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Objective:To investigate the clinical features and associated chronic pain in corticobasal syndrome (CBS).Methods:Clinical data of 8 patients diagnosed as probable CBS or possible CBS admitted to Beijing Hospital during January 2010 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical information included sex, age, course of disease, chief complaint, neurological examination, blood biochemistry, tumor marker, infection and other laboratory tests; the neuropsychological evaluation included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD); the imaging studies included cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ( 18F-FDG PET). Results:The main clinical manifestations were asymmetrical movement disorders, including rigidity, tremor, myoclonus and abnormalities in posture and gait. Patients showed poor response to levodopa treatment. Among 8 patients, 7 had apraxia, 5 patients had alien hand, and 5 patients had various degrees of cognitive dysfunction. The cranial MRI demonstrated mild cerebral atrophy which was slightly more severe in the contralateral side of the initially affected limb in 7 of the 8 patients. The 18F-FDG PET scan revealed asymmetric decreased metabolism in the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobe, as well as in basal ganglia, which was more severe in the contralateral side of the initially affected limb in 5 of the 8 patients. Six of the 8 patients were associated with pain, including dystonic pain in 3 patients, neuropathic pain in 1 patient, musculoskeletal pain in 1 patient, and unexplained pain in 1 patient. Pain was the onset symptom in 1 patient and pain was relieved by taking levodopa in another patient. Conclusions:CBS is characterized by asymmetric dyskinesia and cognitive impairment, and often associated with apraxia, cortical sensory deficits, and alien limb. The MRI and PET are helpful for CBS diagnosis. Pain may be one of the common non-motor symptoms in CBS.
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Objective To investigate the clinical,laboratory and MRI imaging features of a spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage(S-SAH)so as to improve the recognition of spontaneous (S-SAH).Methods The data of clinical,laboratory,MRI imaging features,treatment and prognosis of the spontaneous(S-SAH)were collected and statistically analyzed.Relevant literatures were then reviewed.Results The patient was a 75-year-old woman with neuromyelitisoptica spectrum disorders.During the course of hospitalization for intravenous infusion of high-dose methylprednisolone,the patient suffered from a sudden and severe migrating back pain that gradually progressed from the back to the neck and head,and signs of meningeal irritation occurred.After the exclusion of aortic dissection,acute coronary syndrome,pulmonary embolism,and fractures,further MRI scans of the head and spinal cord were performed.The MRI confirmed subarachnoid hemorrhage located in spinal cord and posterior cranial foss,and the diagnosis was spontaneous S-SAH.Conclusions Migrating back pain combined with signs of meningeal irritation is a characteristic clinical manifestation of S-SAH,and a prompt MRI evaluation of spinal cord is helpful to improve the early diagnosis and treatment.
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Objective To investigate the clinical and neuroimage characteristics of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) in Chinese elderly patients. Methods The characteristic clinical presentation and neuroimaging of 5 elderly patients with RPLS were retrospectively analyzed. Results There were one male and four females in this study, with the average age of (63.0±2.4) years, all combined with hypertension. The most common clinical presentations were abnormality of visual perception (5 cases), headache (4 cases), epileptic seizure (4 cases), disturbance of consciousness (3 cases), pathological reflex (2 cases) and hemiplegia (2 cases). CT scan showed 4 cases with low density lesions. MR1 scan showed 5 cases with occipital lobe lesions, 2 with parietal lobe lesions and 1 with temporal lobe lesions. Re-examination of CT scans showed that 4 survived patients became normal at mean (48.8±29.2) days after discharging from hospital. Conclusions The etiologies of RPLS are diverse. The vasogenic theory is supported by neuroimage of RPLS. Neuroimage may be very important for the diagnosis of RPLS. Diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient map may be helpful for differential diagnosis between RPLS and cerebral infarct.
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The authors give an account of the historical development of neurological intensive care and its current status in China and put forward the view that establishment of neurological intensive care units can improve the level of neurological departments in delivering emergency treatments and give impetus to the improvement of expertise in diagnosing and treating acute neurological diseases. It will also play a key role in clinically conducting encephalic resuscitation and hibernation therapy, finely monitoring changes of intracranial physiologic indexes by electro physiological methods, further clarifying organ failure resulting from cerebral and neural failure, and promoting the study of nerve grafting and regeneration. Neurological intensive care units can serve as both the teaching base for training professional staff and the research base for advancing neurological emergency medicine.