Correlation of diseased region and area with neglect and other neuropsychological dysfunctions in patients with cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported that frontal-temporal-parietal-occipital pathological changes and diseased range in the right cerebral hemisphere were closely correlated with neglect. But studies on the correlation of neglect with diseased region and area in patients who suffer from initial attack of single focus of cerebral infarction (CI) in left and right cerebral hemispheres are few. OBJECTIVE: To observe the status of neglect in patients who suffer from single focus of CI in cerebral hemisphere, and analyze the correlation of neglect with diseased region and area of CI. DESIGN: Case analysis. SETTING: Treatment Center for Cardiocerebrovascular Disease, Second Hospital of Xiamen city; Department of Neurology, First Hospital Affiliated to Baotou Medical College. PARTICIPANTS: All the CI patients hospitalized in the Department of Neurology, First Hospital Affiliated to Baotou Medical College from June 1998 to May 2001 were retrieved. Inclusive criteria: ① Patients who suffered from initial attack of CI, which was confirmed by skull CT or MRI within 24 hours after onset and presented single focus in cerebral hemisphere. ② be conscious and could cooperate in the examination. ③ did not receive formal education, but could do accounts and some simple writing and reading. ④Patients with homonymous hemianopia were excluded through the examination of perimeter. ⑤ Informed consents were obtained from all the patients. Among 67 patients who met the inclusive criteria, 33 suffered from CI in the left cerebral hemisphere and 34 in the right cerebral hemisphere. METHODS: ① Patients received neglect supplement examination and Chinese aphasia examination within 2.5 to 3 months after the attack of CI . The diagnostic criteria of neglect in the tests of line cancellation, line bisection and copying the figures were as follows: In the line cancellation test based on the method of Albert, patients who could not cancel one or more lines were regarded as abnormal. In the line bisection test based on the method of Peter, patients who left deviated 1.16% or right deviated 2.51% were regarded as abnormal. In the test of copying the figures, round-shape, square, cruciform and other shapes were asked to be copied, defect appeared in the figure was regarded as abnormal. The diagnostic criteria of aphasia were according to the diagnostic method of Chinese aphasia examination and type identification flow-sheet of aphasia. Infarct area was calculated based on Palisino formula: infarct area=π/6×the longest diameter of infarct area×the widest diameter of infarct area×the number of CT positive layer. ② Chi-square test was used for comparing the difference of measurement data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diseased region and area of CI and their correlations with neglect. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were involved in result analysis. ① The correlation of the occurrence of neglect with the diseased regions of CI: Neglect was not found in 33 patients with CI in left cerebral hemisphere, but was found in 7 of 34 patients with CI in right cerebral hemisphere. The diseased regions involved right temporoparietal region, temporal-parietal-occipital region, frontal-temporal-parietal region, frontal-temporal-parietal-occipital region, temporoparietal basal nucleus, basal nucleus and dorsal caudate putamen. ②The correlation of the occurrence of neglect with diseased area: infarct area ≤ 30 cm3 was found in 2 patients with neglect (12.5%), infarct area at 31 to 60 cm3 in 1 patient with neglect (14.3%),infarct area ≥ 61 cm3 in 4 patients with neglect (36.4%). There was no significant difference in infarct area among groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: ① Right cerebral hemisphere takes advantage in spatial attention. ② Neglect is more possibly caused by the combined pathological changes in temporal and parietal lobe. Temporal and parietal lobes may not cause neglect independently, but the occurrence of neglect is not directly correlated with infarct area.

Impact of Acupuncture Therapy in Postoperative Aortic Dissection Patients with Cerebral Infarction:A Case Study

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening disease that can produce a variety of symptoms and complications. Patients at high risk for mortality, such as individuals with aortic regurgitation, cardiac tamponade, or myocardial infarction, should be treated by surgery as soon as possible, especially in cases with acute ascending aortic dissections （Stanford type A）. However, patients with aortic dissection may suffer adverse outcomes that lead to mortality and morbidity, such as stoke, re-dissection, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Patients with surgically treated acute type A aortic dissection show an 18.2% likelihood of stroke in early morbidity.

Effect of Ligustrazine on Nitric Oxide Contents in CerebrospinalFluid and Plasma of Patients with Cerebral Infarction

Objective: To probe into the significance of Nitric Oxide (NO) in ischemic cerebral damage and effect of ligustrazine on it. Methods: The NO contents in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of 20 controls and 62 patients with arteriosclerotic thrombotic cerebral infarction (ligustrazine group and common treatment group) were determined with Griess method before and after treatment. Results:The NO content in CSF before treatment was higher in severe type, it was higher than that in moderate type, and than that in mild type,again higher than that in control group (all P < 0. 05) and was positively correlated with the size of infarction (P < 0. 01 ). There was no significant difference between the plasma NO content of patients and that of control group (P < 0. 05), but there was a trend that plasma NO content decreased as the patient's condition worsened. After treatment, the curative effect and plasma NO content of ligustrazine group were both markedly higher than those of common treatment group (P < 0. 05, 0. 05 ).There were no significant differences between CSF NO contents of the two groups, respectively, and that of control group (P > 0. 05,0. 05). Conclusion: Excessive NO produced in brain tissue and insufficient plasma NO participate the course of ischemic brain damage.Ligustrazine could increase the contents of plasma NO selectively.Original article on CJIM(Chin) 1998; 18(6). 342

Acupuncture method of“Huoxue Sanfeng,Shugan Jianpi ” for morning blood pressure in patients with cerebral infarction combined with essential hypertension: a randomized controlled trial

Objective To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture method of'Huoxue Sanfeng,Shugan Jianpi'(activating blood and eliminating wind,soothing liver and strengthening spleen)on morning blood pressure in patients with cerebral infarction combined with essential hypertension.Methods Sixty-eight patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,34 cases in each one.The patients in the

Disappearance of unaffected motor cortex activation by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in a patient with cerebral infarct

The ipsilateral motor pathway from the unaffected motor cortex to the affected extremity is one of the motor recovery mechanisms following stroke （Jang, 2011）. Because stroke patients who had shown recovery by this mechanism usually showed poorer motor function, compared with patients who showed recovery by other mechanisms, several researchers have considered this mechanism as a maladaptive plasticity （]ang, 2013）.