Intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring during anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in nonmyelopathic patients--a review of 1,039 cases.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring has been shown to reduce the incidence of new postoperative neurological deficits in scoliosis surgery. However, its usefulness during cervical spine surgery remains a subject of debate. PURPOSE: To determine the utility of intraoperative SSEP monitoring in a specific patient population (those with cervical radiculopathy in the absence of myelopathy) who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 1,039 nonmyelopathic patients who underwent single or multilevel ACDF surgery. The control group (462 patients) did not have intraoperative SSEP monitoring, whereas the monitored group (577 patients) had continuous intraoperative SSEP monitoring performed. OUTCOME MEASURE: A new postoperative neurological deficit. METHODS: SSEP tracings were reviewed for all 577 patients in the monitored group and all significant signal changes were noted. Medical records were reviewed for all 1,039 patients to determine if any new neurological deficits developed in the immediate postoperative period. RESULTS: None of the patients in the control group had any new postoperative neurological deficits. In the monitored group there were six instances of transient SSEP changes (1 due to suspected carotid artery compression; 5 thought to be due to transient hypotension) which resolved with the appropriate intraoperative intervention (repositioning of retractors; raising the arterial blood pressure). Upon waking up from anesthesia, one patient in the monitored group had a new neurological deficit (partial central cord syndrome) despite normal intraoperative SSEP signals. CONCLUSIONS: ACDF appears to be a safe surgical procedure with a low incidence of iatrogenic neurological injury. Transient SSEP signal changes, which improved with intraoperative interventions, were not associated with new postoperative neurological deficits. An intraoperative neurological deficit is possible despite normal SSEP signals.     

Impregnation of bone chips with antibiotics and storage of antibiotics at different temperatures: an <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> study

Background  

Allograft bone used in joint replacement surgery can additionally serve as a carrier for antibiotics and serve as a prophylaxis against infections. However, in vitro dose-response curves for bone chips impregnated with different kinds of antibiotics are not available. In addition, while it would be desirable to add the antibiotics to allograft bone chips before these are stored in a bone bank, the effects of different storage temperatures on antibiotics are unknown.     

Vesiculobullous Hailey-Hailey disease: Successful treatment with oral retinoids

A 56-year-old male presented with a pruritic, generalized vesiculobullous eruption. His past history revealed classical symptoms of limited Hailey-Hailey disease for 34 years. Clinically, vesicles, bullae and occasional pustules were present and multiple biopsies confirmed this to be an unusual presentation of Hailey-Hailey disease. Various therapeutic modalities including topical and oral antibiotics, oral prednisone and dapsone failed to achieve sustained remission. Treatment with lowdose oral etretinate (25 mg daily) produced marked clinical improvement with complete suppression of new vesicle formation after 6 weeks.     

Immunoscintigraphy with a new indium-111-labeled monoclonal antibody (MAb 1A3) in patients with colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate a new anticolorectal carcinoma monoclonal antibody (1A3), conjugated with the bifunctional chelating agent N,N′-bis (2-hydroxybenzyl) 1 (4-bromoacetamidobenzyl) 1,2-ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid and labeled with indium-111, in a Phase I/II study involving 38 patients with localized or advanced colorectal cancer. METHODS: Patients were injected with indium-111-N,N′-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl) 1 (4-bromoacetamidobenzyl) 1,2-ethylenediamine-N, N′-diacetic acid-monoclonal antibody 1A3 (1–50 mg, 1–5 mCi) and imaged at two or three sessions one to five days later. Scintigraphic findings were compared with radiologic, pathologic, surgical, and other clinical findings to assess the accuracy of radioimmunoscintigraphy. RESULTS: At least one known tumor site was clearly defined by planar scintigraphy in 29 (76 percent) patients. Increased radioactivity was seen in 40 of 63 known tumor sites (37/43 abdominal-pelvic, 3/15 hepatic, and 0/5 pulmonary sites) without any apparent dose-related effects. Nineteen previously undetected sites were considered positive by imaging, and, of these, six were biopsy-proven tumor sites, four were probable tumor sites, three were definitely false positive sites, and six were probable false positive sites. Radioimmunoscintigraphy detected proven tumor in 15 of 16 patients with negative or equivocal computed tomography results. Of the 28 patients with rectosigmoid cancer, 25 (89 percent) had positive studies with 34 of 47 tumor sites showing definite uptake on the scintigrams. This included 3 of 9 hepatic metastases. The only adverse reaction occurred in one patient who developed transient hives. Human anti-mouse antibody responses occurred in approximately one-half of the patients injected with doses of 10 or 50 mg. CONCLUSION: This study shows that radioimmunoscintigraphy with this indium-111-labeled monoclonal antibody is safe, it can detect most nonhepatic abdominalpelvic tumors with a positive predictive value of 83 (44/ 53) percent, and it should prove to be useful, particularly in the diagnosis of recurrent rectal carcinoma.     

