BACKGROUND: Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is one of the most common conditions encountered in neurosurgical practice. Recurrence, observed in 5-30% of patients, is a major clinical problem. The temperature of the irrigation fluid used during evacuation of the hematoma might theoretically influence recurrence rates since irrigation fluid at body temperature (37oC) may beneficially influence coag

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating condition, often leading to life-long consequences for patients. Even though modern neurointensive care has improved functional and cognitive outcomes, efficient pharmacological therapies are still lacking. Targeting peripherally derived, or resident inflammatory, cells that are rapid responders to brain injury is promising, but complex, given that the

OBJECTIVE The authors conducted a study to test if the cortical brain tissue levels of soluble amyloid beta (Aβ) reflect the propensity of cortical Aβ aggregate formation and may be an additional factor predicting surgical outcome following idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) treatment. METHODS Highly selective ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) were used to quantify soluble A

alpha-Phenyl-tert-N-butyl nitrone (PBN), a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, has shown robust neuroprotective properties in several models of acute brain injury, although not previously evaluated in traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we assessed the potential efficacy of PBN in a weight drop model producing a controlled cortical contusion. Sham operation, mild or severe inj

Adult rats were subjected to a moderate lateral fluid percussion injury (FPI), followed by survival periods of 2 and 12 h. Regional NMDA subtype glutamate, muscarinic acetylcholine and GABA(A) receptor binding in various brain regions was analysed by quantitative in vitro autoradiography and short-lived positron emission tomography tracers [11C]cyano-dizocilpine, 4-N-[11C]methylpiperidylbenzilate

OBJECTIVE: The hippocampus is essential to the processing and formation of memory. This study analyzed the relationship among memory dysfunction as revealed by Morris water maze (MWM) trial, cortical lesion volume, and regional hippocampal morphological changes after controlled cortical contusion (CCC). We also analyzed the influence of pretreatment with the nitrone radical scavenger alpha-phenyl-

Traumatic brain injury causes long-term neurological motor and cognitive deficits, often with limited recovery. The inability of CNS axons to regenerate following traumatic brain injury may be due, in part, to inhibitory molecules associated with myelin. One of these myelin-associated proteins, Nogo-A, inhibits neurite outgrowth in vitro, and inhibition of Nogo-A in vivo enhances axonal outgrowth

Kainate-induced seizures result in hippocampal neurodegeneration and spatial learning deficits in rodents. Previous studies show that rofecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, protects against kainate-induced hippocampal cell death 3 days after seizures. Our aim was to determine whether rofecoxib attenuates visuospatial learning deficits and late neuronal death after kainate-induced seizu

Approximately 4000 human beings experience a traumatic brain injury each day in the United States ranging in severity from mild to fatal. Improvements in initial management, surgical treatment, and neurointensive care have resulted in a better prognosis for traumatic brain injury patients but, to date, there is no available pharmaceutical treatment with proven efficacy, and prevention is the major

PURPOSE: As deficits in memory and cognition are commonly observed in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI), causing reduced quality of life for the patient, a major goal in experimental TBI research is to identify and evaluate cognitive dysfunction. The present study assessed the applicability of the serial Morris water maze (MWM) test to determine cognitive function following experimental TB

Following experimental and clinical traumatic brain injury (TBI), the local cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (lCMR(Glc)) is commonly estimated using the 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) method. The adequate estimation of lCMR(Glc) using FDG requires a correction factor, the lumped constant (LC), to convert FDG net uptake into lCMR(Glc). The LC, and thus lCMR(Glc) calculations, require a s

BACKGROUND: Although large spontaneous cerebellar haematomas are associated with high mortality, surgical treatment may be life-saving. We evaluated the clinical outcome and identified prognostic factors in 76 patients with cerebellar haematoma, all treated with suboccipital decompression, haematoma evacuation and external ventricular drainage.METHODS: Patients receiving surgical and neurocritical

OBJECTIVES: The management of patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) has changed, in part due to interventions now being extended to patients who are older and in a worse clinical condition. This study evaluates the effects of these changes on a complete 5-year patient material.METHODS: Demographic data and results from 615 patients with SAH admitted from 2007 to 2011 were put to

When reconstructing combined defects of the cervical spine and the posterior pharyngeal wall the goals are bone stability along with continuity of the aerodigestive tract. We present a case of a patient with a cervical spine defect, including C1 to C3, associated with a posterior pharyngeal wall defect after excision of a chordoma and postoperative radiotherapy. The situation was successfully solv

Microdialysis enables the chemistry of the extracellular interstitial space to be monitored. Use of this technique in patients with acute brain injury has increased our understanding of the pathophysiology of several acute neurological disorders. In 2004, a consensus document on the clinical application of cerebral microdialysis was published. Since then, there have been significant advances in th