Visualization of Carotid Doppler in Patients with Ischemic Stroke at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung Year 2016-2019

Background: Various pathological changes in both the intra and extracranial arteries that supply the brain can cause disturbance of cerebral blood flow and perfusion leading to cerebral dysfunction. Doppler ultrasound is able to assess these changes. This study was performed to evaluate the anatomical and physiological changes found in the carotid arteries of patients with ischemic stroke using Doppler ultrasound.Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study design with total sampling method was conducted on the medical records of ischemic stroke patients who had carotid Doppler ultrasound at the Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung from 2016 to 2019. Demographic data, such as stroke diagnoses and plaque characteristics recorded in the Doppler reports were collected.Results: There were 38 data sets collected. The distribution and characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques were similar between the two carotid systems, with the same percentage of plaque being found in the right (31.6%) and left (36.8%) carotid system. The most common type of plaque found was type III and was located in the common carotid artery. Thrombus was absent in all patients. Intimal media thickening was found in 13.2% right system and 15.8% left system. Stenosis was present in 34.2% of patients, and most had 125 cm/s) in 5.3% of the right system and 7.9% of the left system of the internal carotid artery.Conclusions: Most of the atherothrombotic and thromboembolic type of ischemic stroke patients in this study have normal carotid Doppler ultrasound features. Further study on the presence of plaque in ischemic stroke patients in Indonesia is needed

Glasgow Outcome Scale Assessment in Patients with Cerebral Toxoplasmosis

Background: Cerebral toxoplasmosis is a Toxoplasma gondii infection affecting the brain. Assessment of the functional outcome after treatment is needed as an evaluation for therapeutic management. One of the instruments used is the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). This study aimed to assess the functional outcome of cerebral toxoplasmosis patients using GOS.Methods: A Cross-sectional descriptive study with total sampling method was conducted. Medical records were retrieved from patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis registered at the Department of Neurology, Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung during year 2017–2019. Inclusion criteria were patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis aged >18 years and had a positive HIV serological test. The GOS was assessed and presented in frequency, using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software ver. 25.0.Results: Of 87 patients, 68% had somnolent on admission to the hospital, 51% had hemiparesis/hemiplegia, and 76% had GOS 3, indicating severe disability. Almost one third (28%) of patients died during hospitalization with non-neurological complications as the most common cause of death (63%). On discharge from the hospital, 82% of the survivors were fully alert, 40% had hemiparesis/hemiplegia, and 33% had GOS 4 (mild disability).Conclusions: Most of the cerebral toxoplasmosis patients come to the hospital with severe disability. During the treatment, one third of patients died, and those who survived had mild disability. GOS has improved after hospitalization, suggesting that GOS is useful for assessment of therapeutic management.

Outcomes of Tuberculous Meningitis Patients with or without Hydrocephalus from a Tertiary Hospital in West Java, Indonesia

Background: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. One of the most common complications of TBM is hydrocephalus, with a higher risk of mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome among TBM patients with or without hydrocephalus.Methods: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional comparative analytical study. A total sampling was employed based on the number of traceable resumes of TBM patients treated at the Department of Neurology Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia in 2018. Results: Of the 127 data of TBM patients, 55 (43.3%) had hydrocephalus, and 72 (56.7%) did not. The median age of TBM patients with and without hydrocephalus was 34 years (IQR 26–45) and 35 years (IQR 24–44), respectively. Decreased consciousness dominated the clinical symptoms for 94.5% in the hydrocephalus group and 84.7% in the non-hydrocephalus group. Hospital-acquired pneumonia occurred mainly in the hydrocephalus group (29.1%), whereas urinary tract infections mainly occurred in without hydrocephalus group (18%). There was a significant difference between the outcome of hydrocephalus and non-hydrocephalus (p=0.005). Mortality was higher in patients with hydrocephalus compared to those without hydrocephalus.Conclusions: The outcome of TBM patients with hydrocephalus is worse than those without hydrocephalus, as reflected by a higher grade of TBM, higher mortality rate, and lower good recovery upon treatment administration. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and treatment are needed to improve the outcome and survival among TBM patients with hydrocephalus

