Treatment of proximal aortic hypertension after thoracic aortic cross-clamping in dogs. Phlebotomy versus sodium nitroprusside/isoflurane. (33/123)

Thoracic aortic cross-clamping causes proximal aortic hypertension. Theoretically, the method used to treat hypertension can influence spinal cord perfusion pressure and neurologic outcome. Phlebotomy was compared to sodium nitroprusside/isoflurane in terms of ability to treat increased proximal mean aortic pressure (MAPp) after thoracic aortic cross-clamping in dogs. Dogs were assigned randomly to one of three groups depending on the method used to treat hypertension after cross clamping: 1) phlebotomy (n = 10); 2) sodium nitroprusside/isoflurane (n = 11); and 3) control (no treatment) (n = 8). In each dog, anesthesia was maintained with isoflurane in oxygen, 1.4% end-tidal. The thoracic aorta was occluded 2.5 cm distal to the left subclavian artery for 50 min and then was released. Hemodynamics, cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP), and regional blood flows by the radioactive microsphere technique, were measured at 1) baseline; 2) 2 min after aortic cross-clamping; 3) after treatment of proximal aortic hypertension; 4) 5 min after aortic unclamping; and 5) 30 min after resuscitation. At 24 h, a neurologic assessment was performed. Thoracic aortic cross-clamping increased MAPp, decreased distal MAP (MAPd), and reduced lumbar spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPPl), [SCPPl = MAPd - CSFP], in all three groups. Control of increased MAPp necessitated removal of 36 +/- 9 ml/kg of blood in the phlebotomy group. In the sodium nitroprusside/isoflurane group, sodium nitroprusside (16 micrograms.kg-1.min-1) was infused and end-tidal isoflurane concentration increased to 2.5 +/- 0.7%, restoring MAPp to baseline level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)  (+info)

Recording CSF pressure with a transducer-tipped wire in an animal model of Chiari I. (34/123)

In dogs, a wire with a pressure-sensitive transducer was inserted percutaneously into the subarachnoid space and manipulated under fluoroscopic monitoring in the posterior fossa or upper cervical spinal canal. Pressure recordings from the wire showed fluctuations in pressure corresponding to the cardiac cycle. When a balloon was distended in the foramen magnum, maximum and minimum pressures increased. Continuous monitoring of CSF pressure remote from the site of cannulation was feasible with a wire-based pressure transducer.  (+info)

The optic nerve: a new window into cerebrospinal fluid composition? (35/123)

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and composition are generally thought to be homogeneous within small limits throughout all CSF compartments. CSF sampled during lumbar puncture therefore should be representative for all CSF compartments. On the basis of clinical findings, histology and biochemical markers, we present for the first time strong evidence that the subarachnoid spaces (SAS) of the optic nerve (ON) can become separated from other CSF compartments in certain ON disorders, thus leading to an ON sheath compartment syndrome. This may result in an abnormal concentration gradient of CSF molecular markers determined in locally sampled CSF compared with CSF taken during lumbar puncture.  (+info)

Spinal fluid dynamics during thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery. (36/123)

AIM: The intention was to investigate cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) and volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drained during and after thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair. The findings were related to the occurrence of postoperative neurologic deficits. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (12 with thoracic and 17 with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm) were operated without shunting or extracorporeal circulation. For monitoring of CSFP an intrathecal catheter was placed in all patients. The volume of CSF withdrawn intraoperatively, on the day of operation as well as on the 1st and 2nd postoperative day was recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients had no postoperative neurologic sequelae. One patient had postoperative paraplegia while 2 had paraparesis. The three patients with neurologic sequelae had higher CSFP intraoperatively than those without neurologic symptoms (P=0.04). Median CSFP during aortic cross-clamping was 19 mmHg and 10 mmHg and the median volumes of CSF drained on the day of operation 210 and 85 mL in the two groups, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between CSFP and central venous pressure. CONCLUSIONS: A higher intraoperative CSFP was observed in patients with neurologic sequelae following thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair. Further, there was a tendency of higher volumes of CSF drained in this group of patients. Although, the series is too small to allow firm conclusions, it supports the view that CSFP monitoring and drainage is beneficial during thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.  (+info)

Effect of head position on cerebrospinal fluid pressure in cats: comparison with artificial model. (37/123)

