Acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris level after rabies vaccination in a patient with Behçet's disease

Case report: A 25-year-old man with Behçet's disease was admitted because of weakness of the lower limbs and difficulty in urination. He had received a rabies vaccination 2 months previous because he had been bitten by a dog. Findings: Clinical and laboratory findings supported acute transverse myelitis. A hyperintense lesion and expansion at the level of conus medullaris was detected on spinal magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: Although neurologic involvement is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in Behçet's disease, the factors that aggravate the involvement of the nervous system are still unclear. Vaccination may have been the factor that had activated autoimmune mechanisms in this case. To our knowledge, involvement of the conus medullaris in Behçet's disease after rabies vaccination has not been reported.Indications:For prevention of rabies in a patient who was bitten by a dog. Coexisting diseases: Behcet's disease, relapsing aphthous stomatitis and genital ulcerations.Patients:One 25-year-old male patient.TypeofStudy:A case report describing acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris level after Rabipur vaccination in a patient with Behcet's disease.AdverseEffects:1 patient developed acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris characterized by weakness of lower limbs, urinary retention, severe backache, difficulty with urination and defecation, hypoesthesia below the level of L1, absence of lower extremities vibratory and position senses, absence of deep tendon reflexes in the lower extremities, detrusor atony, and atrophy and fasciculations of the left leg muscles.AuthorsConclusions:Involvement of the conus medullaris in Behcet's disease after rabies vaccination has not been reported previously in the literature. The possibility of an activating factor (eg, vaccination) other than infection has never been mentioned in Neuro-Behcet syndrome. Understanding the activating factors may be helpful for the prevention of neurological involvement and is important for planning follow up and understanding the prognosis. Further reports and investigations are needed.FreeText:Tests: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte and protein level; muscle strength using Medical Research Council grade scoring; spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); vibratory and position senses; and deep tendon reflexes. The active substance of the rabies vaccine was an inactivated rabies virus.Results:Two months after the administration of the rabies vaccine, the patient experienced weakness of lower limbs which was preceded by severe backache for 12 hours and urinary retention. The weakness progressively worsened, and he began experiencing difficulty with urination and defecation. Muscle strength score was 2/5 at proximal left lower limb, 1/5 at distal left lower limb, 3/-5 at proximal right lower limb, and 1/5 at distal right lower limb. Atrophy and fasciculations of the left leg muscles were noted. There was hypoesthesia below the level of lumbar 1 (L1), and lower extremities demonstrated absence of vibratory and position senses. Absence of deep tendon reflexes was noted in the lower extremities, and plantar responses were extensor bilaterally. CSF examination revealed 110 leukocytes/mm3 with no microorganisms and elevated protein level (114 mg/dL). Spine MRI showed hyperintense lesion and expansion at the level of the conus medullaris. The patient was treated with methylprednisolone, azathioprine, and physiotherapy. He also required intermittent catheterization for urinary retention. After a year, a complete resolution of symptoms was observed and spinal MRI became normal.DosageDuration:Dosage not stated; given on the day of the bite and on the 3rd and 7th days thereafter

Esansiyel tremorlu hastalarda klinik ve elektrookülografik bulgular

Çalışmamızda, Esansiyel tremor (ET) hastalarında göz hareketlerini elektrookülografi (EOG) ile kayıtlamak, patoloji saptanırsa; ET patofizyolojisinde özellikle son çalışmalarda üzerinde durulan serebellar disfonksiyon başta olmak üzere, beyin sapı, talamus ile yolaklarındaki disfonksiyonunun, bu yolaklardaki disfonksiyon sonucunda ortaya çıkabilen göz bulguları ile karşılaştırmak amaçlandı. Ocak 2008 ve Ekim 2008 tarihleri arasında Pamukkale Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Nöroloji polikliniğine başvuran 36 ET'li hasta ile benzer cinsiyet ve yaşta 36 sağlıklı katılımcı çalışmaya alındı. Tüm katılımcıların EOG testlerinden sakkadik test, yavaş takip (trekking) testi, optokinetik test, gaze testi ve pozisyonel testti yapılarak öykü ve muayene bulgularıyla birlikte değerlendirildi. ET'li hasta ile kontrol grubu arasında, EOG testlerinde anlamlı bir farklılık saptanmadı. Bu durumda ET nin patogenesisinde öne sürülen serebellar hipotezi destekler veri elde edemediğimiz söylenebilir ancak bu durum hipotezi reddettirmez. Oküler bulgu çıkartmayacak düzeyde bir patoloji sözkonusu olabilir.The aims of the study were to record ocular movements of Essential tremor (ET) patients using electrooculography (EOG) and; if there are any pathological results, to compare them with the ocular manifestations of the recently investigated causes of ET such as brainstem, thalamus disfunction and especially cerebellar disfunction. Thirty six ET patients admitted to Pamukkale University Neurology department between January 2008 and October 2008 were recruited for the study and 36 healthy, age and sex matched subjects formed the control group. Saccadic, tracking, optokinetic, gaze and positional test results were obtained from the EOG tests of the each subject and evaluated together with the history and examination findings. There was not any significant difference between the ET patients and controls. Those results may not lead us to support cerebellar hypothesis in the pathogenesis of ET. On the other hand they can not discard the hypothesis

