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Biomedical subjects

G Debrun

Publications and source records attributed to G Debrun.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Contemporary management of subarachnoid hemorrhage and vasospasm: the UIC experience.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral vasospasm is a well-known and serious complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The means of monitoring and treatment of vasospasm have been widely studied. Each neurosurgical center develops a protocol based on their experience, availability of equipment and personnel, and cost, so as to keep morbidity and mortality rates as low as possible for their patients with vasospasm. METHODS: At the University of Illinois at Chicago, we have developed algorithms for the diagnosis and management of cerebral vasospasm based on the experience of the senior authors over the past 25 years. This paper describes in detail our approach to diagnosis and treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and vasospasm. Our discussion is highlighted with data from a retrospective analysis of 324 aneurysm patients. RESULTS: Over 3 years, 324 aneurysms were treated; 185 (57%) were clipped, 139 (43%) were coiled. The rate of vasospasm for the 324 patients was 27%. The rate of hydrocephalus was 32% for those patients who underwent clipping, and 29% for those coiled. The immediate outcomes for those who underwent clipping was excellent in 35%, good in 38%, poor in 15.5%, vegetative in 3%, and death in 8% of the patients. For those who underwent coiling the immediate outcome was excellent in 64%, good in 14.5%, vegetative in 2.5%, and death in 14.5% of the patients. These statistics include all Hunt and Hess grades. For those patients who underwent clipping, 51% were intact at 6 months follow-up, 15% had a permanent deficit, 10% had a focal cranial nerve deficit, and 2% had died from complications not directly related to the procedure. For those patients who had undergone coiling, 75% were intact at 6 months follow-up, 12.5% had a permanent deficit, and 12.5% had a cranial nerve deficit, with no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity and mortality of cerebral vasospasm is significant. A good outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is dependent upon careful patient management in the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative periods. The timely work-up and aggressive treatment of neurological deterioration, whether or not it is because of vasospasm, is paramount.

Algorithms↗

Arteriovenous malformation of the forehead, anterior scalp, and nasal dorsum.

Management of complex and relentless large arteriovenous malformations with long term control and acceptable aesthetic results can be accomplished. This outcome requires selective intra-arterial embolization, judicious surgical resection, composite reconstruction with free tissue transfer, other ancillary procedures, or both, and careful serial follow-up examinations to rule out recurrent or persistent disease.

Adult↗

Evaluation and endovascular treatment of juxtaorbital vascular anomalies.

The evaluation of juxtaorbital anomalies with routine imaging, including CT and MR imaging, usually is insufficient for endovascular therapy planning. Cerebral angiography remains crucial to define detail necessary for endovascular therapy. This article provides an overview of the authors' approach and the endovascular therapies available to treat these lesions.

Aneurysm↗

Direct cervical internal carotid access for GDC treatment of an ophthalmic origin carotid aneurysm.

The use of detachable coils in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms continues to evolve since its introduction in 1991 [1-5]. Although not well described in the literature, technical considerations in gaining and maintaining access to intracranial aneurysms play a pivotal role in any successful endovascular treatment. Tortuosity and looping of the cervical internal carotid artery (ICA) is one problem occasionally encountered. These unusual loops, in addition to the normal turns of the carotid siphon result in less control of the microcatheter tip. This problem culminated in this case where an ophthalmic origin carotid aneurysm could not be successfully treated from the standard femoral approach due to the presence of multiple ICA turns, with the presence of a proximal cervical ICA turn being particularly bothersome. This problem was circumvented by use of direct surgical access to the cervical ICA above the cervical ICA turn, allowing for successful endovascular aneurysm treatment with detachable coils.

Aneurysm↗

Intra-arterial urokinase for treatment of retrograde thrombosis following resection of an arteriovenous malformation. Case report.

Retrograde thrombosis of feeding arteries is a potentially catastrophic complication occasionally reported following resection of arteriovenous malformations (AVM's). No successful therapy for this condition, which causes postoperative stroke, has previously been reported. A case of retrograde thrombosis of the left middle cerebral artery immediately following resection of a parietal AVM is reported in a patient with a retained intra-arterial catheter from preoperative embolization. The administration of urokinase within 4 hours of surgery resulted in dramatic clinical and angiographic improvement without hemorrhagic complications. While urokinase is considered highly experimental in this setting, this case demonstrates that thrombolytic agents should be viewed as therapeutic options worthy of further investigation.

