Incidence of orolingual angioedema after intravenous thrombolysis for stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Orolingual angioedema (OA) is a known adverse effect of intravenous (i.v.) alteplase. We analyzed all patients treated with i.v. alteplase for stroke at our hospital since approval of i.v. thrombolysis in Italy in 2004 to assess the incidence of this complication. PATIENTS AND RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-three patients received alteplase for stroke from April 2004 to May 2017. Two women developed OA (0.4%; 95% confidence interval 0.1 to 1.6%). Angioedema was mild in one case and severe in the other, with massive swelling of the lips, tongue, and oropharyngeal mucosa, and oropharyngeal bleeding, requiring intubation. Neither patient used ACE-inhibitors. DISCUSSION: The incidence of orolingual angioedema was very low in our series. Although OA is usually mild, anaphylactoid reactions may rarely occur, because of the variable degree of activation of the complement system and kinin cascade caused by alteplase. In such instances, admission to neurointensive care may be required. Specific bradykinin antagonists or drugs that target the kallikrein-kinin system are beginning to be used in the more severe cases. Thus, doctors and nurses caring for acute stroke patients need to be able to recognize and treat this complication.

Two-year real-life efficacy, tolerability and safety of dimethyl fumarate in an Italian multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Dimethyl-fumarate (DMF) demonstrated efficacy and safety in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in randomized clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: To track and evaluate post-market DMF profile in real-world setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients receiving DMF referred to Italian MS centres were enrolled and prospectively followed, collecting demographic clinical and radiological data. RESULTS: Among the 735 included patients, 45.4% were naïve to disease-modifying therapies, 17.8% switched to DMF because of tolerance, 27.4% switched to DMF because of lack of efficacy, and 9.4% switched to DMF because of safety concerns. Median DMF exposure was 17 months (0-33). DMF reduced the annual relapse rate (ARR) by 63.2%. At 12 and 24 months, 85 and 76% of patients were relapse-free. NEDA-3 status after 12 months of DMF treatment was maintained by 47.5% of patients. 89 and 70% of patients at 12 and 24 months regularly continued DMF. Most frequent adverse events (AEs) were flushing (37.2%) and gastro-enteric AEs (31.1%). CONCLUSION: Our post-market study corroborated that DMF is a safe and effective drug. Additionally, the study suggested that naïve patients strongly benefit from DMF and that DMF improved ARR also in patients who were horizontally switched from injectable therapies due to tolerability and efficacy issues.

Adverse events after endovascular treatment of chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Although it is debated whether chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) plays a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) development, many patients undergo endovascular treatment (ET) of CCSVI. A study is ongoing in Italy to evaluate the clinical outcome of ET. Severe adverse events (AEs) occurred in 15/462 subjects at a variable interval after ET: jugular thrombosis in seven patients, tetraventricular hydrocephalus, stroke, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, status epilepticus, aspiration pneumonia, hypertension with tachicardia, or bleeding of bedsore in the remaining seven cases. One patient died because of myocardial infarction 10 weeks after ET. The risk of severe AEs related to ET for CCSVI must be carefully considered.

Endovascular treatment of CCSVI in patients with multiple sclerosis: clinical outcome of 462 cases.

Although it is still debated whether chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) plays a role in multiple sclerosis (MS) development, many patients underwent endovascular treatment (ET) of CCSVI. The objective of the study is to evaluate the outcome and safety of ET in Italian MS patients. Italian MS centers that are part of the Italian MS Study Group were all invited to participate to this retrospective study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect detailed clinical data before and after the ET. Data from 462 patients were collected in 33 centers. ET consisted of balloon dilatation (93 % of cases) or stent application. The mean follow-up duration after ET was 31 weeks. Mean EDSS remained unchanged after ET (5.2 vs. 4.9), 144 relapses occurred in 98/462 cases (21 %), mainly in RR-MS patients. Fifteen severe adverse events were recorded in 3.2 % of cases. Given the risk of severe adverse events and the lack of objective beneficial effects, our findings confirm that at present ET should not be recommended to patients with MS.

Before M.A.S.T.-I: analysis of the population of a participating center.

