Nobuo Yoshii

Hypothal amic projection to the pulvinar-LP complex in the cat: A study by the silver impregnation method

This study was designated to determine the exact terminal portion of the hypothalamo-thalamic projection found in our previous study by the HRP method [7]. Electrolytic lesions were made in the brains of 13 adult cats, and the ensuing degenerating fibers were impregnated with Nauta-Gygax and Fink-Heimer methods. Following the lesions of the hypothalamic small nucleus which had been reported to receive abundant HRP transport from the pulvinar-LP complex, terminal degeneration concentrated in the dorsolateral marginal area of LP, forming a well-defined and dorsomedially stretched slim column along the medial border of the pulvinar. The level of its appearance approximately corresponds with the stereotaxic coronal plane, Fr. 7.0. In the contralateral same thalamic area the degenerating fibers were also traced though they were much fewer.

Several Clinical Aspects of Thalamic Pulvinotomy

Several clinical aspects of thalamic pulvinotomy were investigated. Influence of electrical stimulation of pulvinar on consciousness, speech, memory, evoked response, emotion, intelligence, character, ophthalmic and auditory examinations were studied during operation and compared between pre-, post, and during operation.

Long-Term Follow-Up Study after Pulvinotomy for Intractable Pain

Pulvinotomy was performed on 42 cases with intractable pain. 19 cases survived for more than 1 year, the results were classified as follows: 4 were excellent, 4 good, 5 fair, and 4 were poor. The effects of the operation are discussed based on the disease. 2 cases, who survived for more than 1 year, suffered from the pain due to infiltration or metastasis of cancer, they died 22 and 14 months after the operation, respectively, but they had no intractable pain during the year before death. 14 cases who underwent CVD survived for more than 1 year. Results of the operation were as follows: 3 were excellent; 4 good, 4 fair, and 4 were poor. These cases were followed up for 3-10 years and the average was about 5 years. After more than 1 year, 2 cases with atypical facial pain were considered as being either fair or poor, one (fair case) of whom still does routine housework and is not drug dependent. A case of causalgia has been free from pain for 5 years after the operation.

Occlusion of the deep cerebral veins

There are very few reports on occlusion of the deep cerebral veins in the adult, and none where cerebroangiography was used. We report here a case of occlusion in the Galen and straight sinuses.

Demonstration of focal brain ischemia induced by hyperventilation using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT

A case with vasospasm of the right anterior cerebral artery induced by hyperventilation is presented. Consecutive Tc-99m HMPAO brain SPECT studies at rest and during hyperventilation greatly contributed to the quantitative evaluation of focal perfusion decrease in conjunction with contrast angiography. This technique seems to be useful for the detection of alterations in regional brain perfusion during short duration intervention.

The Contact Nd:YAG Laser in Neurosurgery

It took 10 years to recognize the laser for its neurosurgical application since Rosomoff1 tried to use a ruby laser for surgery on a brain tumor. Today three lasers, CO2, argon and Nd:YAG, are widely used for neurosurgery. Among these lasers, the Nd:YAG has been evaluated to be inappropriate for neurosurgery, in spite of its excellent hemostatic capability, because of an unsatisfactory cutting-off effect. At the same time, this ability to achieve hemostasis has been highly successful in endoscopic procedures.

Three-dimensional neuroimaging for brachytherapy of the brain

For brachytherapy of brain tumours, the exact location of the tumour and the relationship between the tumour and surrounding tissues and ventricles are very important. Three-dimensional neuroimaging using a volume-rendering method has been found very useful for this purpose. The number of introducers for isotope seeds can be determined and the length of seed which should be inserted into each introducer is also determined practically.