Predictors of hemorrhagic transformation after acute ischemic stroke based on the experts opinion / Preditores de transformação hemorrágica após acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico agudo a partir da opinião de especialistas

ABSTRACT Background: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a common complication after ischemic stroke. It may be associated to poor outcomes. Some predictors of HT have been previously identified, but there remain controversies. Objective: To describe the risk factors for HT more frequently reported by a panel of experts surveyed for this project. Methods: We sent a standard questionnaire by e-mail to specialists in Vascular Neurology from 2014 to 2018. Forty-five specialists were contacted and 20 of them responded to the invitation. Predictors cited by three or more specialists were included in a table and ranked by the frequency in which they appeared. A review of the literature looking for published predictive scores of HT was performed, comparing to the answers received. Results: The 20 responding specialists cited 23 different risk factors for HT. The most frequent factors in the order of citation were the volume of ischemia, previous use of antithrombotic medication, neurological severity, age, hyperglycemia at presentation, hypertension on admission, and cardioembolism. Most variables were also found in previously published predictive scores, but they were reported by the authors with divergences of frequency. Conclusion: Although many studies have evaluated HT in patients with acute ischemic stroke, the published risk factors were neither uniform nor in agreement with those cited by the stroke specialists. These findings may be helpful to build a score that can be tested with the goal of improving the prediction of HT.

RESUMO Introdução: A transformação hemorrágica (TH) é uma complicação comum após a isquemia cerebral e pode estar associada a desfechos desfavoráveis. Alguns fatores de risco para TH têm sido identificados, mas ainda há controvérsias. Objetivo: Descrever os fatores de risco para TH mais frequentemente reportados por um painel de especialistas consultados para esse projeto. Métodos: Enviamos um questionário padronizado por e-mail para 45 especialistas em Neurologia Vascular no período de 2014 a 2018. Vinte dos 45 especialistas responderam ao convite. Preditores citados por três ou mais especialistas foram incluídos em uma tabela e classificados pela frequência em que foram reportados. Uma revisão de literatura foi realizada em busca de escores preditivos de TH publicados anteriormente, comparando-os com as respostas recebidas. Resultados: Os 20 especialistas citaram 23 diferentes fatores de risco para TH. Os fatores mais frequentemente citados foram, pela ordem, volume da isquemia, uso prévio de medicação antitrombótica, gravidade neurológica, idade, hiperglicemia na apresentação, hipertensão na admissão e cardioembolismo. A maioria das variáveis também foi incluída em escores preditivos de TH já publicados, mas sem a mesma frequência e com divergências entre os especialistas consultados. Conclusão: Embora muitos estudos tenham avaliado a TH em pacientes com isquemia cerebral, os fatores de risco já publicados não foram uniformes na concordância com aqueles reportados pelos neurologistas vasculares consultados. Esses achados podem ser úteis para elaborar um escore que possa ser testado para aperfeiçoar a predição de transformação hemorrágica.

Complicaciones neurológicas en la materna crítica / Neurological complications in critically ill pregnant women

Introducción: Las pacientes obstétricas pueden presentar numerosas complicaciones que ponen en peligro sus vidas con necesidad de ingreso en unidades de cuidados intensivos. Objetivo: Caracterizar clínicamente las maternas críticas con complicaciones neurológicas. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo en el Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Hermanos Ameijeiras durante el período de enero de 2007 a diciembre de 2016. Para el análisis de los datos se efectuó el cálculo de frecuencias absolutas y relativas, se aplicaron medidas de tendencia central (media) y dispersión (rango) y para conocer la posible asociación entre las variables cualitativas se aplicó el Test de chi-cuadrado con una significación de p<0,05. Resultados: Las complicaciones neurológicas se presentaron en 33,3 por ciento de las pacientes, las más frecuentes fueron: eclampsia (65,7 por ciento), infarto cerebral (9,0 por ciento) y la trombosis venosa cerebral (8,6 por ciento). Las nulíparas (51,4 por ciento) y la edad mayor de 35 años (42,8 por ciento) fueron los factores de riesgo más observados. La hipertensión arterial fue el antecedente patológico personal principal y se evidenció asociación entre las complicaciones neurológicas y la causa directa de la muerte (p=0,00043). Conclusiones: Las complicaciones neurológicas fueron frecuentes en las maternas críticas y constituyen causa directa de muerte. Como complicación más frecuente se presentó la eclampsia(AU)

