1/34. Application of a rheolytic thrombectomy device in the treatment of dural sinus thrombosis: a new technique.We present a novel application of a transvascular rheolytic thrombectomy system in the treatment of symptomatic dural sinus thrombosis in a 54-year-old woman with somnolence and left-sided weakness. The diagnosis of bilateral transverse and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis was made and the patient was treated with anticoagulant therapy. After an initial period of improvement, she became comatose and hemiplegic 8 days after presentation. After excluding intracerebral hemorrhage by MR imaging, we performed angiography and transfemoral venous thrombolysis with a hydrodynamic thrombectomy catheter, followed by intrasinus urokinase thrombolytic therapy over the course of 2 days. This technique resulted in dramatic sinus thrombolysis and near total neurologic recovery. Six months after treatment, the patient showed mild cognitive impairment and no focal neurologic deficit. Our preliminary experience suggests that this technique may play a significant role in the endovascular treatment of this potentially devastating disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/34. hemiplegia hypoglycaemia syndrome.We report the case of a 83-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with hypoglycaemia resembling a cerebrovascular accident. Hypoglycaemic hemiparesis is an under-recognized manifestation of hypoglycaemia. If not recognized and treated promptly, hypoglycaemia may cause irreversible central nervous system injury; it rarely results in death. It is imperative that emergency physicians consider hypoglycaemia in all patients with coma in spite of focal neurological deficit even when the findings seem to be explained initially by other aetiologies.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/34. magnetic resonance imaging findings of Kernohan-Woltman notch in acute subdural hematoma.OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report the case of a 73-year-old patient who presented a right motor deficit caused by an ipsilateral acute subdural hematoma. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstration of Kernohan-Woltman notch phenomenon was obtained. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The woman sustained a major head injury at home, followed by loss of consciousness. On admission to the emergency room, she was comatose, anisochoric (left > right), and showed a reaction to pain with decerebrating movements of left limbs (glasgow coma scale (GCS) 4/15). A right severe hemiparesis was observed. Cerebral computed tomography scan showed a large right hemispheric subdural hematoma. INTERVENTION AND POST-OPERATIVE COURSE: A wide right craniotomy was performed and the subdural hematoma evacuated. During the post-operative period, the level of consciousness gradually improved. A MRI performed about 2 weeks after operation showed a small area of abnormal signal intensity in the left cerebral peduncle. On discharge, the woman was able to communicate with others, but her right hemiparesis was still severe.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/34. Metastatic liposarcoma of the brain: case report and review of the literature.A 74-year-old woman presented with an acute left hemiplegia. CT demonstrated an irregular mass in the right parietal region of the brain. Two years previously, she had undergone wide local excision of a liposarcoma from her thigh. craniotomy was performed and the lesion removed. Subsequent histology confirmed a liposarcoma. The brain is an exceptionally rare site of first recurrence of a liposarcoma. This case report presents a pathological rarity and briefly reviews the literature relevant to clinicians.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/34. Complex traumatic dissection of right vertebral and bilateral carotid arteries: a case report and literature review.A 27-year-old female motorcycle passenger was admitted with bruises and concussion after a motor-vehicle accident. After a lucid interval of several hours she became stuporous and progressed to an acute comatose state. Computed tomography demonstrated extensive cerebral ischaemia in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery. angiography after transfer to the authors' hospital revealed dissections of both carotid arteries and of the right vertebral artery. The patient underwent surgical reconstruction of the left internal carotid artery with saphenous vein. The management of this patient is discussed and the literature reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/34. Wide clinical variability in a family with a CACNA1A T666m mutation: hemiplegic migraine, coma, and progressive ataxia.We report a Japanese family carrying a T666M missense mutation of CACNA1A. Affected members demonstrated a strikingly wide clinical spectrum including migraine, hemiplegia, coma, and progressive cerebellar ataxia. Despite such variability of the clinical features, they demonstrated similar magnetic resonance imaging findings demonstrating cerebellar atrophy predominantly of the cerebellar vermis. These magnetic resonance images appeared not to correlate with clinical severity. Our findings