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Biomedical subjects

J van Gijn

Publications and source records attributed to J van Gijn.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Transient ischaemic attacks and small-vessel disease. Dutch TIA Study Group.

Histories and computed tomograms of 606 patients with transient cerebral ischaemia were studied. All symptoms and signs had completely resolved within 24 hours, and any episodes suggestive of posterior fossa ischaemia were excluded. Computed tomography, done after the clinical features had resolved, showed 79 relevant infarcts: 46 were small, deep, lacunar infarcts (58%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 47-69%), and 33 were larger cortical infarcts. The histories and the type of infarct in these 79 patients were compared to see whether lacunar infarcts were preceded by a history of unilateral motor or sensory symptoms without features usually attributed to the cerebral cortex. The positive predictive value of such lacunar symptoms was 0.74, with a negative predictive value of 0.61. 11 patients had a cortical infarct despite a history of lacunar TIAs, but only one occurred in the left hemisphere and speech was not affected. Of 527 patients with transient ischaemic attacks without a relevant infarct visible on computed tomography, 335 (64%) had a history suggestive of lacunar ischaemia, whereas in several other studies 20-25% of patients with ischaemic stroke have evidence of lacunar infarcts. Lacunar TIAs may therefore have a better prognosis than cortical TIAs or may often precede cortical infarcts; alternatively, many cortical infarcts may occur without warning.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Transient ischemic attacks with and without a relevant infarct on computed tomographic scans cannot be distinguished clinically. Dutch Transient Ischemic Attack Study Group.

We prospectively studied clinical and computed tomographic (CT) scan findings in 79 patients with a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and a relevant cerebral infarction on CT, also known as cerebral infarction with transient signs (CITS). We compared the results with those of 527 concurrent patients with TIA and without cerebral infarction and also with 646 patients with persistent neurological symptoms and a relevant infarct on CT. All patients were participating in a multicenter trial. In both groups, most infarcts were of the lacunar type. Compared with TIAs without cerebral infarction, patients with CITS slightly more often had a history of hypertension (52% vs 33%), the attacks lasted longer (greater than 1 hour, 52% vs 34%) and disappeared more slowly (over the course of hours, 39% vs 24%), and the symptoms more frequently involved speech (61% vs 41%). Despite these small differences, the reverse--the prediction of evidence on CT of infarction on the basis of the nature or time course of symptoms--proved impossible, since in each category the majority of patients had a normal CT scan. In comparison with patients with stroke and visible infarction, patients with CITS slightly more often had abnormal speech (61% vs 45%) and had a larger number of attacks (multiple attacks, 46% vs 18%). In conclusion, we found only minor clinical differences between patients with TIA with or without a relevant infarct on CT and equally small differences between patients with CITS and patients with stroke and cerebral infarction. These clinical similarities do not exclude a difference in prognosis.

Cerebral Infarction↗
PubMed1991

The clinical course of perimesencephalic nonaneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

We studied the early clinical course of 65 patients with perimesencephalic (nonaneurysmal) subarachnoid hemorrhage. None of the patients rebled; none had delayed cerebral ischemia; and only 3 patients (5%) developed clinical signs of acute hydrocephalus, 2 requiring ventricular shunting. Hyponatremia and electrocardiographic changes were found in the same proportions as in patients with aneurysmal rupture. All patients had a good outcome after 3 months. To control for the influence of the relatively small amount of cisternal blood in perimesencephalic hemorrhage on the absence of delayed cerebral ischemia, we compared these 65 patients with 49 patients who had aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. This control group with aneurysms was selected according to a similar amount of cisternal blood, a comparable level of consciousness on admission, and absence of other factors known to increase the risk for delayed cerebral ischemia. We found that 4 of the 49 patients with aneurysmal hemorrhage developed delayed cerebral ischemia (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.03); therefore the relatively small amount of blood does not account for the absence of delayed cerebral ischemia in perimesencephalic hemorrhage. Patients with a perimesencephalic pattern of hemorrhage and a normal angiogram should be considered to have a distinct subset of subarachnoid hemorrhage and should be excluded from future treatment trials of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Hypertension in the elderly is associated with white matter lesions and cognitive decline.

Forty-two elderly patients (mean age, 66.2 +/- 5.1 yr) with hypertension, treated for an average of 17.3 years (standard deviation, 10.3), and 42 control subjects (mean age, 66.5 +/- 4.8 yr), matched for age, sex, and level of education, were studied with regard to the detection of lesions in the cerebral white matter with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly with axial T2-weighted images. The assessment of the MRI scans was blinded. Ten hypertensive patients showed confluent lesions in the white matter, versus only 1 control subject (Chi-square test, p = 0.01). The presence of diffuse lesions of the white matter was related to age but not to the known duration of hypertension, nor to the presence of any other cardiovascular risk factors. Cognitive function was measured in 34 hypertensive patients and in 18 control subjects. Results of the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Stroop color-word test, Trailmaking test, and the visual subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale were worse in patients with confluent lesions of the white matter; there was no difference in mental functioning between hypertensive patients and control subjects with normal white matter or with only small focal lesions. Our findings suggest that long-standing hypertension in some patients may cause not only strokes but also chronic end-organ damage of the brain in the form of demyelination of the white matter, with cognitive decline.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

'Atypical TIAs' may herald cardiac rather than cerebral events.

