Prognostic Factors and Its Utility in Severe Head Injured Patient

The prognosis of severe head injured patients (Glasgow coma scale 3 to 8) was assessed through clinical prognostic factors in 209 cases, retrospectively. Severe head injured patients were 9.1% of all head trauma and 55% of cases were diffuse brain injury. Mechanism of injury were motorvehicle accident, falls, bicycle, and others. The patients with normal pupillary reaction had a significantly higher percentage of good outcome (77%) than the patient with bilateral 3rd nerve palsy (14.2%)(p<0.0001), 79% of good motor responsive patients had a good outcome compared to none of patients with poor motor response(p<0.0001). The patients with short duration of unawareness(within 30days) significantly higher percentage of good outcome(98%) than the patients with long duration of unawaereness(24%)(p<0.0001). The patients with initial high GCS score(6-8 score) had a significantly higher good outcome(58%) than the patients with low GCS score(3-5 score)(p<0.0001), 87% of pediatric patients had a good outcome compared to 38% of adults(p<0.0001). The diffuse head injured patients without basal cistern compression had a significantly hgher percentage of good outcome(83%) than the patients with basal cistern compression(41%)(p<0.0001), 62% of patients with skull fracture had a good outcome compared to 39% of patients without skull fracture(39%)(p<0.0017). Individual prognostic factors affect to patient's outcome and utilize to be powerful tool for assessing the relative efficacy of alternative treatments as well as patient's prognosis.

Enterogenous Cyst in Thoracic Spinal Canal

The case of an 33-year-old man with an intradural and extramedullary enterogenous cyst in the thoracic spinal canal is presented. Enterogenous cysts are rare cystic tumors located in the spinal canal and causing spinal compression, and about half of the cases of enterogenous cysts are associated with congenital anomalies. This patient, however, had no vertebral anomaly or other evidence of congenital melformation. We reviewed literatures and recorded the distinguished features of intraspinal enterogenous cysts and discuss the clinical, radiological and histological findings.

Flowcytometric Analysis of DNA Content and Cell Kinetics in Nervous System Neoplasms

No abstract available.

Surgical Repair of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea: Report of Five Operative Cases

This report describes five cases of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) rhinorrhea which were caused by head injury in four cases and developed after surgical removal of brain tumor in one case. Intrathecally-enhanced brain computerized tomography(CT) with metrizamide, in addition to isotope cisternography, was helpful in localization of the CSF leakage site. All five cases which could not be managed conservatively were successfully repaired by surgical means using biological fibrin glue.