[Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system in a patient with hemochromatosis and Wilson's disease]

HISTORY AND FINDINGS ON ADMISSION

A 55-year-old patient with a history of Wilson's disease and biopsy proven hemochromatosis complained of hearing loss, vertigo, and gait disturbance. Clinical examination confirmed hearing loss, revealed cerebellar syndrome and bilateral pyramidal tract disturbances.

INVESTIGATIONS

Neurophysiology confirmed pathological findings on clinical examination. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) disclosed deposition of hemosiderin suggestive for superficial siderosis of the central nervous system. Cerebrospinal fluid findings were normal.

DIAGNOSIS

The triad of hearing loss, cerebellar syndrome, and pyramidal tract disturbances associated with typical findings on MRI led to diagnosis of superficial siderosis.

CLINICAL COURSE AND THERAPY

Etiology in this case remained unclear; no source of bleeding was detected. Thus, no causal therapeutic option was available.

CONCLUSION

A unique case of superficial siderosis in a patient with a history of Wilson's disease and hemochromatosis is presented. Unexpected new symptoms in a successfully treated Wilson's disease patient require further diagnostic work-up not to miss potentially curable differential diagnoses. Thus, regular neurological follow-up visits of Wilson's disease patients are required.

Application of stereological estimates in patients with severe head injuries using CT and MR scanning images

Severe brain damage is often followed by serious complications. Quantitative measurements, such as regional volume and surface area under various conditions, are essential for understanding functional changes in the brain and assessing prognosis. The affected brain tissue is variable, hence traditional imaging methods are not always applicable and automatic methods may not be able to match the individual observer. Stereological techniques are alternative tools in the quantitative description of biological structures, and have been increasingly applied to the human brain. In the present study, we applied stereological techniques to representative CT and MRI brain scans from five patients to describe how stereological methods, when applied to scans of trauma patients, can provide a useful supplement to the estimation of structural brain changes in head injuries. The reliability of the estimates was tested by obtaining repeated intra- and interobserver estimates of selected subdivisions of the brain in patients with acute head injury, as well as in an MR phantom. The estimates of different subdivisions showed a coefficient of variation (CV) below 12% in the patients and below 7% for phantom estimation. The validity of phantom estimates was tested by the average deviation from the true geometric values, and was below 10%. The stereological methods were compared with more traditional region-based methods performed on medical imaging, which showed a CV below 7% and bias below 14%. It is concluded that the stereological estimates may be useful tools in head injury quantification.

Can left main or proximal left anterior descending coronary artery disease be assessed by non-invasive means?

One hundred consecutive patients with angina pectoris referred for coronary arteriography were studied prospectively for non-invasive assessment of left main (LMCA) or proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (proximal LAD) disease. Evaluation of echocardiographic interventricular septal motion, history and exercise test response could not identify the patients with these specific lesions. It is concluded that LMCA and proximal LAD disease still remain largely unpredictable by non-invasive means.

The role of inflammation in vascular insulin resistance with focus on IL-6

The present review focuses on the possible role of interleukin-(IL)-6 in vascular insulin resistance. The endothelium plays an important role in regulating the tone of the vasculature by releasing nitric oxide (NO) to the smooth muscles of the vessels, thereby regulating the distribution of blood flow to the various tissues in relation to their energy demand. A dysfunctioning endothelium has been associated with both initiation and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular (CV) disease and has been shown to predate the onset of hyperglycemia in the natural history of type 2 diabetes. It is likely that chronic low-level inflammation plays an important role in developing endothelial dysfunction mainly through proinflammatory actions of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). TNF-alpha induces production of IL-6 and it has been suggested that a causal relationship exists between endothelial dysfunction and these cytokines. With regard to vascular insulin resistance, the available data point to a direct pathogenic role of TNF-alpha in mediating endothelial dysfunction, whereas with regard to IL-6 evidence is sparse and does not allow any firm conclusions.

Clinical impact of MRI perfusion disturbances and normal diffusion in acute stroke patients

PURPOSE

In acute ischemic stroke MR-imaging typically shows diffusion abnormalities surrounded by reduced perfusion signifying the so-called ischemic penumbra. Mismatch between diffusion and perfusion abnormalities gives indication for thrombolysis. But is there an indication for thrombolytic treatment, if there is no diffusion abnormality but pathologic perfusion combined with acute stroke symptoms?.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

MR-imaging of 1465 patients treated on our Stroke Unit between June 2004 and May 2007 retrospectively are analyzed. 6 patients met the inclusion criteria of severe neurological symptoms, large territorial perfusion disturbances, lack of diffusion abnormalities and complete neurological recovery after treatment.

RESULTS

In all six patients MTT measurements showed a significantly depressed perfusion in the symptomatic hemisphere (p<0.02). Time-to-peak delay correlated with the mean transit time delay (0.949, p<0.01). Indication for thrombolysis was based on perfusion abnormalities and clinical symptoms. Stroke symptoms could be reversed in all patients without any complication.

CONCLUSION

Whereas diffusion imaging could not reveal any abnormality, perfusion analysis legitimated therapy with systemic thrombolysis in heavily affected patients. This work underlines the importance of multimodal MR imaging for guiding treatment decisions in acute stroke patients.

Massive pulmonary embolism with cardiac arrest treated with continuous thrombolysis and concomitant hypothermia

This case report describes the clinical course in a 49-year-old man with repeated cardiac arrests due to massive pulmonary embolism. He was successfully treated with intravenous tenecteplase followed by catheter-based alteplase infusion during external cooling. The case illustrates that vitally important bolus thrombolytic therapy may be continued as catheter-based treatment along with hypothermia without significant bleeding complications.

Renal transplant failure due to urologic complications: Comparison of static fluid with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance urography

PURPOSE

Postrenal reasons of renal transplant failure can be assessed by magnetic resonance urography. This study was designed to retrospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of static fluid (T2-)MRU compared to contrast enhanced (CE-)MRU in patients with renal transplant failure.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Thirty-five consecutive patients (14 female, 21 men; mean age 48.6 years) with renal transplant failure and sonographically detected hydronephrosis were examined both with T2-MRU as well as CE-MRU resulting in 39 MRU examinations. MRU was performed both using T2-weighted HASTE-sequence (T2-MRU) as well as Gadolinium-enhanced 3D-FLASH-sequence (CE-MRU) on a 1.5-T clinical MRI scanner (Magnetom Vision, Siemens Medical Solutions). Subjective image quality of resulting maximum intensity projection was assessed in consensus by two readers blinded to the final diagnosis, using a five point scale. MRU findings were correlated to sonography, operative results or clinical follow up.

RESULTS

CE-MRU yielded a sensitivity of 85.7% (T2-MRU 76.2%), and a specificity of 83.3% (T2-MRU: 73.7%), however statistical significance was not reached. The subjective image quality was significantly better in CE-MRU.

CONCLUSIONS

Only concerning subjective image quality CE-MRU proved superior to T2-MRU. Yet, there was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between T2- and CE-MRU. Thinking of incipient nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, T2-MRU can be used as reliable alternative in patients with decreased renal transplant function due to urological complications.