Influence of antithrombotic medication on size and neurological outcome of spinal epidural hematoma after neuraxial anesthesia: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Anticoagulation guidelines were developed to reduce the potential risk of epidural bleeding following neuraxial anesthesia. However, the influence of antithrombotic medication on size of spinal epidural hematoma and neurological outcome is unclear. Therefore, our aim was to analyze whether there is a correlation.

METHODS

The study was registered at Prospero (CRD42021285833). A systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science and Google Scholar was conducted in August 2023 for studies reporting spinal epidural hematoma following neuraxial anesthesia. Primary endpoints were segmental extension and neurological outcome. Secondary endpoints were age, sex, body mass index, predisposition, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, complicated puncture, multiple punctures, bloody puncture, successful puncture, catheter usage, needle size and worst neurological deficit before treatment. Prespecified multivariate regression and propensity score matching was performed. Publications reporting on more than one patient were critically appraised.

RESULTS

A total of 345 cases reported in 304 publications were included. Size of hematoma was not significantly different (antithrombotic medication: OR 0.11, 95% CI (-0.67 to 0.89), p=0.78, 'non-guideline adherent' for puncture/removal: OR 0.13, 95% CI (-0.92 to 1.18), p=0.81). Patients receiving antithrombotic medication were more likely to have persistent neurological deficit (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.24 to 3.23), p<0.01). Significance persisted after propensity score matching (p=0.04). Patients with non-guideline adherence had a 3.42 higher chance of persistent neurological deficit (95% CI 1.71 to 6.86, p<0.001).

DISCUSSION

Antithrombotic medication is not significantly associated with hematoma size; however, the use of antithrombotic medication doubled the risk for persistent neurological deficit after spinal epidural hematoma.

Association between perioperative neuraxial local anesthetic neurotoxicity and arachnoiditis: a narrative review of published reports

BACKGROUND/IMPORTANCE

Arachnoiditis is a rare but devastating disorder caused by various insults, one of which is purported to be local anesthetic neurotoxicity following neuraxial blockade. However, the relationship between local anesthetics administered into the neuraxis and the development of arachnoiditis has not been clearly elucidated.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to summarize the existing complex body of literature and characterize both the essential features and strength of any association between neuraxial local anesthetic neurotoxicity and arachnoiditis with a view toward mitigating risk, enhancing prevention, and refining informed consent discussions.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

We reviewed all published reports of arachnoiditis attributed to local anesthetic neurotoxicity following perioperative neuraxial anesthesia. This narrative review was based on a systematic search methodology, which included articles published up until December 2022.

FINDINGS

Thirty-eight articles were included, comprising 130 patients, over one-half of which were published prior to this century and inconsistent with modern practice. Neuraxial techniques included 78 epidurals, 48 spinals, and 5 combined spinal-epidurals, mostly for obstetrics. Reporting of essential procedural data was generally incomplete. Overall, at least 57% of patients experienced complicated needle/catheter insertion, including paresthesia, pain, or multiple attempts, irrespective of technique. The onset of neurological symptoms ranged from immediate to 8 years after neuraxial blockade, while the pathophysiology of arachnoiditis, if described, was heterogeneous.

CONCLUSIONS

The existing literature attributing arachnoiditis to local anesthetic neurotoxicity is largely outdated, incomplete, and/or confounded by other potential causes, and thus insufficient to characterize the features and strength of any association.

Postoperative neurological symptoms following arthroscopic shoulder surgery with interscalene block: an exploratory secondary analysis of pooled randomized controlled trial data

OBJECTIVE

Postoperative neurological symptoms (PONS) are recognized complications of regional anesthesia and orthopedic surgery. We aimed to better characterize prevalence and potential risk factors in a homogeneous population of randomized, controlled trial participants.

METHODS

Data were pooled from two randomized controlled trials of analgesia after interscalene block with perineural or intravenous adjuvants (NCT02426736, NCT03270033). Participants were at least 18 years of age and undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery at a single ambulatory surgical center. PONS were assessed by telephone follow-up at 14 days and 6 months postoperatively, and defined as patient report of numbness, weakness, or tingling in the surgical limb, alone or in combination, and regardless of severity or etiology.

