[Wernicke's encephalopathy associated with chronic disulfiram intoxication]. / Encéphalopathie de Gayet-Wernicke associée a une intoxication chronique au disulfiram.

INTRODUCTION: We report the case of a patient with an unusual association of Wernicke encephalopathy and chronic disulfiram intoxication. CASE REPORT: A 41-year-old man presented with progressive frontal decline and akineto-rigid parkinsonism under chronic disulfiram therapy. He also developed acute confusion with ataxia, blepharospasm, and supranuclear ophthalmoplegia following a severe malnutrition due to refusal of food intake. Brain MRI revealed symmetrical and reversible hyperintense lesions on T2 and FLAIR in the posterior putaminal regions, dorso-medial thalamic and subthalamic nuclei, the periaqueducal gray matter, the cerebellar peduncles, and the pontine tegmentum. A slow partial clinical recovery with persistent frontal syndrome was observed after discontinuation of disulfiram and parenteral administration of thiamine. DISCUSSION: The symmetry and reversibility of the MRI lesions in the basal ganglia and brain stem were suggestive of a deficiency, a toxic or a metabolic neurological disease. The dorso-medial thalamo-subthalamic and brainstem localizations, as well as their occurrence in a state of malnutrition, were consistent with Wernicke encephalopathy. Moreover, chronic disulfiram intoxication might explain the frontal syndrome and the akineto-rigid parkinsonism, associated with MRI putaminal lesions. Similar MRI lesions have been described in the so-called "energy deprivation syndromes", which are toxic, genetic or nutritional disorders that disrupt enzymes involved in energy generating metabolic pathways such as glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation.

Biomechanical behavior of the tibiofibular frame in nonunion.

In this paper an in vitro investigation of the biomechanical behavior of the tibiofibular frame in nonunion using electrical extensometry is presented. The intact and untreated nonunited frames are studied as well as three surgical treatments classically used in nonunion: the plating technique, the onlay graft technique and the external fixation according to Ilizarov. The monopodal position with extended knee is considered, and particular attention is paid to the different muscle insertions. The results for the plating and onlay grafting techniques resemble those for the intact frame, whereas the Ilizarov external fixator increases the overall rigidity of the frame. In the untreated nonunited tibiofibular frame, an inversion of the tension and compression areas at the level of the tibia was found. We hypothesize that this phenomenon could be one of the mechanical factors leading to nonunion. Indeed, cyclic stresses in the fracture callus might prevent bony fusion, for the areas healing under compression stresses must become tension areas once the tibia is healed and vice versa.