Sixty-four patients with atypical transient cerebral or visual symptoms that could not be classified as unequivocal TIAs nor as migraine, epilepsy or neurosis, were followed up for a mean of 3.75 years (range 11 months and 9 years, 240 patient years). Their mean age was 55 years. Only two patients suffered a (non-disabling) stroke, but eight patients had a major cardiac event: fatal myocardial infarction in three, sudden death in one and non-fatal myocardial infarction in four patients. Seven of these eight patients were known to have cardiovascular risk factors. Visual symptoms were relatively benign with regard to cardiac events (2 events in 28 patients), whereas dizziness alone and focal sensory symptoms alone were more strongly associated with subsequent cardiac complications (2 out of 4, and 4 out of 13 patients, respectively). In a control group of 185 patients with 'typical' TIAs or minor strokes, followed for a total of 233 patient years, seven patients had a ischaemic stroke, and only one a cardiac event. Our results suggest that patients with atypical transient cerebral deficits and cardiovascular risk factors may carry a low risk of subsequent stroke, but a high risk of major cardiac events.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture: two case reports and review of the literature.

Two cases of intracranial subdural hematoma following lumbar puncture are presented. A review of all previously reported cases shows that subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture is a rare but serious complication. The pathogenesis of subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture is probably related to that of post lumbar puncture headache. Application of an epidural blood patch may therefore be a safe way not only to treat typical post lumbar puncture headache but also to prevent subdural hematoma after lumbar puncture.

Hematoma, Subdural↗
PubMed1991

Teaching the plantar reflex.

The efficacy of an instructional videotape about the interpretation of the plantar response was evaluated during a two week neurological clerkship. Experimental groups saw the videotape, control groups did not. All students (n = 65) assessed plantar responses of two to four different patients. Their judgment was compared with that of one senior neurologist. Only the students who had seen the videotape showed a significant improvement in performance on a second test (t-test, t = -2.26, p = 0.031). In addition, these students more frequently took account of the flexion synergy (Fisher exact test, p less than 0.001). Video can be an efficient tool in medical education.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Periventricular lesions in the white matter on magnetic resonance imaging in the elderly. A morphometric correlation with arteriolosclerosis and dilated perivascular spaces.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed postmortem on the brains of 40 patients aged over 60 yrs who had died from causes other than brain disease. Periventricular lesions of increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images, graded as moderate or severe, were found in 10% of the patients in the age group between 60 and 69 yrs, and in 50% between 80 and 89 yrs. Macroscopic and microscopic whole-brain sections were studied in 19 brain specimens (8 with normal white matter, 4 with moderate lesions and 7 with severe lesions of the white matter on MRI). The presence or absence of periventricular lesions on MRI correlated well with the severity of demyelination and astrocytic gliosis. Demyelination was always associated with an increased ratio between wall thickness and external diameter of arterioles (up to 150 microns). A variable degree of axonal loss in Bodian-stained sections was present in the white matter of all brains with demyelination. Dilated perivascular spaces were found and studied morphometrically in 9 brain specimens; their presence correlated strongly with corrected brain weight, but incompletely with demyelination and arteriolosclerosis. Our findings suggest that arteriolosclerosis is the primary factor in the pathogenesis of diffuse white matter lesions in the elderly. This is soon followed by demyelination and loss of axons, and only later by dilatation of perivascular spaces.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Residual lesions on computed tomography after intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We investigated the residual abnormalities on computed tomography in a series of patients with proven intracerebral hemorrhage to determine whether the type of lesion is related to the site and size of the initial hematoma. METHODS: In a partially prospective follow-up study, we studied computed tomographic scans of 42 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage after 2-24 (median 9) months. RESULTS: Lobar hemorrhages had occurred in 20 patients; the other 22 hemorrhages were in the basal ganglia or thalamus. No residual lesions were found on seven scans (17%), despite residual handicap in three of these seven patients (slight, moderate, and moderately severe). In five cases, the scan showed only focal atrophy, and in two there were only focal calcifications. There were six patients with slit-like lesions (only after deep hemorrhages), 12 with rounded and isolated hypodense areas, and 10 with rounded hypodense areas connected to the ventricular system. The connection between the residual lesion and the ventricular system depended to a large extent on the size of the initial hematoma, but very little on whether it had initially ruptured into the ventricular system. CONCLUSIONS: A retrospective diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage on radiological grounds can be made with confidence only in a small group of patients with slit-like lesions in the basal ganglia. This diagnosis is impossible in approximately one third of cerebral hemorrhages because the abnormalities are aspecific or have completely disappeared.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Headache in transient or permanent cerebral ischemia. Dutch TIA Study Group.

