1/369. IgM paraproteinemia in a patient with primary lateral sclerosis.Primary lateral sclerosis is an uncommon, distinct clinical entity. We report a patient with primary lateral sclerosis in whom investigations revealed an IgM monoclonal gammopathy, raised CSF protein and persistently high ESR. A number of reports suggest that lymphoproliferative disorders, paraproteinemia and clinico-pathological syndromes mimicking motor neuron diseases may be associated. We discuss the clinical features noted in our patient in relation to these reports, and the possible pathogenetic mechanisms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/369. foramen magnum meningioma presenting as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the nervous system. It affects adults in all age groups and leads to death few years after the diagnosis. The etiology is unknown, and there no convincing medical or surgical therapy Some diseases can mimic ALS. If diagnosed early these may be treatable, but if misdiagnosed as ALS and left untreated they may be fatal. We present a case of foramen magnum meningioma presenting clinically as ALS. After surgery, the symptoms disappeared and the neurological deficits improved.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/369. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in an adult following acute paralytic poliomyelitis in early childhood.About 30% of polio survivors develop a post-polio syndrome. Some of these patients develop slowly progressive muscle weakness known as post-poliomyelitis muscular atrophy (PPMA). We describe an unusual form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a patient with acute poliomyelitis in childhood. An 80-year-old woman had acute poliomyelitis at 2 years of age and developed weakness limited to the lower extremities. Residual weakness was stable until the age of 75 when she developed rapidly progressive weakness that first affected her left arm and subsequently the right arm. Neurological examination revealed both upper and lower motor neuron signs. These clinical features were more consistent with ALS than PPMA. At autopsy, there was marked atrophy of the precentral gyrus. Microscopic examination revealed a severe loss of all nerve cells and pronounced fibrillary astrocytosis of the lumbar ventral horns in the spinal cord, presumably a result of poliomyelitis. Superimposed on these spinal cord alterations were the pathological features of ALS, consisting of loss of Betz cells, corticospinal tract degeneration and loss of motor neurons of other levels of the spinal cord. The findings included some atypical features for ALS, namely, sparing of the hypoglossal nucleus, absence of Bunina bodies and absence of ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions. Although poliomyelitis and ALS may be coincidental, the unusual pathological expression of ALS raise the possibility that it is related to the antecedent poliomyelitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/369. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Lou Gehrig's disease.amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neuromuscular condition characterized by weakness, muscle wasting, fasciculations and increased reflexes. Approximately 30,000 Americans currently have the disease. The annual incidence rate is one to two cases per 100,000. The disease is most commonly diagnosed in middle age and affects more men than women. It usually presents with problems in dexterity or gait resulting from muscle weakness. Difficulty in speaking or swallowing is the initial symptom in the bulbar form of the disease. Over a period of months or years, patients with ALS develop severe, progressive muscular weakness and other symptoms caused by loss of function in both upper and lower motor neurons. Sphincter control, sensory function, intellectual abilities and skin integrity are preserved. patients become completely disabled, often requiring ventilatory support and gastrostomy. death usually occurs within five years of diagnosis and is attributed to respiratory failure or cachexia. The etiology of the disease is unknown. Current research is focused on abnormalities of neuronal cell metabolism involving glutamate and the role of potential neurotoxins and neurotrophic factors. New drugs are being developed based on these theories. Current management involves aggressive, individualized alleviation of symptoms and complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/369. Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis of long duration mimicking spinal progressive muscular atrophy: a clinicopathological study.We report an autopsy case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinically diagnosed as spinal progressive muscular atrophy (SPMA). The patient was a Japanese woman without hereditary burden. She developed muscle weakness of the distal part of the left lower extremity at age 42, followed by muscle weakness and atrophy of the right lower extremity and upper extremities. At age 57, she needed transient ventilatory support. Slight weakness in the facial muscles and fasciculation of the tongue appeared at age 60. At age 61, she died of sudden respiratory arrest. During the clinical course, neurological examination revealed neither Babinski signs nor hyperreflexia. The neuropathological examination revealed not only neuronal loss with gliosis in the facial nucleus, hypoglossal nucleus, and anterior horns of the spinal cord, but also loss of Betz cells and degeneration of the pyramidal tracts. Based on these clinicopathological findings and review of literature, we conclude that sporadic ALS mimicking SPMA is present.