Febrile seizures - treatment and outcome

Assessment of treatment strategies in febrile seizures should be based on short- and long-term outcomes, with and without acute, intermittent, or chronic medical intervention, as well as short- and long-term side effects. Febrile seizures are a benign condition with a normal neurological, motor, intellectual, and cognitive long-term outcome and have a low risk of later epilepsy in most cases. Even many complex febrile seizures have a benign outcome. Prophylaxis may or may not reduce the recurrence rate, but does not appear to improve the long-term outcome as compared to acute treatment of seizures in progress. All agree that chronic prophylaxis with anti-epileptic agents is justified only in highly selected cases, if at all. Treatment with benzodiazepines during febrile episodes appears to effectively reduce the recurrence rate, provided adequate doses are given and compliance problems minimized. A selective approach to intermittent diazepam prophylaxis seems rational, as the recurrence risk and response to treatment are highly variable. An attractive alternative is acute treatment at seizure onset with rectal diazepam in solution given by the parents at home in order to prevent prolonged recurrent seizures. This regimen has the potential of moving the first line of anti-convulsant defence close to the child. It appears to be effective, inexpensive, feasible even for non-professionals, has few side effects and is well accepted by the parents. A reasonable policy would be to treat simple febrile seizures solely with acute rectal diazepam in solution and reserve intermittent diazepam prophylaxis for selected cases including those with multiple or prolonged recurrences, several risk factors for recurrent febrile seizures and other special situations.     

Voices of the Afflicted

Over the past 10 years, I have been privileged to conduct educational forums for audiences containing many recovering alcoholics or otherwise chemically dependent persons. In these forums about the addictive diseases and their treatment and research possibilities, significant interaction with the audience members occurs. During these interactions, certain anecdotal phenomena seem to predominate. The repetitive nature of these reports suggests the need for systematic investigation. As with editorial comments in major medical journals, observed phenomena and unanswered questions from those afflicted can be valuable in the generation of testable hypotheses. Perhaps the ideas presented herein will be useful in the development of future research on alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.     

Brain stem tuberculoma in adult patients: Diagnosis and treatment

A consecutive series of six adult patients ranging in age from 29 to 53 years is presented. The clinical and radiological features in each patient are described. Attention is drawn to the features demonstrated on computed axial tomography. In only one patient, the first encountered, was surgical excision undertaken and histological verification obtained. One patient died before any form of treatment could be instituted. The remaining four patients were treated with antituberculous chemotherapy alone and their progress monitored by sequential computed tomography. The excellent response and good outcome in this conservatively treated group are documented.     

肝移植术后脑病的发病因素及防治

目的探讨肝移植术后脑病的原因及防治措施。方法回顾性分析185例肝移植患者的临床资料,将术后出现脑病的患者作为观察组,与对照组进行比较,分析发生脑病的原因,并总结其防治经验。结果肝移植术后出现脑病39例,占21.1%。脑病的发生与患者的术前Ch ild分级、有无肝性脑病史、术中的出血量、术后ICU天数及术后是否出现早期肝功能不良等因素显著相关,而与免疫抑制剂的血药浓度无显著相关性。结论肝移植术后脑病的发生是多因素的,通过合理的治疗,其预后良好。     

脑脓肿的诊断及治疗

目的：进一步探讨脑脓肿发病情况，影像学表现，选择最佳治疗方法，提高治疗效果。方法：回顾分析１４７裂离脓肿的发病，病因，影像学表现，治疗方法及死亡率下降因素，结果：脑脓肿发病年龄较年青，血源性及隐源性脑脓肿发病率升高，ＣＴ结合ＭＲＩ可明确诊断，选择最佳手术方法。ＣＴ应用后死亡率由２３．８％下降到７．５％，结论：ＣＴ为脑脓肿最主要的诊断方法，ＣＴ定位下穿刺排脓可治愈大部分脑脓肿。     

原发性肝癌伴胆道癌栓的诊治

目的 探讨原发性肝癌伴胆道癌栓的临床特点、病理改变、诊治方法和改善预后的途径。方法 分析16例病例的一般资料、临床表现、影像学和病理检查。结果 无术后死亡，原发病灶未切除，仅做T管引流2例，术后生存时间为2．5～4．5个月，14例原发病灶切除者，术后生存1～4．5年。结论 原发性肝癌伴胆道癌栓患者，积极手术治疗和综合治疗是提高生活质量和改善预后的有效方法。     

原发性醛固酮增多症：附38例报告

1974～1991年10月经手术及病理证实的原发性醛固酮增多症共38例,年龄18～46岁,腺瘤17例,增生21例,其中结节性增生伴腺瘤8例,结合临床症状、血及尿中醛固酮测定、B超、CT检查多能作出正确诊断。外科手术是有效的治疗方法。手术应根据病理性质决定。腺瘤伴增生者应行肾上腺及腺瘤切除术。     

原发性肾紫癜诊治体会（附5例报告）

目的：探讨原发性肾紫癜的诊断和治疗。方法：总结1994～2001年收治经手术和病理证实的肾紫癜5例的临床资料，其中误诊肾盂肿瘤2例，肾结核1例，血尿查因疑肾紫癜2例。结果：5例均行肾脏切除，其中4例因短时内大量出血超过500ml而急诊行肾切除，包括疑肾紫癜还未用上激素治疗的2例。1例反复出血不能排除肿瘤而行肾切。结论：本病的术前诊断比较困难，应结合临床具体分析，尽可能早期用激素治疗以保存肾脏，只有在血尿严重，威胁生命或不排除恶性肿瘤时才考虑行肾切除。