Clinical Pearls Noncontrast head computed tomography (CT) is the imaging test of choice in the evaluation of acute neurologic disease such as head trauma, hemorrhage, and acute hydrocephalus. Noncontrast head CT can also detect early signs of ischemic stroke, including…
Clinical Pearls Listen and observe the patient whether in a chair, bed, or on an examining table before beginning the clinical examination. If you focus on an obvious deficit, you may miss an important detail such as a weak limb…
Clinical Pearls Approximately 80% of the world's population in more than 100 developing countries will share the same fate of limited availability of standard neurosurgery. Limitations commonly encountered in a low-income setting include ignorance and illiteracy, lack of political will…
Open full size image In the history of neurosurgery there have occurred a number of events and landmarks, and these will be the focus of this chapter. In understanding the history of our profession, perhaps the neurosurgeon will be able…
Introduction Mood disorders are a common development in cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI). A number of factors contribute to the outcome of this phenomenon. For instance, factors preceding the trauma (eg, personal medical history, genetic vulnerability), characteristics of the…
Docosahexaenoic Acid and Omega 3 Fatty Acids Administration of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) is a biologically plausible, yet clinically untested, candidate therapeutic strategy to prevent or blunt neurologic disability after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The biologic plausibility…
Introduction Traumatic Brain Injury: Prevalence, Affected Population, and Sequelae Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a noncongenital injury arising from blunt or penetrating injury to the head or from acceleration/deceleration forces. TBI is an important public health problem; an estimated of…
Introduction Excitotoxicity is known to contribute to neuropathology in acute neurological insults such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke, as well as chronic and insidious neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (AD). Although experimental models have…
Traumatic Brain Injury and Glutamate Excitotoxicity Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in the USA across all age groups ( ). Beyond the mechanical injury, TBI triggers a cascade of biochemical events…
Introduction Approximately 350,000 individuals in the United States are affected annually by severe and moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that may result in long-term disability. This rate of injury has produced over 3 million disabled citizens in the United States…