Evaluation of Electroencephalography Findings in Isolated Hypocalcemia Patients

Aim:In our study, we aimed to analyze electroencephalography (EEG) findings in patients with hypocalcemia and to investigate possible relationship between calcium (Ca) level and EEG abnormalities and whether there was any change in EEG findings when serum Ca level returns to normal.Methods:Seventeen consecutive patients, who were admitted to the Endocrinology, Neurology and General Surgery Clinics at İstanbul Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital with a corrected serum Ca level of 8.5 mg/dL) in follow-up.Results:EEG abnormalities were detected in nine (53%) of 17 patients. EEG examination revealed slow background activity in seven patients (41%) and epileptiform abnormalities in two (12%) patients. In follow-up, normocalcemic period was observed in seven patients. EEG findings were improved in two of eight patients who had slow background activity and one of two patients with epileptiform activity in the normocalcemic period.Conclusion:Our study showed that various EEG findings, such as slowed background activity and epileptiform abnormalities, may be seen in isolated hypocalcemia patients even in the absence of clinical findings and these EEG findings may improve in normocalsemic period

Aortic Dissection Cases Presenting with Neurological Deficit

Aortic dissection can be fatal in case of underdiagnosis, and early treatment is essential for the survival. Although acute onset of chest or back pain is most common presenting symptoms, some patients might present with atypical findings such as acute stroke, mesenteric ischaemia, renal failure or myocardial infarction. Here, we report two cases presenting emergency room with atypical findings of aortic dissection which diagnosis is made during etiologic work up for ischemic strok

A case of primary gait ignition failure

Gait ignition failure (GIF) is clinically and pathologically a poorly defined term that has gone with many different names before. Coexistence with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, multisystem atrophy, vascular parkinsonism, posthypoxic pallidal lesions and normal pressure hydrocephalus is common. Primary GIF is rare. Main problem is start hesitation and freezing. Here, we present a 69 year old woman whose chief complaint is difficulty of gait. She did not have any other extrapiramidal signs and her MRI did not reveal any abnormality. She was diagnosed as primary gait ignition failur

Evaluation of cerebellar infarcts’ distrubution, clinical features and aetiological factors

İstanbul Bilim Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi.Amaç: Posterior dolaşım infarktları (PDİ) yüksek mortalite ve morbidite riski taşıyan hastalıklar olarak bilinmektedir. PDİ’larının tanınması bu mortalite ve morbiditenin azaltılması ve tromboliz gibi yeni tedavi yaklaşımlarına olanak sağlaması açısından önemlidir. Bu çalışmamızda serebellar iskemik inmelerin damar alanlarına göre dağılımını, klinik, etiyolojik ve fonksiyonel karakteristiklerini araştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmamıza 90 hasta dahil edildi. Tüm hastaların kaydedilmiş vasküler risk faktörleri, giriş tansiyonları, elektrokardiyogram, kranial görüntüleme yöntemleri, başvuru sırasındaki belirti ve nörolojik muayene bulguları, etiyolojiyi saptamak amacıyla yapılmış olan transtorasik ekokardiyografi, bilateral karotis ve vertebral arter doppler ultrasonografi, servikal bilgisayarlı tomografi veya manyetik rezonans anjiografi tetkikleri incelendi.Objective: Posterior circulation stroke syndromes are known to have high risk of mortality and morbidity. The recognition of posterior circulation infarcts are important for decreasing this mortality and morbidity, and can make it possible to administer thrombolysis treatment. In this study, our goal was to evaluate distribution of cerebellar infarcts, and to determine the clinical, aetiological and functional characteristics. Material and Method: 90 patients were included in our study. All recorded vascular risk factors, blood pressure measurements, electrocardiograms, signs and symptoms during the application, results of cranial imaging and the results of studies done to reveal aethiology such as transthoracic ecocardiography and bilateral doppler ultrasonography of carotid arteries, cervical computed tomography or magnetic resonance angiography imaginings were examined

Evaluation of cerebellar infarcts’ distrubution, clinical features and aetiological factors