should indicate that a T666M mutation of CACNA1A may be associated with more variable clinical features and that paroxysmal hemiplegic migraine attacks and progressive cerebellar atrophy should have distinct mechanisms of pathogenesis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/34. Epidural haematoma. A retrospective study of 100 patients.A retrospective study was made of 100 consecutive patients with an epidural haematoma in order to establish which clinically demonstrable factors had influenced the prognosis quoad vitam et sanationem. Operations were performed on 92 of these patients, 29 (32%) of whom died; 8 patients died without operation, and in 2 of these cases the diagnosis was not made during life. A lucid interval was observed in 57 patients; absence of a lucid interval in combination with a lowered sensory level indicated associated intradural lesions (cerebral contusion, acute subdural haematoma), with consequently a less good prognosis. The prognosis was also adversely affected by deeper coma, occurrence of extensor spasms, bilateral stiff pupils, bilateral pyramidal symptoms and an age over 50. Some 33% of the patients treated by operation showed marked symptoms of compression (extensor spasms and/or bilateral stiff pupils); although these symptoms are usually described as indicative of a hopeless prognosis, 40% of the patients in this catagory survived. Contrary to the data in the literature, the interval between accident and operation within the first 24 hours did not influence the mortality, which was 50%. All patients operated on more than 24 hours after the accident, survived. A cranial fracture was absent in 13 patients, 11 of whom were under 30; absence of a cranial fracture was prognostically favourable. A catamnestic study revealed that 7 of the 58 accessible survivors had residual neurological dysfunctions; all these patients were up and about. The residual morbidity after early operation (within 24 hours) was the same as that after later operation. The data obtained were compared with those on a number of series recently published in the literature.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/34. Teratocarcinosarcoma of the nose, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx.Teratomas affecting the head and neck are rare tumours of ambiguous origin. The benign form is seen in children and mostly affects the nasopharynx. Malignant tumours in the upper jaw have been reported rarely. They are almost exclusively seen in the adult male. They are highly aggressive tumours that are difficult to diagnose pre-operatively due to the varied histological patterns. Treatment options available are surgery, radiotherapy or a combination of both. Despite intensive treatment, the prognosis is still poor. A rare case of teratocarcinosarcoma of the nose, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx in a 25-year-old male is presented. The tumour had a non-germ cell tumour origin. The clinical features, pathologic characteristics and treatment are detailed. It was managed by surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/34. Opening of the blood-brain barrier preceding cortical edema in a severe attack of FHM type II.The authors report a patient with familial hemiplegic migraine type II who developed a long-lasting attack including fever, right-sided hemiplegia, aphasia, and coma. Quantitative analysis of early gadolinium-enhanced MRI revealed a mild but significant left-hemispheric blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening limited to the cortex and preceding cortical edema. The findings suggest that the delayed cortical edema was vasogenic in the severe migraine aura variant of this ATP1A2 mutation carrier.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/34. magnetoencephalography and positron emission tomography studies of a patient with auditory agnosia caused by bilateral lesions confined to the auditory radiations.The aim of this study was to investigate auditory cortex function in the context of auditory stimuli in a patient with auditory agnosia due to bilateral lesions confined to the auditory radiations. A male patient experienced mild left temporal hemiplegia because of right putaminal hemorrhage at the age of 43 years. Thereafter he recovered completely but hypertension persisted. When he was 53 years old, he suffered left putaminal hemorrhage and went into a coma. After recovering from the coma and right hemiplegia he could hear but could not discriminate speech sounds. Brain CT and MRI demonstrated small bilateral lesions confined to the auditory radiations. magnetoencephalography demonstrated the disappearance of middle latency responses and auditory-evoked potential studies showed a very small Pa peak. In contrast, a positron emission tomography study demonstrated a marked increase in blood flow in the bilateral auditory cortex in response to both click and monosyllable stimuli. It is speculated that the auditory cortex receives functional projections from the cochlea via non-specific pathways in the cerebral hemispheres.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = coma (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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