Visual evoked potentials in neurobrucellosis

To investigate whether visual evoked potentials [VEPs] are valuable for distinguishing between brucellosis with or without neurological involvement. A total of 23 patients who were admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, and Neurology, Ministry of Health Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey between December 2004 and August 2005 with a diagnosis of brucellosis were included in this study. After a detailed neurological and ophthalmological examination, VEPs were recorded. The P100 latencies and amplitudes were compared between the group of brucellosis [n=17] and neurobrucellosis [n=6] patients. Although there was no difference in the mean P100 latencies between the groups [n=17 for brucellosis, and n=6 for neurobrucellosis] [p=0.38], the mean P100 amplitude in patients with neurobrucellosis was significantly lower [p=0.012]. It could be emphasized that VEPs might reflect an underlying axonal pathology as a distinctive feature in neurobrucellosis

Subclinical neurological involvement in Behçet's disease.

CONTEXT: Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem inflammatory disorder with unknown etiology characterized by recurrent oral and genital aphthous ulcers and uveitis. Behçet's disease can affect the central nervous system. AIMS: We aimed to investigate subclinical neurological involvement in patients who were suffering from BD and who had no neurological symptoms. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A total of 49 patients were included in the study. For the investigation of subclinical neurological involvement, the patients received imaging and/or neurophysiologic evaluations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The evaluation techniques were as follows: single photon emission computed tomography, 33 patients; cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 25 patients; brainstem auditory evoked potential examination, 36 patients; and electroencephalography (EEG), 30 patients. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon Rank-Sum W test were used. RESULTS: Patients in the MRI and EEG groups showed significantly more abnormalities than did age- and gender-matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis of neurological involvement in BD is important in reducing or preventing complications. Cranial MRI and EEG were found to be useful for detecting subclinical neurological abnormalities in patients with Behçet's disease.

T2-weighted MRI in Parkinson's disease; substantia nigra pars compacta hypointensity correlates with the clinical scores.

BACKGROUND: Iron accumulation in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and related intensity and volumetric changes in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has been reported previously. There are only a few studies evaluating the relation between neuroradiological findings and clinical scores, with contradictory results. AIMS: In this study we aimed to measure the iron-rich brain areas of PD patients and healthy subjects with T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to evaluate the relation between the clinical scores of PD patients and these imaging results. METHODS AND MATERIALS: T2-weighted MRI findings were studied in 20 patients with PD and 16 healthy controls. The width of SNpc, putamen volume, and the intensity of the basal ganglia were measured. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was used for evaluating the clinical status. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Mann Whitney U test for group comparisons, Wilcoxon sign rank test for comparisons within the patient group, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for analyses of correlations were used. RESULTS: Mean SNpc and dentate nucleus intensities were lower in PD patients than healthy subjects. Mean SNpc width and putamen volumes were lower in patients. Decrease in the intensity of mean SNpc correlated with high UPDRS and rigidity scores. CONCLUSION: The results of our study reflect the increase in iron accumulation and oxidative stress in the SNpc in Parkinson's disease. The decrease in the intensity of SNpc correlates with poor clinical scores.

Aseptic leptomeningitis in systemic lupus erythematousus. A case report

Systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] with leptomeningeal involvement is a rare condition. We report a case in a 17-year-old woman. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: The patient was admitted to hospital with the complaints of vertigo, nausea, vomiting, headache, diplopia, ptosis on the left and weakness of the left leg. A diagnosis of SLE was established, with diffuse leptomeningeal involvement demonstrated by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. When treated with steroids, the clinical problems resolved almost completely. Conclusions: Although rare, leptomeningeal involvement can complicate SLE. Cranial magnetic imaging can demonstrate tissue involvement. The condition responds to steroid therapy