ABSTRACT
Clinical and electrophysiological studies have been performed in 9 cases of HTLV-I associated myelopathy (7 female, 2 male). Spastic paraparesis and neurogenic bladder were present in 8; sensory disturbances were detected only in 4. The conduction velocities of the posterior tibial and sural nerves were reduced in 2 cases. Median nerve SSEP revealed a delay of N11, N13, N14, N20 peak latencies and an increase of N9-N20, N13-N14 and N13-N20 interpeak latencies. The electrophysiological studies are the most accurate indicators of the diffuse involvement not only of central motor and sensory pathways but also of the peripheral nervous system.
Subject(s)
Human T-lymphotropic virus 1/immunology , Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/physiopathology , Adult , Age of Onset , Aged , Blotting, Western , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin M/immunology , Lymphocytes/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Neural Conduction , Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/drug therapy , Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic/immunology , Prednisone/administration & dosage , Prednisone/therapeutic use , Sural Nerve/immunology , Sural Nerve/physiopathology , Tibial Nerve/immunology , Tibial Nerve/physiopathology , Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic/immunology , Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Computed tomography was studied in the patients with Minamata disease, a methylmercury poisoning caused by the ingestion of contaminated sea foods. The characteristic changes in the acquired cases were atrophy of the visual calcarine cortex and of the cerebellar vermis and/or hemisphere. Marked atrophy of the calcarine cortex produced the sac-shaped low density areas between the occipital lobes and diffuse and marked cerebellar atrophy with enlargement of the fourth ventricle and cisterns of the posterior fossa produced a shrunken image on CT. Morphometric analysis confirmed these findings. In the fetal cases, the changes on CT were slight and no definite atrophy was demonstrated in either the calcarine cortex or the cerebellum. Morphometric analysis disclosed an increase of size of the middle portions of the lateral ventricle and the third and fourth ventricles.
