Memduh Kaymaz

Inhalation versus total intravenous anesthesia for lumbar disc herniation: comparison of hemodynamic effects, recovery characteristics, and cost.

The clinical effects, recovery characteristics, and costs of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA), sevoflurane, and isoflurane anesthesia have been measured in various out-patient operations, but have not been evaluated in patients undergoing laminectomy or discectomy. In the current study, the authors assessed the hemodynamic characteristics, recovery, and cost analyzes after laminectomy and discectomy operations, comparing TIVA, sevoflurane, and isoflurane anesthesia. Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients were randomly divided into three groups, each consisting of 20 patients. Group I received propofol-alfentanil, Group 2 received sevoflurane-N2O, and Group 3 received isoflurane-N2O. At the end of surgery, the anesthetics were discontinued, and recovery from anesthesia was assessed by measuring the time until spontaneous eye opening and the time until response to verbal commands. The drug and delivery costs were calculated in United States dollars. No significant differences were found in the demographic data. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure decreased significantly after induction of anesthesia in the TIVA group, compared to the two other groups (P < .05 for both comparisons). The fastest recovery was seen in the TIVA group. Incidences of postoperative nausea, vomiting, and pain were significantly reduced after TIVA (P < .05 for both comparisons). Thus, TIVA patients required fewer additional drugs and showed the lowest additional costs in the post-anesthesia care unit. However, the total cost was significantly higher in the TIVA group than in the sevoflurane and isoflurane groups (

Comparison of FFT and adaptive ARMA methods in transcranial Doppler signals recorded from the cerebral vessels

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Assessment of mortality associated with mild head injury in the pediatric age group

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Effectiveness of FK506 on lipid peroxidation in the spinal cord following experimental traumatic injury.

24.14, respectively) (P < .05). Total intravenous anesthesia was associated with the highest intraoperative cost but provided the most rapid recovery from anesthesia, and the least frequent postoperative side effects.

Malignant intracerebral giant nerve sheath tumor in a 14-month-old girl with neurofibromatosis type 1: a case report

In this work, transcranial Doppler signals recorded from the temporal region of the brain on 35 patients were transferred to a personal computer by using a 16-bit sound card. Fast Fourier transform and adaptive auto regressive-moving average (A-ARMA) methods were applied to transcranial Doppler frequencies obtained from the middle cerebral artery in the temporal region. Spectral analyses were obtained to compare both methods for medical diagnoses. The sonograms obtained using A-ARMA method give better results for spectral resolution than the FFT method. The sonograms of A-ARMA method offer net envelope and better imaging, so that the determination of blood flow and brain pressure can be calculated more accurately. All diseases show higher resistance to flow than controls with no difference between males and females. Whereas values between disease classes differed, resistance within each class was remarkably constant.

Vertebral osteoblastoma: are radiologic structural changes necessary for diagnosis?

Reducing mortality among accident and trauma patients requires careful attention to monitoring those regarded as being at low risk. We hospitalized almost 1600 head-injured patients in the period between 1979 and 1992 at the Neurosurgery Department of Gazi University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. These patients were selected from among the numerous patients admitted to our emergency unit and treated with the same protocol in the same department. Among the hospitalized children, there were three patients defined as having a mild head injury on the basis of Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 15 who later had unfavorable outcomes. Clinical signs that might identify potentially endangered patients with mild injury were gathered; these included the presence of post-traumatic amnesia, somnolence, irritability, anisocoria, local evidence of trauma to the head, associated injuries, history of altered consciousness, and skull fracture. The study was designed to identify features by which patients who are in real danger can be distinguished among the many with trivial trauma that we face every day. We did not find any identifying clinical features and concluded that computed tomographic scanning is the only reliable answer. This will reduce avoidable mortality and morbidity by identifying the patients who are at higher risk than is at first evident.

Neuroprotective effects of gabapentin in experimental spinal cord injury.

