Longitudinal feasibility of MINDSET: a clinic decision aid for epilepsy self-management.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and feasibility of the longitudinal version of MINDSET, a clinical tool to assist patients and health-care providers in epilepsy self-management. A previous study described the feasibility of using MINDSET to identify and prioritize self-management issues during a clinic visit. This paper describes the development of the longitudinal version of MINDSET and feasibility test over multiple visits with a printed action plan for goal setting and the capacity for monitoring changes in self-management. Feasibility was assessed based on 1) postvisit patient and provider interviews addressing ease of use and usefulness, patient/provider communication, and shared decision-making and 2) the capacity of the tool to monitor epilepsy characteristics and self-management over time. Results indicate MINDSET feasibility for 1) identifying and facilitating discussion of self-management issues during clinic visits, 2) providing a printable list of prioritized issues and tailored self-management goals, and 3) tracking changes in epilepsy characteristics and self-management over time.

A case of severe chronic progressive axonal polyradiculoneuropathy temporally associated with anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies.

OBJECTIVES: The involvement of the peripheral nervous system by anti-CV2/CRMP5 paraneoplastic antibodies is typically encountered as a mixed sensorimotor polyneuropathy. We report a fatal case of severe chronic progressive axonal polyradiculoneuropathy in association with this antibody. METHODS: Review of the patient's chart, nerve conduction/electromyographic studies, and nerve biopsy. RESULTS: A 51-year-old man presented with a progressive quadriparesis over a 4-month period. Extensive evaluation for potential etiologies was significant only for positive anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies without detection of an underlying neoplasm. Despite multiple immunomodulatory therapies, the patient progressed and demonstrated electrodiagnostic evidence for a chronic axonal polyradiculoneuropathy with ongoing denervation. The patient eventually died of respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: This case adds to the clinical spectrum of the peripheral nervous system involvement in patients with paraneoplastic anti-CV2/CRMP5 antibodies.

Central nervous system vasculitis secondary to systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma is a connective tissue disease with a diverse array of clinical manifestations secondary to underlying fibrosis and autoimmunity. Central nervous system (CNS) impairment is uncommon in SSc. Here we report the fourth known patient with CNS vasculitis caused by SSc. In each previous report, the patient was a middle-aged to elderly female. Our patient was 24 years old at the time of presentation, significantly younger than the other reported patients. Importantly, our patient's rapidly progressive clinical course and poor response to immunosuppression have not been reported in patients with CNS vasculitis secondary to scleroderma. Although CNS vasculitis is extremely rare in SSc, our report suggests that clinicians should consider this diagnosis in the differential of SSc patients with neurologic impairment.

Clinical and radiologic spectrum of corpus callosum infarctions: clues to the etiology.

Infarctions of the corpus callosum are rare. The clinical picture varies from an acute onset to slow evolving symptoms, frequently with poor localizing signs; however, the location of the infarct in the callosum often correlates with a specific etiology. We describe three patients with varying degrees of callosal infarction, each corresponding to a particular etiology.

Clinical experience with generic levetiracetam in people with epilepsy.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical outcomes of a compulsory switch from branded to generic levetiracetam (LEV) among people with epilepsy (PWE) in an outpatient setting. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 760 unduplicated consecutive adult patients attending a tertiary care epilepsy clinic at Ben Taub General Hospital. On November 1, 2008 hospital policy required all patients receiving branded LEV to be automatically switched to generic LEV. We calculated the proportion of patients switching back to branded LEV and reasons for the switch back. KEY FINDINGS: Of the 260 patients (34%) being prescribed LEV (generic and brand name) during the study period, 105 (42.9%) were switched back to brand name LEV by their treating physicians. Reasons for switch back included increase in seizure frequency (19.6% vs. 1.6%; p < 0.0001) and adverse effects (AEs) (3.3%). AEs included headache, fatigue, and aggression. Patient age was associated with switchback when controlling for gender, epilepsy classification, and treatment characteristics [relative risk (RR) 2.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.09-2.84; p < 0.05)]. An increase in seizure frequency subsequent to generic substitution was associated with polytherapy compared to monotherapy (3.225; 1.512-6.880; p < 0.05). SIGNIFICANCE: A significant proportion of patients in our cohort on generic LEV required switch back to the branded drug. Careful monitoring is imperative because a compulsory switch from branded to generic LEV may lead to poor clinical outcomes, with risk of AEs and increased seizure frequency.