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Biomedical subjects

B Guiraud

Publications and source records attributed to B Guiraud.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Late ulnar paralysis. Study of a series of 17 cases].

Seventeen cases of late ulnar paralysis treated by neurolysis-transposition are reported. The clinical characteristics of these paralyses are emphasized: very prolonged symptom free interval, rapid onset and severe involvement. Ulnar transposition was most often done subcutaneously. Cubitus valgus and definite nerve compression proximal to the arcade of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle are almost always present. The results as regards the neuropathy are undependable: no patient is completely cured and only half are improved. An anatomical study of the nerve path shows the essential role, in the compression of the nerve, of the muscular arcade of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle which acts in a way similar to the bridge of a violin. Hence, opening it longitudinally is the principal step of neurolysis. This should be routine before the first signs of neuropathy occur in an elbow whose axis is out of alignment as a sequela of a childhood injury.

Adult↗

[Digital subtraction angiography in ischemic cerebrovascular accidents].

Recent advances in computer and radiological technology have permitted reassessment of intravenous angiography in the evaluation of cerebrovascular disorders. Although digital subtraction angiography is a relatively new technique, it has rapidly gained a widespread acceptance. It has extended the use of angiography to outpatients and to people in whom conventional angiography is contraindicated. This reliable, safe, and relatively noninvasive technique offers the user two benefits: real-time subtraction and enhanced image quality. The system allows angiographic evaluation of the extracranial and intracranial vessels by means of intravenous injection of contrast material. Extracranial studies clearly demonstrate stenoses and occlusions of the major cervicocephalic arteries. Intracranial studies usually detect major cerebrovascular occlusions and provide insight into the collateral flow patterns. Intravenous digital subtraction angiography permits accurate assessment of cervicocephalic vessels after surgical repair. Although intravenous digital subtraction angiography obviates the need for conventional angiography in many cases, movements from the patients, or superimposition of vascular structures can substantially degrade the quality of the images. Digital subtraction angiography with intra-arterial injection of contrast medium will be contemplated in patients with poor intravenous digital subtraction angiography studies prior to surgery.

Cerebral Angiography↗

Late ulnar paralysis. Study of seventeen cases.

Seventeen cases of late ulnar paralysis treated by neurolysis-transposition are reported. The clinical characteristics of these paralysis are emphasized. A very prolonged symptom free interval, a rapid onset and a severe involvement. The ulnar transposition was most often done subcutaneously. Cubitus valgus and definite nerve compression proximal to the arcade of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle are almost always present. The results as regards the neuropathy are notable: no patient is completely cured and only half are improved. An anatomical study of the nerve path shows the essential role, in the compression of the nerve, of the muscular arcade of the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle which acts in a way similar to the bridge of a violin. Hence, opening it longitudinally is the principal procedure of the neurolysis. This should be routine before the first signs of neuropathy occur in an elbow whose axis is out of alignment as a sequela of a childhood injury.

Adolescent↗

[Analgesic properties and plasma concentrations of clomipramine in chronic pain].

The analgesic effect of clomipramine and the possible relationships between the antalgic action, the doses and the plasma levels of this tricyclic drug have been studied in 15 patients with chronic pain induced by nervous lesions determining a deafferentiation. Eight of 15 patients treated with clomipramine (100 mg/IV during 10 days and then 150 me per os) reported a significant improvement (up to 50 per cent during 3 to 18 months). The study of the partial coefficients of correlation did not show a relationship between plasma levels and analgesia in the total population or in the subgroup of the 8 improved patients. These results confirm the analgesic properties of clomipramine and suggest that regular monitoring of plasma levels of clomipramine does not appear of practical interest in the treatment of chronic pain.

Adult↗

[Carpal tunnel syndrome, amyloid tenosynovitis and periodic hemodialysis].