RESULTS

At 14 days, PONS occurred in 83 of 477 patients (17.4%). Among these 83 patients, 10 (12.0%) continued to have symptoms a half-year after surgery. In exploratory univariate analyses, no patient, surgical or anesthetic characteristics were significantly associated with 14-day PONS except for lower postoperative day 1 Quality of Recovery-15 questionnaire total score (OR 0.97 (95% CI, 0.96 to 0.99), p<0.01). This result was driven largely by the emotional domain question scores (OR 0.90 95% CI 0.85 to 0.96, p<0.001). Report of all three of numbness, weakness and tingling at 14 days vs other 14-day symptom combinations was associated with persistent PONS at 6 months (OR 11.5 95% CI 2.2 to 61.8, p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

PONS are common after arthroscopic shoulder surgery performed with single injection ultrasound-guided interscalene blocks. No definitive mitigating risk factors were identified.

Stellate ganglion block catheter for paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity: calming the 'neuro-storm'

BACKGROUND

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is an autonomic disorder affecting patients with severe acquired brain injury characterized by intermittent sympathetic discharges with limited therapeutic options. We hypothesized that the PSH pathophysiology could be interrupted via stellate ganglion blockade (SGB).

CASE PRESENTATION

A patient with PSH after midbrain hemorrhage followed by hydrocephalus obtained near-complete resolution of sympathetic events for 140 days after SGB.

CONCLUSION

SGB is a promising therapy for PSH, overcoming the limitations of systemic medications and may serve to recalibrate aberrant autonomic states.

A Case Report of an Atypical Neurological Presentation of COVID-19 in Pregnancy

Symptomatic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mostly have flu-like symptoms. However, neurologic manifestations are common and may be the early findings of COVID-19. Data for COVID-19 do not indicate an increased risk of infection in pregnant individuals, but the risk of disease severity and mortality is high in this patient population. We report a case of a pregnant woman in the 10th gestational week, who presented with neurological symptoms of sudden impairment in walking, balance, speech, and consciousness, started the night before, and a seven-day history of fever, chills, myalgia, and general weakness before admission. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was positive for the cerebrospinal fluid sample a day before the positive nasopharyngeal sample. Axial brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed the involvement of the spinothalamic tract. Following treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, the patient's neurological condition gradually recovered, except for lower limb muscle strength, and she was discharged from the hospital on the 10th day of admission. This case is unique as it emphasizes the importance of considering COVID-19 when uncommon neurologic manifestations with negative nasopharyngeal PCR are present.

Self-perception of cognitive sequels in post-COVID-19 individuals

COVID-19 is an infection, primarily respiratory, caused by the SARS-CoV-2, which can also affect the central nervous system, causing neuropsychological damage. There are studies describing post-COVID-19 cognitive deficits, but it is important to know this outcome in populations with different social, biological, and cultural characteristics.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the self-perception of cognitive sequelae in post-COVID-19 individuals and identify whether there is a possible relationship between the outcome of the participants' self-perception and sociodemographic and clinical data.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study, carried out through an online questionnaire on the Google Forms platform, in which sociodemographic data, general health data, clinical manifestations of COVID-19, and post-COVID-19 self-perception of the cognitive domains of memory, attention, language, and executive functions were collected.

Results

The final sample consisted of 137 participants, and it was possible to identify that memory and attention were the domains with the highest impression of worsening post-COVID-19, followed by executive functions and language. In addition, it was identified that being female may be related to a worse self-perception of all cognitive functions and that having depression or other psychiatric diseases and obesity can significantly affect at least half of the cognitive domains evaluated.

Conclusions

This study pointed to a post-COVID-19 cognitive worsening of the participants.

Comparison of cutaneous silent period parameters in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome with the healthy population and determination of ıts relationship with clinical parameters

Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is one of the main neurological manifestations in primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS). For the detection of SFN, cutaneous silent period (CSP) measurement is gaining popularity recently due to its non-invasiveness and practical application. Evaluating SFN involvement in patients with pSS using CSP and evaluating its relationship with clinical parameters. Patients with a diagnosis of pSS and healthy volunteers demographically homogeneous with the patient group were included in the study. The CSP responses were recorded over the abductor pollicis brevis muscle. The latency and duration values of the responses were obtained. In patient group, EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire, Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) and Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) were applied for the evaluation of symptom severity, mood, quality of life, presence of neuropathic pain and central sensitization, respectively. The mean CSP latency was significantly longer in patient group compared to control group (p < 0.001). Mean CSP duration was also significantly shorter in patient group (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in CSP parameters according to patients' neuropathic pain or central sensitization profile. There were significant correlations of CSP parameters (latency and duration, respectively) with ESSPRI dryness (ρ = 0.469, p = 0.004; ρ =  -0.553, p < 0.001), fatigue (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.011; ρ =  -0.505, p = 0.002), pain (ρ = 0.428, p = 0.009; ρ =  -0.57, p < 0.001) subscores and mean ESSPRI score (ρ = 0.631, p < 0.001; ρ = -0.749, p < 0.001). When SF-36 subscores and CSP parameters were investigated, a significant correlation was found only between "bodily pain" subscore and CSP duration (ρ =  -0.395, p = 0.017). In HADS, LANSS and CSI evaluations, a significant correlation was found only between HADS anxiety score and the CSP duration (ρ = 0.364, p = 0.02). As indicated by CSP measurement, SFN is more prominent in patients with pSS than in the healthy population. It is important to investigate the presence of SFN because of its correlation with the leading symptoms in the clinical spectrum of pSS.

Clinical, Laboratory and Imaging Characteristics of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Neurologic Involvement; a Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Although neurologic involvement and neuroimaging abnormalities have been frequently identified in COVID-19 patients, the underlying factors remain unclear. In this study, we assessed the association of the neurological manifestations and neuroimaging features of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with their clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics.

Methods

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and March 2021 at two large academic hospitals in Tehran, Iran. We used census sampling from medical records to enroll hospitalized patients with a positive COVID-19 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test who underwent brain imaging due to presenting any acute neurologic symptom during hospital stay.

Results

Of the 4372 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, only 211 met the inclusion criteria (35.5% with severe infection). Central nervous system and psychiatric manifestations were significantly more common in severe cases (p ≤ 0.044). Approximately, 30% had a new abnormality on their neuroimaging, with ischemic (38/63) and hemorrhagic (16/63) insults being the most common. The most frequent reasons that provoked cranial imaging were headache (27%), altered consciousness (25.6%), focal neurologic signs (19.9%), and delirium (18%). Analysis revealed a positive correlation for age, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) with the emergence of neuroimaging abnormalities (p ≤ 0.018). In addition, patients with new neuroimaging abnormalities had a significantly higher lung CT score than those without any pathologic findings (11.1 ± 4.8 vs. 5.9 ± 4.8, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Approximately 30% of the study population had various acute neuroimaging findings. The lung CT score, neutrophil count, and age were strong predictors of acute neuroimaging abnormalities in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Factors predisposing patients with temporal lobe epilepsy to seizure cluster

Background: We aimed to identify the potential risk factors associated with seizure clusters in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on all the consecutive patients with TLE, who were admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), Loghman-Hakim Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Seizure cluster was defined as three or more habitual seizures occurring within 24 hours, in over 50% of ictal events, with inter-seizure interval of less than 8 hours. The patients' demographic data, epilepsy duration, seizure frequency, frequency of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were collected. Results: Among a total number of 124 patients with TLE, 62 (50.0%) patients reported seizure clusters. In addition, 44 (37.9%), 42 (36.2%), and 30 (25.9%) patients had normal-appearing brain MRI, mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), and other brain pathologies, respectively. In terms of IEDs frequency, 35 (29.4%), 43 (36.1%), 17 (14.3%), and 24 (20.2%) patients had respectively frequent, occasional, rare, and no spikes in one-hour of interictal scalp electroencephalography (EEG) recording. In our study, seizure clusters were not associated with the epilepsy duration (P = 0.100), the amount of IEDs (P = 0.764), or MRI findings (P = 0.112). Conclusion: In patients with TLE, seizure clustering had no correlation with the epilepsy duration, the amount of IEDs, or brain MRI findings.

Neurological Manifestations and their Correlated Factors in COVID-19 Patients; a Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction:

COVID-19 might present with other seemingly unrelated manifestations; for instance, neurological symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the neurologic manifestations and their correlated factors in COVID-19 patients.

Methods:

This retrospective observational study was conducted from March 17, 2020 to June 20, 2020 in a tertiary hospital in Iran. The study population consisted of adult patients with a positive result for COVID-19 real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using nasopharyngeal swabs. Both written and electronic data regarding baseline characteristic, laboratory findings, and neurological manifestations were evaluated and reported.

