Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography for suspected cerebrovascular disease--current status.

Sixty-four patients with suspected atherosclerotic cervical and intracranial vascular disease were examined by intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA), following placement of a catheter in the aortic arch. The commonest abnormality demonstrated was the presence of an atherosclerotic plaque, most commonly on the posterior wall of the proximal internal carotid at its origin in the neck. The quality of the images obtained were assessed and in all patients, the carotid arteries in the neck could be adequately visualised if both oblique views of the neck were obtained. The intracranial arteries and the anterior and middle cerebral arteries were also adequately visualised in all patients although the basilar-posterior cerebral arteries were poorly seen in 8%. DSA examinations of the carotid and intracerebral vessels can also be performed by the intravenous route (IV-DSA). However IV-DSA is associated with significant limitations which include inadequate visualisation of intracranial circulation, larger volume of contrast medium required and higher risk of contrast reactions. IA-DSA gives adequate visualisation of the aortic arch, cervical vessels and intracranial circulation in most patients without selective catheterisation. Examination time is shorter, procedure is safe and film costs are reduced. Disadvantages include small field size and inferior spatial resolution compared to conventional angiography but in no patients was there a need to resort to conventional angiography.

Choreoacanthocytosis in a Chinese patient--a case report.

A 50-year old Chinese woman with the rare neurological disorder of Choreoacanthocytosis is described. Her illness is characterised by seizures, buccolingual dyskinesia, choreiform movements, arreflexia and mild sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Acanthocytes were present in her peripheral blood in large numbers but the serum lipid profile was normal. Her features are consistent with those so far described in Caucasian and Japanese patients. The disease differs from Huntington's chorea in that there are acanthocytes, peripheral neuropathy, and metal function remains relatively intact.

Epidemiologic study on the association between body burden mercury level and idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

A case-control study was conducted among the multiethnic population of Singapore to test the hypothesis that a high level of body burden mercury is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). Selected factors investigated that could contribute to the body burden of mercury included dietary fish intake, ethnic over-the-counter medications, occupational exposures and possession of dental amalgam fillings. Detailed interviews were completed in 54 cases of idiopathic PD and 95 hospital-based controls, matched for age, sex and ethnicity, between July 1985 and July 1987. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, including dietary fish intake, medications, smoking and alcohol consumption, there was clear monotonic dose-response association between PD and blood mercury levels. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the approximate subject tertiles based upon blood mercury levels were 8.5 (CI = 2.2-33.2) and 9.4 (CI = 2.5-35.9), relative to the tertile with lowest blood mercury levels (less than 5.8 ng Hg/ml). Similar associations were revealed using scalp hair and urinary mercury levels. However, only the comparisons between the highest and lowest tertiles were statistically different from unity (p less than 0.05). When the body burden mercury indicators were mutually adjusted in addition to the four confounding factors, blood and urinary mercury levels showed ORs of 21.00 and 18.65, respectively. These ORs were statistically different from unity (p less than 0.05, 2-sided test). After adjustment, scalp hair mercury was shown to be a poor predictor of PD risk.

Advances in the medical management of cerebral vascular disease.

In the past 20 years treatment appears to have had a major impact on all forms of cerebral vascular disease. Morbidity and mortality from strokes have declined nearly 50% in developed countries. Modern imaging techniques, methodology, and biostatistics have identified risk factors and refined clinical trials such that we question all previous studies of stroke management. Control of moderate and severe hypertension has significantly lowered stroke rates. In borderline and mild hypertension the decision to treat is influenced by other stroke risk factors including diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, ischaemic heart disease, plasma lipid levels, gout, haematocrit, and body weight. Current data indicate that anticoagulants are of no value, or hazardous, in atherothrombotic strokes; of unknown value in transient ischaemic attacks; of dubious value in evolving strokes; and beneficial in cardiac embolism. The cardiac causes, including mural thrombus, unstable arrhythmias, and mitral valve prolapse should be actively sought. Aspirin, as the prototype anti-platelet agent, holds promise in transient ischemic attacks and minor strokes at both small and moderate dosages. Ticlopine is now being critically evaluated in America. Use of cerebral vasodilators should be abandoned. Enthusiasm in the use of streptokinase and urokinase has been dampened by the conversion of ischemic infarcts into haemorrhagic infarcts. In subarachnoid haemorrhage epsilon-aminocaprioc acid is useful although hazardous, in preventing rebleeding. Certain calcium ion channel blockers are promising in the reduction of vasopasm. Since the November 1985 article in the new England Journal of Medicine on the failure of external-to-internal carotid arterial bypass to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, the swing is back to conservative management.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Disability, rehabilitation and after-care of stroke patients after discharge from hospital, Singapore 1983-84.

135 new onset stroke patients admitted over a nine-month period to a medical unit in Singapore were studied with emphasis on their rehabilitation and community care after discharge. Follow-up visits were made to 79 survivors at third month after onset. 16.7% of the patients made apparently complete recoveries, 20.3% remained slightly disabled, 21.5% moderately disabled, and the remaining 41.8% severely disabled. Sixty-five patients were staying in private households at third month follow-up. The main care-givers were usually female relatives. These informal carers assisted a large proportion of patients in various activities of living: 62.0% in dressing, 54.4% in walking and toileting, 30.4% in feeding, and 22.8% in turning in bed. The study establishes the need to develop and strengthen supportive services to enable disabled stroke patients to be cared for in their own homes. These include the home nursing service, elderly day care service, home help service, and meals-on-wheel service.

