RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Despite different treatments, cerebral vasospasm is still the most important cause of death in patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage. This study was conducted to explore the effect of intracisternal washing with papaverine on cerebral blood flow. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed on 40 patients and totally 120 arteries in 2010. Then, variations in cerebral blood flow before and after washing with papaverine were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty (20) patients with aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (ACOM) and 20 patients with aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) were assessed. Mean blood flow before aneurysm and before washing in ACOM and MCA was 70.68 ± 14.8 cm/s and 65.66 ± 9.3 cm/s, respectively, which reached 23.25 ± 5.17 cm/s and 34.1 ± 4.7 cm/s, respectively after washing (P value = 0.016 and 0.024). Mean blood flow after aneurysm and before washing in ACOM and MCA was 95.12 ± 13.9 cm/s and 67.44 ± 15.16 cm/s, respectively, which reached 35.69 ± 6.2 cm/s and 38.01 ± 8.28 cm/s, respectively after washing (P value = 0.001 and 0.01). CONCLUSION: Washing with papaverine significantly reduces cerebral blood flow and relieves vasospasm.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Due to the heterogeneity of traumatic brain injury (TBI), many of single treatments have not been successful in prevention and cure of these kinds of injuries. The neuroprotective effect of progesterone drug on severe brain injuries has been identified, and recently, the neuroprotective effect of vitamin D has also been studied as the combination of these two drugs has shown better effects on animal samples in some studies. This study was conducted to examine the effect of vitamin D and progesterone on brain injury treatment after brain trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed on patients with severe brain trauma (Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤ 8) from April to September, 2011. The patients were divided to 3 groups (placebo, progesterone, progesterone-vitamin D), each with 20 people. Upon the patients' admission, their GCS and demographic information were recorded. After 3 months, they were reassessed, and their GCS and GOS (Glasgow outcome scale) were recorded. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago IL, USA). RESULTS: Before intervention, GCS mean of the placebo, progesterone, and progesterone-vitamin D groups were 6.3 ± 0.88, 6.31 ± 0.87, and 6 ± 0.88, respectively. They increased to 9.16 ± 1.11, 10.25 ± 1.34, and 11.27 ± 2.27, respectively 3 months after intervention. There was a significant difference among GCS means of the 3 groups (P-value = 0.001). GOS was classified to 2 main categories of favorable and unfavorable recovery, of which, favorable recovery in placebo, progesterone, and progesterone-vitamin D was 25%, 45%, and 60%, respectively which showed a statistical significant difference among the groups (P-value = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The results showed that recovery rate in patients with severe brain trauma in the group receiving progesterone and vitamin D together was significantly higher than that of progesterone group, which was in turn higher than that of placebo group.
