Vascular Disorders of Peripheral Nerves

Ischaemic Lesions of Peripheral Nerves: A Review

“…Occasionally when haemorrhage beneath 84 ISCHAEMIC LESIONS OF PERIPHERAL NERVES the deep fascia occurs in a limb, there may be serious interference with the circulation and ischaemic lesions of the peripheral nerves may result; this was the sequence of events in the case reported by Lord (1926) and in the two cases observed by Seddon and quoted by Parkes (1945). Fetterman and Spitler (1940) describe an ischaemic lesion of the sciatic nerve as the result of an accidental injection of bismuth into the inferior gluteal artery which was thought to have produced multiple emboli in the vasa nervorum. They also stress the role of vascular lesions in the pathogenesis of syphilitic neuritis and attribute to vascular changes in the nerves the pains and paraesthesiae which are experienced in the limbs by patients with polycythaemia vera.…”

“…Under this heading, Woltman (1938) discusses tourniquet paralysis, Volkmann's ischaemic neuritis, neuritis associated with infarction of larger vessels, arteriosclerotic and senile polyneuritis, and neuritis associated with periarteritis nodosa. Fetterman and Spitler (1940) refer to trauma, embolism, arteriosclerosis, thromboangiitis obliterans, syphilis, periarteritis nodosa, and polycythaemia vera as causes of vascular disorders of the peripheral nerves.…”

Vascular Diseases

“…Fetterman and Spitler 70 cited clinical examples of neuropathy due to defective blood supply to nerves. They expressed the opinion that involvement of the main arterial trunk to a nerve or simultaneous lesions in smaller branches (vasa nervorum) were responsible for such ischemie changes in the nerve.…”

“…In the entire series, 70 patients were thought to be benefited. In all, about 1,500 treatments were given.…”

Anticonvulsants. A study of some alpha, alpha‐disubstituted malondiamides

“…A study of the literature shows that many of the drugs in present-day use have an undesirable sedative action, while there are others which possess little or no sedative action but do cause other undesirable side effects, such as skin rashes, photophobia, exaggeration of personality defects, liver damage, and agranulocytosis (G- 11). This would indicate that there remains a need for better anticonvulsants and that further investigation of possible anticonvulsants should be camed on.…”