ABSTRACT
Neurological deficits after brain surgery are not uncommon, and correct and prompt differential diagnosis is essential to initiate appropriate treatment. We describe a patient suffering from loss of consciousness due to hyperammonemia, following valproic acid treatment after surgery for an unruptured cerebral aneurysm. A 57-year-old female patient underwent successful aneurysmal neck clipping to correct an unruptured aneurysm. Her postoperative course was good, and she received anti-epileptic therapy (valproic acid) and a soft diet. Within a few days the patient experienced mental deterioration. Her serum valproic acid reached toxic levels (149.40 mg/L), and serum ammonia was fifteen times the upper normal limit (553 mmol/L; normal range, 9-33 mmol/L). After discontinuation of valproic acid and with conservative treatment, the patient recovered without any complications. Valproate-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy is an unusual but serious neurosurgical complication, and should not be disregarded as a possible cause of neurological deficits after neurovascular surgery. Early diagnosis is crucial, as discontinuation of valproic acid therapy can prevent serious complications, including death.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Ammonia , Aneurysm , Brain , Diagnosis, Differential , Diet , Early Diagnosis , Hyperammonemia , Intracranial Aneurysm , Neck , Reference Values , Unconsciousness , Valproic AcidABSTRACT
Pericardial effusions can be caused by a wide variety of infectious or noninfectious diseases. After a conventional diagnostic work-up, the etiology of pericardial effusion often remains idiopathic. We report a patient with POEMS syndrome whose main clinical problem was recurrent pericardial effusions. Patients with POEMS syndrome often have generalized edema and a pleural effusion, while a pericardial effusion is a very rare complication. A 44-year-old man visited our hospital because of a recurrent pericardial effusion. He was initially diagnosed with idiopathic pericarditis five months prior. We reassessed the patient meticulously and found IgG lambda type monoclonal gammopathy, polyneuropathy, lymphadenopathy, peripheral edema, pleural effusion, hypothyroidism, pulmonary hypertension, hyperpigmentation, hypertrichosis, and papilledema, which we diagnosed as POEMS syndrome.