Amaç: Posterior dolaşım infarktları (PDİ) yüksek mortalite ve morbidite riski taşıyan hastalıklar olarak bilinmektedir. PDİ’larının tanınması bu mortalite ve morbiditenin azaltılması ve tromboliz gibi yeni tedavi yaklaşımlarına olanak sağlaması açısından önemlidir. Bu çalışmamızda serebellar iskemik inmelerin damar alanlarına göre dağılımını, klinik, etiyolojik ve fonksiyonel karakteristiklerini araştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmamıza 90 hasta dahil edildi. Tüm hastaların kaydedilmiş vasküler risk faktörleri, giriş tansiyonları, elektrokardiyogram, kranial görüntüleme yöntemleri, başvuru sırasındaki belirti ve nöro - lojik muayene bulguları, etiyolojiyi saptamak amacıyla yapılmış olan transtorasik ekokardiyografi, bilateral karotis ve vertebral arter doppler ultrasonografi, servikal bilgisayarlı tomografi veya manyetik rezonans anjiografi tetkikleri incelendi. Bulgular: Serebellar infarktların damar alanlarına göre dağılım sıklığı değerlendirildiğinde: en sık medial Posterior inferior serebellar arter (PİSA) damar alanında infarkt olduğu saptandı. Bunu medial Süperior serebellar arter (SSA) ile lateral PİSA damar alanları takip etmekteydi. Anterior inferior serebellar arter (AİSA) dışında tüm damarlarda en sık başvuru belirtisi bulantı kusmaydı. AİSA infarktlarında ise en sık belirti dengesizlikti. Damar alanlarına göre bulgular değerlendirildiğinde de tüm damar alanlarında en sık ataksi, dismetri-disdiadokinezi, hipotoni en sık bulgulardı. En sık saptanan risk faktörleri hipertansiyon (HT), sigara kullanımı, diyabetes mellitustu. Etiyolojik faktör olarak: Kardiyoemboli (KE) hastaların %22.2’sinde ve ver- tebrobaziller ateroskleroz (VBA) %61.1’inde saptandı. VBA AİSA, medial PİSA, lateral PİSA alanlarını içeren infarktlarda, KE ise medial SSA, lateral SSA, lateral PİSA alanlarını içeren infarktlarda en sıktı. Sonuç: Çalışmamızda serebellar infarkların en sık medial PİSA sulama alanında olduğunu saptadık. En sık belirti bulantı-kusma ve en sık muayene bulgusu ataksiydi. HT en sık saptanan risk faktörü ve VBA en sık etiyolojik faktördü.Objective: Posterior circulation stroke syndromes are known to have high risk of mortality and morbidity. The recognition of posterior circulation infarcts are important for decreasing this mortality and morbidity, and can make it possible to administer thrombolysis treatment. In this study, our goal was to evaluate distribution of cerebellar infarcts, and to determine the clinical, aetiological and functional characteristics. Material and Method: 90 patients were included in our study. All recorded vascular risk factors, blood pressure measurements, electrocardiograms, signs and symptoms during the application, results of cranial imaging and the results of studies done to reveal aethiology such as transthoracic ecocardiography and bilateral doppler ultrasonography of carotid arteries, cervical computed tomography or magnetic resonance angiography imaginings were examined. Results: The most common vascular territories were medial posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), medial superior cerebellar artery (SCA) and lateral PICA. Nausea and vomiting were the most common symptom, except for anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA). At AICA infarcts, it was derangement. The most common finding in all vascular territories were ataxia, dysmetria-disdiadokinezia and hypotonia. The most common risk factors were hypertension (HT), smoking and diabetes mellitus. Cardioembolism was found in 22.2% and vertebrobasillar atherosclerosis (VBA) was found in 61.1% of the cases as aetiological factors. VBA was more common in infarcts that involved the territories of AICA, medial PICA and Iateral PICA. Cardioembolism was the most common in infarcts that involved the territories of medial SCA, Iateral SCA and Iateral PICA. Conclusions: In our study we found that the most commonly affected territory was medial PICA. The most common signs were nausea and vomiting, and the most common symptom was ataxia. HT was the predominant risk factor and the most common aetiological factor was VBA

Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis with MOCA Test

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive dysfunction is currently recognized as a significant cause of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) is screening device used to evaluate executive functions, visuo-spatial abilities, language, attention, and concentration, abstract thinking, memory, and orientation domain. The aim of this study is to compare cognitive functions of MS patients with age-matched controls using MOCA test. METHODS: Thirty nine subjects with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS according to the 2010 revised McDonald criteria and 20 healthy volunteer controls participated in this study. Patients and controls underwent Turkish version of MOCA test. Total and subgroup scores were compared. RESULTS: Total MOCA score in MS patients and controls were 21,74±4,48 and 26,9±2,53 respectively. Total MOCA score of MS patients was significantly lower than controls. Significant deterioration was also found in language, attention, memory and executive functions domain. Disease duration and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) did not differ in patients with and without cognitive deficits. CONCLUSION: Patients with MS showed deterioration in language, attention, working and long term-memory and executive functions compared to controls. MOCA is a simple, stand-alone cognitive screening test with superior sensitivity. Our findings suggest that the MOCA test may be useful for screening cognitive impairment in MS patients early in the disease cours

