Novel Mapping Method for the Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring of Sexual Function During Prostate Surgery.

PURPOSE: The occurrence of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction after surgical treatment for prostate cancer is a significant and lingering problem. The aim of this study is to revise and improve older techniques of intraoperative cavernous nerve mapping already in use to improve accuracy and reliability. METHODS: We prospectively studied this technique in 12 patients suffering from prostate cancer. Inhalation or intravenous anesthetic regimen was used with nondepolarizing muscle relaxants. Stimulation protocol was 30 Hz, 0.2 ms, 10 to 20 mA intensity and a maximum duration of 30 seconds. Recording was performed with a system for measuring pressure changes using a stainless steel needle electrode inside the cavernous bodies. Stimulation was systematically performed at three distinct moments during the surgery at various points. An increase or decrease in pressure of 4 cm of H20 in the cavernous bodies was considered a positive result and negative response when no changes occurred after 30 seconds of continuous stimulation. RESULTS: Of patients, 91.6% had positive responses to initial stimulation. The anesthetic regimen did not appear to significantly influence the responses in our series. CONCLUSIONS: In light of the results of this study, the stimulation of the cavernous nerves may be a viable technique in the right context, which includes good patient selection (young patients with a localized tumor and with preserved potency). The major limitation is that mapping techniques are useful to localize functional nerves, but not to monitor function in a continuous manner.

Long-Term Effective Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation for Neuropathic Tremor in Two Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

BACKGROUND: It has been described that many Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome type 2 patients are affected by a very disabling type of tremor syndrome, the pathophysiology of which remains unclear. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been successfully applied to treat most types of tremors by implanting electrodes in the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (Vim). METHODS: We used DBS applied to the Vim in 2 patients with severe axonal inherited polyneuropathies who developed a disabling tremor. RESULTS: Both patients responded positively to stimulation, with a marked reduction of the tremor and with an improvement of their quality of life. CONCLUSION: We report 2 cases of tremor associated with a hereditary neuropathy with a good response to DBS.

Herpes zoster motor neuropathy in a patient with previous motor paresis secondary to Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Motor involvement in herpes zoster is very infrequent, occurring in 3%-5% of cases, and it is caused by extension of the inflammatory process to the anterior horn motor neurons, with the subsequent development of segmental motor paralysis. The authors report a 37-yr-old woman with history of paresis in both lower limbs secondary to spinal cord atrophy associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and immunosuppression caused by chronic corticosteroid and azathioprine treatment of ulcerative colitis, who developed worsening of her baseline residual muscle strength in the right lower limb shortly after herpes zoster eruption. Electromyography revealed acute denervation in territories corresponding to L3-L4 and moderate widespread axonal polyneuropathy affecting both lower limbs. The patient recovered her baseline muscle strength after this event. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of herpes zoster motor neuropathy in a patient with a previous motor sequel.