Hemichorea-hemiballismus due to diabetic striatopathy a serious complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

We report the case of a man in his mid-80s with diabetes mellitus who presented to the emergency department with a 1-day history of right-sided choreiform movements and falls. Laboratory tests revealed blood glucose of 597 mg/dL. Non-contrast CT imaging of his head demonstrated a faint hyperdensity involving the left lentiform nucleus and brain MRI showed a hyperintensity in the left basal ganglia on T1-weighted images. These lesions are typical of diabetic striatopathy. Symptoms of hemichorea/hemiballismus did not resolve with glycaemic control and several pharmacological agents were tried with eventual improvement with risperidone. He was discharged to a rehabilitation facility and had mild persistent arm chorea at 6-month follow-up.

Significant response to lacosamide in a patient with severe chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a major dose-limiting toxicity of potentially curative cancer therapy regimens. Cisplatin is the class of chemotherapy agent that has a broad spectrum of activity against several solid tumors, but it induces sensory neuropathy of upper and lower extremities. Cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy is usually in a "gloves and socks" distribution that can persist for months or years after completion of chemotherapy treatment. If the pain is severe, it affects the patient's long-term quality of life and can potentially result in chemotherapy dose reduction or treatment discontinuation. The mechanism of CIPN is not well understood, and a number of pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed to explain the phenomenon. Although many therapies have been investigated for the prevention or treatment of CIPN, there is currently no accepted proven therapy. Here we report a case in which lacosamide alleviated painful CIPN symptoms. Lacosamide is an anticonvulsant drug that blocks the voltage-gated sodium channels in the neurons and may also be a promising novel candidate for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Preclinical data support the role of lacosamide protective effect in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, randomized clinical trial is needed.