Introduction: Obstetric patients can present numerous complications that put in danger their lives, and they need of admission in intensive care units. Objective: To characterize in a clinical way the critically ill pregnant women with neurological complications. Methods: An observational, descriptive, retrospective study was conducted in Hermanos Ameijeiras. Clinical-Surgical Hospital during the period from January, 2007 to December, 2016. There was carried out the calculation of absolute and relative frequencies for the analysis of the data; there were applied measures of central (average) trends and dispersion (range), and to know the possible association between the qualitative variables the Chi-square´s Test was performed with a significance of p < 0.05. Results: The neurological complications appeared in 33,3 percent of the patients and the most frequent were: eclampsia (65,7 percent), cerebral infarction (9,0 percent) and cerebral venous thrombosis (8,6 percent). Being a nulliparous women (51,4 percent) and age of more than 35 years (42,8 percent) were the most common risk factors. Arterial hypertension was the main pathological background and the association between the neurological complications and the direct cause of the death (p=0.00043) was demonstrated. Conclusions: The neurological complications were frequent in critically ill pregnant women and they constitute a direct cause of death. The most frequent complication was eclampsia(AU)

Sepsis related neurological complications / 中国小儿急救医学

The central nervous system ( CNS) complications and peripheral nervous system ( PNS) complications are common complications of sepsis. CNS complications include sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE),septic-metastatic encephalitis (SME),and septic-embolic encephalitis (SEE). Of them,the SAE is the most common complication of CNS complications. PNS complications include critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) and critical illness myopathy (CIM). CIP and CIM could lead to muscle weakness and dependence on mechanical ventilation of patients with sepsis. Sepsis related neurological complications are closely related to the mortality and prognosis of patients,so early recognition and timely intervention are important.

Prognostic Factors of Neurological Complications in Spinal Surgeries

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: To determine prognostic factors of neurological complications (NCs) of posterior thoracolumbar surgeries. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: There have been few reports on the prognosis of NCs according to the causes and treatment methods. METHODS: The subjects were 65 patients who had NCs for 19 years (1995–2013) after posterior thoracolumbar surgeries in Seoul Sacred Heart General Hospital. The degree of neurological injury was assessed using numeric scales as follows: G1, increased leg pain or sensory loss; G2, hemiparesis; G3, paraparesis; G4, cauda equine syndrome; and G5, complete paraplegia. The relative degree of neurological recovery was evaluated using four numeric scales as follows: Gr1, complete recovery; Gr2, almost complete recovery with residual sensory loss or numbness; Gr3, partial recovery with apparent neurological deficit; and Gr4, no recovery. The prognostic factors were investigated in terms of demographic and surgical variables that were available in a retrospective review. RESULTS: The causes were as follows: epidural hematoma (EH), 25 patients (38.5%); insufficient decompression and fusion, 14 patients (21.5%); mechanical injury, 11 patients (16.9%); insufficient discectomy, four patients (6.2%); and unknown, 11 patients (23.1%). The grade of neurological injury was as follows: G1, 11 patients (16.9%); G2, 34 patients (52.3%); G3, 15 patients (23.1%); G4, three patients (4.6%); and G5, two patients (3.1%). Thirteen patients received conservative treatment, and 52 underwent revision surgeries. Neurological recovery was as follows: Gr1, 21 patients (32.3%); Gr2, 17 patients (26.2%); Gr3, 20 patients (30.8%); and Gr4, seven patients (10.8%). The prognosis depended on the causes (p =0.041). The subgroup analysis of the revision group revealed a significant correlation between the degree of neurological recovery and the timing of revision, irrespective of causes (r =0.413, p =0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of NC depended on the causes. EH was the best and unknown was the worst prognostic factor. Revision should be performed as soon as possible for a better prognosis.

Hypoxic brain injury with unilateral hemispheric cortical involvement following multiple wasp stings

The most frequently reported neurological complication of a wasp sting is ischemic stroke. We treated a patient with wasp sting with unusual complications. A 52-year-old man was hospitalized for anaphylactic shock after multiple wasp stings. Although the patient recovered consciousness after 2 days, he had global aphasia and right hemiparesis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and angiography revealed high-intensity signals in the left basal ganglia and cerebral cortex and stenosis of the left middle cerebral artery. After 2 days, the middle cerebral artery stenosis improved. After 5 days, diffusion-weighted imaging showed an enlarged lesion in the left frontal cortex. The infarct in this case was due to a predominantly unilateral vasoconstrictive hypoxic brain injury from wasp stings.

