Management of Pediatric Strokes With Alteplase (Tissue Plasminogen Activator).

In the pediatric population, ischemic stroke is rare. Pediatric patients with acute ischemic stroke are eligible for intravenous thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy. However, due to the rare occurrence of strokes and national shortage of pediatric neurologists, timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment can be challenging. We report a case of a 16-year-old female who presented with an acute ischemic stroke to our adult comprehensive stroke program.

A Case of Steroid-Responsive Encephalopathy.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE), also known as steroid-responsive encephalopathy, is associated with autoimmune-mediated thyroiditis. Onset is typically gradual often with evolution over the course of months. Characteristic symptoms include impaired concentration and memory, delusions, hallucinations, personality changes, incoordination, tremor, hemiparesis, seizures, and speech difficulties. Diagnosis is predicated upon discovery of elevated anti-thyroid antibodies, specifically anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO) or anti-M antibodies. Some patients may also present with subclinical hypothyroidism but many are euthyroid. Of note, neither thyroid function tests or antibody titers correlate with disease severity. Other common laboratory findings include elevations in sedimentation rate, liver enzymes, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein. Radiological work-up, including cerebral angiography, is often normal. Successful treatment includes administration of steroids and/or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or plasmapheresis. We describe a case of a 74-year-old male who presented for evaluation of abrupt onset confusion ultimately determined to be a consequence of autoimmune-mediated thyroiditis.

Common Compression Neuropathies.

Compression neuropathies, also known as entrapment neuropathies, are common neurologic conditions seen in medicine. These often are due to mechanical injury, either compression or stretch of the affected nerve, and initially result in focal demyelinating changes. If left untreated, secondary axonal injury and lasting disability can result. Patients typically present with pain, sensory changes, and potentially weakness in the distribution of the affected nerve; therefore, a basic knowledge of neuromuscular anatomy is necessary to identify these conditions. Initial treatment of mild to moderate cases often is conservative. In severe cases or those refractory to conservative therapy, surgery should be considered.

Parkinson's Disease: Unanticipated Sequela of an Attempted Suicide.

Studies exploring the association between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease (PD) are largely limited to rural populations with occupational exposure. We could find no literature regarding PD occurring after ingestion of a pesticide. We present a case from our clinic of a man who developed PD following ingestion of a liquid pesticide during a suicide attempt. PD was diagnosed, and the patient's symptoms improved following initiation of carbidopa/levodopa. This case illustrates the potential role of ingested pesticide exposure in provoking and accelerating the manifestations of PD.

Ziprasidone-Induced Oculogyric Crisis in a 74-Year-Old Female.

Oculogyric crisis is a rare ocular dystonia first appearing at the turn of the last century in postencephalitic patients. In the modern era, they were most frequently associated with first-generation D1 dopaminergic receptor blocking antipsychotic medication. We present an unusual case of acute oculogyric crisis in a 74-year-old woman with long-standing Parkinson disease following exposure to the second-generation neuroleptic ziprasidone, which has dopaminergic (D2) and serotoninergic (5-HT2A) receptor blocking effects and is used for severe delusions and psychosis. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other published reports.

Neurological Complications of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Encephalopathy, MRI Brain and Cerebrospinal Fluid Findings: Case 2.

The neurological complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are being better understood as the pandemic progresses. We report a second case of a patient who presented with COVID-19 infection and encephalopathy to our institution. In addition, we report MRI brain and cerebrospinal fluid data. COVID-19 does not seem to cross the blood-brain barrier. The exact mechanisms of encephalopathy and pathological response of COVID-19 are unknown.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Case Report and Literature Review.

The proverbial "zebras" in neurology are often times missed due to their low prevalence and incidence in the community. The number of misdiagnoses and improper therapeutic interventions that occur are further increased when patients with these rare diseases present with signs and symptoms of more common disorders. One such disease is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a prion disease that causes neuronal derangement and classically presents as a rapidly progressing dementia with extrapyramidal signs, ataxia, behavioural problems, and myoclonus in the advanced stage. It falls into the category of neurodegenerative disease, which also includes Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other Parkinson-related diseases. Though these diseases have overlapping symptomologies - such as cognitive impairment and neuromuscular dysfunction - they can be differentiated from one another based on the time course of the illness and the specific constellation of signs and symptoms. Our case report describes a patient who was found to have sCJD after months of treatment for Parkinson's disease and trigeminal neuralgia. Thus, we are highlighting the importance of recognizing rare diseases so that proper management can be initiated in a timely manner. Furthermore, we review the current literature on the diagnosis and management of sCJD.

