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עמוד בית
Sun, 22.12.24

November 2006


Medicine and the media
U. Benziman
A value system that espouses the right of an individual to guard his privacy has moral, theoretical and practical validity, while equal weight must be given, morally, conceptually and socially, to a concept that extols freedom of expression and the public's right to know. The built-in contradiction between these two schools of thought is expressed, inter alia, in the inter-relationship between the media and the medical community when the health of a national leader ceases to be his private affair and becomes the legitimate concern of the public. In Israel, no set rules exist regarding how such situations are reported. This article aims to suggest such a procedure.
Cerebrovascular events: diagnostic aspects
Treatment of ischemic strokes
Y. Schwammenthal, R. Tsabari, M. Bakon, D. Orion, O. Merzeliak and D. Tanne
 Background: Rapid restoration of cerebral blood flow is the principle goal of acute ischemic stroke therapy. Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is an effective therapy for acute ischemic stroke, has been available in the United States for over a decade and was approved for use in Israel at the end of 2004.

Objectives: To assess the implementation of intravenous rt-PA[1] in routine clinical care at our center after its formal approval in Israel, and the therapeutic and logistic implications for reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke in Israel.

Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke, admitted between January 2005 and June 2006, who were treated with intravenous rt-PA or endovascular-based reperfusion were reviewed. Implementation, timing, safety and clinical outcomes were assessed.

Results: Forty-six patients received reperfusion therapy (37 with intravenous rt-PA and 9 with endovascular-based therapy), corresponding to 4.0% of ischemic stroke patients in 2005 and a projection of 6.2% in 2006. Mean age of intravenously treated patients was 67 years (range 22–85 years), median baseline NIHSS score was 14 (range 10–18, 25–75%) and the median ‘onset to drug time’ was 150 minutes (range 120–178, 25–75%). Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and orolingual angioedema each occurred in one patient (2.7%). Significant clinical improvement occurred in 54% of treated patients and 38% of patients were independent at hospital discharge.

Conclusions: Use of reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke has increased in our center after the formal approval of rt-PA therapy to over 5%, with ‘onset to drug time’, safety and outcome after intravenous rt-PA treatment comparing favorably with worldwide experience. A prerequisite for the implementation of effective reperfusion therapy and expansion of the proportion of patients treated nationwide is the establishment of a comprehensive infrastructure.


 





[1] rt-PA = recombinant tissue plasminogen activator


R.R. Leker, R. Eichel, G. Rafaeli and T. Ben-Hur
 Acute ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and chronic disability in the western world. Yet, despite the enormous socioeconomic burden that it imposes, therapies to combat AIS are not widely available. Moreover, revascularization of the ischemic tissue with tissue plasminogen activator, the only FDA-approved therapy for AIS[1], is hampered by a very narrow therapeutic time window and is only used in a minority of patients. Cerebral ischemia leads to brain damage caused by several pathologic mechanisms that can potentially be blocked by neuroprotective drugs that aim to salvage the ischemic penumbra. However, despite numerous clinical trials no single drug candidate has proved efficacious in AIS. The current situation clearly calls for novel therapeutic strategies to be used in acute ischemic stroke. This review surveys some of these novel and promising cutting edge therapies.







[1] AIS = acute ischemic stroke


Patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke
R. Hirsch and J.Y. Streifler
 Congenital heart disease is usually regarded as an esoteric field of medicine, dealt with primarily by dedicated specialists. However, over the last two decades a much broader attention has been given by the medical profession, the media and the general public, to the possible association between a minor and common congenital heart defect, namely a patent foramen ovale, and stroke. In recent months, unusual and unfortunate circumstances have made this topic one of the most fiercely debated medical issues in Israel. It is the belief of the authors of this paper that the association of PFO[1] and stroke can be better understood if the PFO is viewed as part of a broader aspect of congenital heart disease, and as such it will be presented. Paradoxical embolism is a mechanism of stroke unique to congenital heart disease. The direction and volume of shunted blood in various conditions have a central role in determining the risk of stroke, as will be explained. With this basic knowledge in mind, we shall critically assess the potential role of PFO in stroke patients, suggesting that each case be evaluated individually using the above-mentioned principles. Conditions that enhance the formation of clot or other embolic material will be discussed briefly. The review will conclude with the various treatment options and our center's own experience with this challenging topic.