Since 1975, various entrapment neuropathies have been reported in patients undergoing periodic haemodialysis, the most frequent being the carpal tunnel syndrome. Ten patients on chronic haemodialysis developing 15 carpal tunnel syndromes (5 unilateral and 5 bilateral) are reported. Various causes for the renal failure were present and clinical signs of the carpal tunnel syndrome developed at a late stage. The arteriovenous fistula required for extrarenal epuration was antebrachial and of the laterolateral type, except in one case when it was lateroterminal. The carpal tunnel syndrome was always on the same side as the fistula, developing at a later stage on th contralateral side in the 5 cases of bilateral disorders. Lesions were severe, in 11 of the 15 cases. Some patients noted fluctuations in pain symptoms during haemodialysis, either improving or becoming worse. Gross pathological findings during operation (13 cases) were tenosynovitis with epineural hypervascularisation on the opposite side. In 9 cases, however, atypical hypertrophic tenosynovitis was observed. Histological examination in 12 cases demonstrated typical tenosynovitis in 3 patients, but granulomatous tenosynovitis with amyloid deposits was reported in 9 patients. Lesions were bilateral in 2 cases thus present, on the side opposite to the fistula. Ultrastructural study confirmed the amyloid nature of the deposits in 3 cases, the microfibrillary appearance (80 to 100 A) being characteristic of amyloid substance. This rare complication does not represent a common carpal tunnel syndrome, and three mechanisms may be involved in its induction : peripheral uraemic neuropathy, haemodynamic modifications resulting from the antebrachial arteriovenous shunt, and amyloid formation in the flexor synovial sheaths. In the latter case, the type of amyloid disease may be a primary systemic amyloidosis not previously detected, or an elective amyloid process localised to the tenosynovial and periarticular tissues.

Adult↗

Evaluation of syringomyelia with metrizamide computed tomographic myelography.

Nineteen cases of cervical syringomyelia, five surgically confirmed, were examined with metrizamide computed tomographic myelography. While a collapsed cord appeared to be a very reliable finding in this series, those cases with distended cords can be studied with sequential scans (at 3 and 24 hr), allowing the distinction between syrinx and cystic intramedullary tumor by the presence or absence of delayed cyst opacification.

Adult↗

Intravenous angiography of the extracranial cerebral arteries.

Intravenous angiography with systematic subtraction is a simple, physiological method of simultaneously studying the common carotids, carotid bifurcations, internal carotids (up to the carotid siphons), and vertebral arteries. It can be employed in fasting patients without anesthesia or premedication and without the risks of an arterial approach. Used in 500 patients (of whom 30% were outpatients and some were older than 80), it was tolerated well, easily repeated, and gave 80.6% good or excellent results and only 19.4% poor or uninterpretable results. This is a practical method of screening atheromatous lesions and monitoring their development, particularly after surgery.

Adult↗

[Cerebral ischemic accidents during migraine attacks. A report on "complicated migraine"].

The authors use the term "complicated migraine" to describe the onset of neurological disorder occurring during an acute attack in a patient with chronic migraine. The disturbance may last for long periods or may be permanent, and these irreversible cerebral lesions have to be differentiated from the transient neurological effects characteristic of ophthalmic on secondary migraine. Patients with migraine and retinal lesions, as well as those with ophthalmoplegic or familial hemiplegic migraine, were excluded from the study. The seven cases reported included 5 women and 2 men with an average age of 30 years (from 14 to 51 years). A more or less severe lesion in a hemisphere was present, which led to sensory-motor signs of a hemiplegia (4 cases), an aphasia (4 cases), and a homonymous lateral hemianopia (3 cases). Exploration revealed the presence of an ischemic cerebral lesion in all cases. One or more arterial occlusions were also noted in 5 out of the 6 patients who were investigated by angiography. All cases showed the presence of the criteria thought to be essential for associating the cerebral ischemic lesion with migraine. 1) the patient had true migraine, 2) there was a close chronological relationship between the migraine attack and the lasting neurological disorder, 3) no other associated vascular disease was present (atheroma, cardiopathy). The very severe and prolonged spasm, which could be the cause of neurological disturbances in secondary and ophthalmic migraine, does not appear to be sufficient for producing an irreversible ischemic lesion and, more especially, a persistent vascular obstruction. The roles played by edema of the arterial wall and parietal changes in the vessels are discussed. It could be that thrombosis formation is encouraged by the changes in blood coagulability which may be associated with a migraine attack. The fact that anomalies in platelet aggregation have been demonstrated merits closer study.

Adolescent↗

Long-term treatment of Parkinson's disease with bromocriptine.

BRomocriptine (15-75 mg per day) alone or with L-dopa was studied during five to 29 months on 44 patients with Parkinson's disease. Used as sole therapeutic agent, it was found excellent in 12 patients who had never received regular L-dopa treatment either because it was never attempted or because of intolerance from the outset. Its anti-Parkinsonism activity was comparable with L-dopa. The gain was stable in the long term until this report. The side effects of L-dopa were not seen after bromocriptine. In cases where L-dopa had ceased to be active, bromocriptine produced a further improvement if mental deterioration was not associated. In very advanced forms of Parkinson's disease with associated dementia, bromocriptine did not produce durable results. Bromocriptine did not improve the "on-off" effects but reduced a number of the side effects of L-dopa, in particular cardiac, painful contractions, and dyskinesia without "on-off" effects.

Adult↗