The authors present a case of lipoma of corpus callosum in a 25-years old patient. The results of... more The authors present a case of lipoma of corpus callosum in a 25-years old patient. The results of psychological testing, plain skull X-ray. EEG investigation, images of CT, MRI of the brain and right carotid angiography are presented. The patient refused surgical treatment. His neurological state after discharge from hospital was good.
A group of 41 patients were followed up 7 years after ligation of the common carotid artery. Post... more A group of 41 patients were followed up 7 years after ligation of the common carotid artery. Postoperative complications were found in 29% of cases. Raised arterial blood pressure was noted in 66% of cases, psychoneurological abnormalities in one-third of the group.
Neuropsychological deficits following closed head injury are responsible for a significant part o... more Neuropsychological deficits following closed head injury are responsible for a significant part of the post-traumatic syndrome. Nonetheless such deficits frequently elude standard neurological examination and head injured subjects are not recognised as suffering from any impairments, despite these having a significant effect on their ability to return to work. As a result, subjects are refused disability status, resulting in a large number of litigation appeals. The criteria for determining disability status after head injury are often inadequate, as they do not take into account the post-traumatic syndrome, and medical experts, if they are sensitive to these issues are left in a quandary as to how to justify their decisions before the courts. Equally, psychological assessment, where it is included, is frequently limited to the examination of intellectual functions and memory, which are not always grossly disturbed in these cases. It is recommended that neuropsychological assessments should form part of routine practice in the evaluation of outcome in closed head injury and the test instruments be of adequate sensitivity to measure the deficits occurring after head injury. However, it is necessary to bear in mind that these subjective symptoms, which in reality hamper subjects' ability to return to work, may be the result of disruption of fine cognitive functions, which are inaccessible to currently available test methods.
About 35% of subjects with head injury (HI) suffer from postconcussion syndrome (PCS). These dist... more About 35% of subjects with head injury (HI) suffer from postconcussion syndrome (PCS). These disturbances can be chronic or even permanent. Such patients are discharged from hospital without any apparent problems, but it is often the case that their families, and sometimes even they themselves, start to notice the emergence of new problems. They may exhibit affective changes, such as thinking that they are worthless, alone and without any future perspectives. When they are left without the help of specialists and/or family and friends, their problems gain even greater significance. PCS includes subjective physical complaints (i.e. headache, dizziness) and cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes. PCS influences all areas of the patient's life. Subjects who have sustained head injury often have problems with marital relationships, maintaining of independence, employment, leisure activities and other functions which are related to social adjustment. Various studies have attempted to predict the post-injury status of HI patients from information available, such as data on the severity of head injury, the duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and the results of neuropsychological assessment. This kind of prediction is important in planning of rehabilitation services and thus improving the kind of help available to survivors of HI. Early prediction of post-injury psychological status may also help the patient and his family in coping with the difficulties related to the trauma. We know a great deal about head injury and its consequences, but many questions still need to be answered. Among these are issues such as: the role of neurobehavioral data in the prediction of outcome for HI patients, the identification of variables determining the extent of PCS and the search for reliable factors which may influence future employment or school status. The assessment of patients for invalidity and other social security benefits also requires a more rational approach, based on the data available.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Mar 1, 1996
Abstract An investigation into the impact of caring for someone with Parkinson's disease is ... more Abstract An investigation into the impact of caring for someone with Parkinson's disease is described. Informal carers, in this case spouses, were found to have raised levels of psychological distress as indicated by a number of instruments. Levels of depression in ...
The authors present a case of lipoma of corpus callosum in a 25-years old patient. The results of... more The authors present a case of lipoma of corpus callosum in a 25-years old patient. The results of psychological testing, plain skull X-ray. EEG investigation, images of CT, MRI of the brain and right carotid angiography are presented. The patient refused surgical treatment. His neurological state after discharge from hospital was good.
A group of 41 patients were followed up 7 years after ligation of the common carotid artery. Post... more A group of 41 patients were followed up 7 years after ligation of the common carotid artery. Postoperative complications were found in 29% of cases. Raised arterial blood pressure was noted in 66% of cases, psychoneurological abnormalities in one-third of the group.
Neuropsychological deficits following closed head injury are responsible for a significant part o... more Neuropsychological deficits following closed head injury are responsible for a significant part of the post-traumatic syndrome. Nonetheless such deficits frequently elude standard neurological examination and head injured subjects are not recognised as suffering from any impairments, despite these having a significant effect on their ability to return to work. As a result, subjects are refused disability status, resulting in a large number of litigation appeals. The criteria for determining disability status after head injury are often inadequate, as they do not take into account the post-traumatic syndrome, and medical experts, if they are sensitive to these issues are left in a quandary as to how to justify their decisions before the courts. Equally, psychological assessment, where it is included, is frequently limited to the examination of intellectual functions and memory, which are not always grossly disturbed in these cases. It is recommended that neuropsychological assessments should form part of routine practice in the evaluation of outcome in closed head injury and the test instruments be of adequate sensitivity to measure the deficits occurring after head injury. However, it is necessary to bear in mind that these subjective symptoms, which in reality hamper subjects' ability to return to work, may be the result of disruption of fine cognitive functions, which are inaccessible to currently available test methods.
About 35% of subjects with head injury (HI) suffer from postconcussion syndrome (PCS). These dist... more About 35% of subjects with head injury (HI) suffer from postconcussion syndrome (PCS). These disturbances can be chronic or even permanent. Such patients are discharged from hospital without any apparent problems, but it is often the case that their families, and sometimes even they themselves, start to notice the emergence of new problems. They may exhibit affective changes, such as thinking that they are worthless, alone and without any future perspectives. When they are left without the help of specialists and/or family and friends, their problems gain even greater significance. PCS includes subjective physical complaints (i.e. headache, dizziness) and cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes. PCS influences all areas of the patient's life. Subjects who have sustained head injury often have problems with marital relationships, maintaining of independence, employment, leisure activities and other functions which are related to social adjustment. Various studies have attempted to predict the post-injury status of HI patients from information available, such as data on the severity of head injury, the duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) and the results of neuropsychological assessment. This kind of prediction is important in planning of rehabilitation services and thus improving the kind of help available to survivors of HI. Early prediction of post-injury psychological status may also help the patient and his family in coping with the difficulties related to the trauma. We know a great deal about head injury and its consequences, but many questions still need to be answered. Among these are issues such as: the role of neurobehavioral data in the prediction of outcome for HI patients, the identification of variables determining the extent of PCS and the search for reliable factors which may influence future employment or school status. The assessment of patients for invalidity and other social security benefits also requires a more rational approach, based on the data available.
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Mar 1, 1996
Abstract An investigation into the impact of caring for someone with Parkinson's disease is ... more Abstract An investigation into the impact of caring for someone with Parkinson's disease is described. Informal carers, in this case spouses, were found to have raised levels of psychological distress as indicated by a number of instruments. Levels of depression in ...
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Papers by Barbara Politynska