No abstract available.
Apoptosis*

No abstract available.
Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Head* ; Hematoma*

No abstract available.
Frontal Bone* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To quantitatively evaluate by MRI brain atrophy and abnormal parenchymal signal intensity onT2-weighted spin echo image in alcoholics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI of 24 alcoholic patients were retrospectively evaluated to measure brain atrophy (cerebral sulcal width, bifrontal horn distance, third ventricular width, fourth ventricular width, ambient cistern width, cerebellopontine angle cistern width, number of cerebellar sulci, and number of vermian sulci) and abnormal high signal lesions of brain parenchyma onT2-weighted spin echo image, and were compared with age matched controls (n=29). The alcoholics and controls were divided into two age groups, younger (30 - 49 years) and older (50 - 72 years), and statistical analysis was then performed. Axial and sagittal T1- and T2-weighted spin echo images were obtained using a 0.5 Tesla superconductive system. RESULTS: Statistical significant parameters in the supratentorial region were cerebral sulcal width, distance between lateral ends of frontal horns of both lateral ventricles, and third ventricular width (p<0.05),and in the infratentorial region were fourth ventricular width, ambient cistern width, cerebellopontine angle cistern width, number of cerebellar sulci, and number of vermian sulci (p<0.05). In the younger age group, statistical significant parameters were cerebral sulcal width, third ventricular width, ambient cistern width, cerebellopontine angle cistern width, number of cerebellar sulci, and number of vermian sulci (p<0.05) and in the older group were cerebral sulcal width, bifrontal horn distance, third ventricular width, fourth ventricular width, number of cerebellar sulci, and number of vermian sulci (p<0.05). Abnormal high signal intensity onT2-weighted spin echo images were seen in 46% of alcoholics (11/24) and in 13% of controls (3/29). High signal lesions in the older group were statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Atrophic brain changes and periventricular high signal foci on T2-weighted spin echo image are significantly higher in chronic alcoholics than in age-matched normal controls.
Alcoholics* ; Alcoholism ; Animals ; Atrophy* ; Brain* ; Cerebellopontine Angle ; Horns ; Humans ; Lateral Ventricles ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are one of the common complications after traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The risks of CSF leaks can be detrimental to the outcomes of the patients. Early diagnosis and proper management is imperative for it is strongly associated with a better long-term prognosis of the patients. Diagnostic tools for CSF leaks are still under debate. Nevertheless, many reports of successful treatments for CSF leaks have been published with introduction of various repair techniques for leakage sites even though it is surgically challenging. Hereby, we review about the pathophysiology, manifestations as well as the update of the clinical diagnosis and current management of CSF leaks.
Brain Injuries ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Meningitis ; Prognosis

The authors present the case of basilar artery bifurcation area aneurysm showing the growth of sac. A 46-year-old man was admitted for evaluation of fluctuating dysarthria. He had a history of lacunar infarction 3 years ago. The cerebral angiogram, taken at that time, showed a small aneurysm on basilar artery bifurcation area. Surgical intervention was not performed because of its small size. Brain MRI, taken for evaluation of dysarthria, showed large signal void at the basilar artery bifurcation area and following cerebral angiogram revealed the growth of previous aneurysm in its size. This observation suggests that careful follow-up examination should be performed for incidental small sized aneurysm.
Aneurysm* ; Basilar Artery* ; Brain ; Dysarthria ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Stroke, Lacunar

