A possible link between intracranial lipomas and localization-related relapses in multiple sclerosis

Intracranial lipomas are congenital malformations representing less than 0.5% of intracranial tumors. They are found incidentally and are asymptomatic in the majority of patients. Here we present three patients with Multiple sclerosis (MS) and intracranial lipomas (IL). The patients showed increased flares and burden of disabling and worsening MS symptoms with cognitive, neurovestibular dysfunction, and gait alterations associated with the localization of the Lipoma. The parenchyma near the Lipomas showed areas of demyelination and atrophy. We postulate that the location and content of the Lipomas may participate in the pathophysiology of MS symptoms in these patients. We conclude that in concurrent IL and MS, the lipomas localization may provoke incapacitating relapses.

Canalith Repositioning for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of canalith repositioning maneuvers (Semont, Epley, and modified maneuvers) in the treatment of posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in comparison to the rate of resolution in the untreated control cohort.

DATA SOURCES

Source articles were identified by a MEDLINE search of English language sources before 2004 plus manual crosschecks of bibliographies from identified articles, selected national meeting abstracts, review article references, and textbook chapters.

STUDY SELECTION

Each controlled trial that compared canalith repositioning patients to untreated control subjects in posterior canal benign positional vertigo (blinded and unblinded) was reviewed for inclusion.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data were abstracted systematically, scaled on validity and comparability, and cross-checked independently by another author.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Studies were combined with fixed effects meta-analysis to estimate spontaneous resolution, 95% confidence intervals (CI) of effect size, and heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

Canalith repositioning is more effective than observation alone for the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, despite spontaneous resolution rates of one in three at 3 weeks. Public health implications are discussed, based on the high frequency of unrecognized BPPV reported in elderly patients, and the improvements after canalith repositioning in postural control and health-related quality of life (SF 36 Health Survey) documented in the literature.

Randomized clinical trials in single patients during a 2-year period

OBJECTIVE

To describe the feasibility of a single patient trial (SPT) service and study the influence of formal SPTs on therapeutic precision.

DESIGN

Descriptive and evaluate study of SPTs. All planned trials were double-blind, randomized, multiple crossover trials. Other key features of individual trials were random assignment of order and assessment of predetermined explicit outcomes. Patients and physicians rated level of confidence in treatment before and after the SPT on visual analog scales.

SETTING

Two-year experience (September 1988 to September 1990) of an SPT trial referral service available to physicians in an academic medical center.

OUTCOME MEASURES

The number of planned and completed SPTs; proportion of completed trials yielding definitive answers; patient- and physician-rated levels of confidence in treatment pre- and post-SPT; time-motion studies to estimate resource consumption (costs) for selected SPTs.

RESULTS

Of 34 completed trials, 17 were judged to give definitive results whereas 17 showed trends only. Results favored active treatment in 16 trials that led to treatment being continued (nine patients) or started (seven patients). Treatment was discontinued (seven patients) or not started (11 patients) based on 18 trial results that demonstrated active treatment was ineffective (seven), harmful (two), or apparently equivalent (nine). Most patients (65%) reported no change in their already high level of confidence in therapy as a result of trials, whereas physicians' confidence levels in therapy either increased or decreased post-SPT depending on the direction of trial results. Patients consistently rated the SPT service as extremely useful. Time-motion estimates indicate that 16.75 staff hours were spent per trial leading to a direct cost estimate of approximately $450 to $500 per trial.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that an SPT service is feasible, trial costs compare favorably with other conventional services, and clinicians appear to gain confidence and precision from SPTs. When patients or clinicians are uncertain about the value (including the possibility of side effects) of treatment for symptomatic chronic diseases, we believe an SPT can be offered to a patient and will likely yield results that will effect subsequent treatment.

HTLV-I-associated myelopathy endemic in Texas-born residents and isolation of virus from CSF cells

We report three Texas-born patients with spastic paraparesis and well-documented infection with HTLV-I. CSF examination showed moderate pleocytosis, protein elevation, and elevated IgG index. Oligoclonal bands were present in two patients. On MRI, one patient had frontal lobe lesions that were low intensity on T1- and high intensity on T2-weighted images. HTLV-I immunoblot studies of serum and CSF revealed reactivity to p19, p24, p53, gp46, or gp68 from all three patients. Titration studies of serum and CSF antibodies on ELISA and immunoblot assays indicated an intrathecal virus-specific response. HTLV-I-specific p19 antigen capture assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstrated HTLV-I in lymphocyte cultures derived from each patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or CSF cells. Using HTLV-I- and HTLV-II-specific pol and gag primers, PCR studies of PBMC cells obtained directly from the patients demonstrated that the patients were infected with HTLV-I and not HTLV-II. These three cases are to our knowledge the only US cases in whom virus isolation from the CSF has been accomplished. Importantly, two patients may be the first US cases of myelopathy arising from endemic infection.