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Clinical Neuroscience - 2016;69(05-06)
Content
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Selective dorsal rhizotomy in the treatment of spasticity - Hungarian experiences ]
[Objective - We summarize our initial experiences with selective dorsal rhizotomy that we introduced in Hungary to manage the spasticity of patients with cerebral palsy. Patients and methods - Thirty spastic patients were enrolled in our study. All of the patients were operated between July 2014 and June 2015. We performed selective dorsal rhizotomy from a single-level approach at the level of conus medullaris in all cases, with electrophysiological control. Results - We could perform the surgery in all cases safely. Adverse events related either to damage of neurological structures, or to surgery did not occur. The planned rehabilitation courses before and after the operations are in progress in all cases. Conclusion - Selective dorsal rhizotomy is an irreversible surgical intervention to treat spasticity. With sufficient experience and electrophysiological control it can be performed safely, and the early results are promising. ]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Experiences of hypothalamic hamartoma surgeries]
[Background and purpose - Hypothalamic hamartomas are focal, benign congenital malformations that frequently associated with gelastic seizures. Behavioural disturbances, cognitive decline and the appearance of precocious puberty can also be observed. The most effective way to relieve the symptoms is the surgical disconnection between the hamartoma and the hypothalamus. In our study, we retrospectively analyzed the surgical indications and effectiveness of each approach. Methods - Between 1996 and 2014 we operated on 10 hypothalamic hamartomas. Endoscopic assisted resection was performed in three patients. Six patients underwent direct microsurgical resection in various approaches and one patient was treated with Gamma Knife. Results - We achieved significant decrease in the number of seizures in every patient presenting with various seizure types. The surgical resection was effective in the arresting of the puberty praecox as well. However the surgery of these lesions at their special location holds the danger of the appearance of new endocrinological symptoms. According to our observations the operation on hamartoma less effectively ameliorates the psychiatric symptoms than the others. Conclusion - The surgical treatment is effective in the reduction of the initial symptoms and we had no mortality. According to our analysis therapeutic success is anticipated but we couldn’t archive total symptomatic relief in every case. The first approach to these lesions should be the surgery which type must be tailored to each patient.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
Paraoxonáz-1-aktivitás és fenotípusos megjelenése sclerosis multiplexben
Introduction - Human serum paraoxonase (PON1) and arylesterase (ARE) are lipophilic antioxidant enzymes. PON-1 serum activity diverges in individuals and populations, which might be due to polymorphisms in the PON-1 gene. The PON1 activity phenotyping method, based on the ratio of the stimulated PON activity and the ARE activity, could determine the low-activity homozygotes (QQ), intermediate activity heterozygotes (QR), and high-activity homozygotes (RR) regardless of the genotype. The aim of the present study was to determine the PON1 phenotype distribution and enzymatic activity of PON1 and ARE in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Materials and methods - Thirty-four relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients (22 females and 12 males; median age 42 (range 20-55) years) in the remission phase and thirty-four age-sex matched healthy controls (19 females and 15 males; median age 37 (21-60) years) were included in this study. All patients had clinically definite MS according to McDonald’s criteria. Results - Serum PON1 and ARE enzyme activities, as well as salt-stimulated PON1, were not significantly different between the patient and control groups. Phenotype distributions were as follows: QQ 58.8%, QR 38.2%, and RR 3% in MS patients (n=34); QQ 44.1%, QR 50%, and RR 5.9% in the control group (n=34). QQ (low activity) phenotypic distribution was more common in MS patients than controls, but this difference was not significant (p=0.14). Conclusions - Our results did not reveal meaningful relationships between PON1 activity or PON1 phenotypes and MS. More studies in larger samples and in all phases of the disease are needed in the future.
