Tissue pressure gradients in spinal cord injury.

Using cotton wick catheters, local tissue pressure was measured in the dorsal white matter of the impacted feline spinal cord. Twenty gram and 30 gram weights dropped 20 cm did not produce statistically significant elevations in tissue pressure adjacent to and remote from the site of injury. Forty gram weights dropped 20 cm produced pressure gradients of less than 10 mmHg between areas near and remote from the injury and between parenchyma and cerebrospinal fluid.

Cyclic AMP and adenyl cyclase in brain tumors.

Some of the regulatory mechanisms of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) production in human brain tumors were investigated by assessing both cyclic AMP levels and adenyl cyclase activity. A large disparity was found between the levels of cyclic AMP of normal brain and brain-tumor tissue. Cyclic AMP levels were much lower in brain tumors (25.

[Method of combined surgical treatment of compression forms of lumbar osteochondrosis with alloprosthesis of damaged intervertebral disks].

A method of surgical treatment of compressive forms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar portion of the vertebral column is described, the said method being based on the employment of a prosthetic replacement of the intervertebral disks with a promptly hardening polyurethane SKU-PFL. Along with the decompression of nervous and vascular structures in the vertebral canal the introduced technique permits to correct the stato-dynamic incompetance of the spine. 62 patients were followed-up for up to 5 years.

Facial nevi associated with anomalous venous return and hydrocephalus.

The authors describe two children with anomalous intracranial venous return associated with bilateral facial nevi, macrocrania, and cephalic venous hypertension. Both children had functional absence of the jugular bulbs, forcing the intracranial venous effluent to exit through persistent emissary pathways. Both children had sustained intracranial hypertension, with one child developing symptomatic communicating hydrocephalus that responded satisfactorily to shunting.

Primary intracranial Burkitt's lymphoma in an infant.

A case of intracranial Burkitt's lymphoma is reported in a child whose symptoms began at 3 months of age with a definite histologic diagnosis established at 18 months. Serologic studies demonstrated high antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the patient and in four out of five members of the immediate family. The patient also demonstrated immunity to antigens derived from African Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines.

Spinal cord seeding from cerebellar astrocytomas.

Three juvenile patients with cerebellar astrocytomas which have seeded the spinal subarachnoid space are presented. Histologic verification of the similarity between the posterior fossa tumor and its spinal implant was obtained in two of the three patients. The cerebellar tumors in all cases have been benign (grade I),and the behavior, other than their seeding has also been indolent.

Compartmental analysis of compliance and outflow resistance of the cerebrospinal fluid system.

The distribution of compliance and outflow resistance between cerebral and spinal compartments was measured in anesthetized, ventilated cats by analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure response to changes in CSF volume. Cerebral and spinal compartments were isolated by inflating a balloon positioned epidurally at the level of C-6. The change of CSF volume per unit change in pressure (compliance) and change of CSF volume per unit of time (absorption) were evaluated by inserting pressure data from the experimental responses into a series of equations developed from a mathematical model.

Pial microcirculation in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Microsurgical and microscopic methods were employed in guinea pigs to expose, observe, and measure response characteristics of cerebral cortical pial microvessels and microcirculation to traumatic and nontraumatic experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage. Bleeding produced by vascular micropuncture was associated with a 44.3% arteriolar constriction.

Cerebellar haematomas caused by angiomas in children.

Spontaneous cerebellar haematomas in previously well children are most often caused by haemorrhage from small angiomas. Eight such cases in children 12 years of age or younger have been reported previously. Their clinical course was usually not as acute as the course most commonly seen in adults, and four of the children survived after evacuation of the haematoma.