Between 1 January 1989 and 31 December 1990 568 consecutive patients were admitted to our unit for ischemic stroke (defined on clinical criteria and with CT or MR evidence of ischemic areas or exclusion of hemorrhage or tumor). The interval between onset of symptoms and arrival in hospital was under 6 h in 270 cases (47.5%). We classified our population according to the clinical criteria proposed by Bamford et al. by subgroup as follows: LACI (27.5%); PACI (24.5%); TACI (30.6%); POCI (17.4%). The mortality in our population was 10.9%. The distribution of the risk factors considered was: hypertension in 387 cases (67%), diabetes in 158 cases (27.8%), NVAF in 95 cases (16.7%). Our data show that about a half of all patients with ischemic stroke can expect to receive treatment at the acute stage.

Abnormal uptake of technetium-99m hexakis-2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile in a primary cardiac lymphoma.

Abnormally high uptake of technetium-99m hexakis-2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-SESTAMIBI) in the right ventricle and in the septum was observed in a 47-year-old woman initially presenting with dysarthria and left hemiparesis. Endomyocardial biopsy demonstrated a high-grade malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Complete remission was achieved by combined cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy and radiotherapy of the heart and mediastinum. The post-remission single photon emission tomography (SPET) 99mTc-SESTAMIBI study showed a homogeneous distribution pattern, in agreement with echocardiography computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Increased uptake of 99mTc-SESTAMIBI, a myocardial perfusion agent, has been observed in some benign and malignant tumours. It may prove to be useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of malignancies.

Aphasia due to lesions confined to the right hemisphere in right handed patients: a review of the literature including the Italian cases.

We review most of the work published, to our knowledge, between 1880 and 1988 on aphasia due to right cerebral lesions in right-handed patients ("crossed aphasia"). We summarize the 87 cases found in chronological order within defined groups, dealing in greater detail with the less well-known cases in English-language publications and with the cases from other sources that we consider most representative and convincing. The 87 cases fall into three groups on the following criteria: right-handedness (on standardized tests), absence of left-handers in the family, left hemisphere integrity. Group 1 comprises cases that are unreliable because the handedness data are missing and/or because left hemisphere lesions were known to be present or probably were so. Group 2 comprises cases with full clinical data but no formal test of handedness, with familial cases of left-handedness and/or without satisfactory evidence of left hemisphere integrity. Groups 3 comprises the 26 reliable cases, that is those with proven right-handedness, no left-handers in the family and with proven hemisphere integrity. We discuss the implications of these cases.

[Somatesthesic, auditory and visual evoked potentials in chronic alcoholics]. / I potenziali evocati somestesici, uditivi, visivi, negli etilisti cronici.

The Authors examine a group of alcoholics, recording for each patients somatosensory, auditory and visual potentials, in order to check the presence in different systems of nervous fibers of subclinic alterations; they separate a group of patients with clinic polyneuropathie and a group without polyneuropathie. Subclinic alterations are confirmed in different measure in the two groups. Vit. B12 and pholic acid are also dosed in the serum.

[Early evoked auditory potentials in transient ischemic attacks of the posterior circle of Willis]. / I potenziali uditivi evocati precoci nei T.I.A. del circolo posteriore.

The authors studies through the evoked potentials of the brain stem a group of patients affected from T.I.A. of the vertebro-basilar circulation. From the remarks of cases this examination results significant in 66%. The more characteristic remarks is the increase of absolute latency of V wave. It is also possible to follow contemporary the evolution of auditive brain pathways disease and clinical features in repeating the test.

[Evoked somatosensory plexus and cervical evoked potentials in cervicobrachialgia]. / I potenziali evocati somato-sensitivi plessuali e cervicali nelle cervicobrachialgie.

The authors study the sensitive potential evoked from point of Erb and from cervical spine in C6-C7, obtained by stimulation of median nerve in a control group (normals) and in a greater group of 40 cases from patients affected by radiculopathie with or without discal protrusion and by myelopathie spondiloartrosic. The date supply significant informations and are (obicurred in analytique) analyzed with accuracy.