[1] PFO = patent foramen ovale


Intracerebral hemorrhage
D. Soffer
 Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is characterized by deposition of amyloid in the walls of leptomeninged and cerebral blood vessels. Its most common form, sporadic CAA[1] that results from deposition of β-amyloid peptide, which is the subject of this short review, is present in virtually all cases of Alzheimer diseases and is also common among non-demented subjects where its prevalence increases with age. Stroke due to massive cerebral lobar hemorrhage is the main clinical presentation of CAA, but transient neurologic symptoms due to microhemorrhages may also occur. CAA is also a risk factor for cerebral infarction and there is increasing evidence that CAA contributes to cognitive impairment in the elderly, usually in association with white matter abnormalities on imaging. Although the definitive diagnosis of CAA is neuropathologic, reliable diagnosis can be reached clinically, based on the occurrence of strictly lobar hemorrhages, particularly in the cortico-subcortical area when using gradient-echo or T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Experimental studies have shown that the origin of the vascular amyloid is neuronal, and age-related degenerative changes in the vessel walls prevent its clearance from the brain along perivascular spaces and promote Aβ[2] aggregation and CAA formation. The entrapped Aβ aggregetes are toxic to various vascular wall components, including smooth muscle cells, pericytes and endothelial cells, leading to their eventual destruction and predisposition of the vessel wall to rupture and hemorrhage. However, more research is necessary to decipher the mechanism of CAA formation and its relation to cognitive decline in the elderly.







[1] CAA = cerebral amyloid angiopathy

[2] Aβ = β-amyloid peptide


R. Segal, A. Furmanov and F. Umansky
 Background: The recent occurrence of a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in Israel’s Prime Minister placed the scrutiny of local and international media on neurosurgeons as they made therapeutic decisions. In the ensuing public debate, it was suggested that extraordinary measures (surgical treatment) were undertaken only because of the celebrity of the patient.

Objectives: To evaluate the criteria used to select surgical versus medical management for SICH.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the files of 149 consecutive patients admitted with SICH[1] from January 2004 through January 2006 to our medical center. Their mean age was 66 (range 3–92 years), and 62% were male. SICH localization was lobar in 50% of patients, thalamus in 23%, basal ganglia in 15%, cerebellum in 13%, intraventricular in 6%, and pontine in 1%. Mean admission Glasgow Coma Score was 9 (range 3–15). Risk factors included hypertension in (74%), diabetes mellitus (34%), smoking (14%) and amyloid angiopathy (4%). Fifty percent of patients were on anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy, including enoxaparin (3%), warfarin (7%), warfarin and aspirin (9%), or aspirin alone (34%).      

Results: Craniotomy was performed in 30% of patients, and ventriculostomy alone in 3%. Rebleed occurred in 9% of patients. Six months after the treatment 36% of operated patients were independent, 42% dependent, and 13% had died. At 6 months, 37% of non-operated patients were independent, 15% dependent, and 47% had died.

Conclusions: One-third of the SICH patients, notably those who were experiencing ongoing neurologic deterioration and had accessible hemorrhage, underwent craniotomy. The results are good, considering the inherent mortality and morbidity of SICH.


 





[1] SICH = spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage


Vegetative state
B-Z. Krimchansky, T. Galperin and Z. Groswasser
 This review briefly describes the clinical nature of the vegetative state, the commonly used clinical tests, the pathophysiology of the brain damage that is at the basis of the clinical picture, the customary pharmacological treatment of VS[1], the medical complications that are characteristic of this group of patients and the life expectancy of patients in a vegetative state.







[1] VS = vegetative state


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