Vinorelbine-related tetraplegia due to severe peripheral neuropathy.

INTRODUCTION: Vinorelbine, a semi-synthetic vinca alkaloid with anticancer activity by binding to tubulin, has shown to be successful in the treatment of cancer types including advanced non-small cell lung cancer, uterine cancer, and metastatic breast cancer. Myelosuppression, hematological effects, nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, and neuropathy are some of the most typical side effects of vinorelbine. We discuss the unusual presentation of vinorelbine-induced tetraplegia in a breast cancer patient. CASE REPORT: A 66-year-old patient with breast cancer, who was followed up with adjuvant aromatase inhibitor therapy after mastectomy, presented with lung and bone metastases. She progressed in the follow-ups after receiving platinum and taxane chemotherapy, vinorelbine treatment was then started. The patient complained of weakness, weariness, and trouble walking after receiving a total dose of 180 mg. Tetraplegia was found after a neurological assessment. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: It was thought that vinorelbine was responsible for the recent acute weakness. The patient's vinorelbine treatment was stopped. During follow-up, upper extremity paresis regressed, while lower extremities muscle strength remained unchanged. DISCUSSION: Vinorelbine, frequently used in oncology practice, causes some side effects. Although very rare in the literature, in this case severe peripheral neuropathy has been reported in the follow-up of post-vinorelbine quadriparesis.

Postural stability in blepharospasm: the effects of dual-tasking and botulinum toxin therapy.

Background: Blepharospasm is a focal dystonia that presents as involuntary, intermittent, continuous contractions of the eyelids. Abnormal eyelid contractions in blepharospasm are expected to cause balance problems, but there is no clear information. Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of blepharospasm on postural stability (PS) in patients with blepharospasm. As a secondary endpoint, the efficacy of botulinum toxin type-A (BoNT-A) treatment on static balance in patients with blepharospasm was investigated. Methods: Twenty-four patients with blepharospasm receiving regular BoNT-A injections and 20 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. All subjects were evaluated on a static posturography force platform performing four tasks (eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), tandem Romberg (TR) and verbal cognitive task (COGT)). Evaluations of the patients were repeated 4 weeks after the injection. Results: Pretreatment lateral and anterior-posterior sways, sway area and velocities of the sways were significantly higher in patients than controls during the COGT and TR (p<0.05). In the patient group, with EO and EC, a few parameters improved after BoNT-A injection. On the other hand, in the TR and COGT, most of the sway parameters and velocities improved significantly after treatment (p<0.05). Conclusions: Blepharospasm may cause functional blindness in patients. This study demonstrated that PS worsens in patients with blepharospasm under dual-task conditions. BoNT-A injection treats the disease itself and, thus, markedly improves PS under dual-task conditions in blepharospasm.

Prognostic indicators of non-convulsive status epilepticus in intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: To determine the rate of non-convulsive status epilepticus with/without prominent motor phenomena (SE-PM/ NCSE) and predictive value of electroclinical findings of continious electroencephalography (cEEG) monitoring of these patients and its association with prognosis in intensive care units (ICU). METHODS: We retrospectively collected data of 218 patients whose cEEG was performed in ICU between 2016 and 2018. The cEEG for NCSE diagnosis was evaluated according to Salzburg Consensus Criteria (SCC). RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 57.09 ± 18.9 (16-95) years and 49.1% (107) were female. Of 218 patients, 32 (14.7%) had SE-PM/NCSE. According to SCC the rate of NCSE (NCSE + possible NCSE) was 9.6% (n = 21). Prior to cEEG recording, 38.9% (n = 85) of overall patients had a history of seizure/convulsion, and 22.7% (n = 21) of these patients diagnosed with NCSE based on cEEG. The mortality rates in critically ill patients were 41.3% (30.8%, 42.8%; for SE-PM and NCSE respectively). Prognosis was associated with age, epilepsy diagnosis, having convulsion/seizure history on follow-up, GCS, need for ventilation, kind of drugs, sepsis diagnosis, and minimum frequency of background activity of the cEEG (p = 0.001, 0.002, 0.001, 0.020, 0.001, 0.001, 0.001, 0.0001 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: NCSE findings are mostly found in patients who were comatose and had seizure/convulsion history on follow-up. Mortality is higher in patients diagnosed with NCSE followed in the ICU compared to SE-PM.

