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R L Sahjpaul

Publications and source records attributed to R L Sahjpaul.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Awake craniotomy: controversies, indications and techniques in the surgical treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy.

In 1886, Victor Horsley excised an epileptogenic posttraumatic cortical scar in a 23-year-old man under general anaesthesia and discussed his choice of anaesthesia: "I have not employed ether in operations on man, fearing that it would tend to cause cerebral excitement; chloroform, of course, producing on the contrary, well-marked depression." His concerns regarding anaesthesia are reiterated 100 years later as evidenced by the ongoing controversy over the choice of anaesthetic in surgical procedures for epilepsy. The current controversies regarding the necessity for local anaesthesia in temporal lobe epilepsy operations concern the utility of electrocorticography in surgical decision making, its relationship to seizure outcome and the value of intraoperative language mapping in dominant temporal lobe resections. The increasing sophistication of pre-operative investigation and localization of both areas of epileptogenesis and normal brain function and the introduction of minimally invasive surgical techniques and smaller focal resections are changing the indications for local anaesthesia in temporal lobe epilepsy. Thus, indications which were previously absolute are now perhaps relative. This article reviews the current indications for craniotomy under local anaesthesia in the surgical treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Anesthesia, Local↗

Infratentorial subdural empyema, pituitary abscess, and septic cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis secondary to paranasal sinusitis: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: Infratentorial empyema, pituitary abscess, and septic cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis are all rare and potentially lethal conditions. The occurrence of all three in a single patient has not previously been described. We present such a case occurring in a young, otherwise healthy man. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 26-year-old man with a remote history of sinusitis developed rapidly progressive headache, fever, right eye pain, swelling, proptosis, and visual impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffuse pansinusitis, including sphenoid sinusitis, and extension of inflammation and infection into the adjacent cavernous sinuses, pituitary gland, and posterior fossa. INTERVENTION: Urgent drainage of the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses was performed; pus was not identified. The patient continued to deteriorate clinically with worsening of visual acuity. Computed tomography of the head performed the next day revealed worsening hydrocephalus and an enlarging posterior fossa subdural empyema. Urgent ventricular drainage and evacuation of the empyema was performed, and subsequently, the patient's clinical course improved. The microbiology results revealed alpha hemolytic streptococcus and coagulase-negative staphylococcus species. The patient survived but during the follow-up period had a blind right eye and pituitary insufficiency. CONCLUSION: Paranasal sinusitis can have devastating intracranial sequelae. Involvement of the adjacent pituitary gland and cavernous sinuses can result in serious neurological morbidity or mortality, and retrograde spread of infection through the basal venous system can result in subdural or parenchymal brain involvement. A high index of suspicion and aggressive medical and surgical treatment are crucial for patient survival, but the morbidity rate remains high. Our patient survived but lost anterior pituitary function and vision in his right eye.

Abscess↗

Fatal traumatic vertebral artery aneurysm rupture. Case report.

The authors present the case of a 34-year-old man struck over the left mastoid region by a hockey puck, who suffered a fatal rupture of a left vertebral artery berry aneurysm. He became apneic within seconds of the injury and had no brainstem reflex within minutes. The postmortem examination showed massive subarachnoid hemorrhage in the posterior fossa and the remnants of a berry aneurysm near the intradural origin of the left vertebral artery, 11 mm proximal to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Rupture of a saccular aneurysm as a result of head trauma is rare. This is the first reported case of a posterior circulation aneurysm rupture as a result of head trauma.

Adult↗

Fatal reaction from inadvertent intrathecal entry of ionic contrast medium during a nephrogram.

A fatal case of inadvertent intrathecal entry of an ionic contrast medium during a nephrogram is reported. The patient developed seizures and failed to regain consciousness following the event. Computerized tomography revealed extensive intraventricular and subarachnoid hyperdensity and cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed markedly elevated protein content. At autopsy a traumatic communication between the kidney and thecal sac was identified. Histopathological examination revealed cytoplasmic shrinkage and eosinophilia, nuclear pyknosis and karyorrhexis in neocortical neurons. Central chromatolysis was seen in brain stem motor nuclei and anterior horn cell neurons. The neuropathological findings appear to be on the basis of direct neurotoxicity from the contrast medium and excitotoxic injury secondary to seizure activity. Inadvertent intrathecal administration of ionic contrast media is a rare occurrence with often fatal consequences despite aggressive medical management.

Brain↗

Brain metastasis from clear cell sarcoma of the kidney--a case report and review of the literature.

We describe a 5 year old boy with a 5.5 cm right frontal lobe brain metastasis from primary clear cell sarcoma of the kidney without evidence of tumor-associated edema or contrast enhancement on either computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The metastasis regressed but did not disappear with chemotherapy and dexamethasone, and the residual tumor was removed surgically. On histological examination the majority of the tumor was composed of mature connective tissue with a rim of typical renal clear cell sarcoma cells at the brain-tumor interface. The avascular and desmoplastic nature of the metastasis may explain the unusual radiographic features. Brain metastases from this tumor have only infrequently been reported; therefore a brief review of this rare tumor is provided.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