Results:

727 COVID-19 patients with the mean age of 49.94 ± 17.49 years were studied (56.9% male). At least one neurological symptom was observed in 403 (55.4%) cases. Headache (29.0%), and smell (22.3%) and taste (22.0%) impairment were the most prevalent neurological symptoms, while seizure (1.1%) and stroke (2.3%) were the least common ones. Patients with neurological manifestations were significantly older (p = 0.04), had greater body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.02), longer first symptom to admission duration (p < 0.001) and were more frequently opium users (p = 0.03) compared to COVID-19 patients without neurological symptoms. O₂ saturation was significantly lower in patients with neurological manifestations (p = 0.04). In addition, medians of neutrophil count (p = 0.006), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (p = 0.02) and c-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.001) were significantly higher and the median of lymphocyte count (p = 0.03) was significantly lower in patients with neurological manifestations.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of neurological manifestations in the studied cases was high (55.4%). This prevalence was significantly higher in older age, grated BMI, longer lasting disease, and opium usage.

Does vitamin D administration play a role in outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke? A randomized controlled trial

Background: Clinical studies have reported improved neurological outcomes in patients who were taking vitamin D supplements. This study investigates the effect of intramuscular (IM) vitamin D supplementation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) on neurological outcomes and inflammatory marker levels. Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with AIS (n = 60) from the Neurology Unit of Loghman Hakim Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during the year 2019. Patients with AIS were allocated randomly into two groups who received a single dose of 300000 IU IM vitamin D and a control group that did not receive vitamin D supplementation. Serum vitamin D concentration, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels, as primary outcomes, and the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), as secondary outcomes, were measured at the baseline and the end of the study (6 weeks). Results: Eventually, 59 patients with AIS completed the intervention study. A single dose of 300000 IU increased vitamin D level; moreover, vitamin D supplementation improved MRS and IL-6 levels significantly (P = 0.01, P = 0.02, respectively). There were reverse correlations between serum vitamin D and NIHSS and TNF-α after vitamin D administration. However, no statistically significant effect of vitamin D on the TNF-α or NIHSS and MMSE was seen compared to the control group. Conclusion: Vitamin D probably due to a single dose and short duration of administration, as well as a short follow-up period, had no favorable effects on TNF-α level and NIHSS score.

[Neurological Manifestations and COVID-19]

N/a.

Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in a COVID-19 Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Treated with Etanercept: Case Report

The neurologic manifestations concerning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are highly penetrated. Anosmia and ageusia are one of the common acute neurologic symptoms, which develop in the early stage of COVID-19. However, it is not reported that how immunosuppressive agents affect these symptoms. We report olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with etanercept during COVID-19. A 53-year-old female showing AS controlled with tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor, etanercept, had been diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, presenting cough and rhinorrhea. One month after diagnosis, she complained about hyposmia and hypogeusia two days before the seronegative conversion of SARS-CoV-2, which were confirmed by a neurological examination. We speculate that the etanercept may have delayed the development of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in the patient.

Neurological and Vascular Manifestations of Ethylmalonic Encephalopathy

Objective Ethylmalonic encephalopathy (EE) is a severe mitochondrial disease of early infancy clinically characterized by a combination of developmental delay, progressive pyramidal signs, and vascular lesions including petechial purpura, orthostatic acrocyanosis, and chronic hemorrhagic diarrhea. Biochemical hallmarks of the disease are persistently high level of lactate, and C4-C5-acylcarnitines in blood, markedly elevated urinary excretion of methylsuccinic and ethylmalonic (EMA) acids. Here we report two patients with EE as a 16-months-old male infant and a 2-yr-old boy referred to Pediatric Neurology Clinic in Children's Medical Center, Tehran-Iran that in one patient genetic analysis revealed a homozygous mutation of the ETHE1 gene in favor of ethylmalonic acidemia.

