1/100. Arteriovenous and lymphatic malformations, linear verrucous epidermal nevus and mild overgrowth: another hamartoneoplastic syndrome?We report a 22 year old female presenting with slowly progressive paraparesis, who appeared to have many (mainly subcutaneous) hamartomas. The neurological symptoms were caused by intraspinal masses and arteriovenous malformations. In addition, she had mild overgrowth of one leg and lymph vessel malformations. This combination of symptoms resembles proteus syndrome, but is different in symptomatology and progression and may be yet another hamartoneoplastic syndrome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/100. Nontraumatic acute spinal subdural hematoma: report of five cases and review of the literature.Acute subdural spinal hematoma occurs rarely; however, when it does occur, it may have disastrous consequences. The authors assessed the outcome of surgery for this lesion in relation to causative factors and diagnostic imaging (computerized tomography [CT], CT myelography), as well as eventual preservation of the subarachnoid space. The authors reviewed 106 cases of nontraumatic acute subdural spinal hematoma (101 published cases and five of their own) in terms of cause, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcome. Fifty-one patients (49%) were men and 55 (51%) were women. In 70% of patients the spinal segment involved was in the lumbar or thoracolumbar spine. In 57 cases (54%) there was a defect in the hemostatic mechanism. spinal puncture was performed in 50 patients (47%). Late surgical treatment was performed in 59 cases (56%): outcome was good in 25 cases (42%) (in 20 of these patients preoperative neurological evaluation had shown mild deficits or paraparesis, and three patients had presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH]). The outcome was poor in 34 cases (58%; 23 patients with paraplegia and 11 with SAH). The formation of nontraumatic acute spinal subdural hematomas may result from coagulation abnormalities and iatrogenic causes such as spinal puncture. Their effect on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots may be limited to a mere compressive mechanism when the subarachnoid space is preserved and the hematoma is confined between the dura and the arachnoid. It seems likely that the theory regarding the opening of the dural compartment, verified at the cerebral level, is applicable to the spinal level too. Early surgical treatment is always indicated when the patient's neurological status progressively deteriorates. The best results can be obtained in patients who do not experience SAH. In a few selected patients in whom neurological impairment is minimal, conservative treatment is possible.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 11keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/100. Anterior lumbosacral radiculopathy after intrathecal methotrexate treatment.Intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate or cytosine arabinoside is the standard approach to prophylaxis and treatment of central nervous system leukemia in children. Progressive paraplegia, one of the devastating neurologic complications related to this mode of treatment, has been attributed to spinal cord toxicity. Reported are three children who developed progressive paraparesis after intrathecal methotrexate administration followed by complete or partial recovery. gadolinium enhancement of anterior lumbosacral spinal nerve roots was demonstrated in all three patients, and an elevation of cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin g synthesis was evident in two patients with more severe symptoms. The clinical data suggest that anterior lumbosacral radiculopathy is also a type of neurologic complication associated with intrathecal methotrexate treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/100. Progressive myelopathy caused by dural arteriovenous fistula at the craniocervical junction--case report.A 68-year-old male presented an unusual dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) located at the craniocervical junction. magnetic resonance imaging revealed dilated perimedullary veins around the spinal cord at C-1 and C-2 levels, as well as high intensity signals in the spinal cord on T2-weighted images. Vertebral angiography identified an AVF at the point where the right vertebral artery penetrates the dura. The fistula was a single and direct communication between the vertebral artery and the spinal vein. Surgical interruption of the fistula at its venous side resulted in prompt improvement of both motor and sensory signs and symptoms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/100. Neurotological evaluation of vertical semicircular canal function in inner ear malformation. A case report.A 9-year-old boy with inner ear malformation complained of slight deafness and unsteadiness. CT revealed a normal cochlea despite enlargement of the lateral semicircular canals. The vertical semicircular canals developed more or less normally. The caloric test showed complete canal paresis bilaterally; however, a horizontal rotational stimulus elicited a vestibulo-ocular response, which showed only rightward and downward nystagmus, and their maximal slow-phase velocities were low. In addition, the examination of the vertical semicircular canal function using the head-tilted rotation test revealed a more active response, and the maximal slow-phase velocities were higher than those of a standard horizontal rotational test. These results suggest that the function of the vertical semicircular canal was well preserved and that it may have perceived the horizontal acceleration instead of the lateral semicircular canal.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.28832340531757keywords = canal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/100. Delayed presentation of spinal stab wound: case report and review of the literature.Stab wounds to the spinal cord are relatively uncommon in north america, but even rarer is the presentation of such an injury in a delayed fashion. We report a case of a 31-year-old male who presented with neurologic deficit 4 weeks after a stab wound injury to the spine. Because of worsening neurologic deficit, the retained knife fragment was operatively removed, and the patient had an uneventful recovery. The management of such an injury is discussed, with a review of the literature.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/100. Extracranial vertebral artery dissection causing cervical root lesion.The authors report an unusual manifestation of extracranial vertebral artery dissection (VAD), presenting with a predominantly motor radicular manifestation. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the intramural hematoma in the dissected vessel wall, compressing mainly the segmental motor root and, to a lesser degree, the sensory ganglion. In the digital subtraction angiography (DSA), a circumscribed narrowing of the incriminated vessel was demonstrated. color-coded Duplex imaging (CDDI) revealed complete recanalization after a few days of anticoagulation treatment. Complete neurologic recovery was seen after 3 months. Considering the MRI data, the likely pathogenetic mechanism was compression of the nerve root by the intramural hematoma. The synopsis with similar cases in the literature points to the characteristic features, i.e., the association of neck pain with radicular motor deficit and the absence of degenerative disk disease. The respective syndrome should raise the suspicion of vertebral artery dissection, especially in young individuals.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.028832340531757keywords = canal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/100. Alternating monomeric paresis with decreased skin temperature and hyperhidrosis in a case of thoracolumbar myelopathy.The patient, a Japanese girl with a history suggestive of diffuse encephalitis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, developed weakness of the right lower limb accompanied by excessive sweating and decreased skin temperature. magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracolumbar cord showed abnormal signal intensity with syrinx formation mainly at T12 to L1 vertebral level. Paresis and excessive sweating subsided within 3 to 4 months, but recovery of vasomotor function was delayed. Several weeks later, weakness and skin temperature reduction reappeared on the left side without hyperhidrosis, but responded well to oral prednisolone. The patient showed no recurrence during the subsequent 7 years, and the intramedullary lesion could not be seen with repeated spinal magnetic resonance imaging.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/100. Reorganization of the motor cortex in a patient with congenital hemiparesis and mirror movements.Abnormal branching of corticospinal fibers from the unaffected motor cortex is responsible for mirror movements in patients with congenital hemiparesis, but it is unknown which mechanisms enable these patients to lateralize motor activity. Using multiunit electromyographic analysis and transcranial magnetic stimulation, the authors provide evidence for nonbranched crossed and uncrossed corticospinal projections and intracortical inhibition of the mirror hand. They propose that this remarkable reorganization of the unaffected motor cortex helps these patients to reduce mirror movements.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/100. Nonconvulsive focal inhibitory seizure: subdural recording from motor cortex.ARTICLE ABSTRACT: The authors obtained an ictal electrocorticogram with chronically implanted subdural electrodes from a 30-year-old man with a low grade glioma in the right postcentral gyrus who had a focal inhibitory seizure of the left arm. During the ictal paresis, the authors observed epileptic discharges in the positive arm motor area of the right precentral gyrus and in its rostral area, but not in the negative motor area. The epileptic activity probably inhibited the spinal motoneuron pool without eliciting excitatory activity in the corticospinal pathway.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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