1/12. Serial perfusion brain tomographic scans detect reversible focal ischaemia in Rasmussen's encephalitis.A 39-year-old man with advanced adult-onset Rasmussen's encephalitis was treated with prednisolone and long-term, high-dose, human intravenous immunoglobulin. A pretreatment, semiquantitative interictal brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan using (99)Tc(m) HMPAO (hexamethylene propylene amine oxime) showed hypoperfusion in the clinically affected right frontal, parietal and temporal lobes and contralateral perfusion defects. A second scan 8 months later revealed significant improvements (more than two standard deviations) in perfusion of the right frontal and temporal lobes despite serial magnetic resonance imaging evidence of permanent brain damage. This was associated with useful recovery of the patient's physical and cognitive function. We conclude that serial perfusion brain SPECT scanning is a useful method to demonstrate improvement in patients with Rasmussen's encephalitis in response to therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/12. Airway compromise secondary to lingual hematoma complicating administration of tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke.Hemorrhagic complications of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) are well known. We report a case of a lingual hematoma that developed after tPA administration for an acute ischemic stroke that necessitated orotracheal intubation to maintain the patient's airway. This case demonstrates the need for thorough preadministration physical examination, as well as careful monitoring during infusion and after administration of this potent therapeutic agent.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/12. Spontaneous carotid and vertebral artery dissection in children.Carotid and vertebral artery dissection is a rarely reported cause of stroke in childhood and adolescence, especially if there is not a direct trauma to the neck. Four patients, under 15 years of age, presented with an internal carotid artery dissection, and one patient presented with a vertebral artery dissection. They were all making a physical effort when the event occurred. The five patients had ischemic symptoms, and in two the events were preceded by transient ischemic attacks. headache was associated in four patients. The diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, which included transfemoral angiography in two patients. All improved before leaving the hospital, and four patients did not suffer recurrent episodes. The diagnostic accuracy of artery dissection has improved because of noninvasive neuroimaging testing, but it should still be suspected in any pediatric ischemic stroke, especially if there is headache or cervical pain associated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/12. Mitochondrial disease and stroke.BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is well known that some mitochondrial disorders are responsible for ischemic cerebral infarction in young patients. Our purpose was to determine, in this prospective ongoing study, whether ischemic stroke is the only manifestation of a mitochondrial disorder in young patients. methods: patients aged stroke Unit from January 1999 to May 2000 with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke of unknown origin, were included in the study. All of them had full biochemical and hematologic tests, neuroimaging studies, transesophageal echocardiography, and extracranial and transcranial Doppler sonography. Patent foramen ovale was ruled out. lactic acid concentrations were measured after anaerobic exercise of the forearm, and a morphological, biochemical, and molecular study after biceps muscle biopsy was performed. RESULTS: Of the 18 patients so far included, 3 (17%) presented lactic acid hyperproduction after physical exercise, and 6 (33%) showed deficit of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes. The molecular analyses have confirmed mitochondrial mutations at base pairs 3243 (characteristic of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes [MELAS]), 4216, and 15 928. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ischemic stroke may be the only manifestation or the initial manifestation of a mitochondrial disorder.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/12. Misprojection of landmarks onto the spatial map.It has been suggested that neglect patients misrepresent the metric spatial relations along the horizontal axis (anisometry). The "fabric" of their internal spatial medium would be distorted in such a way that physically equal distances appear relatively shorter on the contralesional side (canonical anisometry). The case of GL, a 76-year-old lady with left neglect on visual search tasks, is presented. GL showed severe relative overestimation on the left (contralesional) side on two independent tasks evaluating the metrics of her internal representation. A qualitatively similar pattern was found in two out of 10 other neglect patients who performed the second task. This behavior cannot be accounted for by the canonical anisometry hypothesis. Nevertheless, GL produced a relative left overextension (underestimation) when trying to set the endpoints of a virtual line given its midpoint (Endpoints Task). An interpretation of these results is offered in terms of a misprojection of relevant landmarks onto the internal representation without assuming distortion of its "fabric."- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/12. Effects of emotional face cueing on line bisection in neglect: a single case study.One patient with left neglect (FM) and four right brain-damaged controls were tested on a line bisection task with pictures of neutral and emotional faces as unilateral cues. We thus manipulated the attentional salience of the cues (higher for emotional and lower for neutral faces) while keeping constant their physical dimensions. Our findings showed that left emotional faces were more effective than left neutral faces in reducing bisection errors only in FM. These data indicate that in the neglected hemispace cues bias attention rather than simply altering the perceptual point of balance of the line in the horizontal plane.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/12. Cerebrovascular disease and antiphospholipid antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus-like disease, and the primary antiphospholipid syndrome.PURPOSE AND patients AND methods: Antiphospholipid antibodies, lupus anticoagulant antibodies to cardiolipin, and a false-positive result on testing for syphilis have been linked to thrombotic vascular occlusions, particularly in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus-like disease, i.e., patients not fulfilling four American Rheumatism association criteria for the classification of SLE. The clinical and serologic features of 35 patients with cerebrovascular disease (strokes/transient ischemic attacks) who demonstrated antibodies to phospholipids are presented. Complete histories were obtained from all 35 patients, and all underwent routine physical examinations, radiography, electrocardiography, computed tomographic brain scanning, and immunologic studies. Psychometric tests were performed in nine patients. RESULTS: The strokes were often multiple and were followed by multi-infarct dementia in nine patients. Of particular interest were 10 patients in whom the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies was the major and often the sole immunologic disturbance present. Several of these patients were antinuclear antibody-negative, and the antinuclear antibodies, when present, were usually of a low titer (1:40 to 1:160). These patients conform to a group classified as having a primary antiphospholipid syndrome. CONCLUSION: Antiphospholipid antibodies are strongly associated with cerebrovascular occlusions in patients with SLE as well as in those with lupus-like disease and the primary antiphospholipid syndrome. All patients with any of these conditions who present with vascular events should be screened for these antibodies, as their occurrence may have a bearing on future therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/12. Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma: a treatable cause of transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke detected by transesophageal echocardiography.Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is used frequently in patients with cerebrovascular ischemia. On TEE, a typical appearance of a cardiac fibroelastoma is that of a pedunculated, mobile mass attached to a leaflet of a valve. Surgical excision of the lesion may lead to resolution of the symptoms and prevent further cerebrovascular ischemic events; valve replacement is seldom necessary. Herein we describe three patients with cerebral or ocular ischemia in whom histologic study confirmed a cardiac papillary fibroelastoma after initial detection by TEE. Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of transient ischemic attack and stroke, even in cases of recurrent events in the same vascular distribution. Although the use of echocardiography in the evaluation of stroke and transient ischemic attack is controversial, TEE must be considered in patients in whom the cause of cerebrovascular ischemia is unclear after noninvasive neurovascular studies or transthoracic echocardiography, even if the patient's cardiac history and the findings on physical examination are normal.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/12. Cortical blindness after a failed free tissue transfer: a case report and review of the literature.Cortical blindness is an uncommon but well-documented entity that results from occipital ischemia or insult. We present a case of blindness following a failed free tissue transfer and review the pertinent literature. Careful history and physical examination can usually distinguish cortical blindness from other organic or psychogenic causes. The workup centers on the exclusion of treatable concurrent pathology. Despite the dramatic presentation of cortical blindness, its treatment is generally supportive and the prognosis for full recovery is excellent.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/12. Regressing intracranial carotid occlusions in childhood.Though detected with increasing frequency, intracranial carotid artery dissection remains less common in infancy. We report on 3 otherwise healthy children aged 8, 12 and 15 years who presented with focal headache and stroke secondary to intracranial carotid occlusive disease consistent with arterial dissection. In 2 cases this was precipitated by strenuous physical exertion. The protean angiographic configuration included long tapered narrowing with focal stenosis, beaded narrowing with Moya Moya vascular network and 'string sign'; occlusion of the anterior cerebral artery was always present. Control angiograms revealed complete or partial recanalization in all cases suggesting self-healing dissection. The clinical course was smooth in all patients, and at long-term follow-up (5, 3, and 2 years) they remain in good neurological condition. Although intracranial carotid dissection has a poor reputation, regression to normal and fair outcome may sometimes occur as in the extracranial counterpart, suggesting the existence of benign forms of the disease. Surgical procedures should be weighed against the spontaneous resolution of the lesion.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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