Cerebrovascular Complications Associated With Iatrogenic Fungal Meningitis Following Surgical Procedures in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: The current fungal meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated epidural anesthesia with Fusarium solani among patients who underwent surgical procedures in Matamoros, Mexico remains a cause of concern. Its association with an increased susceptibility for cerebrovascular complications (CVC) has not been reported. This single-center study describes 3 patients with a unique pattern of CVC attributed to fungal meningitis. METHODS: A retrospective case series of patients diagnosed with fungal meningitis following surgical procedures under contaminated epidural anesthesia who developed a unique pattern of CVC during their hospitalization. RESULTS: Three female patients (mean age, 35 years) with CVC due to iatrogenic fungal meningitis were included. Positive Fungitell ß-D-glucan assay in cerebrospinal fluid was documented in all cases, and F. solani was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction in case 3. All cases were complicated by severe vertebrobasilar circulation vasculopathy and arterial dissections with resultant subarachnoid hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage, ultimately leading to patients' death. CONCLUSIONS: The death toll from the ongoing fungal meningitis outbreak keeps rising, underscoring the need for early recognition and aggressive treatment. We highlight the risk for vertebrobasilar circulation CVC among these patients. The angioinvasive nature of F. solani is yet to be clarified; however, a clear pattern has been observed. Public health awareness should be raised and a strong response should be pursued.

Injury patterns associated with cognitive motor dissociation.

In unconscious appearing patients with acute brain injury, wilful brain activation to motor commands without behavioural signs of command following, known as cognitive motor dissociation (CMD), is associated with functional recovery. CMD can be detected by applying machine learning to EEG recorded during motor command presentation in behaviourally unresponsive patients. Identifying patients with CMD carries clinical implications for patient interactions, communication with families, and guidance of therapeutic decisions but underlying mechanisms of CMD remain unknown. By analysing structural lesion patterns and network level dysfunction we tested the hypothesis that, in cases with preserved arousal and command comprehension, a failure to integrate comprehended motor commands with motor outputs underlies CMD. Manual segmentation of T2-fluid attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion weighted imaging sequences quantifying structural injury was performed in consecutive unresponsive patients with acute brain injury (n = 107) who underwent EEG-based CMD assessments and MRI. Lesion pattern analysis was applied to identify lesion patterns common among patients with (n = 21) and without CMD (n = 86). Thalamocortical and cortico-cortical network connectivity were assessed applying ABCD classification of power spectral density plots and weighted pairwise phase consistency (WPPC) to resting EEG, respectively. Two distinct structural lesion patterns were identified on MRI for CMD and three for non-CMD patients. In non-CMD patients, injury to brainstem arousal pathways including the midbrain were seen, while no CMD patients had midbrain lesions. A group of non-CMD patients was identified with injury to the left thalamus, implicating possible language comprehension difficulties. Shared lesion patterns of globus pallidus and putamen were seen for a group of CMD patients, which have been implicated as part of the anterior forebrain mesocircuit in patients with reversible disorders of consciousness. Thalamocortical network dysfunction was less common in CMD patients [ABCD-index 2.3 (interquartile range, IQR 2.1-3.0) versus 1.4 (IQR 1.0-2.0), P < 0.0001; presence of D 36% versus 3%, P = 0.0006], but WPPC was not different. Bilateral cortical lesions were seen in patients with and without CMD. Thalamocortical disruption did not differ for those with CMD, but long-range WPPC was decreased in 1-4 Hz [odds ratio (OR) 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-0.9] and increased in 14-30 Hz frequency ranges (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.0-1.5). These structural and functional data implicate a failure of motor command integration at the anterior forebrain mesocircuit level with preserved thalamocortical network function for CMD patients with subcortical lesions. Amongst patients with bilateral cortical lesions preserved cortico-cortical network function is associated with CMD detection. These data may allow screening for CMD based on widely available structural MRI and resting EEG.

A Case Report of Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Use in a SPAN-100-Positive Geriatric Patient with Thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia (platelet count: < 100,000/mm3) is considered a contraindication in the use of intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. Little literature exists regarding tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) usage in thrombocytopenic patients, especially in older patients. Age and stroke severity are major prognostic indicators of the risk of hemorrhagic transformation. The Stroke Prognostication using Age and NIH Stroke Scale (SPAN) index estimates a patient's risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and clinical response to thrombolysis by combining age in years with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. If the total numeric sum is 100 or more, these individuals are considered SPAN-100-positive, while those with a sum less than 100 are considered SPAN-100-negative patients. SPAN-100-positive patients are found to have a greater risk of ICH and poorer long-term outcomes than SPAN-100-negative patients both with and without thrombolysis treatment. SPAN-100-positive patients are found to have a greater risk of ICH and poorer long-term outcomes than SPAN-100-negative patients both with and without thrombolysis treatment. Nonetheless, SPAN-100-positive patients treated with tPA have a reduced relative likelihood of severe disability or death than SPAN-100-positive patients not treated with tPA. We report a case of a SPAN-100-positive, 90-year-old community-dwelling patient who presented with an acute ischemic stroke, an NIHSS score of 14 with near complete left-sided plegia, and a platelet count of 85,000/mm3. Our patient was at increased risk of ICH and poor outcome regardless of tPA administration. However, due to the patient's high functional capacity prior to hospitalization and probable severe morbidity with poor recovery potential at his age, he was treated with tPA and showed a rapid improvement in neurological symptoms with no thrombolytic-associated morbidity. Thrombolytic therapy requires a case-by-case approach. Taking into account the patient's baseline and recovery potential is critical. Even absolute and relative contraindications, as they stand now, may need reconsideration, particularly those with little empiric evidence. More research is indicated to establish if thrombocytopenia should be reclassified as a relative rather than absolute contraindication to tPA.