

Summary   Background. Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu (A.D. 1385–1468) was the author of the first illustrated surgery atlas Cerrahiyyetü’l Haniyye (Imperial Surgery), which was written in Turkish in 1465. The purpose of this report is to present his unique contribution to modern neurological surgery. Methods. Cerrahiyyetü’l Haniyye consists of 412 pages in three chapters, in which there are a total of 191 sections dealing with a variety of surgical specialties, including neurosurgery. In each section of the book, a sentence written in rhyme and meter gives the diagnosis, classification and surgical technique in detail. Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu describes medical and surgical management of neurological diseases such as spinal trauma, epilepsy, migraine, facial palsy, hemiplegia, low back pain, cranial fracture, hydrocephalus and abscesses of the head in his textbook. Conclusions. Şerefeddin Sabuncuoğlu was a great surgeon in Turkish medical history and the sections on neurological diseases in Cerrahiyyetü’l Haniyye are of great importance in neurosurgery. Today, he is justified as a pioneer of surgery, an investigator and a medical illustrator in the early period of Ottoman Empire. His atlas is a modification of original contributions from earlier treatises.     

Selective peripheral neurotomy (SPN) for spasticity in childhood

Overview Excess spasticity leads to disability that is marked by impaired locomotion, handicapping deformities and, if not controlled, discomfort and pain. Selective peripheral neurotomy in the child is indicated for severe focal spasticity, when botulinum toxin injections cannot delay surgery any longer. Materials and methods Preoperative motor blocks mimicking the outcome of the surgical procedure are essential to establish the objectives of neurotomy. In the lower limb, obturator neurotomy is indicated for spasticity in the adductor muscles, hamstring neurotomy for the knee flexion and tibial neurotomy for the spastic foot. Anterior tibial neurotomy is indicated for the extensor hallucis spasticity and femoral neurotomy for spasticity in the quadriceps. In the upper limb, neurotomy of the pectoralis major and teres major nerves is indicated for spasticity of the internal rotators of the shoulder. Neurotomy of the musculocutaneous nerve is indicated for spasticity of the flexors of the elbow, and neurotomy of median and ulnar nerves are indicated for spasticity of the pronators and flexors of the wrist and fingers. Conclusion Selective peripheral neurotomy is a valuable neurosurgical procedure in well-trained surgical hands for severe focalised spasticity.     

The burden of brain diseases in Europe.

The burden [as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO)] of brain diseases (neurological, neurosurgical and psychiatric diseases together) is very high and yet resources spent on these diseases are not necessarily commensurate with the extent of this burden. However, hard data on the burden of brain diseases in Europe have not previously been easily accessible. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 1990 study conducted jointly by the WHO, Harvard University and the World Bank provided new measures that are now becoming universally accepted and have been used also in a repeat study: The GBD 2000. The key parameter of the study is disability adjusted life years (DALY), which is the sum of years of life lost (YLL) caused by premature death and years of life lived with disability (YLD). In the present report, data from the GBD 2000 study and from the World Health Report 2001 on brain diseases is extracted for the territory of Europe. This territory corresponds roughly to the membership countries of the European Federation of Neurological Societies. The WHO's Report has a category called neuropsychiatric diseases, which comprises the majority but not all the brain diseases. In order to gather all brain diseases, stroke, meningitis, half of the burden of injuries and half of the burden of congenital abnormalities are added. Throughout Europe, 23% of the years of healthy life is lost and 50% of YLD are caused by brain diseases. Regarding the key summary measure of lost health, DALY, 35% are because of brain diseases. The fact that approximately one-third of all burden of disease is caused by brain diseases should have an impact on resource allocation to teaching, reasearch, health care and prevention. Although other factors are also of importance, it seems reasonable that one-third of the curriculum at medical school should deal with the brain and that one-third of life science funding should go to basic and clinical neuroscience. In addition, resource allocation to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases should be increased to approach, at least, one-third of health care expenditure. With the present data on hand, neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, patient organizations and basic neuroscientists have a better possibility to increase the focus on the brain.     

脑外科手术后发生正常灌注压突破的发病机制及超微病理基础

目的:探讨脑外科手术后部分患者病变邻近脑组织发生正常灌注压突破并发症的发病机制及其超微病理基础.材料和方法:对68例脑内血管畸形病变邻近的脑组织进行电子显微镜观察.结果:病灶邻近脑组织内部分毛细血管外周的星形细胞足突缺失或出现血管基膜疏松、分层等发育不良的情况,甚至有些血管壁组织结构破损.结论:电子显微镜检查证实,在血管畸形病灶周围的脑组织内可见病理性血管.该血管的基膜发生病变,血管周围的星形细胞足突明显减少或破坏.当血液灌注压力突然变化时,这种病变的血管就可能发生液体外渗及破裂.这就是在神经外科手术中或手术后发生正常灌注压突破并发症的超微病理基础.     

远隔性小脑出血

远隔性小脑出血极为罕见，可见于多种类型的神经外科手术，一般出现在手术远隔部位，多分布于单侧或双侧小脑沟、蚓部，小脑上部出血也较为多见。远隔性小脑出血总体预后良好，病死率约为10％～15％。