Adult↗

Combined endovascular embolization and surgery in the management of cerebral arteriovenous malformations: experience with 101 cases.

The authors describe their experience with 101 cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM's) treated by endovascular embolization followed by surgical removal. Fifty-three patients presented with intracranial hemorrhage and 35 had seizures. Based on the classification of Spetzler and Martin, two AVM's were Grade I, 13 were Grade II, 26 were Grade III, 43 were Grade IV, and 17 were Grade V. Fifty-six AVM's were in the right hemisphere, 28 were in the left hemisphere, 12 were in the corpus callosum, and five involved the cerebellum. In 50 cases, presurgical obliteration of 50% to 75% of the AVM nidus was achieved by embolization, and in 31 cases this percentage increased to between 75% and 90%. In 97 (96%) patients, complete surgical removal of the AVM was obtained. Morbidity resulting from preoperative endovascular embolization was classified as mild in 3.9% of the cases, moderate in 6.9%, and severe in 1.98%. The death rate related to embolization was 0.9%. The immediate postsurgical morbidity was classified as mild in 5.9% of the cases, moderate in 10.8%, and severe in 5.9%. The overall long-term morbidity was mild in 5.9% of the cases, moderate in 6.9%, and severe in 1.98%. Two patients (1.98%) died due to intractable intraoperative hemorrhage and two (1.98%) as a result of postsurgical pulmonary complications.

Adolescent↗

Use of detachable balloons for proximal artery occlusion in the treatment of unclippable cerebral aneurysms.

Of 68 patients with unclippable aneurysms treated by proximal artery occlusion with detachable balloons, permanent occlusion was achieved in 65; of these patients, 37 had carotid artery aneurysms below the origin of the ophthalmic artery, 21 had aneurysms arising from the supraclinoid portion of the carotid artery, six had basilar trunk aneurysms, and one had a distal vertebral aneurysm. Examination for treatment selection included assessment of the circle of Willis by compression angiography and xenon blood flow studies, with the ultimate evaluation being test occlusion under systemic heparinization with the balloon temporarily placed in the desired position. Of 67 patients who underwent a formal occlusion test, eight with carotid artery aneurysms did not initially tolerate the occlusion test, and ischemic signs disappeared instantaneously with deflation and removal of the balloon. During test occlusion, two additional patients had ischemic events that proved to be embolic; these reversed immediately upon balloon deflation. Of the 65 patients in whom permanent occlusion was effected by detachable balloon, there were nine instances of delayed cerebral events. One of these was a seizure leading to respiratory arrest and resuscitation 3 days following occlusion in a patient who had presented with seizures. The other eight cases were delayed ischemic events; seven were completely reversed and one patient had residual weakness in one leg (1.5% permanent morbidity). Extracranial-intracranial bypass procedures were performed in 25 of the 65 cases. All aneurysms of the carotid artery below the level of the ophthalmic artery presented angiographic proof of complete thrombosis. Ten of 21 aneurysms arising from the supraclinoid portion of the carotid artery were completely thrombosed by proximal occlusion alone, without additional trapping procedures. Similarly, in three of six basilar trunk aneurysms, proximal occlusion alone initiated complete aneurysm thrombosis without trapping. The conclusion is that proximal balloon occlusion for unclippable cerebral aneurysms is a convenient, safe, and effective way of producing arterial occlusion in these cases.

Carotid Artery Diseases↗

Inadvertent middle cerebral artery embolism by a detachable balloon: management by embolectomy. Case report.

A case of middle cerebral artery embolism by a detachable intra-arterial balloon is presented. The balloon migrated after being detached in an effort to occlude the internal carotid artery proximal to an unclippable giant paraclinoid aneurysm. Volume expansion, induced hypertension, anticoagulation therapy, rapid middle cerebral artery embolectomy, and good collateral circulation are factors that may have contributed to the patient's complete recovery from hemiplegia.

Collateral Circulation↗