Correlation between Gibbus and Neurological Status in Patients with Tuberculous Spondylitis and its impact after Operative Intervention

Background: Tuberculous (TB) spondylitis is a chronic infectious disease associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects the spine. This disease is a challenging disease to treat due to its serious complications and high morbidity rate. Neurological deficits and spinal deformities that can occur along with gibbus are some of the most common complications. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to cure this disease, with the administration of anti-TB drugs and operative intervention. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between gibbus and neurological status as well as the impact of operative intervention on the degree of gibbus and neurological status.Methods: This was an observational-analytic study with a cross-sectional design on 32 medical records of TB spondylitis patients who underwent operative intervention from January 2018 to December 2021 at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital. Gibbus determined by x-ray analysis and neurological status determined by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale (AIS) were examined before and after the intervention. The sample was chosen based on consecutive sampling. All data collected was tested using Spearman's correlative analysis, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon sign-rank test with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: There was a significant correlation between gibbus and neurological status-AIS (r=-0.708; p<0.05); and a significant positive impact of operative intervention on the degree of gibbus (p<0.05) and neurological status-AIS (p<0.05).Conclusion: There is a correlation between gibbus and neurological status-AIS. In addition, operative intervention also has a significant positive impact on the degree of gibbus and AIS, resulting in good clinical and radiological outcomes

Outcomes of Tuberculous Meningitis Patients with Hydrocephalus with or without Cerebrospinal Fluid Diversion

Background: Hydrocephalus is a common complication in tuberculous meningitis patients and is a poor predictor with high mortality and morbidity rates. Therefore, early diagnosis, detection, and treatment of hydrocephalus are important. Cerebrospinal fluid diversion is the process used to drain accumulated fluid in the brain and spinal cord. This study aimed to explore the outcome of tuberculous meningitis patients with hydrocephalus who underwent cerebrospinal fluid diversion and who did not.Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, including tuberculosis meningitis patients with hydrocephalus, admitted at the Department of Neurology Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung General Hospital during the period 2018. Functional outcomes were grouped based on the Glasgow Outcome Scale.Results: Of the 55 patients, only 14 (25.5%) underwent cerebrospinal fluid diversion. The outcome of patients with cerebrospinal fluid diversion was 8 of 14 good, 1 of 14 poor, and 5 of 14 died. The outcome of patients without cerebrospinal fluid diversion was 13 of 41 good, 2 of 41 poor, and 26 of 41 died. Most tuberculous meningitis patients with hydrocephalus, with or without the cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedure were at an advanced stage with a high mortality rate. Conclusion: The proportion of good functional outcomes in patients with cerebrospinal fluid diversion is higher than in patients without the cerebrospinal fluid diversion.

Prevalence of Opportunistic Infection in Central Nervous System among Patients with HIV/AIDS at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung, Indonesia

Background: The low coverage of diagnosis and treatment in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Indonesia increases the risk of opportunistic infections that affects various organs, including the central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of opportunistic infections in the CNS among hospitalized patients with HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung, Indonesia.Methods: In this cross-sectional study with a total sampling method, data were collected from HIV/AIDS patients who were diagnosed with CNS opportunistic infection and hospitalized in the neurology ward during the period 2015–2019. Data were presented as median (interquartile range) and percentage frequency.Results: Among the 2,606 HIV/AIDS patients registered, 219 (8.4%) were accompanied by CNS opportunistic infections. The highest number was cerebral toxoplasmosis (58.9%; n=129) followed by tuberculous meningitis (33.3%; n=73) and cryptococcal meningitis (7.8%; n=17). Most of the patients admitted for unconsciousness (64.4%; n=141), with unknown HIV-infection status (61.2%; n=134). Among patients with positive HIV-infection status, only 50.6% (43/85) patients were taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 24.7% (21/85) patients dropped out ART before being diagnosed with CNS opportunistic infections. The CD4+’s median value was 21 cells/mm3 (IQR 9-61.25), with mortality during hospitalization was 36.5% (80/219). Conclusions: The prevalence of CNS opportunistic infections among HIV-infected patients is 8.4%, dominated by cerebral toxoplasmosis, and laboratory result showed very low CD4+ levels. The diagnosis of HIV infection is shortly made before hospitalization, and those who has been diagnosed have low compliance with ART. The mortality rate during hospitalization is high