AIM: To demonstrate that changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in the cranial cavity and spinal canal after head elevation from the horizontal level occur primarily due to the biophysical characteristics of the CSF system, ie, distensibility of the spinal dura. METHODS: Experiments in vivo were performed on cats and a new artificial model of the CSF system with dimensions similar to the CSF system in cats, consisting of non-distensible cranial and distensible spinal part. Measurements of the CSF pressure in the cranial and spinal spaces were performed in chloralose-anesthetized cats (n = 10) in the horizontal position on the base of a stereotaxic apparatus (reference zero point) and in the position in which the head was elevated to 5 cm and 10 cm above that horizontal position. Changes in the CSF pressure in the cranial and spinal part of the model were measured in the cranial part positioned in the same way as the head in cats (n = 5). RESULTS: When the cat was in the horizontal position, the values of the CSF pressure in the cranial (11.9 +/- 1.1 cm H2O) and spinal (11.8 +/- 0.6 cm H2O) space were not significantly different. When the head was elevated 5 cm or 10 cm above the reference zero point, the CSF pressure in the cranium significantly decreased to 7.7 +/- 0.6 cm H2O and 4.7 +/- 0.7 cm H2O, respectively, while the CSF pressure in the spinal space significantly increased to 13.8 +/- 0.7 cm H2O and 18.5 +/- 1.6 cm H2O, respectively (P<0.001 for both). When the artificial CSF model was positioned in the horizontal level and its cranial part elevated by 5 cm and 10 cm, the changes in the pressure were the same as those in the cats when in the same hydrostatic position. CONCLUSIONS: The new model of the CSF system used in our study faithfully mimicked the changes in the CSF pressure in cats during head elevation in relation to the body. Changes in the pressure in the model were not accompanied by the changes in fluid volume in the non-distensible cranial part of the model. Thus, it seems that the changes in the CSF pressure occur due to the biophysical characteristics of the CSF system rather than the displacement of the blood and CSF volumes from the cranium to the lower part of body.  (+info)

Intracranial hypotension syndrome following chiropractic manipulation of the cervical spine. (38/123)

Cervical spine manipulation has been associated with several disorders such as cervical arteries dissection, but rarely has a relationship with intracranial hypotension been reported. We describe a patient showing intracranial hypotension syndrome following chiropractic cervical spine treatment. Magnetic resonance showed the presence of dural leakage at cervical level, suggesting the pathogenesis of the syndrome. We state that cervical spine manipulation should be considered a treatment with risk of neurological complications, including the occurrence of intracranial hypotension.  (+info)

CSF monoamine metabolites, cholinesterases and lactate in the adult hydrocephalus syndrome (normal pressure hydrocephalus) related to CSF hydrodynamic parameters. (39/123)

Monoamine metabolites, cholinesterases and lactic acid in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were investigated on patients with the adult hydrocephalus syndrome (idiopathic normal pressure syndrome; AHS, n = 15), Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 14), multi-infarct dementia (MID, n = 13) and controls (n = 21). Patients had clinical and CSF hydrodynamic investigations. Monoamine concentrations were determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography, cholinesterases and lactate were determined photometrically. In the AHS patients, CSF monoamine concentrations were not significantly different compared with controls, AD or MID patients. AHS and AD patients showed a similar reduction of CSF acetylcholinesterase activity compared with controls. Positive correlations were found in concentrations of CSF homovanillic acid, CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and CSF lactic acid versus CSF outflow conductance (that is, resistance against CSF outflow) in the AHS patients. A similar pattern was observed in a subgroup of MID patients characterised by dilated ventricles and disturbed CSF hydrodynamics. These data suggest that a low CSF outflow conductance may facilitate the clearance of acidic substances from the arachnoid space at the probenecid sensitive active transport site. Alternative explanations would be that a pathologically low CSF outflow conductance is accompanied by an inverse caudorostral flow of CSF or a compromised trans-ependymal diffusion.  (+info)

Degenerative myelopathy and vitamin A deficiency in a young black-maned lion (Panthera leo). (40/123)

Degenerative myelopathy and vitamin A deficiency were diagnosed in a 1-year-old, female, black-maned lion (Panthera leo). Diffuse white matter degeneration characterized by dilated myelin sheaths, Wallerian degeneration, and reactive astrocytosis was present at all levels of the spinal cord. With luxol fast blue-resyl echt violet stain, bilaterally symmetrical demyelination was observed in the fasciculus cuneatus of the cervical spinal cord and in peripheral white matter of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar segments. Additionally, the ventral gray columns and brain stem nuclei contained rare chromatolytic neurons with abnormal neurofilament accumulation. Leptomeninges of the cervical spinal cord were focally adhered to the dura and thickened by fibrosis and osseous metaplasia. Vitamin A deficiency was diagnosed based on hepatic vitamin A concentration of 1.71 microg/g dry weight. Adequate hepatic vitamin A concentration for yearling to adult domestic animals ranges between 150 and 1000 microg/g dry weight. Lesions were distinct from those previously described in young captive lions with vitamin A deficiency, which had thickened skull bones and cerebellar herniation. The pathogenesis of vitamin A-associated myelopathy in this lion may be similar to that described in adult cattle, which is believed to result from spinal cord compression secondary to elevated pressure of cerebrospinal fluid.  (+info)