Dexamethasone in the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage revisited: a comparative analysis of the effect of the total dose on complications and outcome.

The benefit of dexamethasone in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is unproven. This actual study re-examined the impact on complications and outcome. Two hundred and forty-two patient records were analyzed. Dexamethasone had been prescribed individually. Group A consisted of patients in WFNS-grade I to III that were given at least 12mg/day dexamethasone for at least five days. All other patients in WFNS-grade I to III were assigned to group B. Groups C and D resulted from WFNS-grades IV and V, subdivided according to dexamethasone medication as groups A and B. Hydrocephalus and re-hemorrhage were significantly less frequent in group A than B (19% vs. 37%, P=0.011, and 3% vs. 13%, P=0.037, respectively). Favorable outcomes (Glasgow Outcome Scale, GOS 4 and 5) were more frequent in group A than B (99% vs. 85%; P=0.003). Frequencies of vasospasm and infections did not differ. In groups C and D significant differences were demonstrated for frequencies of hydrocephalus (C: 16%, D: 57%; P=0.006) and complications other than infection (C: 33%, D: 79%; P=0.002). Favorable outcomes were more frequent in group C than D (79% vs. 47%; P=0.046). Frequencies of vasospasm and infections did not differ.

Analgesia by electrostimulation of the trigeminal ganglion in patients with trigeminopathic pain: a PET activation study.

Electrostimulation of the trigeminal ganglion (TGES) has shown good results in treatment of trigeminopathic pain in selected patients. To map the mechanisms of TGES analgesia, we determined changes in relative regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in ten patients with trigeminopathic pain using positron emission tomography. The patients were scanned before stimulation (habitual pain), after short-term stimulation (1 min, stTGES) and after long-term stimulation (ltTGES). Highly significant pain alleviation was reported after ltTGES. Relative rCBF changes after stTGES, which was without significant pain relief, were attributed mainly to intrinsic TGES effects. A statistical comparison of the subtraction images of ltTGES and stTGES disclosed significant rCBF increases after ltTGES in rostral parts of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and neighboring orbitofrontal and medial frontal cortices. Regression analysis of rCBF changes and subjective ratings of pain revealed an inverse relationship in the ipsilateral rostral ACC, and only rCBF changes in the caudal part of the contralateral ACC were consistent with the encoding of pain. The present study provides evidence for a pain modulating role of the rostral ACC, critically important in electrostimulation-induced analgesia, and identifies the caudal ACC as a region encoding pain sensation.

Detection of hyperacute subarachnoid hemorrhage of the brain by using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of high-field (1.5-tesla) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the assessment of hyperacute (< 12 hours after onset of symptoms) subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: This investigation included 13 patients who were examined 2 to 12 hours posthemorrhage by using an MR imaging protocol consisting of T2-weighted and proton-density (PD)-weighted images, T1-weighted images, fast echoplanar-diffusion-weighted (EP-DW) images, and fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) images. Subarachnoid hemorrhage had been diagnosed using computerized tomography (CT) scanning in all cases. In all 13 cases, SAH was reliably detected on both PD-weighted and FLAIR images. In contrast with FLAIR studies, the PD-weighted images were free of cerebrospinal fluid flow artifacts. The SAH was detected on T1-weighted images in only two cases and could not be detected on any T2-weighted or EP-DW images. CONCLUSIONS: Even hyperacute SAH can be diagnosed reliably from high-field MR images obtained using PD-weighted or FLAIR sequences. Use of these sequences in an emergency MR protocol may preclude the need for additional CT studies to rule out SAH.