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Biomedical subjects

G Broggi

Publications and source records attributed to G Broggi.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Stereotactic biopsy of deep brain tumors in infancy and childhood.

In 17 patients, 2-16 years old, the clinical and neuroradiological data were unable to give clear-cut information regarding the histology of deep brain neoplasms. The lesions were located within the brain stem in two cases, in the pineal region in two cases, within the third ventricle in two cases, in the sellar and parasellar area in three cases, in the basal ganglia and thalamic region in seven cases, and in the fronto-callosal region in one case. In these patients, serial stereotactic biopsies were performed with the guidance of CT scan in order to assess the nature and the real boundaries of the growths. The choice between conservative or surgical treatment was made after the established histological findings became available. The operative technique of stereotactic biopsy is briefly described and the value of this method is stressed in the treatment of brain tumors in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Long term results of stereotactic thalamotomy for cerebral palsy.

A group of 33 patients (between 10 and 30 years old and with average intelligence) underwent stereotactic surgery for abnormal movements due to cerebral palsy. Neurological, neurofunctional, and neuropsychological examinations were performed pre- and postoperatively. The length of follow-up ranged between 1 and 4 years. The clinical results are reported and discussed in relation to the targets, the side of the lesion, and the clinical picture. Our data show that better results are obtained in patients with tremor and hyperkinesias; dystonia is improved to a lesser extent, whereas spasticity tends to recur. Operation is more effective for patients with unilateral signs than for patients with bilateral symptoms. The clinical results are stable in time, and the side effects fade away after a few months.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Idiopathic dystonia: neuropharmacological study.

A total of 15 patients affected by idiopathic dystonia (7 with generalized and 8 with focal or segmental dystonia) were subjected to therapy with bromocriptine at low doses, pimozide and trihexyphenidyl. The symptoms were evaluated by giving a progressive score in relation to the intensity of the dystonic symptom to each of the body segments involved by the dystonia. Bromocriptine did not significantly modify the dystonia. Pimozide showed a slight nonsignificant improvement of the dystonic symptoms. Trihexyphenidyl was effective in the generalized dystonias, in agreement with previous reports in the literature. The variation in the pharmacological results could be due to the diversity of the dystonic syndromes, which comprise cases that are different in age at onset, site of dystonic symptoms, and evolution.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Depression after stereotactic thalamotomy in patients with abnormal movements.

A reversible depressive syndrome was found to be a very frequent side effect in a series of 33 patients subjected to stereotaxic surgery for the correction of abnormal movements. The depression was rated according to clinical and to Rorschach test parameters. The syndrome correlated significantly with age, depression being more frequent in adolescence, and with the side of the stereotaxic lesion, depression being more frequent after left thalamotomies in righthanded patients. The first correlation is of practical relevance, since it would clearly be wise to perform surgery before adolescence. The second correlation is of speculative interest in that is suggest a hemispheric asymmetry in the mood regulation processes. The incidence of this side effect in patients with abnormal movements may be further explained by the peculiar features of these patients, who need to be studied thoroughly before surgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy in treatment of symptomatic non-neoplastic facial pain.

Twenty patients suffering from non-neoplastic symptomatic facial pain underwent percutaneous radiofrequency trigeminal thermo-rhizotomy. Fourteen patients had long-standing severe multiple sclerosis, two patients had intracranial aneurysms, three patients had basilar impression secondary to Paget's disease and developmental malformations of the skull, and one patient was suffering from chronic ocular pain that developed after retinal hemorrhage. Pain paroxysms similar to tic douloureux were present in patients with multiple sclerosis and in those with basilar impression, while continuous aching pain was present in the others. After thermo-rhizotomy, pain disappeared in all patients; however, at 1 to 4 years follow-up examination, a high recurrence rate (40%) was present in the multiple sclerosis group, and the percutaneous procedure was successfully repeated. In the patients with intracranial aneurysm not amenable to direct surgery, and in the other non-neoplastic diseases, complete pain relief was found at 4 years follow-up review.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Focal lesion of the right cingulum: a case report in a child.