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[New opportunities in neuro-rehabilitation: Robot mediated therapy in conditons post central nervous system impairments]
[Decreasing the often-seen multiple disabilities as a consequence of central nervous system impairments requires broadening of the tools of rehabilitation. A promising opportunity for this purpose is the application of physiotherapy robots. The development of such devices goes back a quarter of century. Nowadays several robots are commercially available both for supporting upper and lower limb therapy. The aim is never to replace the therapists, but rather to support and supplement their work. It is worthwhile applying these devices for goal-oriented exercises in high repetition, which one physically fatiguing for the therapist or for the correction of functional movement by various strategies. Robot mediated therapy is also useful for motivation of the patient and making the rehabilitation programme more versatile. Robots can be used for assessment of the neuromotor status as well. Several clinical studies have been executed in this field, all over the world. Meta-analyses based on randomized, controlled trials show that supplementing the traditional physiotherapy with a robot-mediated component presents advantage for the patients. Further studies are necessary to clarify which modality and intensity of the exercises, in which group of patients, in which stage lead to the expected outcome.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Genetically determined diseases associated with pathological brain iron accumulation and neurodegeneration]
[The rare, genetically determined group of diseases characterized by pathological accumulation of iron in the central nervous system and progressive, typically movement disorder’s symptoms are called NBIA (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation). By the rapid development of molecular genetics, it has become apparent that different mutations in numerous genes can lead to pathological cerebral iron accumulation. Simultaneously, it has also been recognized that the age of onset, the symptoms and the prognosis of NBIA disorders are much more diverse than it was previously perceived. To our knowledge, a review article on the most recent clinical data of NBIA has not been published in Hungarian. In the first part of this publication, we survey the general clinical characteristics and the diagnostic algorithm of NBIA diseases and address some considerations for differential diagnostics. In the second part of this review, the particular NBIA disorders are presented in details. The purpose of this article is to provide a clinical overview that may be useful for neurologists, pediatricians and any other medical practitioners interested in this field.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Analysis of mental arithmetic task by the “minimum spanning tree” method]
[Goals - In the present study basic arithmetic induced rearrangements in functional connections of the brain were investigated by using graph theoretical analysis what becomes increasingly important both in theoretical neuroscience and also in clinical investigations. Research questions - During mental arithmetic operations (working) memory plays an important role, but there are only a few studies in which an attempt was made to separate this effect from the process of arithmetic operations themselves. The goal of our study was to separate the neural networks involved in cognitive functions. Methods - As an attempt to clarify this issue the graph-theoretical “minimal spanning tree” method was used for the analysis of EEG recorded during task performance. The effects of passive viewing, number recognition and mental arithmetic on PLI based minimal spanning trees (MST) were investigated on the EEG in young adults (adding task: 17 subjects; passive viewing and number recognition: 16 subjects) in the θ (4-8 Hz) frequency band. Results - Occipital task relevant synchronization was found by using the different methods, probably related to the effect of visual stimulation. With respect to diameter, eccentricity and fraction of leafs different task-related changes were found. Discussion - It was shown that the task related changes of various graph indices are capable to identify networks behind the various relevant dominant functions. Thus the “minimal spanning tree” method is suitable for the analysis of the reorganization of the brain with respect to cognitive functions.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
The relationship between serum cholesterol and verbal memory may be influenced by body mass index (BMI) in young healthy women
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between verbal memory and total cholesterol (TC) levels related to body mass index (BMI) in healthy young women. Verbal memory was assessed using the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) while total serum cholesterol was measured by enzymatic colorimetric test. In order to analyze the potential significance of BMI subjects were divided into three groups according to their calculated BMI percentile values. No significant correlation was found when assessing the group as a whole. However a remarkable pattern of correlation emerged when assessing the BMI groups separately: a close-to-significant positive correlation was found for total learning score and TC in the low BMI group, no correlation emerged in the medium BMI group while a strong inverse correlation was found in the high BMI group. These findings indicate that the relationship between verbal memory and serum TC level is also influenced by BMI.
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Disease burden of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and their caregivers]
[Background and purpose - Data on the disease burden of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are scarce in Hungary. The aim of this study was to assess patients’ and their caregivers’ health related quality of life and healthcare utilisations. Methods - A cross sectional survey was performed as part of the European BURQOL-RD project. The EQ-5D-5L and Barthel Index questionnaires were applied, health care utilisations and patients’ informal carers were surveyed. Results - One symptomatic female carer, 50 children (boys 94%) and six adult patients (five males) participated in the study, the latter two subgroups were included in the analysis. The average age was 9.7 (SD=4.6) and 24.3 (SD=9.8) years, respectively. Median age at time of diagnosis was three years. The average EQ-5D score among children and adults was 0.198 (SD=0.417) and 0.244 (SD=0.322), respectively, the Barthel Index was 57.6 (SD=29.9) and 53.0 (SD=36.5). Score of satisfaction with healthcare (10-point Likert-scale) was mean 5.3 (SD=2.1) and 5.3 (SD=2.9). 15 children were hospitalised in the past 12 months for mean 12.9 (SD=24.5) days. Two patients received help from professional carer. 25 children (mean age 11.1, SD=4.4 years) were helped/supervisied by principal informal carer (parent) for mean 90.1 (SD=44.4) hours/week and further family members helped in 21 cases. Correlation between EQ-5D and Barthel Index was strong and significant (0.731; p<0.01) as well as with informal care time (-0.770; p<0.01), but correlation with satisfaction with health care was not significant (EQ-5D: 0.241; Barthel Index: 0.219; informal care: -0.142). Conclusion - Duchenne muscular dystrophy leads to a significant deterioration in the quality of life of patients. Parents play outstanding role in the care of affected children. This study is the first in the Central and Eastern European region that provides quality of life data in this rare disease for further health economic studies.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
Comparison TachoComb with SurgiWrap, Surgicel and Lyodura in epidural fibrosis: An experimental rat model
Objectives - We designed this study to evaluate the effect of TachoComb and to compare it with SurgiWrap, Surgicel, and Lyodura in an experimental rat model for epidural fibrosis (EF). Methods - This prospective and experimental rat model study was performed at Dicle University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, in Diyarbakır, Turkey, between January 2005 and June 2005, using 50 Sprague Dawley rats (30 female and 20 male) with a mean weight of 290 g. The rats were divided into five groups: TachoComb, Surgicel, SurgiWrap, Lyodura, and control. Results - Eight weeks after laminectomy, the rats were killed and EF was evaluated. EF was statistically different between the groups. The lowest EF score was in the TachoComb group (F=6.915, p<0.001). Conclusions - According to this study, TachoComb was found to be a more effective agent in decreasing EF than Surgicel, SurgiWrap, or Lyodura.
