A regional strategy to decrease the time to thrombectomy in patients with low probability of treatment by thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The best transportation strategy for patients with suspected large vessel occlusion (LVO) is unknown. Here, we evaluated a new regional strategy of direct transportation to a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) for patients with suspected LVO and low probability of receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) at the nearest Primary Stroke Center (PSC). METHODS: Patients could be directly transported to the CSC (bypass group) if they met our pre-hospital bypass criteria: high LVO probability (i.e., severe hemiplegia) with low IVT probability (contraindications) and/or travel time difference between CSC and PSC<15 minutes. The other patients were transported to the PSC according to a "drip-and-ship" strategy. Treatment time metrics were compared in patients with pre-hospital bypass criteria and confirmed LVO in the bypass and drip-and-ship groups. RESULTS: In the bypass group (n=79), 54/79 (68.3%) patients met the bypass criteria and 29 (36.7%) had confirmed LVO. The positive predictive value of the hemiplegia criterion for LVO detection was 0.49. In the drip-and-ship group (n=457), 92/457 (20.1%) patients with confirmed LVO met our bypass criteria. Among the 121 patients with bypass criteria and confirmed LVO, direct routing decreased the time between symptom discovery and groin puncture by 55 minutes compared with the drip-and-ship strategy (325 vs. 229 minutes, P<0.001), without significantly increasing the time to IVT (P=0.19). CONCLUSIONS: Our regional strategy led to the correct identification of LVO and a significant decrease of the time to mechanical thrombectomy, without increasing the time to IVT, and could be easily implemented in other territories.

Diagnostic pitfalls in sporadic transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP).

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathies (TTR-FAPs) are autosomal dominant neuropathies of fatal outcome within 10 years after inaugural symptoms. Late diagnosis in patients who present as nonfamilial cases delays adequate management and genetic counseling. Clinical data of the 90 patients who presented as nonfamilial cases of the 300 patients of our cohort of patients with TTR-FAP were reviewed. They were 21 women and 69 men with a mean age at onset of 61 (extremes: 38 to 78 years) and 17 different mutations of the TTR gene including Val30Met (38 cases), Ser77Tyr (16 cases), Ile107Val (15 cases), and Ser77Phe (5 cases). Initial manifestations included mainly limb paresthesias (49 patients) or pain (17 patients). Walking difficulty and weakness (five patients) and cardiac or gastrointestinal manifestations (five patients), were less common at onset. Mean interval to diagnosis was 4 years (range 1 to 10 years); 18 cases were mistaken for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, which was the most common diagnostic error. At referral a length-dependent sensory loss affected the lower limbs in 2, all four limbs in 20, and four limbs and anterior trunk in 77 patients. All sensations were affected in 60 patients (67%), while small fiber dysfunction predominated in the others. Severe dysautonomia affected 80 patients (90%), with postural hypotension in 52, gastrointestinal dysfunction in 50, impotence in 58 of 69 men, and sphincter disturbance in 31. Twelve patients required a cardiac pacemaker. Nerve biopsy was diagnostic in 54 of 65 patients and salivary gland biopsy in 20 of 30. Decreased nerve conduction velocity, increased CSF protein, negative biopsy findings, and false immunolabeling of amyloid deposits were the main causes of diagnostic errors. We conclude that DNA testing, which is the most reliable test for TTR-FAP, should be performed in patients with a progressive length-dependent small fiber polyneuropathy of unknown origin, especially when associated with autonomic dysfunction.

[Pure motor neuropathy after radiation therapy: 6 cases]. / Neuropathies motrices pures post-radiques: 6 cas.

We report clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of six patients (five women and one man) presenting a pure motor bilateral asymmetric proximal and distal weakness in the setting of radiation therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma in four cases, carcinoma of the uterus in one, and cancer of the ovary in one. Motor deficit, amyotrophy, cramps, fasciculations and tendinous areflexia were confined to the lower limbs in five patients and to the upper limbs in one. No sensory or sphincter disturbance was noted. The progression of the disease was slow with sometimes secondary stabilization. In some patients, CSF showed a slight increase in protein content with no cell. Blood and MRI medullary examination were normal. Delay between radiation therapy and onset of neurological symptoms range from 6 to 24 years (mean 15). Neurophysiological findings suggest ventral roots proximal conduction blocks. We found an increase F-waves latency, a complete distal palsy contrasting with persistent muscle action potential after distal stimulation, in most of the patients; and an evidence of a conduction block between the erb point and the cervical roots using magnetic stimulation in the patient with upper limbs involvement. Mechanisms and sites of nerve radiation injury remains still unclear. These data could indicate, as it was already reported, a proximal damage involving predominantly the motor roots.

