Neurotraumatology: Progress and Perspectives

A multidisciplinary overview of techniques for monitoring acute head trauma patients is given in this book. It includes neuroimaging procedures (TCD, MRI, SPECT) and multiple neurophysiological approaches: EEG, videomonitoring and integrated computer systems with clinical applications. Results that have been obtained by using new drugs to protect the brain as well as progress made in recovering techniques are emphasized. The long-term consequences of acute lesions are also discussed. The relationship between acute and long-term seizures is studied in posttraumatic epilepsy cases, and the relationship between neurophysiological and long-term clinical patterns, especially in posttraumatic epilepsy, is discussed. The socio-economic costs of traffic accidents are analysed - based on data from epidemiological studies - and then compared with reported data.

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Evaluation of Intracranial Pressure Gradients by Means of Transcranial Doppler Sonography.- Monitoring of Severe Head-Injured Patients with Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasonography.- Comparative Study of Magnetic Resonance and CT Scan Imaging in Cases of Severe Head Injury.- HM-PAO Spect in Head Trauma.- Early Post-Traumatic Cerebral Blood Flow Mapping: Correlation with Structural Damage After Focal Injury.- The Role of Computer Based Techniques in Patient Monitoring: Technical Note.- Significance of Endocrine Studies in the General Assessment and Prediction of Fatal Outcome in Head Injury.- Blunt Basal Head Trauma: Aspects of Unconsciousness.- Primary Traumatic Benign Midbrain Haematoma in Hyperextension Injuries of the Head.- The Prognostic Value of Some Clinical and Diagnostic Factors in Traumatic Intracranial Haematoma.- Coexisting Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) and Outcome of Severe Head Injury.- Brain Oedema and Intracranial Hypertension Treatment by GLIAS.- Sedatives and Antagonists in the Management of Severely Head Injured Patients.- Indomethacin (Confortid®) in Severe Head Injury and Elevated Intracranial Pressure (ICP).- Prevention of Post-Traumatic Excitotoxic Brain Damage with NMDA Antagonist Drugs. A New Strategy for the Nineties.- Posttraumatic Epilepsy in Civilians: Clinical and Electroencephalografic Studies.- Risk Factors for Late Posttraumatic Epilepsy.- Mental Deterioration at Epilepsy Onset: A Hypothesis.- Rehabilitation After Severe Head Injury.- Social-Economic Impact of Head Injury.