Clinical Experiences in Brain Stem Disorders/Expériences Cliniques dans les Altérations du Tronc Cérébral/Klinische Erfahrungen bei Hirnstammprozessen [antikvár]

Introduction D. Miskolczy President of the Congress This book comprises the lectures delivered at the Congress of the Hungarian Society of Neu- rology and Psychiatry and the Hungarian EEG Society in Budapest, 6-8th October, 1966. The main subject of the Congress was: "Clinical experiences in brain-stem disorders". Our Congress has aroused considerable interest, both in this country and abroad. This is demonstrated by the great number of lectures delivered, 82 papers being presented by 142 Hungarian authors, and further 72 by foreign experts of the subject from 17 different coun- tries. These figures indicate that the problem of brain-stem disorders bears substantial importance, from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. A total of 400 experts attended the Congress. After the reports had been delivered, owing to the great number of papers, three sections were set up in which the entire material was presented, classified by subject matter, i. e. in accordance with physiological, clinico-pathological, diagnostical, biochemical, pharmaco- logical and neurosurgical aspects. The part of the central nervous system termed the brain-stem (truncus cerebri) has waked the imagination and attention of anatomists in early times; they compared the various formations found on the trunk to a bridge (pons), to an olive, to quadruplets (corpora quad- rigemina), to a strobile (pineal body), to an antechamber (thalamus), to a cushion (pulvinar), or to the knee (geniculate body). The development of medical and biological sciences has enriched, and still enriches, our knowledge concerning the structure and function of this extremely important part of the CNS. It is now commonly known that the brain-stem plays an essential role in governing other cerebral structures, its lesions may underlie a variety of neurological, vegetative and endocrine disorders, moreover, its pathological significance is being increasingly recognized in some psychic disturbances. The enormous advance in the field of neurophysiology made in the past decades has re- sulted in some revolutionary changes. Thus, today's morphologist draws inspiration from electronics when searching and interpreting neuronal connections, and it is the biochemist who day by day furnished new information about the structure and function of neurons, en- riching by this the medicinal therapy of the disorders of the CNS. The achievements of elec- trophysiology have substantially contributed to our increasing knowledge of the physio- logy of nervous and mental functions and have deeply influenced the approach of the cli- nician to pathological conditions, which is clearly shown by the rapid development of the differential diagnosis of the disorders of consciousness. The continuous evolution of diagnostic methods, e.g. angiography and other radiological techniques, pneumo-encephalography and echo-encephalography, open new vistas in re- vealing lesions of the CNS. The growing requirements of recognizing lesions as early as possible and establishing their location, extension and quality as accurately as possible is a natural consequence of permanently improving skill and techniques in neurosurgical treatment. Considering the hyghly diferented surface and internal structure of the brain-stem,