[Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis associated with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection]. / Encéphalomyélite aiguë disséminée associée au Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

A 20-year old man was hospitalized for acute urinary retention, headaches and mild fever. Neurological examination revealed a meningeal syndrome and a bilateral pyramidal syndrome of lower extremities with a C7 sensory level. The level of antibodies against Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Igm and IgG) suggested a recent unrecognized infection. Cerebral and medullar MRI showed T2-hyperintense lesions in the right thalamus and at the level of C1-C2 and C6. Evoked potentials were normal but EEG showed some bilateral theta waves. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis demonstrated 170 white cells/mm3 with 66% lymphocytes and proteins at 73 mg/dl. A few weeks after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins at 0.4 g/kg/day for 5 days, the patient showed complete clinical recovery. MRI and urinary flowrate normalized after nine weeks. The authors are discussing the probable diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis occurring after a mycoplasma unrecognized infection.

A carotid artery dissection presenting with dysphagia due to a dilation of upper oesophagus.

Carotid and vertebral artery dissection is one of the major causes of ischemic stroke in young patients and diagnosing it remains a challenge for the clinician due to its variable clinical presentation. We report the case of a 57-years old man admitted to the emergency department complaining of dysphagia and a hoarse voice. Physical examination revealed a left deviation of his tong and some weakness of the left side of his soft palate. A gastroscopy and a cervical tomodensitometry revealed the presence of an important dilation of his upper oesophagus. A cerebral magnetic resonance was performed, showing en excentric high signal intensity on the left carotid artery, and the MR angiography confirmed the presence of an acute dissection on the left internal carotid artery. Our patient suffered of a left carotid artery dissection presenting with ipsilateral Xth and XIIth nerve palsies. His main symptom was a dysphagia due to a dilation of his upper oesophagus; the pneumogastric nerve being responsible for the parasympathic innervation of the upper muscles of the oesophagus.

[Multiple cholesterol emboli syndrome: beneficial effects of early heparin therapy. A case report]. / Le syndrome d'embolies multiples de cholestérol: effet bénéfique de l'héparinothérapie précoce? A propos d'un cas.

The multiple cholesterol emboli syndrome (MCES) is a rare, multi-organ disease than can occur spontaneously or after arterial or cardiac catheterization, arteriography, angioplasty, cardiovascular surgery, oral or intravenous anticoagulation, systemic fibrinolysis and cardiorespiratory resuscitation, predominantly in male subjects with disseminated atherosclerosis over the age of 60 years. Clinical signs of MCES vary considerably depending on the organs involved, but the signs most frequently encountered are renal failure, skin lesions (livedo reticularis, purple toc, ulcers, etc) and transient eosinophilia. Optimal treatment of this syndrome is controversial and is often symptomatic. However, the most effective measure remains prevention based on identification of high-risk patients, treatment with platelet antiaggregants and careful handling of catheters. This syndrome has a serious prognosis in the majority of cases. In this article, the authors describe a case of MCES. After thoracic aortography, this 73-years-old patient presented typical clinical sign of MCES (angina, cerebrovascular accident, bilateral blindness, transient renal failure and splenic infarction). The clinical course was favourable in response to heparin therapy and splenectomy and caudal pancreatectomy. Histology confirmed the presence of cholesterol emboli in the lumen of splenic arterioles. Except in the case of severe bleeding diathesis, the authors recommend early heparin therapy for MCES caused by catheterization, angioplasty or cardiovascular surgery. However, complementary studies must be performed to more clearly define the effects of heparin on MCES.