OBJECTIVES: MR fluid-attenuated inversion recovery(FLAIR) image uses paired long inversion time and relaxation time that nulls the signal from CSF. With nulling of the CSF long echo time readout could be used to increase T2-weighting, hence improving the conspicuousness of most tissue lesions without the deleterious effects of CSF artifact seen on T2 weighted sequence. We examed the usefulness of FALIR image in the diagnosis of mild head injury. METHODS: A total of 38 patients with mild head injury were examined by FLAIR image. We compared those images with CT scan and T1, T2-weighted images. Careful observation of MR images were done by two well-trained neuroradiologists. Each image was compared for conspicuousness and detectability of traumatic lesions might have shown abnormal signal intensities. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: The FLAIR image was significantly more sensitive than those of other images(p<0.001). T2 FFE(Fast Field Echo) image was more useful for detection of small petechial hemorrhages. CONCLUSION: FLAIR image is considered to be more sensitive than those of conventional MR images in the evaluation of mild head injuries.
Artifacts ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Diagnosis ; Head* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Relaxation ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The precise mechanism involved in DIC and delayed traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (DT-SAH) remains unclear in multiple-trauma patients. Hereby, we describe a polytraumatized patient with DIC who died due to DT-SAH. A 75-year-old female patient was admitted to our Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain and drowsiness after a pedestrian accident. Her initial brain computerized tomography (CT) finding was negative for intracranial injury. However, her abdominal CT scan revealed a collection of retroperitoneal hematomas from internal iliac artery bleeding after a compressive pelvic fracture. This event eventually resulted in shock and DIC. An immediate angiographic embolization of the bleeding artery was performed along with transfusion and anti-thrombin III. Her vital signs were stabilized without neurological change. Fourteen hours after admission, she suddenly became comatose, and her follow-up brain CT scan revealed a dense DT-SAH along the basal cisterns with acute hydrocephalus. This event rapidly prompted brain CT angiography and digital subtraction angiography, which both confirmed the absence of any cerebrovascular abnormality. Despite emergency extraventricular drainage to reverse the hydrocephalus, the patient died three days after the trauma. This paper presents an unusual case of DT-SAH in a polytraumatized patient with DIC.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Angiography ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; Arteries ; Brain ; Coma ; Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Drainage ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Iliac Artery ; Multiple Trauma ; Shock ; Sleep Stages ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Traumatic* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vital Signs

Acute subdural hematoma (SDH) is a neurological trauma that can lead to death or life-long disability of the patient. It is usually diagnosed by examination of the patient's brain computed tomography (CT) images. While macroscopic change in the posttraumatic brain can be identified using this mode of diagnosis, visualization of abnormal change in cerebral blood flow and the resulting brain damage following a head injury is often difficult. The two patients studied in this case report were similar in terms of thickness and volume of subdural hematoma and severity of midline shift. However, their perfusion parameters were markedly different and so were their outcomes. According to findings of our study, with its perfusion parameters, CT brain perfusion imaging is a practical tool for use in initial evaluation of patients with traumatic brain injury and for prediction of the clinical prognosis. Subsequently, we may use the information for help in planning of treatment and in preparation for post-operative complication based on the severity of brain damage.
Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Emergencies ; Head ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Hematoma, Subdural, Acute ; Humans ; Perfusion ; Perfusion Imaging ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: The endotracheal suction was one of the critical requirements for severe neurosurgical patients in the prevention of the airway-obstruction, pneumonia, atelectasis, and so on. There were two types of suction methods, closed and open. In the literature, many reported the comparison of the two methods with variable factors, yet, it was still controversial. In this study, we compared the two types of endotracheal suction methods based on the pattern of the sputum cultivation, which was not discussed in the previous studies. METHODS: In 2010, 85 patients who had intubation tube for more than 10 days were evaluated in this study. A total of 55 patients were managed with an open suction method, while the other 30 patients were managed with a closed suction method. All patients' sputum culture was reported semi-quantitatively, and had been classified into 3 different groups, according to the culture pattern. The control group was defined in which the bacterial count was not increased, whereas the non-control group was those with bacterial count increased. We investigated patients' age, gender, disease-type, suction techniques and the pattern of sputum cultivation. RESULTS: The non-control group was 45.45% in the open suction group, while it was 16.67% in the closed suction group. On the other hand, more control group was observed in the closed suction group (36.67%), than in the open suction group (25.45%) (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the analysis based on the pattern of sputum cultivation, age, gender, and disease-type. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the closed suction methods were more effective in the management of endotracheal tube, according to the pattern of sputum culture.
Bacterial Load ; Hand ; Humans ; Intubation ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Sputum ; Suction