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Biomedical subjects

W Hacke

Publications and source records attributed to W Hacke.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Serial recording of median nerve stimulated subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in developing brain death.

Subcortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to median nerve stimulation were recorded serially in 35 patients during the evolution towards brain death and in brain death. Neuropathological alterations of the central nervous system down to the C1/C2 spinal cord segment in brain death are well known. SEP components supposed to be generated above this level should be lost in brain death, while components generated below should not be altered. Erb's point, scalp and neck potentials were recorded at C3/4, or over the spinous process C7, using an Fz reference. In 10 patients additional montages, including spinous process C2-Fz, a non-cephalic reference (Fz-contralateral shoulder) and a posterior to anterior neck montage (spinous process C7-jugulum) were used. The cephalic referenced N9 and N11 peaks remained unchanged until brain death. N9 and N11 decreased in parallel in amplitude and increased in latency after systemic effects like hypoxia or hypothermia occurred. The cephalic referenced 'N14' decreased in amplitude and increased in latency after the clinical brain death syndrome was observed, while N13 in the posterior to anterior neck montage remained unchanged. The alteration of 'N14' went parallel to the decrease of the P14 amplitude. The subcortical SEPs in the cephalic referenced lead are supposed to be a peak composed by a horizontally orientated dorsal horn generated N13 and a rostrally orientated P14 arising at the level of the foramen magnum. The deterioration of the non-cephalic referenced P14 and of its cephalic referenced reflection 'N14' seems to provide an additional objective criterion for the diagnosis of brain death.

Brain Death↗
PubMed1988

Evoked potentials in basilar artery thrombosis: correlation with clinical and angiographic findings.

In 28 patients with vertebro-basilar or basilar artery thrombosis brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) have been recorded. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in 7 of these 28 patients. In 24 patients the diagnosis was angiographically proven and in 4 patients Doppler sonography and computerized tomography suggested this diagnosis. The BAEP and SEP findings were correlated to clinical and angiographical signs. BAEPs could be classified into 6 different patterns. In more than half of the patients different BAEP patterns from the two ears could be found. A pathological IV/V complex was most often found in comatose patients and in patients with a basilar artery occlusion distal to the anterior inferior cerebellar artery. Prolonged interpeak latency of I-III was mainly found in alert or drowsy patients with caudal occlusions. The frequent occurrence of a BAEP with only wave I preserved, or with no waves preserved, in patients with brain-stem functions suggests that BAEPs are not useful in the diagnosis of brain death when basilar artery thrombosis is suspected. SEPs were either absent bilaterally or else severely altered on one side in all comatose patients. In alert patients, including those with 'locked-in' syndrome, SEPs were never absent bilaterally. Increased N13-N20 interpeak latency was an uncommon finding in this series. There was no correlation between the SEP and the angiographically proven location of the occlusion. In the 'locked-in' syndrome both SEP and BAEP findings were non-uniform. Normal SEPs were sometimes found in combination with severely altered BAEPs, suggesting partial deafferentation. Since basilar artery thrombosis is now a treatable condition, early diagnosis and documentation of functional deficits moves into a more important clinical area than heretofore.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy improves outcome in patients with acute vertebrobasilar occlusive disease.

In this retrospective analysis we report our treatment experience in 65 consecutive patients with clinical signs of severe brainstem ischemia with angiographically demonstrated thrombotic vertebrobasilar artery occlusions who received either local intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy (urokinase or streptokinase) (43 patients) or conventional therapy (antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants) (22 patients). We analyzed the data with respect to cerebral artery occlusion patterns, posttreatment arterial recanalization, and the clinical categories of favorable/unfavorable outcome and survival/death. In subgroup analyses, recanalization in patients who received thrombolytic therapy correlated significantly with clinical outcome; in 19 of 43 patients, recanalization was demonstrated angiographically, while in 24 patients the occlusion persisted. All patients without recanalization died, but 14 of the 19 patients displaying recanalization survived (p = 0.000007), 10 with a favorable clinical outcome. Only three of the 22 patients who received conventional therapy survived, all with a moderate clinical deficit. When we compared the treatment groups, highly significant differences in both outcome quality (p = 0.017) and survival (p = 0.0005) were found to depend on establishing recanalization. Our data support the concept that technically successful thrombolysis of vertebrobasilar artery occlusions is associated with beneficial clinical outcome.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

Local intra-arterial fibrinolytic therapy in acute carotid territory stroke. A pilot study.

The possibility that intra-arterial local infusion of fibrinolytic agents may achieve recanalization of previously occluded carotid territory arteries in acute stroke was tested in a prospective angiography-based open pilot study at two centers. Fifteen of 20 patients with acute symptoms (mean treatment-onset interval 7.6 hours) demonstrated complete recanalization; 10 of the 15 patients exhibited clinical improvement of varying degree by the time of hospital discharge. Four of the 20 patients suffered hemorrhagic transformation of the infarcted territory without clinical deterioration or demise. Because of the study format and the limited number of patients, dose responses for recanalization and risk relations were not established. We conclude that local intra-arterial fibrinolytic therapy may lead to cerebral arterial recanalization in acute carotid territory thrombotic stroke. The particular implications and limitations of this approach are discussed.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

The subcortical generated somatosensory evoked potentials in non-cephalic, cephalic, and anterior neck referenced recordings in a patient with a cervico-medullary lesion: a clue to the identification of the P14/N14 and N13 generators.

Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were studied in a patient before and after the development of a cervico-medullary lesion. The first examination demonstrated normal subcortical generated potentials N13 and N14. The second examination, following a subarachnoid haemorrhage at the cervico-medullary junction, displayed a delayed and reduced amplitude P14/N14 peak on both sides. P14/N14 showed the same latency in all montages, using non-cephalic, cephalic and anterior neck references. The N13 component was not significantly changed in latency compared with the first examination. The latencies of the N13 peak were variable in the different montages. They increased from the lower (C7) to the upper (C2) neck, whereas the latency of the N13 onset was identical in all montages. This alteration might be caused by a delayed near-field activity at C2 overlapping the N13 component. These results fit the hypothesis of two major generators responsible for subcortical SEPs; a near-field N13 component at the level of the lower neck and a far-field P14 component arising from the level of the cervico-medullary junction. An additional minor near-field activity generated by the cuneate nucleus is suspected.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Motor potentials following spinal and transcranial stimulation: normal values for recording without voluntary pre-innervation].

The transcranial motor stimulation with a special, short discharging stimulator can assess the conduction of central motor pathways. Voluntary preinnervation of certain muscles leads to amplitude augmentation and allows reduction of the stimulus intensity. Preinnervation is impossible, if comatose patients are studied or if the method is used for intraoperative monitoring. We examined the spinal and transcranial stimulated motor responses of the muscle opponens pollicis without preinnervation in 18 healthy volunteers. The latencies after hemispheric stimulation showed an increase of latency of more than 2.5 ms compared with normative data from the literature which is significant on the .05-level. The central conduction time was prolonged also. The latencies of the spinal stimulated muscle potentials are comparable under both conditions. It is concluded that for intraoperative monitoring or the assessment of motor function in comatose patients one has to relay on normative values achieved without preinnervation.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Isolated brain-stem death. Case report with demonstration of preserved visual evoked potentials (VEPs).

Brain-stem death is a state in which brain-stem functions have ceased whereas the hemispheres still have electrical activity. We report a patient with a haematoma over the cerebellum and the pons who showed a preserved electroencephalogram and VEPs whereas all clinical signs of cerebral death was present. Normal VEPs in isolated brain-stem death have not yet been reported. We conclude that in any case of infratentorial lesion, an electroencephalogram should be recorded for the diagnosis of brain death.

Brain Death↗
PubMed1986

Acute vertebral-basilar thrombosis. Angiologic-clinical comparison and therapeutic implications.

The clinical-angiologic data and the clinical outcome in 66 patients with acute vertebro-basilar thrombosis treated with antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, or fibrinolytic agents are presented. Forty-three patients were treated with local intraarterial infusion of streptokinase or urokinase proximal to the thrombotic occlusion; 14 patients in this group (33%) survived, only one of whom was in deep coma when therapy was started. Twenty-three patients did not receive fibrinolytic therapy; 4 of these patients (17%) who exhibited mild brainstem-related symptoms survived. This study implies that early diagnosis and treatment in vertebrobasilar stroke in progression may achieve improved survival.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1986

[Electrophysiologic findings in lacunar infarcts].

Lacunar lesions are small infarctions in the territory of small penetrating arteries of the brain. Because of their small size these lesions can only in part be detected by CT. Clinical symptoms do not always correspond with the lesions visible in the CT. We studied the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), the visual evoked potentials (VEP) and the electrically elicited blink reflex in 50 patients with lacunes to determine if there are any other lesions which are not detectable by clinical examination or CT alone. While VEP and the blink reflex showed pathological results in only a few of these patients the SEP were pathological in about 75%. The multiplicity of the lesions may be documented by means of these investigations.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

[Validity of early acoustically-evoked potentials in the diagnosis of brain death].

Brainstem acoustic evoked potentials (BAEP) in clinically proven brain death are already described in the literature. In most cases there were no reproducable BAEP or only wave I ipsilateral. In a few cases, shortly after the onset of brain death, wave I and a wave II ipsilateral have been detected. 40 Patients were examined during developing brain death and in brain death. Using an ipsilateral and contralateral montage (mastoid/vertex) four different patterns of BAEP in brain death could be distinguished: Wave I ipsilateral and wave II ipsilateral, reduced in amplitude and delayed in latency and a wave I-contralateral, Wave I ipsilateral and wave I-contralateral, Only wave I ipsilateral, No reproducable BAEP. In clinically not brain dead patients, three different patterns of BAEP are recorded which should be known in order to comment on the validity of the method in the diagnosis of brain death: Only wave I and a flat and late wave, only recordable using several reproductions and with a low rate of artefacts. Only wave I recordable while the patient is still breathing spontaneously (false positive results). Reversible loss of wave I. Ignoring the results, the BAEP may lead to false positive results in the diagnosis of brain death.

Brain Death↗