Capecitabine-related neurotoxicity presenting with agraphia.

INTRODUCTION: Capecitabine is a pre-metabolite of 5-fluorouracil and is used as a chemotherapeutic agent. Among the common side effects of capecitabine, there are gastrointestinal side effects including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and dermatological side effects including hand-foot syndrome and skin pigmentation change. However, neurological side effects of capecitabine are very rare. We describe herein a patient who developed neurological side effects in the form of agraphia and dysarthria on the 7th day of capecitabine treatment. CASE REPORT: A 34-year-old male patient, who was being followed up with the diagnosis of colon cancer, presented with speech and writing disorder that developed while under capecitabine treatment. Dysarthria and agraphia were detected in his neurological examination. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed acute diffusion restriction in the splenium of the corpus callosum and at the level of the bilateral centrum semiovale. Brain MRI revealed symmetrical T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2-FLAIR) signal increases at the right temporoparietal medial, corpus callosum level, and bilateral white matter level. MANAGEMENT & OUTCOME: The capecitabine treatment was terminated, and methylprednisolone treatment was administered and plasmapheresis procedure was carried out. Subsequently, significant improvement was observed in the clinical findings and neuroimaging. DISCUSSION: Capecitabine is used as an oral agent; thus, it provides ease of use. Neurological side effects associated with the use of capecitabine reportedly occur very rarely. The findings of this case demonstrated that leukoencephalopathy can be seen during the use of capecitabine, imaging results are very important in the diagnosis of leukoencephalopathy, and improvement can be achieved with the termination of the capecitabine treatment.

Frequency and economic burden of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in patients applying for disability benefits due to epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) resemble epileptic seizures and are often misdiagnosed as epilepsy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of PNES and to calculate the economic burden of the patients who admitted to video-electroencephalographicmonitoring (VEM) to obtain a diagnosis of epilepsy in order to apply for disability retirement. METHODS: The present retrospective study included 134 patients who required disability reports between 2013 and 2019 and had their definite diagnoses after VEM. Following VEM, the patients were divided into three groups: epilepsy, PNES, and epilepsy + PNES. RESULTS: In total, 22.4% (n = 30) of the patients were diagnosed with PNES, 21.6% (n = 29) with PNES and epilepsy, and 56% (n = 75), with epilepsy. The frequency of PNES among all patients was of 44% (n = 59). In patients with PNES alone, the annual cost of using anti-seizure medication was of 160.67 ± 94.04 dollars; for psychostimulant drugs, it was of 148.3 ± 72.48 dollars a year; and the mean direct cost for diagnostic procedures was of 582.9 ± 330.0 (range: 103.52-1601.3) dollars. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is challenging to determine the qualitative and quantitative total cost in these patient groups, early diagnosis and sociopsychological support will reduce the additional financial burden on the health system and increase the quality of life of the patients.

ANTECEDENTES: As crises psicogênicas não epilépticas (CPNE) se assemelham a crises epilépticas, e muitas vezes são diagnosticadas erroneamente como epilepsia. OBJETIVO: Investigar a frequência de CPNE e calcular o impacto econômico dos pacientes internados para serem submetidos a monitoramento videoencefalográfico (MVE) para obter um diagnóstico de epilepsia e requerer aposentadoria por invalidez. MéTODOS: Este estudo retrospectivo incluiu 134 pacientes que solicitaram laudo médico de incapacidade entre 2013 e 2019, e obtiveram seus diagnósticos definitivos após serem submetidos a MEV. Os pacientes foram divididos em três grupos: epilepsia, CPNE, e epilepsia + CPNE. RESULTADOS: Após o MEV, 22,4% (n = 30) dos pacientes foram diagnosticados com CPNE, 21,6% (n = 29), com CPNE + epilepsia, e 56%, com epilepsia. A frequência de CPNE entre todos os pacientes foi de 44% (n = 59). Em pacientes somente com CPNE, o custo anual do uso de anticonvulsivantes foi de US$ 160,67 ± 94,04; para os psicoestimulantes, o custo anual foi de US$ 148,3 ± 72,48; e a média do custo direto de procedimentos diagnósticos foi de US$ 582,9 ± 330,0 (variação: 103,52­1601,3). CONCLUSõES: Embora seja um desafio determinar o custo total qualitativo e quantitativo nesses grupos de pacientes, o diagnóstico precoce e o apoio sociopsicológico reduzirão o impacto financeiro adicional ao sistema de saúde e aumentarão a qualidade de vida dos pacientes.

