Pharmacological Management of Germinal Matrix-Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GM-IVH) is among the devastating neurological complications with mortality and neurodevelopmental disability rates ranging from 14.7% to 44.7% in preterm infants. The medical techniques have improved throughout the years, as the morbidity-free survival rate of very-low-birth-weight infants has increased; however, the neonatal and long-term morbidity rates have not significantly improved. To this date, there is no strong evidence on pharmacological management on GM-IVH, due to the limitation of well-designed randomized controlled studies. However, recombinant human erythropoietin administration in preterm infants seems to be the only effective pharmacological management in limited situations. Hence, further high-quality collaborative research studies are warranted in the future to ensure better outcomes among preterm infants with GM-IVH.

White Cord Syndrome: A Reperfusion Injury Following Spinal Decompression Surgery / 대한신경손상학회지

Reperfusion injury of the spinal cord has been scarcely reported. Herein, we present a case of white cord syndrome after spinal decompression. A 61-year-old male, who initially had ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament at C3-6 level, was admitted to our hospital with a ruptured disc at the C6-7 level. The patient experienced radiating pain in both upper extremities. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion was performed. However, the patient developed quadriplegia. Emergency magnetic resonance imaging revealed a new and enlarged signal change in the spinal cord at the C4-7 level. Additional posterior decompression surgery was performed. After intense rehabilitation, the patient’s motor function improved to grade 4. White cord syndrome is likely due to reperfusion injury following operative decompression of a compressed spinal cord segment. Although rare, spine surgeons should be aware of this complication and warn patients preoperatively.

Importance of Differential Diagnosis of a Possible Brain Tumor in Patients with Cervical Radiculopathy

Lesions occurring simultaneously in the somatosensory or motor cortex of the brain and the cervical spine are rare. Brain tumors can cause similar symptoms to cervical lesions which can lead to confusion in treatment priorities. Moreover, if cervical disease is noticeably observed in radiologic findings of a patient complaining of cervical radiculopathy with non-specific electromyography results, it is common to no longer perform further evaluation. Here we introduce two cases where the cause of cervical radiculopathy was first considered to be the result of a degenerative cervical disease but was later discovered to be a result of a brain tumor.

The Combined Use of Cardiac Output and Intracranial Pressure Monitoring to Maintain Optimal Cerebral Perfusion Pressure and Minimize Complications for Severe Traumatic Brain Injury / 대한신경손상학회지

OBJECTIVE: To show the effect of dual monitoring including cardiac output (CO) and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patiens. We hypothesized that meticulous treatment using dual monitoring is effective to sustain maintain minimal intensive care unit (ICU) complications and maintain optimal ICP and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) for severe TBI patiens. METHODS: We included severe TBI, below Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 8 and head abbreviation injury scale (AIS) >4 and performed decompressive craniectomy at trauma ICU of our hospital. We collected the demographic data, head AIS, injury severity score (ISS), initial GCS, ICU stay, sedation duration, fluid therapy related complications, Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 3 months and variable parameters of ICP and CO monitor. RESULTS: Thirty patients with severe TBI were initially selected. Thirteen patients were excluded because 10 patients had fixed pupillary reflexes and 3 patients had uncontrolled ICP due to severe brain edema. Overall 17 patients had head AIS 5 except 2 patients and 10 patients (58.8%) had multiple traumas as mean ISS 29.1. Overall complication rate of the patients was 64.7%. Among the parameters of CO monitoring, high stroke volume variation is associated with fluid therapy related complications (p=0.043) and low cardiac contractibility is associated with these complications (p=0.009) statistically. CONCLUSION: Combined use of CO and ICP monitors in severe TBI patients who could be necessary to decompressive craniectomy and postoperative sedation is good alternative methods to maintain an adequate ICP and CPP and reduce fluid therapy related complications during postoperative ICU care.