A body with a focal lesion of the right cingulum, subjected to cingulectomy for the removal of a tumour, is the first case of an isolated unilateral cingulum lesion to be reported. The presenting symptoms consisted of serious behavioural abnormalities: lack of social restraint, heightened sexuality, bulimia and aggressiveness, all of which ceased after surgery. Neuropsychological tests, done before and after the operation, provided no evidence that the higher cognitive functions, including memory, were impaired.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1981

Value of serial stereotactic biopsies and impedance monitoring in the treatment of deep brain tumours.

Thirty-five patients with deep brain tumours have been submitted to transtumoral stereotactic impedance monitoring and serial biopsy. The direct examination of the biopsy samples confirmed the presumptive clinical and neuroradiological diagnosis in 25 patients, but in 10 patients the histological diagnosis differed from the presumptive one. In this second group the treatment was changed as a result of the histological findings. Stereotactic biopsy avoided the risks of "blind" management. The technique, the indications and the diagnostic advantages of stereotactic biopsy are reported with two illustrative cases.

Basal Ganglia↗
PubMed1981

Electrical spinal cord stimulation for spastic movement disorders.

Clinical results of electrical stimulation of the spinal cord at three different clinics are reported for 53 patients suffering from different spastic movement disorders out of a series of 164 cases tested transitorily. Two-thirds of the cases were multiple sclerosis patients. The difficulty of objective assessment is emphasized. Motor function was principally evaluated and surprisingly showed a marked improvement 1-5 years after the implantation of an electrical device. Other criteria are analyzed and compared with literature. Dorsal cord stimulation seems to be a valuable method for improving the quality of life in a limited percentage of cases of neurological motor disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Phrenic nerve pacing in reversible cervical cord lesion: a case report.

Phrenic nerve pacing was performed in a patient with tetraplegia and complete respiratory insufficiency soon after cervical decompressive laminectomy for spondylotic myelopathy. The electrophrenic stimulation, in spite of being performed only unilaterally, gave respiratory autonomy to the patient, who was then no longer dependent on mechanical ventilation. This allowed him to move freely out of bed and have intensive motor rehabilitation, which in the end resulted in a satisfactory recovery. The stimulator was removed when no longer needed. The technique, the physiological parameters, and the indications for diaphragm pacing are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Multisensory convergence and interaction in the pulvinar-lateralis posterior complex of the cat's thalamus.

Responsiveness to visual, acoustic and somesthesic stimuli was studied in 260 units recorded within the associative thalamic nuclei of the cat (pulvinar-lateralis posterior complex and posterior group). Of the 123 units responding to one or more stimuli 41 (corresponding to 15% of the total) showed multisensory convergence. Bimodal, visual-somesthesic convergence was the most common finding, occurring in 33 units. Visual-somesthesic inhibitory interaction was observed only in the pulvinar nucleus, suggesting a peculiar synaptic organization of multisensory input to this nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Neurological and psychological side effects after stereotactic thalamotomy in patients with cerebral palsy.

We describe the incidence of neurological and psychological side effects after stereotactic thalamotomy in 24 patients with abnormal movements secondary to cerebral palsy. The results of operation are outlined only briefly and, in terms of motor improvement, have been satisfactory. The side effects are categorized as motor or sensory impairments, autonomic disturbances, and mental disturbances. Their frequency and the recovery period are indicated; all of the side effects have been transient. Pathophysiological explanations of these side effects are proposed, correlated with different targets and hemispheric dominance. From our data we can conclude that (a) all side effects after stereotactic thalamotomy are more frequent in patients with cerebral palsy than in other patients and (b) the short time required for the side effects to reverse and their complete remission indicate that they are mainly due to perilesional edema, as suggested by computed tomographic scans.

Adolescent↗