We studied headache features in 3,126 patients with acute cerebral or retinal ischemia. Headache occurred in 18% of these patients (in 16% of all patients with transient ischemic attacks, in 18% of patients with reversible ischemic neurologic deficits, and in 19% of patients with minor strokes) and was mostly continuous in all types of attacks. Headache was present in 16% of patients with monocular visual symptoms. The occurrence of headache was not related to the mode of onset, mode of disappearance, or duration of the attack. Patients with headache more often were known to have heart disease. Headache was less frequent in patients with small deep infarcts, who were more often hypertensive, and in patients with infarcts in the anterior circulation; headache was more frequent in patients with cortical infarcts and in patients with infarcts in the posterior circulation. Patients with a relevant small deep infarct on computed tomographic scan and accompanying headache relatively often reported symptoms compatible with cortical ischemia, such as language disorders or a visual field defect. We conclude that headache is a frequent accompanying symptom in patients with acute cerebral and retinal ischemia and that the occurrence of headache is partly related to the underlying cause of the ischemic lesion.

Brain Ischemia↗
PubMed1990

Myoglobin is a sensitive marker of increased muscle membrane vulnerability.

Changes in muscle proteins in serum after exercise were studied to evaluate the use of such proteins as indicators of increased muscle membrane vulnerability. Seventy-one women were asked to perform bicycle exercise for 45 min at a moderate load; four proteins (creatine kinase - CK, myoglobin - Mb, aldolase - Ald and pyruvate kinase - PK) were measured in serum up to 24 h after exercise. Twenty-one women were carriers of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD); these are known to show an elevated serum CK activity at rest, as well as increased CK response after exercise. Fifty women without a family history of neuromuscular disease were tested to obtain normal values: they showed a small peak (18%) of CK activity 8 h after exercise, and an even smaller peak of Mb (9%) 1 h after exercise. The mean post-exercise increase for both CK and Mb in the 21 DMD carriers was significantly higher than in controls; the maximum of Mb, on average 70% of baseline levels, was reached 1 h after exercise and was higher than that for CK (48%), which was reached 8 h after exercise. It is concluded that myoglobin levels after exercise are a good index of increased vulnerability of the muscle membrane.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The effects of treating hypertension following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

We investigated in a consecutive series of 134 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage whether institution of antihypertensive treatment was related to the incidence of cerebral ischemia and rebleeding. The aim of hypertensive treatment was to reduce the diastolic blood pressure to levels below 100 mm Hg. There was no difference in outcome between patients with or without antihypertensive drugs. Rebleeding was less frequent in patients with antihypertensive treatment (12/80 patients (15%) versus 18/54 patients (33%) without anti-hypertensive treatment (p = 0.012)). Nevertheless, patients with anti-hypertensive treatment had, on average, still higher blood pressures than untreated patients. Conversely, infarction occurred more often in patients with anti-hypertensive treatment (34/80 patients (43%) versus 12/54 (22%) without antihypertensives (p = 0.03)). This relationship was partly explained by co-existing hyponatremia. Our results suggest that the need for antihypertensive treatment is questionable, since the prevention of rebleeding is offset by an increased risk of cerebral infarction.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1990

Is the EEG really normal in lacunar stroke?

Electroencephalograms of 12 patients with a recent lacunar infarct, 12 patients with a recent cortical infarct and 12 control patients were studied without previous information about the clinical features and the corresponding CT scan findings. EEG assessment included both visual and computerised analysis, in both the eyes closed and the eyes open condition. The specificity and the sensitivity of the EEG in the diagnosis of lacunar infarction in this study were both 0.8 (95% confidence limits 0.5-1). The positive predictive value of diagnosing a lacunar infarct on the basis of the EEG was 0.7 (95% confidence limits 0.4-0.9). The chance-corrected coefficient of agreement (kappa) between CT scanning and EEG was 0.75. Thus, in contrast to the results of previous studies, most EEGs of patients with recent lacunar infarction show rather specific abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Grading white matter lesions on CT and MRI: a simple scale.

We developed and tested a simple three-point scale for grading white matter lesions in anterior and posterior regions of the brain. Twenty four CT scans and 24 MRI scans were separately judged by 11 and five observers, respectively, on the presence and severity of white matter lesions. The observers were radiologists and neurologists. For CT scans, these periventricular changes were graded according to their extent as absent, or partly involving the white matter, or extending up to the subcortical region. The MRI lesions were graded as no lesion or only a single one, multiple focal lesions, and multiple confluent lesions. The pairwise agreements of all possible combinations of observers for each scan were corrected for chance (kappa statistics; maximal agreement 1.0). The weighted kappa value, for anterior and posterior regions combined, was 0.63 for CT scans, and 0.78 for MRI scans. This three-point scale for two separate regions seems suitable as a basis for cross-sectional or longitudinal studies of large series of patients.

Brain↗