Two Case Report With Bilateral Thalamic Infarct

Bilateral thalamic infarction is a rare clinical condition. Thalamo-perforan arteries are arise from the same vascular territory in nearly one third of the cases and oclussion of it causes bilateral infacts. Clinical presentation can be altered mental status, decrease alertness, memory problems, mood disorders, cognitive problems and vertical gaze palsy. In this report we present two cases with different clinical status

Spontan Recanalization of Internal Carotis Artery Occlusion: A Case Report

There is not too much literature knowledge about spontaneous recanalization of the internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusions following and treatment. Here we presented a case who could have the opportunity of carotid artery stending treatment, where it is incidentally revealed that the occlusion of ICA is recanalized. The purpose of this case report is to emphasize the importance of ICA spontaneous recanalization

Acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris level after rabies vaccination in a patient with Behçet's disease

Case report: A 25-year-old man with Behçet's disease was admitted because of weakness of the lower limbs and difficulty in urination. He had received a rabies vaccination 2 months previous because he had been bitten by a dog. Findings: Clinical and laboratory findings supported acute transverse myelitis. A hyperintense lesion and expansion at the level of conus medullaris was detected on spinal magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: Although neurologic involvement is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in Behçet's disease, the factors that aggravate the involvement of the nervous system are still unclear. Vaccination may have been the factor that had activated autoimmune mechanisms in this case. To our knowledge, involvement of the conus medullaris in Behçet's disease after rabies vaccination has not been reported.Indications:For prevention of rabies in a patient who was bitten by a dog. Coexisting diseases: Behcet's disease, relapsing aphthous stomatitis and genital ulcerations.Patients:One 25-year-old male patient.TypeofStudy:A case report describing acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris level after Rabipur vaccination in a patient with Behcet's disease.AdverseEffects:1 patient developed acute transverse myelitis at the conus medullaris characterized by weakness of lower limbs, urinary retention, severe backache, difficulty with urination and defecation, hypoesthesia below the level of L1, absence of lower extremities vibratory and position senses, absence of deep tendon reflexes in the lower extremities, detrusor atony, and atrophy and fasciculations of the left leg muscles.AuthorsConclusions:Involvement of the conus medullaris in Behcet's disease after rabies vaccination has not been reported previously in the literature. The possibility of an activating factor (eg, vaccination) other than infection has never been mentioned in Neuro-Behcet syndrome. Understanding the activating factors may be helpful for the prevention of neurological involvement and is important for planning follow up and understanding the prognosis. Further reports and investigations are needed.FreeText:Tests: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte and protein level; muscle strength using Medical Research Council grade scoring; spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); vibratory and position senses; and deep tendon reflexes. The active substance of the rabies vaccine was an inactivated rabies virus.Results:Two months after the administration of the rabies vaccine, the patient experienced weakness of lower limbs which was preceded by severe backache for 12 hours and urinary retention. The weakness progressively worsened, and he began experiencing difficulty with urination and defecation. Muscle strength score was 2/5 at proximal left lower limb, 1/5 at distal left lower limb, 3/-5 at proximal right lower limb, and 1/5 at distal right lower limb. Atrophy and fasciculations of the left leg muscles were noted. There was hypoesthesia below the level of lumbar 1 (L1), and lower extremities demonstrated absence of vibratory and position senses. Absence of deep tendon reflexes was noted in the lower extremities, and plantar responses were extensor bilaterally. CSF examination revealed 110 leukocytes/mm3 with no microorganisms and elevated protein level (114 mg/dL). Spine MRI showed hyperintense lesion and expansion at the level of the conus medullaris. The patient was treated with methylprednisolone, azathioprine, and physiotherapy. He also required intermittent catheterization for urinary retention. After a year, a complete resolution of symptoms was observed and spinal MRI became normal.DosageDuration:Dosage not stated; given on the day of the bite and on the 3rd and 7th days thereafter

