1/290. Schwannoma in patients with isolated unilateral trochlear nerve palsy.PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features of patients with isolated unilateral trochlear nerve palsy secondary to imaging-defined schwannoma of the trochlear nerve. methods: A chart review of all patients seen at the Neuro-ophthalmology Unit at Emory University since 1989. Of 221 patients with trochlear nerve palsy, six had a lesion consistent with a trochlear nerve schwannoma. RESULTS: The six patients had isolated unilateral trochlear nerve palsy. Duration of diplopia before diagnosis averaged 6 months. magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated circumscribed, enhancing lesions along the cisternal course of the trochlear nerve, all measuring less than 5 mm in greatest dimension. Five of the patients were seen in follow-up, over periods ranging from 11 to 26 months from initial presentation (mean, 15.6 months; standard deviation, 6.0 months). All of these patients remained stable except one, who was slightly worse at 15 months by clinical measurements and magnetic resonance imaging. None of these patients have developed additional symptoms or signs of cranial nerve or central nervous system involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The differential diagnosis of an isolated unilateral fourth cranial nerve palsy should include an intrinsic neoplasm of the trochlear nerve. magnetic resonance imaging is useful, both for diagnosis and follow-up. These patients can remain stable and may not require neurosurgical intervention.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/290. Internuclear ophthalmoplegia following minor head injury: a case report.Internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) is a common sign of multiple sclerosis in young patients and of vascular diseases in older people. Traumatic bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia following severe head injuries may occur. We present the unusual case of a young patient suffered from bilateral INO as an isolated finding after a minor head injury, without other signs of brain stem or cortical injury. The ophthalmoplegia has persisted for 22 months.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.277753806877keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/290. A case of the subacute brainstem encephalitis.A case of brainstem encephalitis of undetermined etiology is reported in 66-year-old woman who had a sudden onset of illness with left abducens palsy, nystagmus and ataxia. The symptoms progressed to complete paralysis of eye movements, dysphagia and left hemiparesis with generalized hyperreflexia. Examination of CSF, CT scan and MRI of the brain were normal. The patient died 4 months after onset of disease. Neuropathologic study disclosed in the brainstem numerous perivascular and nodular inflammatory cell infiltrations composed predominantly of lymphocytes T and B. Most intensive inflammation concerned midbrain and pontine tegmentum and to a lesser degree medulla oblongata, pontine nuclei and cerebellar nuclei. basal ganglia, cerebral and cerebellar cortex were unaffected. Neuropathological finding was reminiscent of brainstem encephalitides related to viral infection or to paraneoplastic syndrome. However, HSV-1, EBV, and CMV antigens were not detected by immunohistochemistry, as well as evidences of malignancy were not present in this case.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.499784261893keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/290. Tonic ocular tilt reaction simulating a superior oblique palsy: diagnostic confusion with the 3-step test.BACKGROUND: The tonic ocular tilt reaction (OTR) consists of vertical divergence of the eyes (skew deviation), bilateral conjugate ocular torsion, and paradoxical head tilt. The head and superior pole of both eyes are rotated toward the hypotropic eye. OBJECTIVE: To describe ocular motility and torsion findings in 5 patients with OTRs that mimicked superior oblique palsies (SOPs). RESULTS: In 5 patients, results of the 3-step test suggested an SOP (bilateral in 1 patient); however, no patient had the expected excyclotorsion of the hypertropic eye. Two patients had conjugate ocular torsion (intorsion of the hypertropic eye and extorsion of the hypotropic eye), and 2 patients had only intorsion of the hypertropic eye. All had other neurologic features consistent with more widespread brainstem disease. CONCLUSIONS: Vertical ocular deviations that 3-step to an SOP are not always caused by fourth nerve weakness. When a patient with an apparent fourth nerve palsy has ocular torsion that is inconsistent with an SOP, OTR should be suspected, especially if vestibular system or posterior fossa dysfunction coexists. The rules for the 3-step test for an SOP may be fulfilled by damaging the otolithic projections corresponding to projections of the contralateral anterior semicircular canal. Because results of the Bielschowsky head tilt test may be positive in patients with the OTR, the feature distinguishing OTR from an SOP is the direction of torsion. We advocate use of a fourth step-evaluation of ocular torsion-in addition to the standard 3 steps.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.277753806877keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/290. meningioma presenting as tolosa-hunt syndrome.A 23-year-old woman was admitted with headache, nausea, vomiting and blurred vision on the left side. Neurological examination showed ptosis with a complete internal and external ophthalmoplegia and a red fullness around the left orbita. Computed tomographic scanning of the brain revealed no abnormalities. As she improved on high doses of steroids a diagnosis of tolosa-hunt syndrome (THS) seemed to be indicated. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a lesion with intermediate signal intensity in the left cavernous sinus. craniotomy was performed when symptoms of THS recurred. Histopathological examination revealed a meningioma with a papillary aspect and some mitoses. This case illustrates that: (1) THS is still a diagnosis by exclusion; (2) MRI and histopathological examination are important if there is any doubt about the diagnosis; and (3) also when there is no doubt, improvement after steroid therapy may be a diagnostic pitfall. Therefore, not only MRI but also orbital phlebography and angiography should seriously be considered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.277753806877keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/290. Wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia in central nervous system cryptococcosis.Only one case of wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (WEBINO) has been described in central nervous system cryptococcosis. The disorder was initially unilateral, then became bilateral with skew deviation and vertical upgaze deficit. We report a case of WEBINO in central nervous system cryptococcosis in a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. magnetic resonance imaging revealed high signal on T2 images in the right midbrain, left frontal vertex, left splenium, and cerebellum. With treatment, the internuclear ophthalmoplegia improved; however, the convergence insufficiency remained. Disruption of input from cortical supranuclear locations or the region of the rostral interstitial nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus has been proposed as a mechanism in the absence of convergence. This correlates in our patient with the lesions seen on magnetic resonance images.