Assistant Treatment on Craniocerebral Injury

Craniocerebral Injury is a common trauma, the incidence rate is only lower than Extremity Trauma, that is, 2nd position in the world. But the disease condition is complex, case mortality is high for severe patients. Sequela of dementia, blindness, hemiplegia, aphasia is often found in patients with craniocerebral injury. More patients is with chief complaints, which is called brain damage sequela. The treatment of craniocerebral injury is very hard and important.
According to clinical situation, it is of 3 class as follows:
(1) light: simple concussion of brain without fracture of skull. Coma last no longer than half hour, accompanied with light headache and dizziness. Examine nervous system and show negative, lumbar puncture cerebrospinal fluid and result in normal condition.
(2) Medium: light brain contusion with limited fracture of skull or without fracture, accompanied with subarachnoid space hemorrhage. Coma last 12h, with light nervous system sign. Body temperature, pulse, blood pressure and health change lightly.
(3) Severe: wide fracture of skull, wide brain contusion or brain stem injury or acute intracranial hematoma. Deep coma or coma for 12h or recoma with obvious nervous system sign, such as paralysis, decorticate rigidity etc, body temperature, pulse, blood pressure and health change obviously.
The treatment on the light one is clinotherapy. For medium one, except necessary treatment, disease condition change should be observed. And for severe one, operation must be carried out. During observation, medium and severe one may be changed each other, so active and effective treatment should be conducted.
Craniocerebral injury is of primary injury (concussion of brain, brain damage, cerebral laceration). And also there is secondary pathological changes (intracranial hematoma and hemorrhage, cerebral edema, skull and intracranial infection, cephalocele, cerebrospinal rhinorrhea, artery and vein fistula, hydrocephalus etc). These are developed on the basis of primary injury, secondary pathological changes is of great harm, it is danger without active prevention and treatment.
Craniocerebral injury is classified of closure and opening according to if cavity of skull connect outside due to trauma. So if blood and cerebrospinal rhinorrhea or Otorrhea accompany basilar fracture, which indicate cavity of skull connect outside through nasal cavity or otitis, so it is opening injury called internal opening brain injury. Opening brain injury is often found in igniter injury. It is infected by abnormal articles, so measurement should be done for union and anti-infection.
Closure craniocerebral injury: concussion of brain, cerebral laceration and brainstem etc.
Treatment on craniocerebral injury include: hematoma clearance by operation, decompression, debridement, dehydration treatment, hypothermia, nerve protector and nerve nutrient, anti-infection, nutrition support, physical rehabilitation and anti- epilepsy, skull repair etc.
Changes caused by brain injury of ischemic brain tissue, anoxia, form anti-lipoperoxidation, hemorrheological properties, high blood viscosity etc. which is very important in aggravate secondary brain injury. anti-lipoperoxidation caused by laser irradiation blood will increase SOD in brain tissue and blood, decrease Propylene Glycol and blood viscosity, improve vascular spasm and blood circulation, enhance blood flow in brain and red blood deformability, and also it can improve nerve regeneration, cell composition, cell repair and wound healing, so it is a good assistant treatment on craniocerebral injury.
In 2003, Dou Zu-lin wrote an article“Influence of Two Laser blood Irradiation on Patient with craniocerebral injury”, in which compare influence of semiconductor laser nasal irradiation and He-Ne Laser Intravascular Irradiation on cerebral infarction and brain damage. 96 cases patients with brain damage is divided randomly into two groups: Semiconductor laser nasal cavity irradiation group (Group A , n=50) and He-Ne laser intravascular irradiation group (group B, n=46), observe changes in blood fat, hemorrheological properties and CT recheck, Barthel index before and after treatment. Result show that CHOL, TG, LDL, ESR, HCT decrease obviously in Group A and Group B( P<0.01), HDL rise (P<0.01), but no significance between the two groups (P>0.05). Patients of Group A and Group B is rechecked by CT, and show most patients brain damage part reduce or disappear, surrounding edema lesson.
Compared of Upper and lower limb by Fugl-Meyer score of before and after treatment, 1st course P<0.05, 2nd course P<0.01.
Fugl-Meyer score for two groups of daily moving ability of different phase, compare before and after treatment, both found obvious change P<0.01, which indicate that nasal irradiation is a suitable treatment method for cerebral infarction, cerebral trauma after operation and vascular dementia, it is an effective assistant treatment to promote rehabilitation of brain function. These prove that good therapeutic effects has been obtained in two groups patients with craniocerebral injury (60 cases patients include 18 cases accompanying vascular dementia, 36 cases cerebral trauma after operation and 10 cases with cognitive disorders). Therapeutic effect difference has no obvious significance. But semiconductor laser irradiation is of no wound and pain, the operation is simple with high safety, so it is easily acceptable to patients, it is a good method for patient with craniocerebral injury to choose.
In 2003, Zhang Jian-hong observe influence of hemorrheological properties and anti-oxidation by low power laser intravascular irradiation on severe craniocerebral injury. The result show that blood viscosity increase, serum SOD activity decrease and MDA content increase. Compared with common treatment, after treatment, blood plasma change more obviously in Laser Group (P<0.05), serum SOD activity increase (P<0.05), MDA content reduce obviously (P<0.05), which prove that low power laser irradiation blood can improve hemorrheological properties in patients suffered from with severe Craniocerebral Injury, enhance anti-oxidant ability and reduce damage of free radical.
In 2002, Huang Peng report Low Power Laser Irradiation in treatment on 74 patients with severe Craniocerebral Injury (Include 40 cases in laser group, 34 cases in control group). The result show there is no significance of case mortality in two groups (P>0.05), that is, it can not reduce case mortality, but significant in severe and middle status (P<0.05), which show it can enhance living quality.
In 2003, Xiao xue-chang report treatment value of semiconductor laser nasal cavity irradiation on PVS. The author conduct laser nasal irradiation on 1 patient persistently in 260d coma due to severe craniocerebral injury. The laser wavelength is 650nm with power of 4mW, irradiate 1~2 times every day with 60 Min every time, observe improvement of blood perfusion and consciousness in focus area before and after treatment. The result indicate that SPECT show before laser treatment, severe damage of blood supply and brain cell function in right frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe cortical, thalamus and basal ganglia. Reexamine after semiconductor laser nasal irradiation for 50d, the blood supply in the above-mentioned area recover, the patient become from coma to consciousness when it is 380d, GCS score enhance from 7 to 12, so it is thought that laser nasal cavity irradiation can improve blood perfusion, activate brain cell function to do some good on waking of patient with PVS.