title: [Postoperative delirium in patient neurosurgical: evaluation by means of the Abbreviated Mental Test].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the incidence and characteristics of postoperative changes in the higher cerebral functions after elective intracranial surgery under general anesthesia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study of 60 patients, aged 18-81 years, submitted to neurosurgical operations, allocated into two groups of 30 patients each: intracranial surgery group, patients submitted to craniotomy, and extracranial surgery group or control group, patients submitted to spinal procedures. All patients were given the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT) on the day before to the operation, and then 2 and 24 hours after the end of the procedure. All individuals were managed with the same anesthetic technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in regard to demographics, duration of the operation, ASA physical state, and habits were found between the two groups. No differences in the pre-surgical and post-surgical AMT mean score were encountered between patients submitted to intracranial 9.87 +/- 0.35 or to spinal surgeries 9.80 +/- 0.41. Similarly, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the results of the AMT performed at 2 and 24 hours after the end of the surgeries. Only two subjects undergoing spinal procedures had a score of < or = 8 in the AMT performed 2-hours after the operation, while none showed a decrease in the 24-hour test score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients submitted to intracranial surgery did not show any changes in cognitive or attention functions during the first postoperative 24 hours as assessed by the AMT.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Anestesiologiá y Reanimación, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hernández-Palazón
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Doménech-Asensi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pérez-Espejo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: López-Hernández
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burguillos-López
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Martínez-Lage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D001921:Brain / Q000601:surgery*; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies