[Potassium canreonate in neurosurgical brain edema]

The effect on the hydroelectrolytic metabolism and on the evolution of cerebral oedema of a new injectable aldosterone-antagonist, canreonate-potassium (Soldactone) was studied in two groups of subjects. The first group consisted of 14 patients who had undergone neurosurgical operations for expansive endocranial processes. The second group consisted of 18 non-operated cases of post-traumatic coma. The water-salt balance and the neurologic picture were carefully controlled during anf after 6-8 days of treatment with 600 mg/day of canrenoate-potassium by intravenous route. Comparison was also made between the conventional treatment with hyperventilation and that combined with canrenoate-K. The results obtained demonstrate that the aldosterone-antagonist induces a clinically significant retention of sodium. This is accompanied by a more favourable evolution of the cerebral oedema. Canrenoate-potassium was very well tolerated both locally and generally.