[Major thromboembolic complications during oral anticoagulant therapy. Importance of level of anticoagulation]. / Complicaciones tromboembólicas mayores durante el tratamiento con anticoagulantes orales. Importancia del nivel de anticoagulación.

PURPOSE: The incidence of major thromboembolic complications in patients on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) and the correlation of this with the intensity of the OAT and the INR level at the time of the episode have been assessed in our study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have carried out a retrospective study including 1350 patients with an overall follow-up period of 6432 patient-years. The mean INR level throughout OAT and at the time of the mayor thromboembolic event were considered. The statistical analysis was performed by means of a survival analysis test. RESULTS: The incidence of major thromboembolic complications found in our study was 1.18/100 patient-years. Those patients with a mean INR below the therapeutic range showed significantly a higher risk (3.31 times higher) of suffering from some sort of major thromboembolic complication. Mean INR level at the time of the event was 1.9 and 47% of those patients had an INR level < 2 at the time of the thromboembolic complication. CONCLUSIONS: The probability of suffering a major thromboembolic complication for those subjects on OAT increases as the INR falls below the therapeutic range; therefore we must pay special attention to this factor in order to avoid any further recurrences.

[Ischemic stroke and auricular septal aneurysm: six cases]. / Ictus isquémico y aneurisma del septo auricular: estudio de seis casos.

INTRODUCTION: Aneurysms of the atrial septum (AAS) are uncommon. They have been considered to be related to embolic phenomena. They are usually associated with other cardiac anomalies, especially persistence of the formen ovale. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied six patients diagnosed during a period of 24 months as having ischemic ictus and AAS. They were investigated for vascular risk factors and possible causes of cardiac embolism by means of ECG, transthoracic and transoesophagic echography (ETE). Cases with the clinical characteristics of embolism were anticoagulated. RESULTS: Five patients were men with an average age of 47.6 years. Three had the clinical features of established ictus, one of RIND and two of AIT. Three patients had vascular risk factors. The TSA study showed pathology of the carotid arteries to be present in three patients. In all six cases the AAS was identified on ETE. There were no thrombi in the atria in any case, and in two there was left-right communication. In four patients the condition was considered to have a cardio-embolic origin. No patient has had further episodes of cerebral ischaemia. DISCUSSION: It seems there is a certain risk of cerebral embolus associated with AAS. The simultaneous presence of alterations in cardiac rhythm together with other structural cardiac pathology seems to have a synergic effect on this. Paradoxical embolism, arrhythmias and intra-aneurysmal thrombi appear to be the mechanisms involved in the appearance of emboli. The best therapeutic approach is still unknown. New studies are therefore necessary to establish whether or not it is necessary to anticoagulate these patients.

[Unilateral aplasia of the cerebellum in Aicardi's syndrome]. / Aplasia unilateral del cerebelo en el síndrome de Aicardi.

A case of unilateral aplasia of the cerebellum in a girl with Aicardi's syndrome is described. Aplasia of an entire hemisphere is one of the least frequent malformations of the cerebellum. Hypoplasia, partial hemispheric defects of the cerebellum and, rarely, complete absence of one hemisphere have been described in Aicardi's syndrome, which is associated with multiple systemic and CNS malformations. In our patient, who presented the characteristic trial of infantile spasms, callosal agenesia and retinal lacuna, we also saw right cerebellar aplasia along with other CNS malformations using magnetic resonance. We discuss the possibility that this aplasia arises as the result of a developmental defect of the posterior arterial system of Willis's polygon.

[Basilar artery rostral occlusion syndrome. Clinico-radiological assessment of 56 patients]. / Síndrome por oclusión rostral de la arteria basilar. Valoración clinicorradiológica de 56 pacientes.

