Case Reports in Neurology最新文献

We report 2 cases of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) associated with postpartum. In case 1, a 26-year-old woman developed sudden-onset headache, nausea, and vomiting 1 h after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. In case 2, a 27-year-old woman developed generalized seizures 9 days after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. In both cases, initial angiographic studies showed no significant vasoconstriction; however, repeat studies revealed reversible vasoconstriction. Serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed transient brain lesions during 6 months. RCVS remains poorly characterized, misdiagnosed, and under-recognized. Serial MRI and magnetic resonance angiographic findings may contribute to diagnosis of RCVS.

Differentiating GCA from its many mimickers remains a challenge in the daily clinical practice, especially in patients presenting with unspecific manifestations. We present the case of an 82-year-old woman who presented with a 3-week history of left eye vision loss secondary to bilateral edema and hemorrhage of the optic discs. Despite negative bilateral temporal artery biopsies, the elevation of the inflammatory markers and brain MRA findings suggestive of temporal arteritis as well as stenosis of the basilar artery led us to initiate treatment with high-dose steroids. Inflammatory markers remained elevated despite high-dose steroids which prompted additional work leading to a diagnosis of varicella-zoster encephalitis. Steroid treatment was quickly tapered off and treatment with acyclovir resulted in the normalization of the acute phase reactants. The persistence of elevated inflammatory markers despite high-dose steroids should prompt additional work up for the search of an alternative diagnosis of GCA mimickers.

Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is commonly accompanied by hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizziness and tends to be chronically progressive in nature. We report a case of VS presenting as left vestibular neuritis (VN) in a previously healthy 57-year-old patient. Right-beating horizontal-torsional spontaneous nystagmus was observed, and the bedside head impulse test revealed a left catch-up saccade. The bithermal caloric test showed left canal paresis, and pure-tone audiometry revealed an average threshold of 22.5 dB bilaterally. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a 0.7-cm enhancing mass in the left internal auditory canal, consistent with VS. The patient was administered with high-dose systemic corticosteroids and vestibular suppressants with antiemetic, which relieved acute vertigo. Although dizziness in VS is chronically progressive in nature, VS may present as an acute vestibular syndrome that mimics VN. VS should be considered a potential cause of acute vestibular syndrome, and thorough neurological examination with MRI may be helpful for accurate diagnosis.

Mirror movements (MMs) are involuntary synchronous movements of one limb during voluntary movements of the contralateral limb. Generally, MMs after stroke are observed in the unaffected hand during voluntary movements of the affected hand; MMs in the affected hand are comparatively rare. In previous studies, evaluation of MMs in the affected hand was performed using simple unilateral movement tasks, such as tapping or forceful repeated hand closure. However, the impact of MMs of the affected hand on functional tasks, such as activities of daily living (ADLs), has not been reported. We report the rare case of a patient with MMs of the affected hand due to atherothrombotic cerebral infarction of the right postcentral and precentral gyri. An 85-year-old Japanese man presented with left-sided hemiplegia and sensory impairment. MMs were observed in the left (affected) hand during many ADLs and could not be suppressed by the patient's will even when the examiner verbally instructed the patient to move only the unaffected hand. The patient was aware that his hand moved on its own, but he could not control it. The patient was trained on various types of bilateral coordinated motor exercises for 114 days after the MMs were first identified. However, this did not affect MM occurrence, and the MMs remained at the time of discharge. Future research is necessary to plan long-term interventions for MMs of the affected hand.