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Masquerading as Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a hematologic disorder that results in widespread clotting due to a deficiency of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13) protease. This leads to excessive von Willebrand factor (VWF) protein-platelet multimers. Due to platelet consumption, platelet levels fall, resulting in thrombocytopenia. We examined a case of a 31-year-old female with no significant medical history who presented with expressive aphasia and paresthesias and was sent to the Emergency Department for a stroke workup. Imaging was negative for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke; however, a complete blood count (CBC) was consistent with anemia and thrombocytopenia, resulting in a high suspicion for TTP. She was admitted to the intensive care unit and given fresh frozen plasma and packed red blood cells. Plasma exchange therapy was initiated, and her aphasia and paresthesias began to improve. The ADAMTS13 level returned at less than 5%, which prompted the initiation of rituximab therapy. During her 36-day hospital stay, she continued to receive daily steroids and plasma exchange and a total of four courses of rituximab. Her platelets steadily climbed, and she was discharged with instructions to follow up with outpatient hematology. TTP is a thrombotic microangiopathy that results in microscopic blood clots anywhere in the body, including the cerebral arteries. This results in the neurologic abnormalities that are often seen in TTP. Because TTP is a rare disease, treatment modalities are still scarce but include steroids, plasma exchange therapy, and rituximab. Novel therapies are on their way, one being caplacizumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits VWF from interaction with glycoprotein 1b. A concern highlighted by this case is the exclusion criteria for the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). As this patient presented with stroke symptoms and a negative head CT, TPA would have been administered had a CBC not returned showing evidence of TTP. This highlights the importance of strict adherence to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines that include ensuring that the platelet count is >100,000 prior to the initiation of TPA.

Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: Case Report and Literature Review.

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a genetic condition that typically presents with unilateral, painless, sub-acute central vision loss followed by contralateral vision loss after a few weeks to months. It is a rare disease that typically affects young adults - men more than women - and is a relatively common cause of blindness. It is due to a mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The majority (more than 95%) of patients have one of three mtDNA point mutations: m.14484T→C, m.3460G→A, or m.11778G→A. These mutations lead to disruption of the mitochondrial respiratory chain activating pro-apoptotic pathways. For reasons unknown, this insult tends to affect the retinal ganglion cells more than any other cell in the body, leading to the disease state. Due to its low prevalence in the United States (1:50,000), this diagnosis is often overlooked, misdiagnosed, and mismanaged, which may exacerbate symptoms. It is essential then for physicians to recognize the presentation of and understand the diagnostic work-up for LHON. In this case report, we present the diagnostic challenges of a patient who presented with progressive vision loss, discuss the various differential diagnoses, review the literature on LHON, and propose an explanatory model for vision loss in patients with LHON.

Pulmonary Edema and Stunned Myocardium in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening event that can cause permanent disability. This life-threatening event can be further complicated by subsequent cardiac and pulmonary disability. The presence of a neurogenic cardiomyopathy and pulmonary edema increases the morbidity and mortality of patients who suffer from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.  In this paper, we discuss a 39-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of a pounding headache with associated nausea and vomiting for the past three days. She had a past medical history significant only for migraines. During her stay in the ED, she began to exhibit signs of altered consciousness, hemoptysis, and respiratory compromise. Neuroimaging showed evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The exact source of her subarachnoid hemorrhage could not be located with neuroimaging or angiography. Her clinical course was complicated by pulmonary edema and neurogenic stunned myocardium, and is still ongoing.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Neuroborreliosis, or Both.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute paralytic neuropathy. Limited reports of GBS caused by tick-borne pathogens exist. Lyme disease is a tick-borne infectious disease that is commonly caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The nervous system may be involved and is called neuroborreliosis. In this case, we report a 30-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with one week of diffuse, increasing weakness in the upper/lower extremities and face after a recent gastrointestinal illness and travel to the Northeastern United States. Areflexia was noted in bilateral lower extremities. Lumbar puncture results together with clinical presentation were consistent with a diagnosis of GBS. Lab results later revealed a possible Lyme infection in cerebrospinal fluid, which along with recent travel to endemic area gave high suspicion for Lyme disease. The patient was treated for both diseases with significant improvement. Taking a good history is an essential first step in diagnosis, as travel history was key in testing for Lyme.

Neurological Complications of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Encephalopathy.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic. Neurological complications of COVID-19 have not been reported. Encephalopathy has not been described as a presenting symptom or complication of COVID-19. We report a case of a 74-year-old patient who traveled from Europe to the United States and presented with encephalopathy and COVID-19.

Delayed Identification of Cortical Superficial Siderosis in a Patient with Recurrent Transient Focal Neurological Symptoms: A Case Report.

Cortical superficial siderosis (cSS), also referred to as sulcal siderosis, is a neurological condition characterized by hemosiderin subpial deposits in the cortical sulci over the convexities of cerebral hemispheres. These deposits are further found sparingly in the spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebellum. Patients typically present with transient focal neurological symptoms that make cSS challenging to differentiate from other acute neurological processes such as transient ischemic attacks (TIA), focal seizures, and acute convexity subarachnoid hemorrhage (cSAH). This condition is presently recognized as a characteristic feature of the age-associated disorder referred to as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). This paper describes a patient who presented with transient neurologic symptoms, first suspected to be secondary to acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), found to have cSS and cerebral amyloid angiopathy.