Postoperative visual loss due to conversion disorder after spine surgery: a case report / Perda visual conversiva em pós-operatório de cirurgia de coluna: relato de caso

Abstract Background and objective Patients undergoing spinal surgeries may develop postoperative visual loss. We present a case of total bilateral visual loss in a patient who, despite having clinical and surgical risk factors for organic lesion, evolved with visual disturbance due to conversion disorder. Case report A male patient, 39 years old, 71 kg, 1.72 m, ASA I, admitted to undergo fusion and discectomy at L4-L5 and L5-S1. Venoclysis, cardioscopy, oximetry, NIBP; induction with remifentanil, propofol and rocuronium; intubation with ETT (8.0 mm) followed by capnography and urinary catheterization for diuresis. Maintenance with full target-controlled intravenous anesthesia. During fixation and laminectomy, the patient developed severe bleeding and hypovolemic shock. After 30 min, hemostasis and hemodynamic stability was achieved with infusion of norepinephrine, volume expansion, and blood products. In the ICU, the patient developed mental confusion, weakness in the limbs, and bilateral visual loss. It was not possible to identify clinical, laboratory or image findings of organic lesion. He evolved with episodes of anxiety, emotional lability, and language impairment; the hypothesis of conversion syndrome with visual component was raised after psychiatric evaluation. The patient had complete resolution of symptoms after visual education and introduction of low doses of antipsychotic, antidepressant, and benzodiazepine. Other symptoms also regressed, and the patient was discharged 12 days after surgery. After 60 days, the patient had no more symptoms. Conclusions Conversion disorders may have different signs and symptoms of non-organic origin,including visual component. It is noteworthy that the occurrence of this type of visual dysfunc-tion in the postoperative period of spinal surgery is a rare event and should be remembered asa differential diagnosis.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivo Pacientes submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos espinhais podem evoluir com perda visual pós-operatória. Apresentamos quadro de perda visual bilateral total em paciente que, apesar de apresentar fatores de risco clínicos e cirúrgicos para lesão orgânica, evoluiu com distúrbio visual conversivo. Relato de caso Masculino, 39 anos; 71 kg; 1,72 m; ASA I, admitido para realização de artrodese e discectomia em L4-L5 e L5-S1. Venóclise, cardioscopia, oximetria, PANI; indução com remifentanil, propofol e rocurônio; intubação com TOT 8,0 mm seguida por capnografia e diurese por sondagem vesical. Manutenção em anestesia venosa total alvo-controlada. Durante fixação e laminectomia, evoluiu com importante sangramento e choque hipovolêmico. Após 30 minutos obteve-se hemostasia e estabilidade hemodinâmica com infusão de noradrenalina, expansão volêmica e hemoderivados. Na UTI, evoluiu com confusão mental, fraqueza em membros e perda visual bilateral. Não foi possível identificar achados clínicos, laboratoriais ou de imagem para lesão orgânica. Evoluiu com episódios de ansiedade, labilidade emocional e distúrbio de linguagem; foi aventada hipótese de síndrome conversiva com componente visual após avaliação psiquiátrica. Apresentou melhoria total de sintomas visuais após educação e introdução de baixas doses de antipsicótico, antidepressivo e benzodiazepínico. Houve regressão dos demais sintomas com alta no décimo segundo dia pós-operatório. Encontrava-se assintomático após 60 dias. Conclusões Distúrbios conversivos podem apresentar diversos sinais e sintomas de origem nãoorgânica, incluindo componente visual. Destaca-se que a ocorrência desse tipo de disfunçãovisual no pós-operatório de cirurgias espinhais é evento raro e deve ser lembrado como diag-nóstico diferencial.

When a patient falls (asleep) and can't get up: conversion disorder - paraplegia following general anesthesia / Quando um paciente cai (no sono) e não consegue acordar: transtorno conversivo - paraplegia após anestesia geral

Abstract Background and objectives This case report describes the rare occurrence of paraplegia caused by conversion disorder in a woman who received general anesthesia for breast surgery. Case report A 46-year-old healthy woman received general anesthesia for excision of a left breast fibroepithelial lesion. In the post-anesthesia care unit, she reported bilateral loss of both sensation and motor function below the knees. Physical signs and symptoms did not correlate with any anatomical or neurological patterns; imaging revealed no abnormalities. Psychiatric consultation was performed wherein familial stressor circumstances were identified, leading to diagnosis and management of conversion disorder. Conclusion Conversion disorder is characterized by alteration of physical function due to expression of an underlying psychological ailment. Its diagnosis requires thorough evaluation including appropriate workup to exclude organic causes. The meshing together of anesthesiology and psychiatry - as demonstrated by this case report - offers an opportunity to highlight important information pertaining to the definition, diagnosis, and management of conversion disorder as it may be encountered in the postanesthesia recovery period.

