[Repair of traumatic lesions in peripheral nerves--initial experience with laser anastomosis]. / Soucasný stav a perspektivy reparace traumatických lézí periferních nervu--první zkusenosti s laserovou anastomózou.

Experience with conventional repair of peripheral nerves clearly indicates that there is still room for improvement, mainly in so far as functional results are concerned. It appears that the present microtechnique has reached its limitation given by physical and technological means, materials and methodology. The use of CO2 laser was tried on rat sciatic nerve. An equal number of nerves were severed surgically and sutured, using microsuture technique in one group and the same number of nerves were repaired using the CO2 laser technique. For the setting of the parameters, optimal for our purpose of reuniting the tissues, we have utilised morphological and electrophysiological qualitative and quantitative characteristics. The results were assessed by comparing both functionally and morphologically, the functional comparison being made electrophysiologically and the morphological comparison microscopically and morphometrically. The comparison shows a larger degree of scarring and constriction of the nerves anastomosed by classical microsuture than that of the laser technique. Action potentials going through the anastomosis have been noticed in both groups without significant difference in quality of CMAP, with the exception the latency.

[Long-term results after surgical treatment of head injuries]. / Dlouhodobé výsledky po chirurgicky resených poraneních hlavy.

It outflows from a survey of 174 cases operated during five years for skull injuries that the resulting state depends of preoperative level of consciousness. In injuries with the loss of consciousness, there is a close correlation between the type of motor-topain response and the resulting state. It was stated from the delay for up to 5 years after surgery that the independence from the day life has been achieved in 65% of injured patients which experienced preoperatively a mild loss of consciousness as they localized the pain stimulus or produced unintelligible sounds in response to pain. The similar condition has been achieved in only 14% cases of preoperatively deep loss of consciousness, which responded to pain or not with decerebrative extension, or unconsciously flexion of extremities. The resulting state is less dependent of operative diagnosis. Epidural hematomas show better results, where the independence of the day life has been achieved in 62% of cases. The majority of them was able to perform their previous working activities later on. In contrast, the worst results were achieved in association with brain contusions, where only 18% of injured patients sustained the independence of environs with no return to the previous work. Prognostically, the factor of age is the most important. In the age group over than 60 years, the mortality represented 58%, whereas in 20-40 years of age it was only 24%.