Neurologic Manifestations of Enterovirus 71 Infection in Korea

Enterovirus 71 frequently involves the central nervous system and may present with a variety of neurologic manifestations. Here, we aimed to describe the clinical features, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profiles of patients presenting with neurologic complications of enterovirus 71 infection. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 31 pediatric patients hospitalized with acute neurologic manifestations accompanied by confirmed enterovirus 71 infection at Ulsan University Hospital between 2010 and 2014. The patients' mean age was 2.9 ± 5.5 years (range, 18 days to 12 years), and 80.6% of patients were less than 4 years old. Based on their clinical features, the patients were classified into 4 clinical groups: brainstem encephalitis (n = 21), meningitis (n = 7), encephalitis (n = 2), and acute flaccid paralysis (n = 1). The common neurologic symptoms included myoclonus (58.1%), lethargy (54.8%), irritability (54.8%), vomiting (48.4%), ataxia (38.7%), and tremor (35.5%). Twenty-five patients underwent an MRI scan; of these, 14 (56.0%) revealed the characteristic increased T2 signal intensity in the posterior region of the brainstem and bilateral cerebellar dentate nuclei. Twenty-six of 30 patients (86.7%) showed CSF pleocytosis. Thirty patients (96.8%) recovered completely without any neurologic deficits; one patient (3.2%) died due to pulmonary hemorrhage and shock. In the present study, brainstem encephalitis was the most common neurologic manifestation of enterovirus 71 infection. The characteristic clinical symptoms such as myoclonus, ataxia, and tremor in conjunction with CSF pleocytosis and brainstem lesions on MR images are pathognomonic for diagnosis of neurologic involvement by enterovirus 71 infection.

Tracheostomy in neurologically compromised paediatric patients: role of starplasty

OBJECTIVES

Starplasty tracheostomy is an alternative to traditional tracheostomy. This paper reviews neurologically compromised paediatric patients with tracheostomies and discusses the role of starplasty tracheostomy.

METHOD

A retrospective review was conducted of paediatric patients with a neurological disorder who underwent tracheostomy between 1997 and 2011.

RESULTS

Forty-eight patients, with an average age of 7.3 years, were identified. The most common indications for tracheostomy were: ventilator dependence (39.6 per cent), an inability to tolerate secretions or recurrent aspiration pneumonia (33.3 per cent), and upper respiratory obstruction or hypotonia (12.5 per cent). The most common underlying neurological diagnosis was cerebral palsy. There were no early complications. Eighteen (43 per cent) of 42 patients with follow up experienced at least 1 delayed complication. Only 12 patients (28.6 per cent) were decannulated.

CONCLUSION

Patients with primary neurological diagnoses have low rates of decannulation; starplasty tracheostomy should be considered for these patients. Patients with seizure disorder or acute neurological injury tended to have a higher short-term decannulation rate; traditional tracheostomy is recommended in these patients.

Isolated Transverse Clivus Fracture without Neurodeficit: Case Report and Review of Literature

BACKGROUND

Clivus is a bony surface in the posterior cranial fossa, serving as the support of the brainstem and thus neighboring important structures because of its location. Skull base fractures that cannot be shown by conventional radiography can be clearly imaged by high-resolution bone window computed tomography.

CASE REPORT

A 44 years-old male referred to the emergency department because of a traffic accident in the car. His only complaint was a severe neckache. His X-ray examination showed no pathology. The computed tomographic examination showed no parenchymal pathology, but a isolated transverse fracture in the clivus.

CONCLUSIONS

The computed tomographic examination showed isolated transverse fracture in the clivus our case presented in this paper is the first case of transverse clivus fracture without additional cranial bone fracture and neurologic deficit in the literature.

Glufosinate herbicide intoxication causing unconsciousness, convulsion, and 6th cranial nerve palsy

Although glufosinate ammonium herbicides are considered safe when used properly, ingestion of the undiluted form can cause grave outcomes. Recently, we treated a 34-yr-old man who ingested glufosinate ammonium herbicide. In the course of treatment, the patient developed apnea, mental deterioration, and sixth cranial nerve palsy; he has since been discharged with full recovery after intensive care. This case report describes the clinical features of glufosinate intoxication with a focus on sixth cranial nerve palsy. Our observation suggests that neurologic manifestations after ingestion of a "low-grade toxicity herbicide" are variable and more complex than that was previously considered.

The effect of needle type, duration of surgery and position of the patient on the risk of transient neurologic symptoms

Background

The incidence of transient neurologic symptoms (TNS) after spinal anesthesia with lidocaine is reported as high as 40%.

Objectives

This prospective clinical trial was designed to determine the incidence of TNS in patients who underwent spinal anesthesia with two different needles, in two different surgical positions.