Association between cholesterols, homocysteine and silent brain infarcts

Background The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between total plasma homocysteine, cholesterol levels, vitamin B12, folate, thyroid hormones, urea, ferritin, uric acid, C-reactive protein, cardiovascular risk factors and silent brain infarct (SBI) in patients without any neurological disorder. Whether the factors of interest were associated with SBI is investigated. Methods One hundred and forty-two subjects with a mean age of 52.1 ± 13.1 years (21-87 years) without any history of stroke, transient ischaemic attack and neurological abnormality were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and blood chemistry determinations. Student's t-test was used to compare differences in means of laboratory results between the groups with and without SBI. The χ2-test was used for categorized variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of SBI. Results The group comprised 56 men and 86 women. SBI were found in 40 patients (28%). The low-density lipoprotein levels were significantly higher in the infarct group (P = 0.019), homocysteine concentrations were significantly higher in the men-infarct group (P = 0,029) and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the women-infarct group than the women non-infarct group (P = 0.006). Conclusion Serum low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol and homocysteine levels were associated with SBI. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Predictors of Symptomatic Hemorrhage After Endovascular Treatment for Anterior Circulation Occlusions: Turkish Endovascular Stroke Registry

We evaluated the predictive factors of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) in endovascular treatment of stroke. We included 975 ischemic stroke patients with anterior circulation occlusion. Patients that had hemorrhage and an increase of >= 4 points in their National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) after the treatment were considered as SICH. The mean age of patients was 65.2 +/- 13.1 years and 469 (48.1%) were women. The median NIHSS was 16 (13-18) and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT 9 (8-10). In 420 patients (43.1%), modified Rankin Scale was favorable (0-2) and mortality was observed in 234 (24%) patients at the end of the third month. Patients with high diastolic blood pressure (P<.05) had significantly higher SICH. SICH was significantly higher in those with high NIHSS scores (P<.001), high blood glucose (P<.001), and leukocyte count at admission (P<.05). Diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 1.90; P<.001), NIHSS (OR 1.07; P<.05), adjuvant intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy (IA-rtPA) (OR, 1.60; P<.05), and puncture-recanalization time (OR 1.01; P<.05) were independent factors of SICH. Higher baseline NIHSS score, longer procedure time, multiple thrombectomy maneuvers, administration of IA-rtPA, and the history of DM are independent predictors of SICH in anterior circulation occlusion

Atrial Fibrillation Management in Acute Stroke Patients in Türkiye: Real-life Data from the NöroTek Study

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common directly preventable cause of ischemic stroke. There is no dependable neurology-based data on the spectrum of stroke caused by AF in Turkiye. Within the scope of NoroTek-Turkiye (TR), hospital-based data on acute stroke patients with AF were collected to contribute to the creation of acute-stroke algorithms.Materials and Methods: On May 10, 2018 (World Stroke Awareness Day), 1,790 patients hospitalized at 87 neurology units in 30 health regions were prospectively evaluated. A total of 929 patients [859 acute ischemic stroke, 70 transient ischemic attack (TIA)] from this study were included in this analysis.Results: The rate of AF in patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke/TIA was 29.8%, of which 65% were known before stroke, 5% were paroxysmal, and 30% were diagnosed after hospital admission. The proportion of patients with AF who received "effective" treatment [international normalization ratio >= 2.0 warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) at a guideline dose] was 25.3%, and, either no medication or only antiplatelet was used in 42.5% of the cases. The low dose rate was 50% in 42 patients who had a stroke while taking NOACs. Anticoagulant was prescribed to the patient at discharge at a rate of 94.6%; low molecular weight or unfractionated heparin was prescribed in 28.1%, warfarin in 32.5%, and NOACs in 31%. The dose was in the low category in 22% of the cases discharged with NOACs, and half of the cases, who received NOACs at admission, were discharged with the same drug.Conclusion: NoroTekTR revealed the high but expected frequency of AF in acute stroke in Turkiye, as well as the aspects that could be improved in the management of secondary prophylaxis. AF is found in approximately one-third of hospitalized acute stroke cases in Turkiye. Effective anticoagulant therapy was not used in three-quarters of acute stroke cases with known AF. In AF, heparin, warfarin, and NOACs are planned at a similar frequency (one-third) within the scope of stroke secondary prophylaxis, and the prescribed NOAC dose is subtherapeutic in a quarter of the cases. Non-medical and medical education appears necessary to prevent stroke caused by AF