[Malignant neuroleptic syndrome--a possibility for early diagnosis]. / Malignt neuroleptikasyndrom--en mulighed for tidlig diagnostik.

A 17-year-old man developed the malignant neuroleptic syndrome and recovered after the neuroleptic drug was discontinued. When the treatment with the neuroleptic was resumed four weeks later, an elevated serum creatine kinase level was found without any other symptoms of the malignant neuroleptic syndrome. The neuroleptic was discontinued and the serum creatine kinase level was normalized. In both episodes, serum creatine kinase level was followed daily. The elimination of creatine kinase followed a first order kinetic, indicating that release of the enzyme to the blood stopped as soon the neuroleptic was discontinued. In the second episode, the increase in serum creatine kinase level was found before the symptoms of malignant neuroleptic syndrome appeared. This opens a possible way to early diagnosis and in that way prevention of severe symptoms.

Dynamic aspects in transient hyperphosphatasaemia of infancy.

A 20-month-old boy with absence epilepsy was found to have a strikingly elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) at start of treatment with valproic acid. The monitoring of this therapy made it possible to follow the elimination of AP which was shown to be a first order kinetic with a half-life of 6.1 days. A concurrent adenovirus infection was diagnosed.

Segmental mean temperature differences in the diagnosis of acute venous thrombosis in the legs.

In 92 consecutive patients admitted with suspected acute deep venous thrombosis, (DVT), the screening value of a new thermographic equipment, DeVeTherm, was evaluated with phlebography as a reference. The predictive value was 0.29 (0.19-0.41) of a positive thermography, and 0.68 (0.43-0.87) of a negative thermography. These results do not justify application of DeVeTherm as a screening method for DVT.