Zika virus infection and its emerging trends in Southeast Asia

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that represents a public health emergency at the ongoing epidemic. Previously, this rare virus was limited to sporadic cases in Africa and Asia until its emergence in Brazil, South America in 2015, where it rapidly spread throughout the world. Recently, a high number of cases were reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries. A combination of factors explains the current Zika virus outbreak although it is highly likely that the changes in the climate and high frequency of travelling contribute to the spread of Aedes vector carrying the Zika virus mainly to the tropical climate countries such as the Southeast Asia. The Zika virus is known to cause mild clinical symptoms similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and transmitted by different species of Aedes mosquitoes. However, neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, and congenital anomalies, including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers, raised a serious concern. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus infection. Therefore, international public health response is primarily focused on preventing infection, particularly in pregnant women, and on providing up-to-date recommendations to reduce the risk of non-vector transmission of Zika virus.

Zika virus infection and its emerging trends in Southeast Asia

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that represents a public health emergency at the ongoing epidemic. Previously, this rare virus was limited to sporadic cases in Africa and Asia until its emergence in Brazil, South America in 2015, where it rapidly spread throughout the world. Recently, a high number of cases were reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries. A combination of factors explains the current Zika virus outbreak although it is highly likely that the changes in the climate and high frequency of travelling contribute to the spread of Aedes vector carrying the Zika virus mainly to the tropical climate countries such as the Southeast Asia. The Zika virus is known to cause mild clinical symptoms similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and transmitted by different species of Aedes mosquitoes. However, neurological complications such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults, and congenital anomalies, including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers, raised a serious concern. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus infection. Therefore, international public health response is primarily focused on preventing infection, particularly in pregnant women, and on providing up-to-date recommendations to reduce the risk of non-vector transmission of Zika virus.

Post dengue neurological complication

Dengue infection is highly endemic in many tropical countries including Malaysia. However, neurological complications arising from dengue infection is not common; Gullain–Barre syndrome (GBS) is one of these infrequent complications. In this paper, we have reported a case in which a 39-year-old woman presented with a neurological complication of dengue infection without typical symptoms and signs of dengue fever. She had a history of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) followed by an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) weeks prior to her presentation rendering GBS secondary to the post viral URTI and AGE as the most likely diagnosis. Presence of thrombocytopenia was the only clue for dengue in this case.

Principales características clinicopatológicas de pacientes con hemorragia cerebral / Main clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with brain hemorrhage

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal de 106 pacientes con hemorragia cerebral, ingresados en el Servicio de Enfermedades Cerebrovasculares del Hospital Provincial Docente Clinicoquirúrgico Saturnino Lora Torres de Santiago de Cuba durante el 2011, a fin de analizar las principales características clinicopatológicas de esta afección. En la casuística predominaron el grupo etario de 61 años y más (29,2 por ciento), los afectados de piel negra, el sexo masculino (71,6 por ciento), la hipertensión arterial como principal factor de riesgo (67,0 por ciento), además de la bronconeumonía bacteriana y el edema cerebral como complicaciones no neurológica y neurológica (36,0 y 29,0 por ciento, respectivamente)

A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in 106 patients with brain hemorrhage, admitted to the Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases of Saturnino Lora Torres Provincial Teaching Hospital in Santiago de Cuba during 2011, in order to analyze the main clinical and pathological characteristics of this condition. Age group of 61 years and over (29.2 percent), black patients, male sex (71.6 percent), hypertension as main risk factor (67.0 percent) prevailed in the case material, besides bacterial bronchopneumonia and brain edema as non-neurological and neurological complications (36.0 and 29.0 percent, respectively)

Neurologic complications of HIV in the HAART era: where are we?

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurological complications continue to occur despite the development in antiretroviral treatment. New forms of old opportunistic infections and increased prevalence of neurocognitive disorders are the challenges that infectious diseases specialists face in daily clinic. How to screen and treat these disorders are subject of debate and new studies are underway to answer these questions. This review focuses on a brief discussion about opportunistic infections still present in late diagnosed HIV-infected patients and describes new forms of HIV-related neurological complications.