Chronic daily headaches are often refractory to prescribed or non-prescribed medications. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a new technological-based intervention with various modes of applicability. Therefore, we aimed to study the effectiveness of tDCS in an individual with symptoms of chronic daily headaches and the associated comorbidities like depression, anxiety, stress, and RLS or sleepiness, numbness, a sensation of fullness, or ringing in the ears. Based on DASS-21 and Epworth questionnaires, headache diary, and semi-structured interviews, we used repeated measures for assessing the symptoms such as frequency, duration, intensity, or severity of chronic daily headaches and associated comorbidities at baseline, after tDCS-intervention, and at a 12-month follow-up. The results showed that tDCS-intervention reduced the frequency, duration, intensity, or severity of chronic daily headaches and associated symptoms after tDCS-intervention and at a 12-month follow-up.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encephalitis is caused by initial infection or reactivation of EBV. In adults, the risk factors of EBV encephalitis include human immunodeficiency virus infection, immunosuppressant drugs, congenital immune deficiencies, post-stem cell transplantation, and post-solid organ transplantation. However, a few cases of adult-onset EBV encephalitis without these risk factors were also reported. The efficacy of steroid or intravenous immunoglobulin remains unclear in the treatment of EBV encephalitis. Herein, we report a case of an 82-year-old man with fever and disturbance of consciousness who was diagnosed as having EBV encephalitis. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed punctate enhancement in the bilateral basal ganglia, which resembled chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS). Symptoms and enhanced lesions improved after immunotherapy. Immunotherapy may be effective in the treatment of EBV encephalitis with CLIPPERS-like lesions.

Rhabdomyolysis is an acute disruption in skeletal muscle integrity, leading to the rapid release of 4 muscle contents into the bloodstream, such as creatine kinase (CK). It can have various causes, including infections. Throughout the pandemic, multiple cases of rhabdomyolysis following COVID-19 infections have been reported. However, rhabdomyolysis subsequent to COVID-19 vaccinations appears to be relatively rare. Here, we report such a case after a second COVID-19 Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) vaccination. Our patient developed rhabdomyolysis 1 day after the second Comirnaty vaccination with high creatine kinase (CK) levels, generalized weakness, and kidney failure. CK levels and muscle weakness resolved after treatment with intravenous fluids, but unfortunately, he remained hemodialysis dependent after discharge. To our knowledge, this is one of the first case reports describing a patient with rhabdomyolysis after a Comirnaty vaccination. However, as millions of people have received the Comirnaty vaccine, it is unclear whether the rhabdomyolysis in our patient is a rare side effect or an unrelated, coincidental event. Large observational studies are needed to elucidate the causality between the Comirnaty vaccination and rhabdomyolysis. Awareness is warranted in patients with myalgia and muscle weakness shortly after COVID-19 vaccination, in order to initiate treatment early and prevent life-threatening complications.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition of elevated intracranial pressure commonly seen in obese women of childbearing age. Fulminant IIH is a rare subset of IIH that is characterized by rapidly progressive vision loss in less than 4 weeks, and typically requires surgical intervention for treatment. We describe a 36-year-old man with a 3-week history of acute onset vision loss and fulminant IIH in whom severe bilateral hemorrhagic optic disk edema was identified. There were also associated moderate visual field defects. Given the rapid onset of symptoms and severity of papilledema, surgical management was discussed but the patient had opted for medical management and close follow-up. He began oral acetazolamide, which was escalated to the maximal dose of 4 g and seen regularly with close follow-up. Four months after presentation, he was completely symptom free and the bilateral optic disk edema had resolved. His visual fields had also improved. We emphasize the importance of close follow-up in fulminant IIH and highlight that although most cases often require surgical intervention, some patients may show improvement with medical management only.

Pedicle or lateral mass screws, which are usually used to fix atlantoaxial instability, increase the risk of vertebral artery (VA) injury in patients with bone or arterial anomalies or osteoporotic bone. Here, we report the use of a unilateral C1 posterior arch screw-C2 laminar screw posterior fixation with a contralateral C1 lateral mass screw for VA preservation in a patient with bow hunter's syndrome (BHS). A 65-year-old male presented with recurrent loss of consciousness in the right rotational and backward-bending head positions for 1 year. Cerebral angiography in the same head position showed that the left VA was disrupted at C1/2 and the right VA was hypoplastic. The patient was diagnosed with BHS. C1-2 posterior fixation and iliac bone grafting were performed. The left VA was on the dominant side, and the VA was in a high position; thus, a C1 posterior arch screw was selected for the left side, a C1 lateral mass screw was selected for the right side, and a C2 laminar screw with O-arm navigation and a C-arm was used to prevent arterial injury. Intraoperative findings revealed no VA injury, and postoperative computed tomography showed the screw at the planned site. In a patient with BHS, posterior fixation with a unilateral C1 posterior arch screw-C2 laminar screw prevented VA injury because the screw could be inserted while avoiding the VA.