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Biomedical subjects

C H Kellner

Publications and source records attributed to C H Kellner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

ECT education.

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Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed2001

ECT remission rates in psychotic versus nonpsychotic depressed patients: a report from CORE.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in psychotic and nonpsychotic patients with unipolar major depression. METHODS: The outcome of an acute ECT course in 253 patients with nonpsychotic (n = 176) and psychotic (n = 77) unipolar major depression was assessed in the first phase of an ongoing National Institute of Mental Health-supported four-hospital collaborative study of continuation treatments after successful ECT courses. ECT was administered with bilateral electrode placement at 50% above the titrated seizure threshold. The remission criteria were rigorous: a score <or=10 on the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) after 2 consecutive treatments, and a decrease of at least 60% from baseline. RESULTS: The overall remission rate was 87% for study completers. Among these, patients with psychotic depression had a remission rate of 95% and those with nonpsychotic depression, 83%. Improvement in symptomatology, measured by the HRSD, was more robust and appeared sooner in the psychotic patients compared with the nonpsychotic patients. CONCLUSION: Bilateral ECT is effective in relieving severe major depression. Remission rates are higher and occur earlier in psychotic depressed patients than in nonpsychotic depressed patients. These data support the argument that psychotic depression is a distinguishable nosological entity that warrants separate treatment algorithms.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Intranasal sumatriptan in post-ECT headache: results of an open-label trial.

BACKGROUND: Significant headaches occur in up to 45% of patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a result of treatment. Headaches may at times be severe and affect patient compliance with this treatment modality. The 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist sumatriptan has been reported to be effective for post-ECT headache in several case reports. The aim of the present open-label study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of intranasal sumatriptan for post-ECT headache. METHOD: Patients undergoing ECT who experienced moderate-to-severe post-ECT headache were enrolled in the study. Patients were asked to rate their headache severity and describe headache characteristics using a standard headache diary. Headaches rated as severe or moderate were treated with 20 mg of intranasal sumatriptan. Additional headache ratings were recorded at 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2 hours after sumatriptan administration and compared with baseline values. RESULTS: Eight female patients (ages 34-45 years old) participated in the trial and experienced a total of 13 post-ECT headaches, which were treated with intranasal sumatriptan. Of the headaches treated, six (46.2%) were described as severe and seven (53.8%) were characterized as moderate in severity. Twelve (92.3%) of the treated headaches responded by the 2 hour posttreatment time point and 11 (84.6%) had responded within 1 hour. Comparisons made at the 1- and 2-hour time point revealed a statistically significant improvement from baseline (p = 0.002). Of the 12 headaches that responded, 6 (50%) were reported as no pain and 5 (38.5%) were reported as only mild pain at 1 hour following treatment. At the 2-hour assessment, an additional headache, which had previously not responded, was rated at mild resulting in six (50%) headaches with complete resolution of pain and six (50%) with a decrease in pain symptoms from moderate or severe to mild. Overall, sumatriptan treatment was well tolerated, and no significant adverse effects or changes in vital signs were recorded. In no case was a second dose of sumatriptan given. The most common complaint was the taste of the medication (n = 4), which was not treatment limiting. No patient withdrew from the study due to an adverse event. CONCLUSION: Intranasal sumatriptan spray may be an effective, well-tolerated, and prompt treatment for patients experiencing moderate-to-severe post-ECT headache. Preventing post-ECT headache may contribute to patient compliance with the ECT treatment modality. Additionally, the known pharmacologic effects of sumatriptan and the generally positive results found in the present study suggest that ECT-induced headache is vascular in origin. Further placebo-controlled, double-blind studies are needed to confirm our open-label results.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed2000

Relapse of depression after ECT: a review.

Relapse of severe depression after successful treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continues to be a major problem. We review the literature on relapse after ECT and factors that predict relapse. Early studies showed that the relapse rate was approximately 50% without follow-up treatment and that the majority of these relapses occurred in the first 6 months. More recent studies have found even higher rates in delusional depression and possibly in "double depression." Studies of biological markers as predictors of relapse were examined. Six of nine studies of the dexamethasone suppression test and one study of cortisol hypersecretion show that post-ECT nonsuppressors are at higher risk; although insensitive for diagnostic purposes, this test may be useful, when persistently abnormal, as a predictor of relapse. Studies of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test and shortened rapid eye movement sleep latency are inconclusive. Medication resistance pre-ECT has been shown to predict relapse in two studies and highlights the need for more aggressive and effective treatment in this group. Further research into the prediction and prevention of depressive relapse after ECT is needed, and the field anxiously awaits current trials comparing ECT with combination lithium and nortriptyline.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed2000

Anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy: a review.

Anesthetic techniques have evolved to improve the comfort and safety of modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The authors review the literature and discuss the selection, preparation, and management from an anesthetic perspective. Specifically, the management of medications preprocedure and coexisting diseases is discussed. A review of induction agents, muscle relaxants, and other medications utilized in ECT is included.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1998

Electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with a cerebellar meningioma.

We report a 66-year-old woman with a cerebellar meningioma who successfully received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for mania. No special modifications in technique were required. A growing literature supports the relative safety of ECT in patients with small, stable brain tumors.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Sumatriptan for post-ECT headache.

A 27-year-old woman receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of depression developed post-ECT headaches refractory to treatment with acetaminophen and various nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The patient was then treated successfully with oral sumatriptan. This case suggests that sumatriptan may be a useful treatment of post-ECT headaches that are unresponsive to conventional analgesics.

Administration, Oral↗