Neurophysiological studies on workers exposed to lead.

Nerve conduction and somatosensory evoked potential studies were undertaken on 46 workers exposed to a combination of organic and inorganic lead. In addition electroencephalograms were carried out on 20 of the workers; the results were compared with those obtained for workers not exposed to lead. The workers exposed to lead had a mean blood lead concentration of 2.35 mumol/l (48.7 micrograms/100 ml), whereas the concentration for workers not exposed to lead was 0.76 mumol/l (15.8 micrograms/100 ml). The mean maximum motor conduction velocities of the median and the posterior tibial nerves were significantly lower in the workers exposed to lead than in the controls. Similarly, the distal latency for these two nerves was significantly prolonged for the workers exposed to lead. No significant differences for the two groups of workers were seen in the nerve conduction and distal latency measurements of the median (sensory) and the sural nerves. The EEG studies of the 20 workers exposed to lead showed no abnormalities. The somatosensory evoked potential of the median (sensory) and posterior tibial nerves were significantly prolonged when measured at the negative and positive deflections. The results suggest that, in addition to nerve conduction velocities, somatosensory evoked potential and distal latency are suitable measurements to detect subclinical neurological damage among workers exposed to lead. As these changes were seen at blood lead concentrations of 2.35 mumol/l (48.7 micrograms/100 ml) there may be a need for more stringent monitoring of workers exposed to lead.

Plasma exchange in the management of acute polyradiculopathy and myasthenic crisis (plasma exchange in neurological disorders).

Six patients with acute severe neurological illnesses were managed by plasma exchange on the basis that their diseases were triggered by immune mechanisms. These included one case of acute post-infectious encephalomyeloradiculopathy, two cases of Guillain Barré Syndrome or acute polyradiculoneuropathy and three patients in myasthenic crisis. There were no convincing responses in the patients with Guillain Barré Syndrome. All three myasthenic patients showed improvement that was sufficiently dramatic to warrant continued use of this therapeutic procedure. Based on our experience and reports by others it is felt that in acute polyradiculoneuropathy plasmapheresis would be beneficial only if the disease is predictably deteriorating and should be done within the first few days. In myasthenic crises its role is more definite and it shortens significantly the duration of assisted ventilation and the length of severe relapse. The procedure also gives the physician sufficient time to effectively immunosuppress the patients.

Complications of chronic glue (toluene) abuse in adolescents.

Recently there has been an alarming increase in the number of schoolchildren sniffing glue (toluene). The medical complications seen in 18 boys, aged 14 to 18 years, include physical and mental dependence, pulmonary hypertension with cor pulmonale, restrictive lung defect, encephalopathy, peripheral neuropathy and high frequency, continuous discharges ( neuromyotonia ) on electromyogram. Glue sniffing took place in small groups and abusers sniffed directly from cans containing glue. Lower socio-economic status, overcrowding, lack of attention by working parents, school failure and easy availability of the glue were commonly cited associated factors.

Low-dose bromocriptine therapy in severe Parkinson's disease.

We present an interim report of an ongoing, single-blind study of the effectiveness and safety of bromocriptine mesylate (Parlodel) in 15 patients, 14 of whom had severe idiopathic Parkinson's disease (Stages 4 and 5 on the Hoehn and Yahr Scale). The patients had never received levodopa, amantadine, or bromocriptine. Gradually increasing doses of bromocriptine were assessed: Initial daily dosage was 1.25 mg, with weekly increments of 1.25 mg/day until either the clinical response was satisfactory or a maximum of 15 mg/day was reached. The patients were on no other antiparkinsonian agents, except trihexyphenidyl HCl (Artane). Response to treatment was scored on the Columbia Scale. The patients discussed in this report had been in the study for varying times, ranging from 1 month to 3 years. Only one patient who entered this study dropped out because his response to bromocriptine was unsatisfactory; he had taken the drug for 2 weeks. No serious adverse reactions were noted with the gradually increasing dosage regimen. Response on the whole was very satisfactory; patients improved by at least two stages on the Hoehn and Yahr Scale. Improvement began within 48 h of onset of treatment with 1.25 mg daily. The preliminary results of this study indicate that low-dose bromocriptine as a first-line drug in severe Parkinson's disease is definitely warranted.

Visual evoked responses in diabetes.

It is commonly believed that diabetic optic neuropathy is very rare and visual loss in diabetes usually is attributed to other causes. We studied the extent of optic nerve involvement in 16 diabetics with no retinopathy or ocular disease and having an almost visual acuity, using visual evoked responses produced by pattern reversal stimulation. Comparing the responses with a group of 35 healthy subjects, the latency was increased by more than one standard deviation in 13 diabetics (81%) and by more than three standard deviations in 10 diabetics (62.5%), often associated with marked reduction in amplitude. There was good correlation between conduction in the optic nerve and peripheral sensory nerve. No correlation was noted to occur with duration of diabetes or diabetic control except perhaps with juvenile onset diabetes. Normal visual acuity was noted in many cases with severely slowed conduction showing early subclinical affection of optic nerves in diabetes. The extent of central nervous system involvement in diabetes has only recently been realised because of lack of physiological techniques and study of optic nerves in diabetes has not been attempted so far. The high incidence of abnormality of visual evoked potentials in diabetes could invalidate the usefulness of this test in diagnosing multiple sclerosis.