ABSTRACT
Optic neuritis is a common feature of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system such as multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica. It may also reveal systemic inflammatory disorders including sarcoidosis, lupus, Sjögren's syndrome, Behçet's disease, or infections such as neurosyphilis or with Bartonella. In some patients diagnostic workup remains negative leading to the diagnosis of an idiopathic optic neuritis. A painful loss of vision is the usual clinical presentation. The fundoscopy is normal or shows papilloedema. Brain magnetic resonance imaging is a mandatory in all patients.
Subject(s)
Optic Neuritis , Humans , Optic Neuritis/diagnosis , Optic Neuritis/etiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) is often difficult because of the non-specific presentation. Saccadic eye movements, which are mainly controlled by the frontal areas, may provide a powerful tool for the analysis of frontal lobe dysfunction. The pattern of saccadic abnormalities has not previously been investigated in patients with FTD. OBJECTIVE: To study saccade tasks in a group of 23 patients with FTD and compare the results with aged matched healthy controls. METHODS: Triggering and inhibition of reflexive prosaccades were evaluated in a prosaccade and an antisaccade task, respectively, while the ability to withhold an antisaccade during a delay was explored in a delayed antisaccade task. Patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), in whom the pattern of eye movement deficit is well documented, were studied with the same protocol. To characterise the frontal lobe dysfunction in FTD more precisely, a battery of neuropsychological tests was carried out in these patients. RESULTS: Patients with FTD showed impaired reflexive saccade inhibition, similar to that observed in patients with PSP, and a decreased ability to withhold an antisaccade. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of reflexive and voluntary saccades appears to be independently processed. A delayed antisaccade task could be useful for the early diagnosis of FTD.
Subject(s)
Dementia/physiopathology , Frontal Lobe/physiopathology , Saccades/physiology , Temporal Lobe/physiopathology , Aged , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Dementia/complications , Humans , Neuropsychological Tests , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Thirty patients with peripheral vascular disease (grade II) were studied by way of thallium-201 (Tl-201) muscular scan in order to assess a possible muscular effect of the Royat spa natural gas. Immediately after a 1.1 MBq/kg Tl-201 IV injection, a dynamic scintigraphic study was performed during 15 minutes in order to obtain a time-activity curve (characterized by Tmax) over the thighs, at rest. Then static anterior and posterior views were performed over thighs and calves during 4 minutes each. Perfusion ratios were calculated as thigh/knee and calf/ankle. The GE maxi 400 T gamma-camera was connected to an Informatek treatment system, zones of interest being chosen to obtain anterior and posterior thigh/knee, leg/ankle uptake ratios. Two studies were realized: the first one in basal conditions, the second one 7 days later, immediately after a s/c injection of natural gas. The later study was preceded by a static counting to subtract the residual muscular activity. After gas injection, one observed that Tmax was shorter, on the average, and that the difference between time-activity curves observed during the first study disappeared for patients with unilateral disease. A significant Tl-201 uptake increase was observed for the anterior image of the calf, while no difference was noted on posterior images, natural gas being injected on the front face of legs. This was particularly clear for patients with unilateral disease and receiving only unilateral gas injection.