The influence of carotid artery stenosis on neurological outcomes in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting / 中华内科杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of carotid artery stenosis on the incidence of neurological complication in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed 176 consecutive patients ≥60 years old undergoing selective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (from June 2010 to July 2011 ).Carotid duplex ultrasound screening was used to determine the presence and severity of carotid artery before surgery. Neurological complications 7 days after surgery were compared between the patients with ( ≥75％ ) and without severe carotid artery stenosis ( ＜ 70％ ).Multivariate analysis was used to determine the predictor of severe carotid artery disease.ResultsSixteen patients (9.1％ ) were found to have severe carotid artery stenosis before surgery. Thirty-seven patients (20.8％ ) had single or multiple neurological complications:1 (0.6％ ) had stroke; 12 (6.7％) had hypoxic-metabolic encephalopathy; 21 ( 11.8％ ) had cognitive dysfunction; 3 ( 1.7％ ) had depression.When compared with the counterparts,patients with severe carotid artery stenosis had a higher rate of neurological complications (43.8％ vs 18.8％ ; P =0.044).In multivariate analysis,significant predictive factor for severe carotid artery stenosis was prior stroke ( OR:4.04 ; 95％ CI 1.22-13.37 ).Conclusion Severe carotid artery stenosis alone is a risk factor for neurological complication after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and prior stroke is a predictor for sever carotid artery disease.

Analysis of Intraoperative Neurological Complications in High-Risk Spinal Surgery with the Use of Motor Evoked Potential Monitoring

STUDY DESIGN: This is retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the risk of operative techniques using Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) in high-risk spinal surgery. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: There are few studies regarding the evaluation of operative techniques by MEP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 33 cases that had MEP during surgery from July 2007 to March 2009. Diagnoses included post-traumatic kyphosis (PTK) in eight cases, congenital deformity in eight cases, degenerative lumbar deformity in eight cases, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in three cases, spinal tumor in three cases, adjacent segmental disease in two cases, and post-surgical kyphosis in one case. Posterior vertebral column resection (PVCR) and pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) were performed in 27 cases (81.8%) and, in the others, posterior decompression with discectomy was performed. We analyzed the risk of operative techniques and evaluated the MEP. RESULTS: MEP showed abnormal signal change in five cases (PVCR: one case, compression and distraction: four cases). The AS case did not demonstrate neurological change after surgery. Though the PTK on T12 operated by PVCR case did not show an abnormal MEP result, neurological change was observed postoperatively. The sensitivity, specificity, percent of false negatives, and percent of false positives of MEP were 80.0%, 96.4%, 20.0%, and 3.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: MEP monitoring is a useful method to detect neurological injury during high-risk spinal surgery with satisfactory specificity. For low sensitivity and a high false negative rate, increased monitoring of cases and continuous follow-up is needed. In conclusion, compression and distraction and PVCR are high-risk techniques in kyphotic deformity correction.

Early central nervous system complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have not been well characterized in the pediatric population. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data of 202 consecutive children who underwent allogeneic HSCT (60 from matched related donors, 9 from mismatched related donors, and 133 from unrelated donors) at Asan Medical Center between 1998 and 2009. RESULTS: Twenty-seven children (13.5%) developed CNS complications within 6 months after HSCT. Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-associated neurotoxicity was the most common CNS complication (n=16), followed by CNS infection (n=2), cerebrovascular events (n=2), thrombotic microangiopathy-associated events (n=2), metabolic encephalopathy (n=2), irradiation/chemotherapy injury (n=1), and encephalopathy/myelopathy of unknown causes (n=2). Univariate analysis showed that a transplant from an alternative donor and the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) (>grade 2) were associated with a significantly increased risk of CNS complications. In the multivariate analysis, acute GVHD >grade 2 was identified as an independent risk factor for early CNS complications. The 5-year overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with CNS complications (52.1% vs. 64.9%, P=0.014), whereas CNI-associated neurotoxicity did not affect the survival outcome. CONCLUSION: CNS complications are frequent among children undergoing HSCT, contributing to early death after transplant. More attention should be paid to the development of CNS complications for recipients of alternative donor transplants and patients with severe acute GVHD who are at increased risk for CNS complications.

A Case of Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis Presenting as a Neurological Complication of Stomach Cancer

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, an important and serious neurological complication of malignant cancers, is asso- ciated with severe disability and high mortality. It is most commonly seen in patients with breast cancer, lung cancer and malignant melanoma. However, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis induced by gastric cancer has been rarely reported, although gastric cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in Korea. We report a case of a 76- year-old woman with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis presenting as a neurological complication of gastric cancer and con- firmed by cytology examination of the cerebrospinal fluid and brain magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium enhan-cement.

