[Topography of secondary dystonia lesions]. / Topographie des lésions des dystonies secondaires.

Biological causes provoking dystonia can not be systematized, with the exception of the small group of levodopa-responsive dystonia. Therefore the pathophysiology of the dystonic syndrome can be approached by considering the site of the lesions. In 40 cases of uni or bilateral symptomatic dystonias, this site could be identified with CT Scan or MRI. Twenty-one were located in the striatum, six in the pallidum, seven in the thalamus, six in the midbrain. Each group is characterized by etiologic and clinical criteria, sometimes associated with abnormal movements. In the striatal group, the most important, dystonia was often associated by athetosis or choreoathetoid abnormal movements. In some cases, in children, lesions were vascular due to impairment of lenticulo-striatal arteries, often following cranial trauma. The pallidal lesions were usually provoked by metabolic or infectious agents. Most thalamic dystonias were of vascular origin, sometimes accompanied by myoclonia. Midbrain lesions were usually vascular with tremor. Athetosis occurred after striatal rarely after pallidal lesions. It is advisable not to assimilate dystonia and athetosis as both are simultaneously observed if the lesions are located in the striatum, rarely in the the pallidum but not in the midbrain.

[Acute spongiform leucoencephalopathy with selective intramyelinic involvement of U fibers associated with an ovarian carcinoma. Syndrome of disconnection of U fibers (author's transl)]. / Leucoencéphalopathie aiguë spongiforme intra-myélinique limitée aux fibres en U chez une femme atteinte d'un cancer de l'ovaire. Syndrome de disconnexion des fibres en U.

Case report of clinical, pathological and ultrastructural features in an acute spongiform leucoencephalopathy with selective involvement of U fibers. A 52 years old woman exhibited an acute encephalopathy of 2 months duration, with dementia and multifocal impairment of cortical functions. The cerebral cortex was normal. This acute dementia resulted from a diffuse intercortical disconnection. Spongy degeneration was only found in U fibers. No other changes were noted especially in basal ganglia, optics tracts, and spinal cord. The white matter status spongious was related to an intramyelinic oedema. Such intramyelinic oedema is known only in Van Bogaert and Bertrand and Canavan disease, which is quite different, and in toxic encephalopathies, especially those induced by the hexachlorophene and triethyltin. In the present case no drugs or toxins were found. An ovarian carcinoma was found at post-mortem examination.

[Acute pseudobulbar palsy related to bilateral infarction of a part of the anterior choroidal arteries territory; a case report (author's transl)]. / Syndrome pseudobulbaire aigu par infarctus bilatéral limité du territoire des artères choroïdiennes antérieures.

A 73 year old man had a pure, acute pseudobulbar syndrome. The pathological study showed only two infarcts of different ages. They involved uncompletely the territories of both anterior cohroidal arteries. On semi-serial sections, both cortico-bulbar tracts were destroyed whereas the cortico-spinal tracts were spared.

[Cerebral tuberculosis. There clinicopathological cases (author's transl)]. / Tuberculose cérébrale. 3 observations anatomo-cliniques.

The clinico-pathological report of three cases of cerebral tuberculosis, collected over a 10 year period in a single neurological department from non immigrant patients emphasizes the difficulties of diagnosis and therapy of this disease. Multiple tuberculomas have simulated either an alcoolic encephalopathy in one case or a primitive cerebral tumour in another one. In the third case, the course of an exceptional cerebral miliary tuberculosis was not modified by the treatment. Liver cirrhosis was present in every case.

[Attempted treatment of a voluminous tympano-jugular and retropharyngeal glomus tumor by embolization]. / Tentative de traitement par embolisation d'une volumineuse tumeur glomique tympano-jugulaire et rétropharyngée.

The authors report a case of glomus tumor effectively treated by embolisation. The very large size of this tumor, the age and very poor general condition of the patient due to swallowing difficulties represented a contraindication to classical methods of treatment. Elective devascularisation was carried out by embolisation of the tumour itself using non-resorbable inert material by way of selective catheterisation of the vessels supplying it, almost all of which arose from the external carotid. Rapid and durable disappearance of part of the left cranial nerve involvement, in particular swallowing difficulties, reflected the effectiveness of the method. 18 months after this attempt at palliative treatment, the patient's condition remains satisfactory, with no detectable evidence of any recurrence or progression of the tumour.

[Optic ataxia localised in the left side of both 2 left homonymous visual hemifields]. / Ataxie optique localisée au coté gauche dans les deux hémichamps visuels homonymes gauches

Ocular ataxia localised to the left limbs on the left homonymous visual hemifields occurred after section of the right parieto-occipital junction zone performed to remove an intraventricular tumour. Since the right upper limb was unaffected, it must be presumed that, in man, there are two types of occipito-frontal connections, direct and crossed.