Biomedical subjects

Ufuk Aluclu

Publications and source records attributed to Ufuk Aluclu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Anesthesia dolorosa caused by penetrating cranial injury.

Anesthesia dolorosa (AD) is an uncommon complication of surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia. Its incidence is around 0.8%. To our best knowledge, AD caused by a penetrating cranial injury has not been reported previously. We report the case of a 31-year-old male patient with left-sided neuropathic keratitis and AD that began 18 years earlier, following a penetrating cranial injury with a knife to the left postauricular area. The patient was successfully treated by a carbamazepine and gabapentin combination. In conclusion, penetrating cranial injury is uncommon but may cause a serious neurologic disturbance. In the differential diagnosis of AD, a penetrating injury should be kept in mind. In these cases, treatments should be effective and immediate; otherwise, this may result in catastrophic consequences such as neurotrophic keratitis and blindness. Ophthalmologists should be aware of these potential problems.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Elevated plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a neurohormone secreted mainly in the cardiac ventricles in response to volume expansion and pressure overload. The aim of this study was to assess plasma N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) changes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: The study group consisted of 57 (37 women aged 64 +/- 12 years) patients who had their first AIS and no history or signs of cardiovascular disease. An age-matched control group was also included (n = 57, 36 women aged 61 +/- 6 years). NT-proBNP, troponin I (TnI), and creatine kinase-MB were evaluated. A thorough cardiovascular and neurological investigation, including imaging techniques and lesion size determination, was also performed. RESULTS: The log NT-proBNP peak levels, TnI, and creatine kinase-MB levels were significantly higher in AIS compared with controls (7.25 +/- 1.77 vs 3.48 +/- 0.76 pg/mL, P < .0001; 0.76 +/- 0.54 vs 0.5 +/- 0.0 ng/mL, P < .001; 57 +/- 37 vs 13 +/- 4 U/L, P < .001, respectively). The log NT-proBNP correlated positively with TnI (r = 0.29, P = .03) and heart rate (r = 0.41, P = .002), and negatively with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.67, P < .0001). Patients with signs of marked myocardial ischemia and patients with insular cortex involvement had even higher NT-proBNP levels. After adjustment for relevant factors, the relation between the log NT-proBNP and AIS as well as insular cortex involvement was observed to be insignificant (P > .05 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that NT-proBNP plasma levels are significantly elevated in AIS and might be of clinical importance as a supplementary tool for the assessment of cardiovascular function in patients with AIS.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Intracranial multiple tuberculomas: 2 unusual cases.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health problem that continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality at worldwide level. Only 1% of patients with TB develop an intracranial tuberculoma (Tbm), usually as part of miliary TB. The radiological findings are often nonspecific, and they are difficult to diagnose without an increased index of suspicion. CASES DESCRIPTIONS: In this report, we presented 2 unusual patients with intracranial multiple Tbms, one of whom is a 32-year-old woman who did not have pulmonary TB or other primary origin of TB. Her diagnosis was established histopathologically, and she was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy. The other patient is a 12-year-old girl who has pulmonary TB with portal hypertension together with liver cirrhosis. Her diagnosis was established with clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings, and she was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy for 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial Tbms have become rare in developed countries, but TB is still a very common infectious disease at worldwide level. Therefore, diagnosis should be kept in mind when confronted with brain space-occupying lesions, especially in the immunocompromised or malnutritional hosts such as liver cirrhosis. When no other active extracranial tuberculous process is found, the diagnosis should be confirmed by a biopsy before beginning antituberculous treatment, which is rapidly effective. We have not encountered in the literature such a case of multiple intracranial Tbms associated with liver cirrhosis in an adult patient.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

The efficacy of flumazenil in subclinical to mild hepatic encephalopathic ambulatory patients. A prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with fulminant hepatic failure and chronic liver disease. Its pathogenesis is unclear. One of the factors implicated is enhanced GABA-ergic tone, which is probably related to increased concentrations of cerebral benzodiazepine (BNZ). In the present study, we tested flumazenil, a cerebral BNZ antagonist, in cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy. METHODS: Out of 47 patients, 7 were excluded prior to randomization for various reasons. Twenty patients were included in the flumazenil group and 20 in the placebo group in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were given flumazenil (1 mg/h, continuous IV infusion) or an equal volume of saline solution for 5 hours. Before and after treatment, portosystemic encephalopathy (PSE) stage and number connection test (NCT) scores were checked every half hour for 5 hours. EEG was recorded 15 minutes before and 1 hour after treatment. RESULTS: While significant improvements were determined in PSE stage and NCT score in the flumazenil group, there were no such improvements in the placebo group. There was no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-treatment EEGs in either group. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that continuous IV infusion of flumazenil had beneficial and safe effects in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy patients.

Adult↗