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Biomedical subjects

M Rohner

Publications and source records attributed to M Rohner.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

[Stereotaxic brain puncture. Indications and results].

228 stereotactic biopsies for the diagnosis of brain lesions were evaluated. In 98.2% a diagnosis could be established. The diagnosis was made of brain tumor in 79.3%, of brain abscess in 7.5% and of encephalitis in 3.5% of cases. In 2.2% of the patients a pathological finding was obtained without a clear histological definition. No histological diagnosis could be made in 1.8% of the patients. A severe complication of brain biopsy occurred in 2.2% of the patients (1 death, 1 abscess, 3 increased impairments). The stereotactic procedure appears to have a low mortality and morbidity, and to be highly accurate.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗

Anticoagulation-related intracranial extracerebral haemorrhage.

From January 1981 to June 1986 116 patients with anticoagulation-related intracranial haemorrhage were referred to hospital. Seventy six of these haemorrhages were extracerebral, 69 were in the subdural and seven in the subarachnoid space. No epidural haemorrhages were identified. Compared with non-anticoagulation-related haematomas, the risk of haemorrhage was calculated to be increased fourfold in men and thirteenfold in women. An acute subdural haematoma, mostly due to contusion, was more frequently accompanied by an additional intracerebral haematoma than a chronic subdural haematoma. Trauma was a more important factor in acute subdural haematomas than in chronic. Almost half of the patients (48%) had a history of hypertension, more than a third (35%) had heart disease and about one fifth (18%) were diabetic. Headache was the most frequent initial symptom. Later decreased level of consciousness and focal neurological signs exceeded the frequency of headache. Three patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and nine patients with acute subdural haematomas died, while those with chronic subdural haematomas all survived and had at the most mild, non-disabling sequelae. Myocardial infarction (22%), pulmonary embolism (20%), and arterial disease (20%) were the most frequent reasons for anticoagulant treatment. Critical review based on established criteria for anticoagulation treatment suggests there was no medical reason to treat a third of these patients. The single most useful measure that could be taken to reduce the risk of anticoagulation-induced intracranial haemorrhage would be to identify patients who are being unnecessarily treated and to discontinue anticoagulants.

Aged↗

Preventive therapy of herpes labialis associated with trigeminal surgery.

Acyclovir was shown to limit herpes simplex reactivation in a controlled trial to prevent herpes labialis after surgical intervention for trigeminal neuralgia. Of 14 patients receiving acyclovir, unambiguous herpes labialis developed in only one, compared with 12 of 16 in the placebo group.

Acyclovir↗

[Ventriculo-peritoneal cerebrospinal fluid drainage in the treatment of hydrocephalus].

From January 1980 to December 1984 67 patients with hydrocephalus were treated with v-p shunts at the University Hospital, Berne. 61.2% had obstructive hydrocephalus and 38.3% communicating hydrocephalus. They were followed up for 2 to 6 years. Apart from clinical examination, computerized tomography was the single most important procedure for diagnostic purposes as well as for follow-up. This was not true in the case of communicating hydrocephali treated with an antisiphon device. 8 patients had serious early complications, with two fatal cases. There were not late complications. 90% of the clinical symptoms were improved or cured. V-p shunt is a technically simple and clinically effective operation, but in view of a complication rate of 12% the indication requires critical assessment.

Adolescent↗

Nontraumatic spinal epidural and subdural hematomas.

Ten patients with a nontraumatic spinal extramedullary hematoma are reported, nine of the hematomas localized in the epidural space. Seven of the patients were taking anticoagulant drugs and five showed signs of liver disease, mostly due to alcoholism. The invariable first symptom was an intense local pain in the spine, followed in all but one case by radicular irradiation and in all by bladder disturbances and sensory and motor deficits of the spinal cord or cauda equina. All the patients had myelography to verify the spinal mass and were operated on as fast as possible. The outcome depended mainly on the preoperative neurologic status. If there was only an incomplete sensory and motor lesion before the operation, the patients recovered fairly well or completely. The patients who did not become capable of walking again were completely paralytic preoperatively.

Adult↗

The course of chronic subdural hematomas after burr-hole craniostomy and closed-system drainage.

A consecutive series of 32 adult patients with chronic subdural hematoma was studied in respect to postoperative cerebral reexpansion (reduction in diameter of the subdural space) after burr-hole craniostomy and closed-system drainage. Patients with high subdural pressure showed the most rapid brain expansion and clinical improvement during the first 2 days. Nevertheless, a computerized tomography (CT) scan performed on the 10th day after surgery demonstrated persisting subdural fluid in 78% of cases. After 40 days, the CT scan was normal in 27 of the 32 patients. There was no mortality and no significant morbidity. Our study suggests that well developed subdural neomembranes are the crucial factors for cerebral reexpansion, a phenomenon that takes at least 10 to 20 days. However, blood vessel dysfunction and impairment of cerebral blood flow may participate in delay of brain reexpansion. It may be argued that additional surgical procedures, such as repeated tapping of the subdural fluid, craniotomy, and membranectomy or even craniectomy, should not be evaluated earlier than 20 days after the initial surgical procedure unless the patient has deteriorated markedly.

Adult↗