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The aim of this paper is to report on our ample experience with the medial cord to musculocutaneous (MCMc) nerve transfer. The MCMc technique is a new type of neurotization which is able to reanimate the elbow flexion in multilevel avulsive injuries of the brachial plexus provided that at least the T1 root is intact. A series of 180 consecutive patients, divided into four classes according to the quality of hand function, is available for a long-term follow-up after brachial plexus surgery. The patients enrolled for the study have in common a brachial plexus palsy showing multiple cervical root avulsive injuries at two (C5-C6), three (C5-C6-C7) and four (C5-C6-C7-C8) levels. The reinnervation of the musculocutaneous nerve is obtained via an end-to-end transfer from two donor fascicles located in the medial cord. The selected fascicles are those directed principally to the flexor carpi radialis, ulnaris and, to a lesser degree, the flexor digitorum profundus. Under normal anatomic conditions, they are located in the medial cord, and their site corresponds to the inverted V-shaped bifurcation between the internal contribution of the median nerve and the ulnar nerve. The technique has no failure and no complications when the hand shows a normal wrist and finger flexion and a normal intrinsic function. In case of suboptimal conditions of the hand, the technique has proved technically more challenging, but still with 67 % satisfactory results. In the four-root avulsive injuries, however, this method shows its limitations and an alternative strategy should be preferred when possible. EMG analysis shows a reinnervation in both the biceps and the brachialis muscles, explaining the high quality of the observed results. Moreover, this technique theoretically offers the possibility of a 'second attempt' at a more distal level in case of failure of the first surgery. This procedure is quick, safe, extremely effective and easily feasible by an experienced plexus surgeon. The ideal candidate is a patient harbouring a C5-C6 avulsive injury of the upper brachial plexus with a normally functioning hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forty-nine patients with oculomotor nerve palsy due to intracranial aneurysm were examined. The reversal of third nerve palsy is related to modality of onset and surgical timing: 'early' surgery (within 14 days from the onset of oculomotor palsy) promises a better prognosis for ocular function; recovery starting within the first month will probably be complete. A full recovery is probably seen only with conduction block (neuroapraxia) or minor axonal changes (axonolysis). Clinical features of third nerve palsy due to intracranial aneurysms versus other causes of oculomotor palsy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a new prosthetic material (110 DTEX F 33 Propylene and Medical Polyester Torlen 165 DTEX) in the reconstruction of bone defects of the skull, even of large dimension, is described by the authors. The material has good biologic tolerance, is already pre-moulded, can be easily adapted to the exact size of the defect and offers remarkable aesthetic and functional results. EEG, X-ray, MRI and CT can be performed without artefact and interferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A retrospective evaluation of the prognostic value of different parameters available in patients affected by glial tumours and submitted to serial stereotactic biopsy is presented. The series investigated includes thirty-three untreated patients with proven brain gliomas submitted to stereotactic biopsy. All patients have been clinically and neuroradiologically monitored for three years. The factors investigated belong either to the preoperative data (clinical history and symptomatology, CT pattern and volume of the lesion) or to histological and biological data obtained after the stereotactic biopsy. The results suggest the need of a multimodal prognostic evaluation in glial tumours and particularly stressed is the accuracy of prognostic indications derived from cell kinetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between July 1983 and July 1986, 109 consecutive patients affected by brain tumors and selected for stereotactic biopsy underwent in vitro investigation of cell kinetics. The potential proliferative activity of these different neoplasms, evaluated as in vitro 3H-thymidine labeling index (LI), has been determined in 46 mature astrocytomas, 19 anaplasic astrocytomas, 25 glioblastomas, 5 cystic craniopharyngiomas, 6 metastatic tumors, 4 primary C.N.S. lymphomas, 3 pineal germinomas and one choroid plexus papilloma. The relevance of LI on prognosis has been evaluated in 35 patients affected by glial tumors with adequate follow-up longer than 2 years. This retrospective study allowed us to demonstrate the prognostic value of LI in mature astrocytoma and anaplasic, astrocytoma series. The feasibility of LI determination by in vitro procedure has been demonstrated also in non-neuroectodermal tumors. In craniopharyngioma the LI investigations allowed to demonstrate a peculiar topographic arrangement of cells in S phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Social Psychiatry (00377813) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We report our experience in the treatment of common peroneal nerve (CPN) palsy following knee dislocations: a twelve-year surgical series of 26 patients presenting with a traumatic injury of the lateral sciatic nerve and no spontaneous recovery is reviewed. From 1988 to 1991, we performed nerve surgery alone on 3 patients. Their results were highly disappointing and in none did we observe muscle recovery. Since 1991 nerve surgery was associated with a palliative procedure for 23 patients. Although at surgical exploration, severe nerve damage was found in 87% of these patients (thereby indicating the need for graft repair), the overall outcome was good, with a score of M3 on the BMRC scale in about 75% of the cases. These results suggest that the one-stage association of microsurgical nerve repair and tibialis posterior tendon transfer changed the destiny of these injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]