This volume contains the papers presented at the 24th Annual Meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Neurochirurgie, held in Mainz, Western Germany, on April 30 - May 3, 1973. Deliberate choice was made of two crucial still hotly debated subjects which, for ages, have meant a source of constant worry, and nights without sleep to every neurosurgeon. Just as long as our special field exists, there have been the problems of how to control brain edema and ·of how to reduce lethality and the secondary lesions in surgery of cerebello-pontine angle tumors. Concerning the first subject, new pathological, pathophysiological and chemical aspects, the mechanisms of brain edema formation and resolution are presented in the hope for better understanding. Furthermore, the relationship between brain edema, intracranial pressure, cerebral blood flow and metabolism are discussed. Finally, the therapeutical consequences as well as the results of experimental and clinical work are presented, and a comparison of effects between different methods (hypertonic solutions, diuretics, steroids, controlled hyperventilation, hyperbaric oxygen) is given. Concerning the second main subject, any important contributions to the early diagnosis of cerebello-pontine angle tumors have been included. Nevertheless, it is of utmost interest for the neurosurgeon to know which approach he is to prefer for the different stages of tumor size and to be familiar with the trans labyrinthine approach or the posterior craniotomy, as well as with the importance of the use of the microscope in neurosurgery, the preservation of the facial nerve and, in certain cases, its repair.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

A cumulative list of works represented by Library of Congress printed cards.

This book contains the papers delivered at the Symposium on "Medical Treatment of Brain Ede ma" at the Seventh International Congress ofNeu rological Surgery, held in Munich in 1981. The aim of each speaker was to give a short review of current knowledge in his or her field. In addition, most of the authors presented their own data. The symposium . was divided into two parts. The experimental part focused on pathophysiological and biochemical findings, while the clinical part dealt with therapy for brain edema, with particular emphasis on steroids. We wish to acknowledge the technical support of Springer-Verlag, Merck Company, Darmstadt and the help of Miss Scholz, Secretary of the Depart ment of Neurology at the University of Heidel berg. Heidelberg/Berlin A. Hartmann M. Brock v Contents K. -A. Hossmann Pathophysiology of Va so genic and Cytotoxic Brain Edema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Marrnarou, K. Tanaka, and K. Shulmann The Brain Response to Infusion Edema: Dynamics of Fluid Resolution . . . . . . . . . . 11 M. D. O'Brien 19 Ischemic Cerebral Edema A. Baethmann, W Oettinger, K. Moritake, L. Chaussy, andF. Jesch Metabolic Effects of Corticosteroids in Central Nervous Tissue . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 K. Maier-Hauff, O. Kempski, A. Unterberg, U. Gross, M. Lange, L. Schurer, and A. Baethmann The Kallikrein-Kinin-System as Mediator in Cerebral Edema, Recent Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 S. F. Berndt 36 Symptoms of Cerebral Edema W R. Lanksch The Diagnosis of Brain Edema by Computed Tomography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 H. J. Klein and K. Schmidt Hyperosmolar Solutions and Diuretics in the Treatment of Brain Edema . . . . . . . .