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Biomedical subjects

Namio Kodama

Publications and source records attributed to Namio Kodama.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Intraoperative monitoring of blood flow insufficiency in the anterior choroidal artery during aneurysm surgery.

OBJECT: The lack of a specified intraoperative method for monitoring anterior choroidal artery (AChA) blood flow insufficiency (BFI) led the authors to devise a method for checking the BFI in this artery during aneurysm surgery. To this end, the authors relied on the intraoperative motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by electrical stimulation of the hand motor cortex. METHODS: The study population consisted of 108 patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms who underwent surgery via a standard frontotemporal craniotomy. After the dura mater had been opened, a grid electrode strip with 16 small electrodes was inserted subdurally into the hand motor cortex from the edge of the craniotomy. To check BFI in the AChA, the hand motor cortex was stimulated at an intensity level between 10 and 18 mA. The MEPs were successfully recorded from the contralateral thenar muscles in all 108 patients. There was no postoperativemotor paresis in 88 patients in whom the MEPs remained unchanged during the performance of various surgical maneuvers. Among the other 20 patients, 19 manifested transient MEP changes, but 15 of those patients experienced no postoperative motor paresis. In four patients who exhibited transient MEP changes, either after aneurysm clipping or during temporary occlusion of the ICA and/or AChA, hemiparesis occurred postoperatively but disappeared within 24 hours. In one patient with an ICA-posterior communicating artery aneurysm, the MEP disappeared and did not reappear by the time of dural closure. Severe hemiplegia developed in this patient and a computerized tomography scan obtained postoperatively revealed a new low-density area in the internal capsule. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that the monitoring method that is introduced here is safe and reliable for detecting intraoperative BFI in the AChA.

Adult↗

Glossopharyngeal nerve evoked potentials after stimulation of the posterior part of the tongue in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: Lower cranial nerve palsy is one of the most critical complications after posterior fossa surgery. However, no established monitoring procedures exist for glossopharyngeal nerve function. Therefore, glossopharyngeal nerve evoked potentials after stimulation of the posterior part of the tongue in dogs was studied to analyze whether glossopharyngeal nerve compound action potentials and evoked potentials are useful in the intraoperative monitoring of patients undergoing brainstem and cerebellopontine angle surgery. METHODS: Glossopharyngeal nerve action potentials and cortical potentials were evoked by stimulating the posterior part of the tongue in mongrel dogs. The potentials were evoked by supramaximal constant current electrical stimuli delivered with bipolar stainless steel needle electrodes and recorded with silver ball electrodes. RESULTS: Compound nerve action potentials were recorded from the exposed intracranial portion of the glossopharyngeal nerve. The latency of the initial negative peak of the action potentials was 2.8 +/- 0.6 milliseconds (mean +/- standard deviation; n = 17). Evoked cortical potentials were recorded on the coronal gyrus by stimulating the contralateral side. The latencies of the initial positive peak and negative peak were 20.1 +/- 3.7 and 35.7 +/- 8.2 milliseconds, respectively (n = 6). Ipsilateral tongue stimulation elicited biphasic evoked potentials on the coronal gyrus, which had small amplitudes and delayed latencies. Both compound nerve action potentials and cortical evoked potentials disappeared after sectioning of the glossopharyngeal nerve. CONCLUSION: The glossopharyngeal nerve action potentials and cortical potentials elicited by the stimulation of the posterior one-third of the tongue can be recorded. These evoked potentials represent a new means for intraoperative monitoring of patients undergoing surgery in the brainstem via the cerebellopontine angle, which involves the lower cranial nerves.

Action Potentials↗

Origins of surface potentials evoked by electrical stimulation of oculomotor nerves: are they related to electrooculographic or electromyographic events?

OBJECT: Evoked potentials elicited by electrical stimulation of the oculomotor nerve and recorded from surface electrodes placed on the skin around the eyeball reportedly originate in the eye and are represented on electrooculograms. Because evoked potentials recorded from surface electrodes are extremely similar to those of extraocular muscles, which are represented on electromyograms, the authors investigated the true origin of these potentials. METHODS: Evoked potentials elicited by electrical stimulation of the canine oculomotor nerve were recorded from surface electrodes placed on the skin around the eyeball. A thread sutured to the center of the cornea was pulled and the potentials that were evoked during the resultant eye movement were recorded. These potentials were confirmed to originate in the eye and to be represented on electrooculograms because their waveforms were unaffected by the administration of muscle relaxant. To eliminate the influence of this source, the retina, a main origin of standing potentials of the eyeball, was removed. This resulted in the disappearance of electrooculography (EOG) waves elicited by eye movement. Surface potentials elicited by oculomotor nerve stimulation were the same before and after removal of the retina. Again the oculomotor nerve was electrically stimulated and electromyography (EMG) response of the extraocular muscles was recorded at the same time that potentials were recorded from the surface electrodes. In their peak latencies, amplitudes, and waveforms, the evoked potentials obtained from surface electrodes were almost identical to EMG responses of extraocular muscles. CONCLUSIONS: Evoked potentials elicited by electrical stimulation of the oculomotor nerves and obtained from surface electrodes originated from EMG responses of extraocular muscles. These evoked potentials do not derive from the eye.

Abducens Nerve↗

Acute aneurysm surgery using three-dimensional CT angiogrphy without conventional catheter angiography.