We studied 56 patients, 30 women and 26 men ranging from 30 to 79 years of age (average age 64.5 +/- 10.4), who were admitted to our hospital between 1982 and August 1995 with clinical features compatible with occlusion at the level of the bifurcation of the basilar artery. The patients were selected following clinical and neuro-radiological criteria. All patients included in the study had two or more recent infarcts in the vertebro-basilar territory, related to involvement of the rostral region of the basilar artery. The diagnosis was confirmed by CT or MR scanning. The infarcts were in the thalamus, brain-stem, cerebellum and parieto-occipital lobe. A thalamic infarct associated with an infarct in another region was the most frequent lesion. The CT-MR findings in the 56 cases were: 29 patients presented with a unilateral thalamic infarct associated with another infarct (23 occipital, 8 parietal, 6 brain-stem and 2 cerebellum). There were eight patients with bilateral thalamic infarcts and seven with bilateral occipital infarcts. In six patients the occipital infarct was associated with another infarct at a different level (parietal or cerebellar) and six patients had cerebellar infarcts together with an infarct of the mid-brain. In 22 of the patients, lesions were found in three or more areas. The commonest clinical findings were: Motor deficit (69.6%), abnormal eye movements (44.5%), cerebellar dysfunction (42.8%), altered level of consciousness (32.1%), visual field defects (28.5%), pupil anomalies (19.6%). The most frequently associated risk factors were: Arterial hypertension (58.9%), a history of ACV (32.1%) and atrial fibrillation (21.4%). Mortality was 5.7%. In contrast to the classical descriptions, motor defecit was the commonest symptom in our series.

[Predictive value of serum ferritin in the prognosis of acute cerebrovascular accident]. / Valor predictivo de la ferritina sérica en el pronóstico del accidente cerebrovascular agudo.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies show that a raised level of serum ferritin indicates a poor prognosis in CVA patients, as do the well-known hyperglycemia, dyslipemia and arterial hypertension. The evolution and prognosis of acute cerebrovascular accidents are determined by a series of factors, some of which can be modified. This leads to a search for factors which can be modified and therefore influence the course of the illness. OBJECTIVE: To determine the ferritin levels and other parameters during the course of the illness of patients with serious cerebral vascular pathology and evaluate their effect on prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective study was carried out on patients diagnosed as having CVA, admitted to the Neurology Department of the Miguel Servet Hospital (Zaragoza) during 1994, and who were in neurological coma (Glasgow scale less than 7) during the first 24 hours, and unable to swallow. The levels of various plasma parameters were determined (glucose, cholesterol, ferritin, etc.) on admission and then every 10 days. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma ferritin levels higher than those considered normal by the laboratory, in the first few hours after CVA, are an independent predictive factor suggesting unfavourable evolution of the vascular condition. Equally, raised ferritinemia in the first weeks after CVA indicates a worse prognosis. This laboratory test may be carried out on patients with acute CVA to obtain more information on which to base the prognosis.

[Neuroimaging and efficacy of treatment in advanced African trypanosomiasis]. / Neuroimagen y eficacia del tratamiento en la tripanosomiasis africana avanzada.

INTRODUCTION: West African trypanosomiasis (WAT) is rare in Spain. Delay in its diagnosis and treatment leads to irreversible diffuse meningoencephalitis and finally death of the patients. CLINICAL CASE: We described a patient in whom the diagnosis of advance WAT had been delayed. He had headache, alteration of the level of consciousness and sleep pattern, psychiatric disorders, crises, extrapyramidal, sensitive and endocrinological clinical alterations. Biochemical investigation showed slight anemia with marked thrombocytopenia, and raised ESR and IgM. Initially serology was negative for trypanosomes, although examination of the CSF confirmed the diagnosis. MR showed extensive lesions of the basal nuclei, brainstem and white matter. Both the clinical abnormalities and the lesions shown on MR disappeared after treatment with intravenous difluoromethylornithine. The patient is now symptom-free and at work as usual. DISCUSSION: Find diagnosis of WAT requires isolation of the parasite from the blood, the bone marrow or CSF. When other complementary tests (such as serology) are negative, the diagnosis should not be ruled out. There are few neuroimaging studies of WAT, and only by CT. We have found no MR studies of patients with WAT, in the literature. We emphasize the close correlation between the clinical and radiological findings in this case, and the excellent result obtained after treatment.