Resumo Justificativa e objetivos Descrever a rara ocorrência de paraplegia causada por distúrbio conversivo em uma mulher que recebeu anestesia geral para a cirurgia de mama. Relato de caso Mulher saudável de 46 anos recebeu anestesia geral para excisão de uma lesão fibroepitelial na mama esquerda. Na sala de recuperação pós-anestesia, a paciente relatou perda bilateral de sensibilidade e motricidade abaixo dos joelhos. Os sinais físicos e sintomas não se correlacionavam com qualquer padrão anatômico ou neurológico; exame de imagem não revelou anormalidades. Uma consulta psiquiátrica foi feita e constatou circunstâncias familiares estressantes, o que levou ao diagnóstico e ao tratamento de transtorno conversivo. Conclusão O transtorno conversivo é caracterizado por alteração da função física devido à expressão de uma doença psicológica subjacente. Seu diagnóstico requer uma avaliação minuciosa, incluindo tratamento adequado para excluir causas orgânicas. O entrosamento de anestesiologia e psiquiatria, como demonstrado neste relato de caso, oferece uma oportunidade para destacar as informações importantes relativas à definição, ao diagnóstico e ao manejo do transtorno conversivo, pois esse transtorno pode ser encontrado no período de recuperação pós-anestesia.

Estridor y dificultad respiratoria: aproximación neurológica: caso clínico / Stridor and dyspnea caused by a conversion disorder: a case report

Paradoxical vocal cord motion or vocal cord dysfunction is a descriptive term for an inappropriate adduction of the vocal cords during respiration, which can cause respiratory obstruction and stridor. It is associated with psychiatric conditions in the great majority of cases. We report a 23 year-old high performance female athlete, referred for a recurrent bilateral paralysis of the vocal cords, with a history of four intensive care unit admissions for severe dyspnea and stridor, which were treated several times with intubation and with tracheostomy on two occasions. Myasthenia gravis was suspected and she was treated with pyridostigmine and prednisone. She was discharged but despite the treatment, she presented new episodes of stridor and was readmitted six months later. This time the pharmacological treatment was suspended. The neurological study disclosed a normal brain magnetic resonance, normal cerebrospinal fluid analysis and a normal electromyography. A conversion disorder was suspected and the patient was successfully treated with psychotherapy.

Psychiatric Co-morbidities Among Patients of Globus Hytericus Attending ENT OPD of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Globus hystericus is a functional esophageal disorder, contributes a significant portion of ENT referral. Severe incapacitating symptoms of globus invariably compromise their quality of life which is further hampered by associated psychiatric co-morbidities. But in literature, conflicting results were reported regarding the pattern of psychiatric co-morbidities. Method: In an observational cross sectional study 53 consecutive consenting patients (N=53) of globus diagnose by criteria of R E Clouse, attending to the Department of ENT of tertiary care hospital of Eastern part of India were referred to Psychiatry OPD and screened for psychiatric comorbidities using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) English Version 5.0.0 and confirmed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Result: 79.25 % (n=42) of globus patients had psychiatric co-morbidities which was significantly higher (p<0.05, odds ratio 14.02) than their relatives attending with the patients. Among the patients of globus, 32.01% (n=17) had multiple diagnoses. Major depressive disorder was found in 43.04% (n=23), obsessive compulsive personality disorder in 16.98% (n=9), undifferentiated somatoform disorder in 13.21% (n=7), generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia each in 9.43% (n=5), borderline personality disorder in 7.55% (n=4), obsessive compulsive disorder and dysthymia each in 3.77% (n=2) and hypochondriasis in 1.89% (n=1). No association was found between presence of psychiatric morbidity and socio-demographic variables of the globus patients. Conclusion: Burden of psychiatric co-morbidities among the patients of globus is quiet high. So, they should be regularly screened for psychiatric illness and an integrated treatment approach can be taken for them to get the opportunity of effective psychopharmacological and behavioral approaches.

Hysterical aphonia--an analysis of 25 cases.

Hysteria is a common neurotic disorder in psychiatric practice. Many of its conversion symptoms have not been studied in detail. In the present prospective study in a tertiary care teaching hospital, 25 cases of hysterical aphonia were analysed. There were 17 females and 8 males. Mean age of presentation was 18.4 years in females and 21.2 years in males. Majority of patients were literate upto primary class, belonging to joint family and had urban background. Duration of symptoms was within 2 weeks. Most common precipitating factor was stress of examination or failure followed by quarrels with peers or spouse. In 20% cases, cause was not known. Comorbid psychiatric disorders were found in 80% cases, the most common being mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (36%) followed by generalized anxiety disorder (20%).