Biotinase deficiency manifested as encephalomyelopathy: a case report and literature review / 临床儿科杂志

Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of biotinase deficiency (BTD) manifested as encephalomyelopathy.Methods The clinical data of one child with BTD were retrospectively analyzed.The pertinent literatures were reviewed.Results A six-year-old male child suffered from progressive spastic paralysis of lower limbs for 3 months before admission.A similar symptoms occurred after a cold in 3-year-old.It was easy to peel skin on her hands and she had angular stomatitis.Audio visual evoked potential was detected to be abnormal in other hospital.After hospitalizion,the cerebrospinal fluid examination was normal,and MRI showed long T1 long T2 signals bilateral occipital lobe and basal ganglia region.Because the child represented medulla palsy,and so the tracheal intubation ventilator was administrated to assist ventilation.Urine gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis showed increases of lactic acid,3-hydroxy acid,3-tiglyl glycine,methylcitric acid,and ethylene lactic acid.Serum MS/MS analysis showed that the concentrations of propionyl camitine and 3-hydroxyisovaleryl carnitine were increase obviously.The serum biotinase level was significantly decrease to 0.076 pmol/(min·mm3).The diagnosis of BTD was confirmed.After supplementation biotin,40 mg/d,the ventilator was successfully weaned on the third day,the child walked again after 2 weeks,and the rash was vanished.After 3 weeks,the head MRI showed disappearance of the original lesion,and there was no abnormal in spinal cord.The BTD gene detected by PCR direct sequencing showed a heterozygosis mutation of T172T/C in the second exon and a homozygous mutation of T1413C in the fourth exon,which was confirmed as a pathogenic mutation by pedigree verification and database query.After discharge,the oral administration of biotin 20 mg/d continued,and no abnormality was found in 2 years of follow-up.Conclusions The manifestations of BTD are complex and diverse.The analysis of urine GC/MS and serum MS/MS can assist the diagnosis.The determination of biotinase activity and gene detection of BTD can further confirm the diagnosis.Timely biotin supplementation has significant treatment efficacy.

Tentorial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Presenting With Progressive Encephalomyelopathy

A 68-year-old man developed mild quadriparesis 1 month prior to presentation. At 4 days before presentation, he developed dysarthria and more severe quadriparesis, predominantly on the left side of the body. MRI revealed edematous lesions in the medulla and throughout the spinal cord. Angiography showed a right tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF). Despite successful treatment achieved by endovascular embolization, there was no improvement in the weakness of either leg. Early diagnosis of tentorial DAVF is important to prevent neurological complications such as encephalomyelopathy and hemorrhage.

Leigh's disease involving multiple organs

Leigh's disease is a rare progressive neurological disorder that is characterized light microscopically by focal spongy necrosis in the brain and electron microscopically by mitochondriopathy. We report an autopsy case of Leigh's disease that showed abnormalities in the liver, kidney and skeletal muscle as well as the central nervous system. The patient was an 18-month-old girl who has carried a diagnosis of cerebral palsy ever since her birth to a 20-year-old mother. The baby was generally hypertonic and mentally retarded. She died of severe metabolic acidosis. Postmortem examination showed growth retardation, fatty liver, fatty kidney and soft brain. Brain section showed multifocal softenings in the brainstem, basal ganglia and periventricular areas. Microscopically increased capillaries with endothelial proliferation, vacuolar degeneration and mild gliosis were seen in the brain. The axons were relatively preserved. Liver and kidneys showed microvesicular fatty change. Myofiber degeneration of the skeletal muscle was also noted. Electron microscopic examination showed markedly increased mitochondria in the parenchymal cells of the brain, liver and kidney. The mitochondria showed round to ovoid ballooned appearance including electron-dense core-like structures and pseudoinclusions of glycogen granules.

A case of Leigh's disease

No abstract available.

A case of Leigh's disease with initial manifestation of dystonia

A case of Leigh's disease (subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy) is reported with such noteworthy features as early onset, dystonia, paraparesis the presence of low attenuation areas in both basal ganglias on computerized tomography of the brain and the presence of a high signal intensity in both basal ganglias in T2 weighted image by MR. The electron microscopic findings of muscle biopsy are suggestive of pleoconial mitochondrial myopathy.