Headaches in Patients with Pituitary Tumors: a Clinical Conundrum

Purpose of Review

Pituitary tumors account for approximately 17% of all intracranial neoplasms, with the majority being pituitary adenomas. Often, these are found incidentally during a workup for headache; however, the relationship between symptom and pathology remains unclear. The purpose of this article is to review the most recent literature on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of headaches in patients with pituitary tumors.

Recent Findings

The current literature is limited, with few prospective trials focusing on this question. With the exception of pituitary apoplexy, the relationship between headaches and pituitary masses remains unclear. Intervention does not always improve headache and can lead to development of new headache syndromes.

Summary

Further research is needed to better elucidate the relationship between pituitary tumors and headaches. Headache alone is rarely an indication for surgical management of a pituitary adenoma.

     

A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Nalmefene HCI for Alcohol Dependence

A dozen studies have been published showing that opiate antagonists suppress alcohol drinking in animals, and two independent placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials of naltrexone found this agent was associated with decreased alcohol craving and consumption in alcohol-dependent patients. Nalmefene is a newer opiate antagonist that has a number of potential advantages over naltrex-one in the treatment of alcoholism, including no dose-dependent association with liver toxicity and more effective binding to central opiate receptors. Consequently, a double-blind pilot study was conducted to gather preliminary data on the safety and efficacy of nalmefene for reducing alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent subjects. Twenty-one alcohol-dependent subjects meeting admission criteria were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with 40 mg nalmefene, 10 mg nalmefene, or placebo, resulting in 7 patients/treatment group. Nalmefene was well tolerated, with no serious adverse drug reactions. The 40 mg group had a significantly lower rate of relapse ( p 0.05), and a greater increase in the number of abstinent days/week ( p 0.09), than the other treatment groups. A significant decrease in the number of drinks/drinking day was noted for both nalmefene groups ( p 0.04), but not for placebo. These results were supported by parallel decreases in ALT. These pilot data provide preliminary support for the hypotheses that nalmefene can be safely given to alcoholics, and that nalmefene may have a role in reducing alcohol consumption and preventing relapse, particularly at the 40 mg level. A full-scale study is underway to confirm these preliminary findings.     

Neurobehavioral Profiles in Individuals with Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome (HIES) and Brain White Matter Hyperintensities

Purpose

Individuals with hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome (HIES) have central nervous system abnormalities, including focal white matter hyperintensities (WMH), or unidentified bright objects. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the cognitive and emotional functioning and quality of life of people with HIES. We also sought to explore the relationship between cognitive functioning and WMHs in this population.

Methods

Twenty-nine individuals (13 males) with autosomal-dominant HIES (mean age?=?35.1 years, range 16–55) were administered a comprehensive psychological assessment as part of a natural history protocol. The assessment included measures of global cognitive functioning (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III), memory (California Verbal Learning Test-II, Wechsler Memory Scale-III), executive skills (Delis Kaplan Executive Function System), and attention (Test of Everyday Attention). Emotional symptoms and quality of life also were assessed.

Results

All mean cognitive scores were within normal limits. Mean scores on memory and executive functioning measures were significantly lower than Full Scale IQ scores (ps?<?.05). Substantial percentages of patients self-reported executive skills to be in the clinical range. Patients with fewer (1–20) versus more (21+) WMHs scored significantly better on measures of global cognitive skills, visual-perceptual skills, and working memory. Mean scores on emotional symptom and quality of life measures were in the average range and unrelated to WMHs.

Conclusions

Global cognitive functioning was average to high average in our sample of individuals with HIES. However, focal brain lesions were associated with lower scores in specific domains. Emotional functioning and quality of life are within normal limits in this sample.