Steroids and Brain Edema : Proceedings of an International Workshop, Held in Mainz, W. Germany, June 19 to 21, 1972

The control of brain edema is still one of the major problems in surgical and conservative treatment of various cerebral lesions. Many attempts have been made to develop methods for reducing the high mortality associated with brain edema. Mter many years of using hypertonic solutions it can be stated that this type of therapy has not yielded satisfactory results. During recent years increasing evidence has been accumulated on the efficacy of steroids on brain edema. Steroids were reported to result in rapid relief of signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and neurological dysfunction accompanying cerebral edema. It was the aim of this workshop to evaluate the effect of corticosteroids on brain edema as an advance in therapy. It was hoped that this could be achieved by a multi­ disciplinary approach. Though, the volume contains the contributions of various experts - internists, neurochemists, neurologists, neuropathologists, neurosurgeons, pharmacologists, physiologists - who have added considerable experimental and clin­ ical evidence on the action of steroids on brain edema. New pathophysiological aspects regarding the mechanisms underlying the formation and resolution of brain The effectiveness of corticosteroid therapy in various forms edema are presented. of clinical and experimental brain edema, e. g. accompanying brain tumors, head injury, spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular lesions, etc. as well as dosage and duration of treatment are critically discussed. Front Matter....Pages I-XII Pathophysiological Aspects of Brain Edema....Pages 1-8 Functional Aspects of Abnormal Protein Passage Across the Blood-Brain Barrier....Pages 9-17 The Effects of Hypertonic Urea on the Blood-Brain Barrier and on the Glucose Transport in the Brain....Pages 19-27 Molecular Aspects of Membrane Structure in Cerebral Edema....Pages 29-39 Some Aspects of the Pharmacology of Adrenal Steroids and the Central Nervous System....Pages 41-55 Effects of Steroids on Cold Injury Edema....Pages 57-63 The Effects of Glucosteroids upon Experimental Brain Edema....Pages 65-76 The Influence of Dexamethasone on Water Content, Electrolytes, Blood-Brain Barrier and Glucose Metabolism in Cold Injury Edema....Pages 77-85 Multiple Therapeutic Approaches in the Treatment of Brain Edema Induced by a Standard Cold Lesion....Pages 87-94 Steroid-Induced Inhibition of Growth in Glial Tumors: a Kinetic Analysis....Pages 95-100 Effects of Steroids on Edema Associated with Injury of the Spinal Cord....Pages 101-112 Effect of Dexamethasone on Triethyl Tin Induced Brain Edema and the Early Edema in Cerebral Ischemia....Pages 113-121 Effects of Ischemia on Water and Electrolyte Content of Cerebral Tissues....Pages 123-125 Effect of Dexamethasone on the Early Edema Following Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery in Cats....Pages 127-137 Physiology and Pathophysiology of Protein Permeability in the Central Nervous System....Pages 139-146 Studies on the Mechanisms of Action of Steroids in Traumatized Brain....Pages 147-151 Evidence Regarding the Action of Steroids in Injured Spinal Cord....Pages 153-155 The Role of Necrosis and Inflammation in the Response of Cerebral Edema to Steroids....Pages 157-166 Effect of Antioxidants on Experimental Cold-Induced Cerebral Edema....Pages 167-175 Steroids and the Blood-Brain Barrier with Special Reference to Astrocytic Cells....Pages 177-182 Adrenal Cortical Response to Neurosurgical Problems, Noting the Effects of Exogenous Steroids....Pages 183-193 Physiological and Biochemical Findings in the Central Nervous System of Adrenalectomized Rats and Mice....Pages 195-202 The Effect of Aldosterone and an Aldosterone-Antagonist on the Metabolism of Perifocal Brain Edema in Man....Pages 203-210 The Effects of Steroids on Brain Edema in Man....Pages 211-217 The Clinical Effects of a Synthetic Gluco-Corticoid used for Brain Edema in the Practice of Neurosurgery....Pages 219-232 Clinical Experiences with Steroids in Neurosurgical Patients....Pages 233-238 The Effect of Dexamethasone on Water and Electrolyte Content and on rCBF in Perifocal Brain Edema in Man....Pages 239-252 Clinical Studies on the Effect of Corticosteroids on the Ventricular Fluid Pressure....Pages 253-258 Double Blind Study of the Effects of Dexamethasone on Acute Stroke....Pages 259-266 Back Matter....Pages 267-306