Faculty Bibliography

Twenty patients with progressive visual loss caused by intracranial meningiomas involving the anterior visual pathway were treated with irradiation alone (n = 4) or with irradiation combined with tumor excision (n = 16). Improvement in visual performance occurred in 13 patients; 2 patients experienced temporary improvement; and 5 others maintained stable visual function for up to 9.5 years (mean follow-up, 4.0 years). Radiotherapy seemed to have no effect in 2 patients. One patient experienced temporary improvement, but eventually died from spread of tumor. Only one definite complication of radiotherapy occurred and was related to excessive radiation dose (greater than 7,000 cGy). Irradiation in the range of 5,000 to 5,500 cGy was effective either alone or in combination with surgical excision. Serial assessment of visual acuity and fields allowed us to demonstrate and quantify improvement in our patients following radiotherapy; in contrast, follow-up computed tomographic studies rarely demonstrated reduced tumor size

The authors report their evaluation of 46 patients with complicated migraine. All had some visual dysfunction, 17 with cerebral infarcts. A relationship of the attacks of exercise and hormonal influence was found. The role of vasospasm and platelet aggregation is described in terms of therapeutic intervention with isoproterenol and aspirin