Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were measured in a rat spinal cord weight-drop injury model. After sacrifice, the spinal cords were fixed in situ and excised for MR imaging and ADC measurement. Diffusion is anisotropic in normal gray and white matter. There were significant decreases in ADCs measured along the longitudinal axis of the injured cord and increases in ADCs measured transverse to the cord. Injured segments demonstrated reductions in diffusion anisotropy in the white matter. Diffusion was completely isotropic at the epicenter of the weight-drop injury. Significant decreases in longitudinal ADC and increases in transverse ADC were observed in portions of the cord which appeared normal on conventional spin-echo and calculated T2 images. Thus ADC measurement may complement routine imaging for evaluation of spinal cord injury.

The present studies investigated the expression of the two

In this large Phase II study of 192 patients with GBM treated with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (125)I-mAb 425 radioimmunotherapy, survival was 15.7 months, and treatment was safe and well tolerated.

No abstract

✓ Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are relatively common following spinal surgery. A midline dural tear in the spine is readily repaired by direct application of sutures; however, far-lateral or ventral dural tears are problematic. Fat is an ideal sealant because it is impermeable to water. In this paper the author reports his experience with using fat grafts for the prevention or repair of CSF leaks and proposes a technique in which a large sheet of fat, harvested from the patient's subcutaneous layer, is used to cover not only the dural tear(s) but all of the exposed dura and is tucked into the lateral recess. This procedure prevents CSF from seeping around the fat, which may be tacked to the dura with a few sutures. Fibrin glue is spread on the surface of the fat and is further covered with Surgicel or Gelfoam. For ventral dural tears (associated with procedures in which disc material is excised), fat is packed into the disc space to seal off the ventral dural leak. Dural suture lines following spinal intradural exploration are prophylatically protected from CSF leakage in the same manner. With one exception, 27 dural tears noted during 1650 spinal procedures were successfully repaired using this technique. There was one case of postoperative CSF leakage in 140 cases in which intradural exploration for tumor or other lesions was undertaken. Both postoperative CSF leaks were controlled by applying additional skin sutures. The use of a fat graft is recommended as a rapid, effective means of prevention and repair of CSF leaks following spinal surgery.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are relatively common following spinal or posterior fossa surgery. A midline dural tear in the spine is readily repaired by direct application of a suture. However, far-lateral or ventral dural tears are problematic. Fat is an ideal sealant because it is impermeable to water. In this paper the author reports his experience with using fat grafts for the prevention or repair of CSF leaks and proposes a technique in which a large sheet of fat, harvested from the patient's subcutaneous layer, is used to cover not only the dural tear(s) but all of the exposed dura and is tucked into the lateral recess. This procedure prevents CSF from seeping around the fat, which may be tacked to the dura with a few sutures. Fibrin glue is spread on the surface of the fat and is further covered with Surgicel or Gelfoam. For ventral dural tears (associated with procedures in which disc material is excised), fat is packed into the disc space to seal off the ventra1 dural leak. Leaks in the posterior fossa are managed similarly to those in the spine. Dural suture lines, following suboccipital or spinal intradural exploration, are prophylatically protected from CSF leakage in the same manner. With one exception, 27 dural tears noted during 1650 spinal procedures were successfully repaired using this technique. There was one case of postoperative CSF leakage in 150 cases in which intradural exploration for tumor or other lesions was undertaken. Both postoperative CSF leaks were controlled by applying additional skin sutures. The use of a fat graft is recommended as a rapid, effective means of prevention and repair of CSF leaks following posterior fossa and spinal surgery.

No abstract

We have developed an implanted radiofrequency coil to obtain high resolution in vivo MR images at 1.9 Tesla of rat spinal cords that have been injured using a standardized weight drop technique. The signal-to-noise ratio and motion artifact suppression of these images is superior to that achieved in earlier attempts at this field strength using an external surface coil. The high quality and spatial resolution provided by this technique afford the possibility for longitudinal studies of experimental spinal cord injury before and after treatment, as well as detailed correlation of in vivo MRI contrast, histopathological findings, and functional deficit, in a controlled setting.