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6.277753806877keywords = central nervous system, nervous system, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/290. Isolated superior oblique palsies with brainstem lesions.Isolated unilateral superior oblique palsies resulting from brainstem lesions occurred in three patients. MRI documented contralateral tegmental lesions of the trochlear nucleus and adjacent intraaxial trochlear nerve. Lacunar infarct was the cause in two patients and a small hemorrhage in a third.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.388769034385keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/290. X linked severe mental retardation, craniofacial dysmorphology, epilepsy, ophthalmoplegia, and cerebellar atrophy in a large South African kindred is localised to Xq24-q27.To date over 150 X linked mental retardation (XLMR) conditions have been documented. We describe a five generation South African family with XLMR, comprising 16 affected males and 10 carrier females. The clinical features common to the 16 males included profound mental retardation (100%), mutism despite apparently normal hearing (100%), grand mal epilepsy (87.5%), and limited life expectancy (68.8%). Of the four affected males examined, all had mild craniofacial dysmorphology and three were noted to have bilateral ophthalmoplegia and truncal ataxia. Three of 10 obligate female carriers had mild mental retardation. Cerebellar and brain stem atrophy was shown by cranial imaging and postmortem examination. Linkage analysis shows the gene to be located between markers DXS424 (Xq24) and DXS548 (Xq27.3), with a maximum two point lod score of 3.10.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.277753806877keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/290. Parkinsonism, dementia and vertical gaze palsy in a Guamanian with atypical neuroglial degeneration.A 58-year-old Chamorro female patient, who died in 1993, was examined clinicopathologically. At the age of 51, she suffered from hemiparkinsonism, then bradykinesia, rigidity without tremor, and dementia. Extrapyramidal symptoms developed, and at the age of 57, vertical gaze palsy was noted. The clinical diagnosis was parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC) with vertical gaze palsy. The brain showed atrophy in the frontal and temporal lobes, and the atrophy was accentuated in the dentate gyrus, Ammon's horn and parahippocampal gyrus. The basal ganglia, thalamus and midbrain were moderately atrophic. The substantia nigra and locus ceruleus were completely depigmented. Numerous neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) were seen in the subiculum and amygdaloid nucleus. Many NFTs were evident in the parahippocampal gyrus, lateral occipitotemporal gyrus, insula, Sommer sector, basal nucleus of meynert, lateral nucleus of the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus and brain stem, and several were observed in the globus pallidus and hypothalamus. The Sommer sector, substantia nigra, locus ceruleus and basal nucleus of meynert showed severe loss of neurons, and a moderate loss of neurons was exhibited by the globus pallidus. These findings were apparently consistent with those associated with PDC. However, in this patient, severe neuronal loss was seen in the subthalamic nucleus and lateral nucleus of the thalamus, and grumose degeneration, which has not previously been reported in PDC, was seen in the dentate nucleus. In addition, many tufted astrocytes, which have been reported to occur in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and postencephalitic parkinsonism, but scarcely observed in PDC, were present. Furthermore, astrocytic plaques, which have been considered as a specific finding of corticobasal degeneration (CBD), were observed in the cerebral cortex. On the other hand, granular hazy astrocytic inclusions, previously reported to occur in PDC, were not seen. Chromatolytic neurons were not observed. The question thus arises as to whether it is appropriate to consider this patient as having suffered from a combination of PDC, PSP and CBD. From the view points of absence of granular hazy astrocytic inclusions and chromatolytic neurons, and of tufted astrocytes in the neostriatum, it is conceivable that this patient is a case of a new disease entity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.833261420631keywords = brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/290. Acute onset of a bilateral areflexical mydriasis in Miller-Fisher syndrome: a rare neuro-ophthalmologic disease.Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is characterized by variable ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and tendon areflexia. It seems to be a variant of guillain-barre syndrome (GBS), but unlike in GBS, there is a primitive involvement of the ocular motor nerves, and in some cases there is brainstem or cerebellum direct damage. The unusual case of MFS in the current study started with a bilateral areflexical mydriasis and a slight failure of accommodative-convergence. Ocular-movement abnormalities developed progressively with a palsy of the upward gaze and a bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia to a complete ophthalmoplegia. In the serum of this patient, high titers of an IgG anti-GQ1b ganglioside and IgG anti-cerebellum. anti-purkinje cells in particular, were found. The former autoantibody has been connected to cases of MFS, of GBS with associated ophthalmoplegia, and with other acute ocular nerve palsies. The anti-cerebellum autoantibody could explain central nervous system involvement in MFS. The role of these findings and clinical implications in MFS and in other neuro-ophthalmologic diseases are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.277753806877keywords = central nervous system, nervous system, brain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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