A rare case of central post-stroke pain in a patient with migraine and lacunar infarcts in the medulla oblongata

Studies about headaches associated with acute ischemic stroke in patients suffering from migraine were limited, and therefore we present a clinical case of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) in a 47-year-old woman with migraine and lacunar infarcts in the medulla oblongata and also possible mechanisms of CPSP in patients with migraine. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed lacunar infarction in the medulla oblongata on the right (vertebral artery basin) and a single focus of gliosis in the parietal lobe on the right. Magnetic resonance angiography of cerebral vessels showed the fetal type of structure of both posterior cerebral arteries. This clinical case is a complex clinical situation of a combination of secondary headaches (post-stroke) in a patient with a primary headache (migraine), which was successfully treated by the combined administration of first-line drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain in a patient with lacunar infarcts in the medulla oblongata. The treatment of CPSP is a difficult task due to the insufficiently unexplored mechanisms of development, the most effective approaches are those aimed at reducing the increased excitability of neurons.Copyright © 2023, Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists. All rights reserved.

Recovery from Disorders of Consciousness after Severe COVID-19

Objective: To examine long-term outcomes of disorders of consciousness (DoC) after severe COVID-19. Background: Some patients with severe COVID-19 experience persistently impaired arousal and/or awareness after discontinuation of sedation, consistent with DoC. In our recently published analysis of 21 such patients, 12 (57%) recovered to minimally conscious state (MCS) or better before hospital discharge. Recovery to MCS-especially within 8 weeks of injury-is an important prognostic indicator in DoC of other etiologies, but its significance in COVID-19 remains unknown. Design/Methods: All 21 patients were included in a prospectively followed cohort involving telephonic assessment 6 and 12 months after discharge. We examined relationships between recovery to MCS and survival. For patients completing telephone assessments, we report functional outcomes including Barthel Index, extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (E-GOS), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS);and psychological outcomes using Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QOL) anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbance inventories. Results: Recovery to MCS within 8 weeks of illness onset-but not later-was associated with 12-month survival (6/8 versus 2/9, p=0.024). Six patients completed both assessments. Of these, 2 were in DoC at 6 months and died by 12 months;1 recovered consciousness after 6 months but remained severely disabled;1 was moderately disabled;and 2 achieved functional independence (Barthel Index 100;E-GOS 5-7;mRS 1-2). Neuro-QOL scores were elevated at 6 but not 12 months. Conclusions: Ten percent (2/21) of our original cohort achieved functional independence by 12 months, demonstrating that recovery is possible after COVID-19-associated DoC. Consistent with the literature on non-COVID DoC, recovery to MCS within 8 weeks of illness onset may be prognostically favorable. Psychological symptoms in this severely ill group were less common than in patients with neurologic sequelae of COVID-19 generally. More work is needed to understand the natural history of long-term recovery from severe COVID-19.

Early Neurorehabilitation and Recovery from Disorders of Consciousness after Severe COVID-19: Findings from a Pilot Feasibility Study

Objective: Early neurorehabilitation improves outcomes in patients with disorders of consciousness after brain injury, but its applicability in COVID-19 is unknown. We demonstrate the feasibility of an early neurorehabilitation protocol for patients with COVID-19-associated disorders of consciousness in the intensive care unit (ICU) and evaluate factors associated with recovery. Methods: Between March 10 and May 20, 2020, we prospectively enrolled 21 ICU patients with delayed recovery of consciousness after severe COVID-19 in a pilot early neurorehabilitation protocol including serial Coma Recovery Scale - Revised (CRS-R) assessments and multimodal treatment. We retrospectively compared clinical features of patients who did and did not achieve a CRS-R total score (TS) ≥8, consistent with minimally conscious state, before discharge. We additionally present preliminary 6-month follow-up data for 8 patients who survived to discharge. Results: Patients underwent CRS-R a median of 6 (interquartile range [IQR] 3-10) times before discharge, beginning a median of 48 days (IQR 40-55) from admission. Twelve (57%) patients achieved at least one CRS-R TS ≥8, after a median of 8 days (IQR 2-14) off continuous sedation;they had lower body mass index (p = 0.009), lower peak serum C-reactive protein (p = 0.023), higher minimum arterial partial pressure of oxygen (p = 0.028) and earlier fentanyl discontinuation (p = 0.018). CRS-R scores fluctuated over time and best CRS-R TS was significantly higher than last CRS-R TS (median 8 [IQR 5- 23] vs 5 [IQR 3-18], p = 0.002). Earlier fentanyl (p = 0.001) and neuromuscular blockade (p = 0.015) discontinuation correlated with higher last CRS-R TS. Six-month follow-up data was obtained for 8 of 12 patients who survived to hospital discharge: of these, one patient (13%) had expired;3 (38%) remained in a disorder of consciousness;one (13%) was conscious but moderately disabled;and 3 (38%) achieved functional independence. Conclusion: It is feasible to provide early neurorehabilitation to patients with impaired consciousness after severe COVID-19 in the ICU. These patients can recover, but hypoxia, systemic inflammation, sedation and neuromuscular blockade may impact CRS-R scores and short-term outcomes. Return to functional independence is possible for some patients. Further research should evaluate factors influencing longer-term neurologic recovery and benefits of early rehabilitation in patients with severe COVID-19.

Letter to the editor: COVID in patients with brain injury with a disorder of consciousness: a pathogenetic theory.

We recently published in this journal (Caronni and colleagues, Brain Injury, 2021-04-16) the first description of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort of brain injured patients with a disorder of consciousness (DOC). Surprisingly enough we showed that, in these patients, the COVID was moderate and did not result in fatalities. The pathogenesis of the COVID is characterized by the profound dysregulation of the immune system. To explain our findings, we speculated that the immunosuppression due to the brain injury could be protective against the development of the COVID in patients with DOC. More recently, a second group of authors (Marino and colleagues, PLoSOne, 2021-06-30) described the course of the COVID in an independent cohort of patients with DOC. Since our results were quite unexpected, we have been very comforted by the data reported by Marino and colleagues. Moreover, these data also offer a unique opportunity to further evaluate our theory regarding the COVID pathogenesis in patients with DOC. In the current Letter to the Editor it is shown that the independent data presented by Marino and colleagues do support our theory. Waiting for larger cohorts to further test it (and in case falsify it), our interpretation seems to remain valid.

Clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with severe acquired brain injury and a disorder of consciousness: an observational study.

Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause the coronavirus disease (COVID), ranging from flu-like symptoms to interstitial pneumonia. Mortality is high in COVID pneumonia and it is the highest among the frailest. COVID could be particularly serious in patients with severe acquired brain injury (SABI), such as those with a disorder of consciousness. We here describe a cohort of patients with a disorder of consciousness exposed to SARS-CoV-2 early after their SABI.Materials and methods: The full cohort of 11 patients with SABI hospitalized in March 2020 in the IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi rehabilitation (Milan, Italy) was recruited. Participants received SARS-CoV-2 testing and different clinical and laboratory data were collected.Results: Six patients contracted SARS-CoV-2 and four of them developed the COVID. Of these, one patient had ground-glass opacities on the chest CT scan, while the remaining three developed consolidations. No patient died and the overall respiratory involvement was mild, requiring in the worst cases low-flow oxygen.Conclusions: Here we report the clinical course of a cohort of patients with SABI exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The infection spread among patients and caused COVID in some of them. Unexpectedly, COVID was moderate, caused at most mild respiratory distress and did not result in fatalities.