Mechanisms, clinical features and risk factors for stroke in the posterior cerebral artery infarcts

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study is to investigate the association between the infarcts in the cortical and deep posterior cerebral artery perfusion area and the mechanisms of stroke, clinical features and risk factors. METHODS: For this purpose, 57 patients included in this study who suffered strokes first time and have infarcts in the posterior cerebral artery perfusion area and admitted to our Neurology Clinics between January 2002 and August 2007. Subjects were divided in two groups as cortical branch infarct group and deep (thalamus) + cortical branch group. Patients were evaluated in four etiologic clusters; 1.Occlusion in the posterior cerebral artery or its branches. 2. Occlusion proximal to the posterior cerebral artery. 3. Cardio-embolic reasons. 4. Cryptogenic embolism group. All patients had cranial CT, MRI, neck Doppler USG, MRA or DSA, trans-esophageal or trans-thoracic echocardiography, hematologic and vasculytic investigations. Risk factors in all patients were recorded. RESULTS: Thirty-five (61%) patients had cortical branch infarct, 22 patients (39%) had infarcts in the cortical and deep PCA perfusion area. The cardio-embolism (n: 27; 47%) was the most frequently observed etiologic factor in both groups. This is followed by intrinsic PCA disease (n: 12; 21%), proximal artery disease (n: 10; 17%), cryptogenic embolism (n: 8, 15%), respectively. Headache was observed in 52% of the patients at the beginning of stroke. Seventy-eight of the patients had visual disturbances, 54% had motor symptoms, 24% had sensorial symptoms. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that cardiogenic embolism and intrinsic PCA disease are more frequent etiologic factors in infarcts observed in the cortical and deep posterior cerebral artery perfusion area. There was no statistical difference in etiology and risk factors between the patients who had PCA cortical branch infarct group and deep (thalamus) + cortical branch group

Intravenous Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Stroke: Problems and Solutions

Akut iskemik inme tedavisinin kritik elementlerinin başında gelen intravenöz doku plazminojen aktivatörü (tPA) kullanımının yirmi yılı aşkın süre içinde ülkemizde yeterince yaygınlaşamamasının başta gelen nedenlerinden biri, kullanımına dair birçok sorunun yanıtsız kalmasıdır. Ancak, son gelişmeler ile bu soruların pek çoğuna yeterli açıklamanın getirilebilmiş olması önemli bir anlayış değişikliğine yol açmaktadır. Bu makalede akut inmede tPA tedavisi ile ilgili uzmanlarımızın yönelttiği birincil olarak nörolojik sorulara ilişkin yanıt ve açıklamalar mevcut literatür ışığında etraflıca ele alınmış ve herbiri için net tavsiyelerde bulunulmuşturUse of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is one of the key elements of acute ischemic stroke management. Its use has not become widespread, and has faced significant problems in our country for more than a quarter of a century most probably due to many unanswered questions about issues related with daily practice. However, recent developments, which adequately focused and found solutions for most of these problems and questions, have led to a major change of point of view and understanding of the hyperacute management of stroke. This article, in the light of the relevant literature, discusses and provides clear recommendations for questions directed by neurologists practicing in Turkey mainly about typical neurologic issues faced in the setting of tPA use for acute strok

Intravenous Thrombolytic Therapy in Acute Stroke: Frequent Systemic Problems and Solutions

Akut iskemik inme tedavisinin ana elementlerinin başında gelen intravenöz (IV) doku plazminojen aktivatörü (tPA) kullanımının yeterince yaygınlaşamamasının en önemli nedenlerinden biri sık karşılaşılan birçok soruya yeterince yanıt veril(e)memiş olmasıdır. Bu derlemede akut inmede IV tPA tedavisi ile ilgili olarak meslektaşlarımızdan toplanan, daha çok uygulamada önemi olan sistemik soru ve sorunlar ile tedavinin komplikasyonlarına dair, sorulara güncel literatür temelinde yanıt verilmiş ve net tavsiyelerde bulunulmuşturOne of the most important reasons why the use of the intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which is one of the key elements of acute ischemic stroke treatment, is not sufficiently widespread is the fact that many common questions have not been adequately answered. In this review, questions about systemic nonneurologic conditions, problems related with IV tPA treatment and complications of treatment, which were collected from our colleagues practicing in Turkey and which are more important in clinical practice, were answered on the basis of the current literature and clear recommendations are mad