Sudden hypotonic paraparesis caused by tophaceous gout of the lumbar spine.

Gouty arthritis of the axial skeleton is rare, and neurological complications due to spinal cord or nerve root compression secondary to tophaceous deposits have been seldom reported. We describe a patient with chronic gouty arthritis who developed an acute paraparesis caused by tophaceous cauda equina compression. Surgical removal of the mass resulted in complete recovery.

Increase in serum myoglobin, creatine kinase, and free fatty acids, during recovery from a paralytic attack in hypokalemic periodic paralysis.

In a patient with hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HPP), recovery from a paralytic attack, coinciding with the restoration of plasma potassium, was associated with a rise in serum myoglobin (Mb) and creatine kinase (CK). The increase of muscle proteins in serum was preceded by an increase in serum free fatty acids (FFA). An increased permeability of the sarcolemma, caused by an accumulation of FFA within the muscle cell, might underly the reflux of potassium into the circulation. This might represent a mechanism by which the paralytic attacks in HPP terminate.

Serum concentrations of vitamins A and E and early outcome after ischaemic stroke.

Formation of free radicals and subsequent lipid peroxidation may have an important role in tissue injury and neuronal cell death after cerebral ischaemia. We conducted a prospective, controlled study to determine whether the endogenous antioxidant vitamins A and E had a protective function in acute ischaemic stroke. The study population consisted of 80 patients seen at the Free University Hospital in Brussels. Entry criteria were occurrence of sudden focal neurological deficit lasting more than 3 h; deficit due to acute ischaemia in the territory of the middle cerebral artery; and investigation within 24 h of onset of the episode. Outcome was assessed within the first 21 days. 80 controls matched for age and sex had various neurological disorders other than acute ischaemia. Serum concentrations of vitamins A and E were similar in the study and control groups. In the study population a serum vitamin A concentration higher than the mean of 2.27 mumol/l was associated with a higher frequency of complete recovery within the first 24 h (p less than 0.05), decreased mortality (p = 0.038), and a better outcome as assessed by the Mathew scale of neurological deficit (p less than 0.03) and the Barthel index. There was no significant difference in outcome between patients with vitamin E concentrations above or below the mean of 35.3 mumol/l. Our results suggest a beneficial effect of a high serum vitamin A concentration on early outcome in ischaemic stroke.

Idiopathic hemiparetic parkinsonism, a syndrome distinct from idiopathic parkinsonism.

Two women had a syndrome of progressive parkinsonism with ipsilateral rigidity, mild resting tremor, paresis, hyperreflexia, and an extensor plantar response. Symptoms had started 24 and 3 months after a surgical procedure in the affected limb. Neuroimaging studies were unhelpful. Both the parkinsonian features and the pyramidal tract signs responded well to dopaminergic drug treatment. We propose that the syndrome be called "idiopathic hemiparetic parkinsonism".