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/369. syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in respiratory failure.A 65-year-old man who had muscle weakness and dysarthria was admitted for investigation of motor neuron disease. He had lost 12 kg of weight in 6 months. Neurological findings disclosed upper and lower motor neuron disturbances with normal sensory nerve function, and needle electromyography showed a neurogenic pattern. Laboratory findings on admission demonstrated dilutional hyponatraemia due to an excessive secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed as having the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). During the night of first hospital day, the patient complained of severe dyspnoea, and mechanical ventilation was commenced. Following the mechanical ventilation, plasma ADH levels and serum sodium concentration were normalized. We propose that respiratory failure secondary to the atrophy of respiratory muscle might be responsible for the development of SIADH.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/369. Extrapyramidal involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: backward falls and retropulsion.Three patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) presented with a history of backward falls. Impaired postural reflexes and retropulsion accompanied clinical features of ALS. hypokinesia, decreased arm swing, and a positive glabellar tap were noted in two of these three patients. Cognitive impairment, tremor, axial rigidity, sphincter dysfunction, nuchal dystonia, dysautonomia, and oculomotor dysfunction were absent. brain MRI disclosed bilateral T2 weighted hyperintensities in the internal capsule and globus pallidus in one patient. Necropsy studies performed late in the course of ALS have shown degeneration in extrapyramidal sites-for example, the globus pallidus, thalamus, and substantia nigra. Clinically, backward falls and retropulsion may occur early in ALS. This may reflect extrapyramidal involvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/369. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with dementia. Case report.A patient is described in whom a profound and rapidly progressive dementia occurred in association with clinical features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A magnetic resonance imaging showed signs of frontal and especially left temporal atrophy. The pattern of dementia indicated impaired frontotemporal lobe functions, evidenced by reduced tracer uptake in the frontotemporal lobes on brain single photon emission computed tomography. Neuropathological examination in this patient revealed mild frontotemporal atrophy with spongiform changes and neuronal loss affecting mainly layers II and III of the frontotemporal cortices. There was atrophy of the hypoglossal nuclei. The spinal cord changes were consistent with motor neuron disease. The patient showed an irreversible and progressive course. A review of the relevant literature was made.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/369. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis syndrome and hyperthyroidism: report of 4 patients.Four patients with clinical diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis syndrome and laboratory results of hyperthyroidism were reported. There were 3 women aged 27, 59, 59 years and 1 man aged 50 years. All of them had symptoms and signs of dysarthria and dysphagia, fasciculations of the tongue, muscle weakness with generalized hyperreflexia. After treatment with antithyroid drugs, motor weakness and dysphagia improved.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.83333333333333keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/369. Problems and pitfalls in the diagnosis of ALS.Although misdiagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is rare, it may be more difficult to make a diagnosis in some groups of patients than in others. If a patient presents in the later stages of the disease, only a small number of alternative diagnoses need to be considered. These include spinal muscular atrophies of adult onset, inclusion body myositis and motor neuropathies with conduction block. The latter group in particular may present a serious diagnostic problem, as several groups have recently reported patients suffering from lower motor neuron syndrome without detectable conduction block, who responded unexpectedly to treatment with immunoglobulins. As recent laboratory results suggest that a lengthy pre-clinical period may precede clinical ALS, there is increased pressure for clinicians to make an early diagnosis so that the maximum effect can be achieved from neuroprotective drugs. Thus, diseases such as distal motor amyotrophies, pressure palsies of motor branches of hand nerves, and cervical myelopathies, which can be differentiated mainly by their time-course, may be relevant in the differential diagnosis of ALS in some patients. During recent years, a few patients have been seen in our clinic who presented with pure motor deficits but later developed a more complex pattern of vulnerability suggestive of multisystem degeneration. The existence of patients with a disease that borders the spectrum of motor neuron diseases cannot be disputed. These patients include those carrying the Huntington mutation and those suffering from guam and new guinea disease ('ALS/PD'). From our experience, however, these 'difficult' diagnoses represent less than 10% of the patients seen in our clinic.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.16666666666667keywords = sclerosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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