The object of this study is to assess whether aneurysm surgery can be performed in patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms by using three-dimensional computerized tomography angiography (3D-CTA) alone, without conventional catheter angiography (CCA). Between May 1994 and November 1996, a consecutive series of 60 cases of ruptured cerebral aneurysms was evaluated by both 3D-CTA and CCA prospectively and compared the detectability of cerebral aneurysms. Both 3D-CTA and CCA demonstrated a 100% diagnostic accuracy of ruptured cerebral aneurysms. In the associated unruptured cerebral aneurysms, the diagnostic accuracies of 3D-CTA and CCA were 96% and 92%, respectively. Based on the results, we have operated on 128 consecutive patients with ruptured aneurysms in the acute stage based on 3D-CTA findings since December 1996. One hundred twenty eight ruptured aneurysms including 50 associated unruptured aneurysms were detected by 3D-CTA. In seven of 128 ruptured aneurysms, which included four dissecting vertebral artery aneurysms, two basilar artery (BA) tip aneurysms, and one BA-superior cerebellar artery (SCA) aneurysm, 3D-CTA was followed by CCA to obtain diagnostic confirmation or information concerning the vein of Labbé, which was needed to guide the surgical approach for BA tip aneurysms. All of the ruptured aneurysms were confirmed at surgery and treated successfully. One hundred twenty one patients who underwent surgery with 3D-CTA findings only had no complications related to the lack of information of CCA. The authors considered that 3D-CTA could replace CCA in the diagnosis of ruptured aneurysms and that surgery could be performed in almost all acutely ruptured aneurysms by using only 3D-CTA without CCA.

Acute Disease↗

[A case of recurrent bacterial meningitis by delayed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage due to a head trauma].

A 42-year-old man was admitted due to recurrent bacterial meningitis, as he had been treated here for bacterial meningitis three years prior to the current event. He had a remote history of head injury that he had almost forgotten, and his laboratory data showed no immunodeficiency state. 111In-DTPA cisternography showed an abnormal radioactive accumulation in the frontal lobe adjacent to the left frontal sinus at 23 hours after intrathecal injection, and MPR CT images revealed the left frontal sinus bone fracture. These findings indicated that he had a head injury by which a delayed CSF fistula has been formed. He was surgically treated for a CSF leakage. Although a combination therapy of ABPC and CTRX was efficacious for this patient, this regimen may not be ideal, as meningitis by PRSP has been increasing in incidence. Pneumococcal meningitis, once not a difficult infection to treat, could be a difficult one, as resistant strains to ABPC and CTRX have been more common.

Adult↗

Effects of methylprednisolone on axonal depression induced by hypoxia, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and (+/-)-8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin hydrobromide.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to confirm the effects of methylprednisolone (MP) on axonal depression induced by hypoxia, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and (+/-)-8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin hydrobromide (8-OH-DPAT). METHODS: Compound action potentials were recorded to assess the effects of MP in neonatal rat spinal cord axons. Longitudinally hemisected spinal cords were superfused for 120 minutes in Ringer's solution saturated with 95% N2 and 5% CO2. The effect of MP on GABA- and 8-OH-DPAT-induced axonal depression was analyzed with oxygenated isolated dorsal columns. RESULTS: Hypoxia (120 min) significantly reduced the response amplitudes in hemicord preparations. MP (30 micromol/L) prevented hypoxia-induced depression of action potential amplitudes. In oxygenated dorsal column preparations, GABA (50 micromol/L) significantly reduced action potential amplitudes. At 10, 30, and 100 micromol/L, MP had no effect on axonal excitability and GABA-induced axonal depression. 8-OH-DPAT (100 micromol/L) significantly reduced the action potential amplitude. MP (10, 30, 50, and 100 micromol/L) reduced 8-OH-DPAT-induced amplitude depression in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: At the higher concentrations, MP protected spinal cord axons against hypoxia-induced excitability loss. It had an effect on serotonin 1A-induced axonal depression but not on GABA-induced depression.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗

[Dramatic but temporary improvements in a case of CNS intravascular malignant lymphomatosis].

A 54-year-old man with a past history of gastric malignant lymphoma treated by the total gastrectomy and the chemotherapy, developed bilateral sudden deafness one year later. Two years after the gastrectomy he became abruptly paraplegic with sensory impairments of the lower extremities and neurogenic bladder. Serum LDH and soluble IL-2 receptor were high in titers (552 U/l and 1,090 U/l, normal range 145-519). Although the imaging studies of the spinal cord were negative, the myelopathic symptoms resolved dramatically after a course of pulse dose methylprednisolone therapy. However, he soon developed an abnormal behavior and mental deterioration in 3 weeks. The MRIs of the brain revealed abnormal signals compatible with multiple cerebral infarctions. As intravascular malignant lymphomatosis (IML) was suspected because of the laboratory and MRI findings, biopsies of the skin, the bone marrow, the muscle and the lymph node were carried out, without evidence of lymphoma. The brain biopsy ultimately confirmed the presence of IML. The patient remarkably responded to biweekly CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone) therapy in terms of regaining the mental alertness and improved hearing. However, the CHOP therapy was prematurely interrupted prior to completion because of infective arthritis. The relapse soon ensued, and he died 6 months after admission. This case was of interest because a solid gastric lymphoma appears to have transformed into the form of intravascular lymphomatosis without mass formations or leukemic changes. Although the neurological symptoms in association with IML are thought to be the results of ischemic events, this case illustrates a remarkable reversibility of the symptoms. This implies that the cerebral symptoms are not necessarily the results of typical ischemic infarction, but due to relative ischemia because of chiefly capillary-venous occlusion by lymphoma cells. The majority of the symptoms is thus attributable to the functional impairment. Therefore, the therapeutic intervention may dramatically improve the symptoms due to IML.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