Genotypic-phenotypic variations in a series of 65 patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genotypic-phenotypic variations in a series of patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). BACKGROUND: Progress in molecular genetics has led to the identification of point mutations in the transthyretin (TTR) gene in FAP--a dominantly inherited neuropathy with a fatal outcome. These findings have modified the management of patients with small-fiber neuropathy and allow genetic counseling. METHODS: We performed a clinical and molecular genetic study with screening of the TTR gene mutations and associated haplotypes in 65 patients from 29 unrelated families of French ancestry. RESULTS: We detected nine heterozygous point mutations segregating with FAP. Fourteen families (48%) carried the common methionine (Met) 30 substitution. Seven kindreds (24%) had previously unreported TTR variants, namely asparagine 35, serine (Ser) 91, phenylalanine (Phe) 77, and Ser 116. At least two different haplotypes were associated with each of the following: Met 30, Phe 77, and valine 107, suggesting that multiple founders occurred for each variant. Only 35% of the index patients had affected relatives. Other patients had a sporadic presentation. All progressed to a severe sensorimotor and autonomic neuropathy with frequent cardiac involvement (80%). On average, a late age at onset (54.3 +/- 13.3 years) and a disease duration shorter than 10 years were observed for virtually all variants. CONCLUSION: The heterogeneity of the TTR variants, the late age at onset, and the short duration of the disease found in our patients contrast with the presentation of FAP in Portugal. These findings must be taken into account in the management of both patients and asymptomatic carriers.

New transthyretin variants SER 91 and SER 116 associated with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy. Mutations in brief no. 151. Online.

Mutations of the transthyretin (TTR) gene are associated with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). Two new mutations were detected in French patients with TTR amyloidosis. The first patient was a 72 year old man who presented with severe and rapidly evolving sensory motor polyneuropathy of the 4 limbs, a bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and a restrictive cardiomyopathy. His father died after a clinical history suggestive in retrospect of TTR amyloidosis. The second patient was a 75 year old man who presented with axonal sensory neuropathy of the 4 limbs and a bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. In both cases immunohistochemistry performed on a nerve biopsy reveled TTR positive amyloid. Direct genomic sequencing of the full TTR gene coding region indicated two heterozygous transversions encoding Ser for Ala 91 substitution in the third exon of the gene in patient 1 and Ser for Tyr 116 substitution in the fourth exon of the gene in patient 2. The mutations were confirmed by digesting PCR products with restriction enzymes and were not found in a control population of 100 unrelated individuals. The Ser 116 substitution was also detected in the daughter and the 70 year old sister of the proband. However the absence of symptomatology suggestive of TTR amyloidosis may be related to the late onset of the disease. The clinical immunohistochemical and molecular studies in both patients are highly suggestive of an association between the Ser 91 and Ser 116 TTR variants with amyloidosis.

IgG response to purified 65- and 70-kDa mycobacterial heat shock proteins and to antigen 85 in leprosy.

IgG antibody response to mycobacterial heat-shock proteins (hsp) (the 70-kDa antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG; the 65-kDa antigen from M. leprae and M. bovis BCG) and to the fibronectin-binding antigen 85 from M. bovis BCG was analyzed in a dot-blot assay in plasma from leprosy patients and their contacts. Most plasma--whatever the status of the subjects--reacted to the hsp 70; 8 of 9 (89%) of paucibacillary patients recognized the 65 mycobacterial hsp but only 2 of 9 (22%) recognized the antigen 85. In contrast, 12 of 12 (100%) of multibacillary patients reacted with the antigen 85 and only 4 of 12 (33%) reacted to the hsp 65 from M. leprae. On the one hand, 7 of 25 (28%) of the lepromin-positive contacts and 2 of 9 (22%) of the lepromin-negative contacts recognized the antigen 85. On the other hand, 11 of 25 (44%) of the lepromin-positive contacts but only 1 of 9 (11%) of the lepromin-negative contacts reacted to the hsp65 from M. leprae. Finally, very few (10%) of the lepromin-positive controls showed a positive reaction to the M. leprae 65-kDa antigen, the BCG 65-kDa antigen, and the 85-kDa antigen of BCG. Thus, differences in binding to the hsp65 from M. leprae and to antigen 85 could be helpful in distinguishing different forms of the disease.