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease Related to Enterovirus 71

Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), one of the more distinctive rash syndromes, is most frequently caused by coxsackievirus A16, but can also be caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71) and other coxsackieviruses. Recently, there have been large outbreaks of simple, neurologically complicated and even fatal HFMD caused by EV71 in Western Pacific Area. However, in the Republic of Korea, despite its location in EV71 endemic Western Pacific Area, published reports on HFMD with EV71 are rare and there are no published reports on fatal cases. After the first fatal case of HFMD caused by EV71 announced in May 2009, much more cases of neurologically complicated HFMD have been announced. Even now, physician's increased awareness about the seriousness of HFMD, viral surveillance and early warning system of HFMD, and early detection and proper management of potentially life threatening HFMD caused by EV71 are required in the Republic of Korea, as in the neighboring countries.

A Case of S1 Radiculopathy in Sacral Insufficiency Fracture without Fracture Line

Sacral insufficiency fractures are not uncommon cause of low back pain in elderly women with osteoporosis. The characteristics of sacral insufficiency fractures may not be related with neurological compromise. Their associated rate of neurological complication has been reported approximately 2%. The neurological complication, which is due to stretching or compression of nerve roots, is related with bony displacement. We present the case of an elderly women who developed S1 radiculopathy secondary to sacral insufficiency fracture with no evidence of fracture line.

Neurological Complications Following Liver Transplant: A Pictorial Review of Radiological and Clinical Findings

Neurological complications are a rare but important and significant source of information about morbidity and mortality in liver transplant patients. Based on the clinical and radiological findings of 21 patients, neurological complications were categorized into five main groups; focal hemorrhagic or occlusive complications (n=11); diffuse hypoxic-ischemic injury (n=3); hypertensive encephalopathy (n=1); central pontine or extra-pontine myelinolysis (n=4); and infection (n=2). Neurological manifestations varied according to the location of the lesion, although seizures were the most common manifestation. In this pictorial review, we illustrate the radiological findings, focusing on MR and CT images, of a spectrum of neurological complications following liver transplants, as well as their clinical correlations.

Neurologic Complications of Infective Endocarditis:Retrospective Review of 100 Cases

BACKGROUND: Neurological syndromes often complicate the management of infective endocarditis. METHODS: We reviewed the neurological complications in 100 patients with infective endocarditis in a tertiary care hospital. RESULTS: Neurological complications occurred in 25 patients (25%). Ischemic infarctions occurred in 15 patients, hemorrhagic infarctions in 5, intracerebral hemorrhages in 12, subarachnoid hemorrhages in 4, and subdural hemorrhages in 2. Brain abscess was detected in 4 and seizures in 2 patients. Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis (p=0.01) and mitral valvular heart disease (p=0.015) correlated statistically with the development of neurological complications. The mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with neurological complications than those without neurological complications (p=0.00). Age, sex, and type of valve (native versus prosthetic) were not related to the complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that (1) hemorrhagic complications occurred at a higher rate in this study than previous reports; (2) S.aureus infection and mitral valvular disease predicted the occurrence of neurological complications; and (3) neurological complications were related to mortality rates. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(3):202~206, 2001)

Cortical Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Spine Surgery / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Paraplegia resulting from the operative treatment of scoliosis is a serious complication feared most by orthopedic surgerns. Scoliosis Research Society reported the incidence of acute neurological complications resulting from the treatment of scoliosis as 0.72% in 1975. Thus, the importance of the development of some form of adequate practical spinal cord monitoring during major corrective surgery of the spine has become increasingly recognized as the surgery in this area has accelerated. In order to reduce the incidence of such neurological complications, intraoperative spinal cord monitoring has introduced since nineteen seventies. Monitoring of cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (CSEP) were applied in surgery of 31 cases of scoliosis and 4 cases of cervical spine lesions at Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, from Jan. 1982 to May 1985, and the following results were obtained. 1) Quantitative analysis of CSEP was done in 31 cases of scoliosis as grouping into preincision, preinstrumentation, postinstrumentation and skin closure periods. From preincision period, P1 and N1 latencies prolonged significantly across all periods but not from preinstrumentation period to subsequent periods. P1-N1 amplitude and P2-N2 amplitude were decreased significantly between preincision period and other periods but no significant change was noted from preinstrumentation period to skin closure period. (P<0.05) 2) Abnormal CSEP findings were noted during operations in 4 cases, in which acute neurological complications were prevented with CSEP monitoring. 3) We experienced a case in which CSEP was abolished on the concave side of the curve while CSEP was normal on the convex side, during distraction. So it is considered that the ankle electrode should be placed on the concave side of scoliosis to detect neurological complication. 4) Correctibility of deformity in scoliosis surgery was increased from 44.1% to 51.3% with the use of intraoperative CSEP monitoring without acute meurological complications. 5) CSEP monitoring during spine surgery is an effective method to prevent neurological complication.