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Patients with Tetanus at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung 2015–2019

Background: Tetanus is a disease characterized by painful muscle spasms all over the body, which still becomes an important health issue worldwide, particularly in developing countries due to the high mortality rate. The clinical features also affect the mortality rate of adult tetanus patients. Tetanus severity score (TSS) is a prognostic scoring system developed in Vietnam that uses clinical features to predict the mortality rate in adult tetanus patients. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features and outcomes of adult tetanus patients using TSS.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study with a total sampling method was conducted between 2015 and 2019. A total of 71 medical records of adult generalized tetanus patients in the Department of Neurology Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung were collected to analyze the clinical features and outcomes using TSS. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software ver. 25.0.Results: Among seventy-one tetanus patients, 62 (87.3%) were male, and the average age was 55.2±11.2 years. More than half of the patients (71%) were having grade III or worse and experienced dysautonomia complications (57.7%). The mortality rate was 38% and those who survived at discharge, 88.64% had TSS score <8, whereas 37.04% who died had TSS score ≥8.Conclusions: Tetanus in Bandung has a high mortality rate. Those who have died have high TSS scores, while the survivors have low TSS scores, suggesting that the TSS is a prospective scoring to predict the mortality rate in patients with tetanus in Indonesia

Successful endovascular reconstruction of symptomatic vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia using multiple Leo stents and nondominant vertebral artery occlusion: a case report

Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBD) is a rare vascular anomaly of increased diameter, length, and tortuosity of vertebral and/or basilar artery, but debilitating due to its risk of ischemia, hemorrhage, and nerve or brain compression. The management is also controversial due to various possible clinical manifestation and outcome. This study aimed to describe a combined approach of multiple scaffolding Leo stents and nondominant vertebral artery occlusion as a definitive approach to reconstruct vertebrobasilar arteries. A 40-year old male presented with severe headache and reduced consciousness, which was explained with brain CT findings of subarachnoid hemorrhage and hydrocephalus. Further etiologic approach until digital subtraction angiography revealed VBD. An endovascular reconstruction approach was considered one month following the event onset using multiple scaffolding Leo stents from left vertebral to basilar artery with right vertebral artery occlusion. This stent had the best radial strength, lowest bending stiffness, highest kink resistance, highest bending wall coverage, and lowest cell size, which provided strong vascular reconstruction properties. Combined nondominant vertebral artery occlusion was also performed to avoid the disturbance of flow-diverting pathway by the stents. Double antiplatelet was administered from three weeks following the event onset afterwards. The patient’s condition improved at three-month follow-up. This case report presented that combined multiple Leo stents and nondominant vertebral artery occlusion may be considered as an approach to successful endovascular reconstruction for symptomatic VBD

Spinocerebellar Ataxia 3 (SCA3) Patient with Peripheral Neuropathy

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) 3 is a neurodegenerative disease which involves cerebellum and extra cerebellum. Neuropathy in SCA3 manifests in various ways, including axonal and demyelination lesions in sensory and motor nerves. There has not been any study that describes the peripheral neuropathy characteristics of SCA3 patients in Indonesia at the time of this publication. This paper reports a case of a 43-year-old male with known spinocerebellar ataxia 3 presented with hereditary ataxia and mild numbness in both palms since two years before. No abnormalities were found during the sensory examination. The NCS showed severe axonal demyelinating sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an atrophy in the cerebellum with cerebral multiple lacunar infarction was identified. Electrophysiological results revealed profound axonal lesion in peripheral nerves. To conclude, peripheral neuropathy in SCA3 represents the dominance of axonal lesions in motor nerves