Study design:An in vivo study in Wistar albino rats with injured spinal cord.SettingDepartment of Neurosurgery, Biochemistry and Pathology, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.Objectives:The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of FK506 an immunosupressive agent with methylprednisolone (MP) on lipid peroxidation (LP) in injured spinal cord tissue.Method:A total of 28 adult healthy Wistar albino rats were subjected to traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) by using an aneurysmal clip compression technique, and they were divided into four groups. The G1 group (n=8) received FK506 (1 mg/kg); the G2 group (n=8) received FK506 (1 mg/kg) and MP (30 mg/kg); the G3 group (n=6) received only MP (30 mg/kg); and the G4 group (n=6) received no medication. The injured spinal cord tissue was studied by means of lipid peroxides, malondialdehyde (MDA), with thiobarbituric acid reaction and additionally the FK506 (G1); the MP (G3) groups were studied for histopathologic alterations 72 h after SCI with eight separate animals.Results:Although LP values of G1, G2, G3 showed no statistical difference between intergroup analyses (P=0.547), a histopathological examination revealed that in the group that received MP, the oedema pattern was more significant than the group that received FK506. Another interesting finding was the presence of polymorphonuclear leucocytes in the MP group, whereas no infiltration was found in the FK506 group.Conclusion:Analysis of the results indicated that FK506 is a valuable pharmacological agent that could be used to decrease the LP and polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration and inflamatory reactions in the injured spinal cord tissue.

The effects of intravenous fentanyl and lidocaine infiltration on the hemodynamic response to skull pin placement

IntroductionMalignant intracerebral nerve sheath tumor (MINST) is extremely rare and the origin is still unclear. The authors present the clinical, radiological, and pathological features of a malignant intracerebral giant nerve sheath tumor.Case reportA giant tumor in the right frontotemporoparietal lobes causing a midline shift was detected in a 14-month-old girl who presented with developmental delay, vomiting, and lethargy. The physical examination was consistent with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Subtotal resection was performed and the histopathological examination revealed the diagnosis of MINST.DiscussionThere are only six cases of malignant intracerebral nerve sheath tumor in the literature. The presented case is the youngest and the occurrence of MINST in a 14-month-old girl may support the hypothesis of multipotent mesenchymal stem cell origin; however, the tumors which arise from multipotent mesenchymal stem cells may be seen in later stages of life. Another important feature of the presented case is the occurrence of MINST in NF-1.ConclusionMINSTs are extremely rare tumors with unknown origin. The location, the degree, and the size of the tumor and the general condition of the patient are prognostic factors in MINSTs, like in other malignant tumors.

Hypothalamic lipoma adjacent to mamillary bodies.

BACKGROUND A case of osteoblastoma localized at the pedicle of the 10th thoracic vertebra is presented. CASE DESCRIPTION The patient complained of nocturnal back pain not relieved by salycilates, a typical symptom of osteoblastoma. Bone scintigraphy showed a lower thoracic focus of increased osteoblastic activity; however, X-rays, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance images (MRI) were within normal limits, showing only obscure changes that were also noted in the rest of the spine. Repeat MRI with contrast revealed a focal enhancement. After pediculectomy, histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of osteoblastoma. Fifteen months postoperatively, the patient is symptom-free. CONCLUSION Our case demonstrates that some cases of osteoblastoma may not have the classical radiological appearance. Although non-contrast computed tomography and T1-weighted MRI are mildly positive in some instances, osteoblastoma is best visualized on MRI with gadolinium. Like any other neoplasm, osteoblastoma should be detected and removed early, before it can cause structural bony changes.

Transoral protrusion of a peritoneal catheter due to gastric perforation 10 years after a ventriculoperitoneal shunting: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Extensive research has focused on neuroprotection after spinal cord trauma to alleviate the effects of secondary injury. This study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effects of gabapentin in experimental spinal cord injury. METHODS Thirty-six adult, male Wistar rats received spinal cord injury using the clip compression method. Animals were divided into five groups. High (200 mg/kg) and low doses (30 mg/kg) of gabapentin were administered to the animals in the treatment groups after spinal cord trauma and ultrastructural findings and lipid peroxidation levels of these two groups were compared with the animals that received only laminectomy, only trauma, and trauma and 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone. RESULTS Regarding tissue lipid peroxidation levels after trauma, animals in gabapentin groups demonstrated better results than the trauma group. However, these results were no better than the methylprednisolone group. The results regarding the ultrastructural findings were similar. Treatment groups demonstrated better ultrastructural findings than the trauma group. In addition, the results of the high dose gabapentin group were significantly better than the low dose gabapentin group. CONCLUSIONS Gabapentin demonstrated similar neuroprotective effects as methylprednisolone in early phase of spinal cord injury. Further studies with different experimental settings including neurological outcome are required to achieve conclusive results.