Lesson of the month: Severe leukoencephalopathy by SARS-CoV-2.

Neurological manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as its pathogenesis are insufficiently explained. We present two cases of severe COVID-19 who required hospitalisation in the intensive care unit with persistently depressed mental status and severe leukoencephalopathy. We discuss the clinical and radiological findings and also propose the possible pathogenesis involved.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Measures of Brain Connectivity for the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

The prognostic capacity of the diffusion tensor imaging measures fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) was assessed in 135 MCI patients and 72 healthy subjects over a median follow-up of 40 months. Forty-nine MCI patients (36.3%) developed AD. The factors MD left hippocampus, FA left cingulate, and FA left hippocampus emerged as predictors of progression. Age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.21), delayed text recall (HR 0.89), FA left uncinate (HR 1.90), FA left hippocampus (HR 2.21), and carrying at least one ApoE4 allele (HR 2.86) were associated with a high conversion rate. FA measures revealed the greatest discriminative capacity (Harrell's C = 0.73 versus 0.65 without FA; p = 0.034). The inclusion of FA structural connectivity data in our model improved discrimination between subjects with MCI progressing or not to dementia.

Relevancia clínica del signo del pedículo en el diagnóstico del pólipo endometrial / Clinical relevance of the pedicle sign in diagnosing of the endometrial polyp

Objetivo: Valorar la rentabilidad diagnóstica del signo del pedículo vascular detectado mediante Doppler color/potencia para el diagnóstico del pólipo endometrial. Método: Se realiza una revisión sistemática y metanálisis. Para ello, se llevó a cabo una búsqueda electrónica de los siguientes términos: "endometrial polyp", "Doppler", "ultrasound" (MeSH) y "pedicle sign". Se incluyeron: estudios prospectivos o de cohortes retrospectivos; investigaciones de mujeres con enfermedad orgánica endometrial y pacientes con pólipos endometriales; estudios que tuvieran como objetivo la evaluación de la prueba diagnóstica la ecografía mediante Doppler color/potencia para el diagnóstico de pólipo endometrial, y trabajos que usaran el diagnóstico anatomopatológico como prueba de referencia. El período comprendió de enero de 2003 a mayo de 2015. Todos los análisis se realizaron mediante el módulo MIDAS y METANDI de la versión STATA 12.0 para Windows (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, EE.UU.). Un valor de p < 0.05 fue considerado estadísticamente significativo. Resultados: Se identificaron un total de 629 artículos, de los que se excluyeron 623, por lo que fueron incluidos en el metanálisis final 6 artículos. Dichos estudios incluían 1237 mujeres y 362 pólipos endometriales (prevalencia del 29.3%). La sensibilidad, la especificidad, la razón de verosimilitud (LR, likelihood ratio), tanto positiva como negativa (LR-) para el signo del pedículo fueron 77% (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 53% a 91%), 95% (IC 95%: 87% a 98%), 16.0 (IC 95%: 7.1 a 35.9) y 0.24 (IC 95%: 0.11 a 0.54), respectivamente. Se detectó una heterogeneidad importante en los estudios. Conclusión: El signo del pedículo ofrece un rendimiento aceptable para el diagnóstico de los pólipos endometriales.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of vascular pedicle sign detected by color Doppler/power ultrasound for the diagnosis of endometrial polyp. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. An electronic search (Pubmed) was conducted using the following terms: "endometrial polyp", "Doppler", "ultrasound" (MeSH), and "pedicle sign". Criteria for inclusion were as follows: prospective or retrospective cohort studies; studies of women with endometrial organic pathology and women with endometrial polyps; studies to evaluate the diagnostic test using color Doppler ultrasound/power for the diagnosis of endometrial polyp, and studies using pathological diagnosis as the gold standard. The period covered was January 2003 to May 2015. All analyses were performed using the MIDAS and METANDI module STATA version 12.0 for Windows (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 629 papers were identified, of which 623 were excluded, including 6 studies in the meta-analysis. These studies included 1237 women and 362 endometrial polyps (29.3% prevalence). The sensitivity, specificity, LR and LR- for the sign of the pedicle were 77% (95% CI, 53%-91%), 95% (95% CI, 87%-98%), 16.0 (95% CI, 7.1-35.9) and 0.24 (95% CI, 0.11 to 0.54), respectively. Significant heterogeneity was detected in studies. Conclusion: The sign of the pedicle provides acceptable performance for diagnosis of endometrial polyp.

Catastrophic outcome of patients with a rebound after Natalizumab treatment discontinuation.

INTRODUCTION: Natalizumab (NTZ) is an effective drug for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. In some patients discontinuation is mandatory due to the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. However, severe clinical and radiological worsening has been described after drug cessation. Our aim was to describe the clinical and radiological features of the rebound phenomenon. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients switched from NTZ to Fingolimod (FTY) who had presented a rebound after discontinuation were selected. Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected. RESULTS: Four JC virus positive patients were included. The mean disease duration was 9.5 years (SD: 4.12) with a mean time of 3.1 years on NTZ. All patients started FTY within 3-4 months. Neurological deterioration started in a mean time of 3.5 months (SD: 2.08) with multifocal involvement: 75% motor disturbances, 50% cognitive impairment, 25% seizures. The average worsening in Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] was of 3.25 points (SD: 2.33). The MRI showed a very large increase in T2 and gadolinium-enhanced lesions (mean: 23.67, SD: 18.58). All patients received 5 days of IV methylprednisolone, one patient required plasma exchange. All the patients presented neurological deterioration with an EDSS worsening of 1.13 points (SD: 0.48). After the rebound three patients continued treatment with FTY, only one patient restarted NTZ. CONCLUSION: Discontinuation of NTZ treatment may trigger a severe rebound with marked clinical and radiological worsening. A very careful evaluation of benefit-risk should be considered before NTZ withdrawal, and a close monitoring and a short washout period is recommended after drug withdrawal.

Unresectable Recurrent Multiple Meningioma: A Case Report with Radiological Response to Somatostatin Analogues.

Medical treatment of meningiomas is reserved for cases in which surgery and radiotherapy have failed. Given that a high percentage of meningiomas express somatostatin receptors, treatment with somatostatin analogues has been proposed. In addition, these medications have been shown to have an antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effect in vitro. To date, very few cases with clinical response and none with radiological response have been described. The case described here is the first to report a radiological response. A 76-year-old Caucasian male was first diagnosed with unresectable meningioma at age 47. The patient experienced multiple recurrences and underwent three surgeries and radiotherapy over the years from the initial diagnosis. Despite treatment, the disease continued its progression. Based on an Octreoscan positive for tumour uptake, therapy with extended-release somatostatin analogues was started. Although no clinical neurological improvement was observed, magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed a discreet but continuous radiological response over time. After >2 years of continuous administration of lanreotide, the patient remains progression free. In highly selected cases, somatostatin analogue treatment for meningioma may be beneficial. Based on our findings, treatment with somatostatin analogues should be maintained longer than previously described before evaluating treatment response.

Brain Abscess in a Patient with Rendu-Osler-Weber Syndrome: Value of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

The diagnosis of intracranial focal lesions based on imaging studies is a challenge. In brain abscess, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is useful to define etiology, differentiating anaerobic from aerobic pathogens and inclusive sterile abscess based on the behavior of certain metabolites. We report a patient with Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas, and brain abscesses characterized by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with a spectroscopy pattern compatible with anaerobic infection.