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[The changes in quality of life after instrumented surgical fusion of degenerative spondylolisthesis]
[Objective - There is no internationally accepted guideline for treatment of spondylolisthesis in the literature, otherwise this degenerative disease has great social and economical impact. There is no hungarian study examining the efficacy of instrumented fusion procedure in surgical treatment of spondylolisthesis. In current study we examined the effectiveness of fusion technique focusing on the impact of quality of life. Methods - Between 1st January, 2011 and 30th June, 2012 we examined a group of patients - who were operated on by instrumented fusion technique because of spondylolisthesis -, in the National Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, using the Oswestry Low Back Disability Questionnaire. All patients were treated after ineffective conservative treatment. The question was wheather how has changed the patients’ quality of life after the operation. Paired-sample t-test was used in this study. Results - Eighty-eight of the 97 examined patients reported different levels of impovement in the postoperative period, two patient’s condition has not changed in spite of the surgery, seven patient’s condition showed progression in average one year after the surgery. The pain improved most significantly (55.5%) (p<0.0001). Using the 16 point borderline according to the Questionnaire (over moderate disability), significant improvement was detected in 50 patients (51.5%). Succesful surgical result - according to the quality of life - was seen in 77.41% of male and in 50.98% of female patients. According to the different age groups, 72.72% of the younger (before retirement), and 53.06% of the retired patients belonged to this group. At least 15 point improvement was detected 35.05% of the patients, the overall improvement was 10.5 point. Discussion - Our results proved effectiveness of instrumented surgical fusion procedure in the treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis. According to our results the younger male population with significant symptoms is the group, where improvement in quality of life is more pronaunced after the surgical procedure. Conclusion - The instrumented fusion surgical technique provides successful clinical and surgical outcome in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis. It could improve the quality of life. Althought multicentre follow-up studies are needed to determine the exact indication and optimal therapy.]
Clinical Neuroscience
MAY 30, 2016
[Closure of nasocranial fistulas with “bath-plug” technique and multilayer reconstruction]
[Background and purpose - In case of dehiscenses developing on the anterior scull base, complete closure resulting in the cessation of the communication between the nasal cavity and the intracranial space is mandatory as soon as possible, in order to prevent serious complications. With the development of the endoscopic techniques, the endonasal management for the reconstruction has become available in recent decades. Methods - We aim to present the reconstruction techniques applied in our department in the cases of two patients recently operated at our institute. The choice of methods primarily depends on the size and the localization of the defect. Dehiscenses under 5 mm of diameter can be closed with the so called “bath-plug” technique, while bigger defects, where the required closure of the plug is not possible, can be solved with multilayer reconstruction. We use autogenous fascia, fat and muco-periosteum in both cases. Results - Our patient, who underwent the aforementioned “bath-plug” procedure, could be discharged after a few days of uneventful postoperative period. During a tenmonth follow- up period new fistula formation was not observed. In the case of a patient who underwent multilayer reconstruction, meningitis occurred postoperatively, which was resolved after antibiotic therapy. During a 17- month follow- up period recurrent liquorrhoea did not occur. Conclusion - With suitable technical background and appropriate endoscopic skills the surgeries of the anterior skull base cerebrospinal fluid fistulas can be performed efficiently and with low complication rate. These are minimally invasive procedures accompanied by less surgical trauma, morbidity and shorter hospitalization, hence these techniques are considered to be cost-effective and well- tolerated for the patients.]
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