Patients and Methods

The present randomized clinical trial was conducted on 250 patients (ASA I-II), who were candidates for surgery in supine or lithotomy positions. According to the needle type (Sprotte or Quincke) and local anesthetics (lidocaine and bupivacaine) all patients were randomly divided into four groups. After performing spinal anesthesia in sitting position, the position was changed into supine or lithotomy, according to surgical procedure. The patients were observed for complications of spinal anesthesia during the first five post-operative days. The primary end-point for this trial was to recognize the incidence of TNS among the four groups. Our secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of patient's position, needle type, and duration of surgery on the development of TNS following spinal anesthesia.

Results

TNS was most commonly observed when lidocaine was used as anesthetic drug (P = 0.003). The impact of needle type, was not significant (P = 0.7). According to multivariate analysis, the duration of surgery was significantly lower in cases suffering from TNS (P = 0.04). Also, the risk of TNS increased following surgeries performed in lithotomy position (P = 0.00).

Conclusions

According to the results of this clinical study, spinal anesthesia with lidocaine, and the lithotomy position in surgery increased the risk of TNS.

Evaluation of brain and cervical MRI abnormality rates in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with or without neurological manifestations

BACKGROUND

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement has been observed in 14-80% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an appropriate method for evaluating CNS involvement in these patients. Clinical manifestations and MRI findings of CNS lupus should be differentiated from other mimicking diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of brain and cervical cord MRI lesions of lupus patients. The relationship between neurological signs and symptoms and MRI findings were evaluated as well.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty SLE patients who had been referred to the rheumatology clinic of our hospital within 2009 were included in a cross sectional study. All patients fulfilled the revised 1981 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for SLE. We evaluated the neurological signs and symptoms and brain and cervical MRI findings in these patients.

RESULTS

Forty-one patients (82%) were female and nine (18%) were male. The mean age was 30.1 ± 9.3 years. Twenty eight (56%) patients had an abnormal brain MRI. No one showed any abnormality in the cervical MRI. The lesions in 20 patients were similar to demyelinative plaques. Seventeen patients with abnormal brain MRI were neurologically asymptomatic. There was only a significant relationship between neurological motor manifestations and brain MRI abnormal findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Unlike the brain, cervical MRI abnormality and especially asymptomatic cord involvement in MRI is quite rare in SLE patients. This finding may be helpful to differentiate SLE from other CNS disorders such as MS.

Takayasu arteritis presenting as sudden onset vision loss simulates multiple sclerosis: a case report

Neurological manifestation may complicate Takayasu arteritis (TA). A 23-year-old girl with sudden onset of vision loss was admitted to hospital. Her brain MRI showed abnormal T2-signal hyperintensity and visual evoked potential revealed prolonged P100 latency. Consequently, optic neuritis was diagnosed. A review on history of dizziness, falling, and weak pulses of upper extremities led to more investigation. Angiography revealed a total occlusion of right and left carotids, left vertebral arteries, aneurismal dilatation of innominate artery and critical stenosis of right vertebral artery. Following diagnosis of TA, stenting of right vertebral artery was done, but she passed away because of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Neurotoxic manifestations of an overdose intrathecal injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine

The intravenous administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine (GD) is relatively safe and rarely causes systemic toxicity in the course of routine imaging studies. However, the general safety of intrathecal GD has not been established. We report a very rare case of an overdose intrathecal GD injection presenting with neurotoxic manifestations, including a decreased level of consciousness, global aphasia, rigidity, and visual disturbance.

Non-type I cystinuria associated with mental retardation and ataxia in a Korean boy with a new missence mutation(G173R) in the SLC7A9 gene

Cystinuria is an inherited renal and intestinal disease characterized by defective amino acids reabsorption and cystine urolithiasis. It is unusually associated with neurologic symptoms. Mutations in two genes, SLC3A1 and SLC7A9, have been identified in cystinuric patients. This report presents a 13-yr-old boy with cystinuria who manifested difficulty in walking, ataxia, and mental retardation. Somatosensory evoked potential of posterior tibial nerve stimulation showed the central conduction dysfunction through the posterior column of spinal cord. He was diagnosed non-type I cystinuria by urinary amino acid analysis and oral cystine loading test. We screened him and his family for gene mutation by direct sequencing of SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 genes. In this patient, we identified new missence mutation G173R in SLC7A9 gene.