Frequency and economic burden of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in patients applying for disability benefits due to epilepsy / Frequência e impacto econômico das crises psicogênicas não epilépticas em pacientes requerentes de aposentadoria por invalidez devido a epilepsia

Abstract Background Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) resemble epileptic seizures and are often misdiagnosed as epilepsy. Objective To investigate the frequency of PNES and to calculate the economic burden of the patients who admitted to video-electroencephalographicmonitoring (VEM) to obtain a diagnosis of epilepsy in order to apply for disability retirement. Methods The present retrospective study included 134 patients who required disability reports between 2013 and 2019 and had their definite diagnoses after VEM. Following VEM, the patients were divided into three groups: epilepsy, PNES, and epilepsy + PNES. Results In total, 22.4% (n = 30) of the patients were diagnosed with PNES, 21.6% (n = 29) with PNES and epilepsy, and 56% (n = 75), with epilepsy. The frequency of PNES among all patients was of 44% (n = 59). In patients with PNES alone, the annual cost of using anti-seizure medication was of 160.67 ± 94.04 dollars; for psychostimulant drugs, it was of 148.3 ± 72.48 dollars a year; and the mean direct cost for diagnostic procedures was of 582.9 ± 330.0 (range: 103.52-1601.3) dollars. Conclusions Although it is challenging to determine the qualitative and quantitative total cost in these patient groups, early diagnosis and sociopsychological support will reduce the additional financial burden on the health system and increase the quality of life of the patients.

Resumo Antecedentes As crises psicogênicas não epilépticas (CPNE) se assemelham a crises epilépticas, e muitas vezes são diagnosticadas erroneamente como epilepsia. Objetivo Investigar a frequência de CPNE e calcular o impacto econômico dos pacientes internados para serem submetidos a monitoramento videoencefalográfico (MVE) para obter um diagnóstico de epilepsia e requerer aposentadoria por invalidez. Métodos Este estudo retrospectivo incluiu 134 pacientes que solicitaram laudo médico de incapacidade entre 2013 e 2019, e obtiveram seus diagnósticos definitivos após serem submetidos a MEV. Os pacientes foram divididos em três grupos: epilepsia, CPNE, e epilepsia + CPNE. Resultados Após o MEV, 22,4% (n = 30) dos pacientes foram diagnosticados com CPNE, 21,6% (n = 29), com CPNE + epilepsia, e 56%, com epilepsia. A frequência de CPNE entre todos os pacientes foi de 44% (n = 59). Em pacientes somente com CPNE, o custo anual do uso de anticonvulsivantes foi de US$ 160,67 ± 94,04; para os psicoestimulantes, o custo anual foi de US$ 148,3 ± 72,48; e a média do custo direto de procedimentos diagnósticos foi de US$ 582,9 ± 330,0 (variação: 103,52-1601,3). Conclusões Embora seja um desafio determinar o custo total qualitativo e quantitativo nesses grupos de pacientes, o diagnóstico precoce e o apoio sociopsicológico reduzirão o impacto financeiro adicional ao sistema de saúde e aumentarão a qualidade de vida dos pacientes.

The effect of cognitive task on postural stability in cervical dystonia.

BACKGROUND: Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common form of focal dystonia. It is not known exactly whether abnormal head postures in cervical dystonia cause balance problems. Dual-tasking is a common every-day life situation. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate postural stability (PS) in patients with CD and the effect of cognitive task on PS. As a secondary aim, we evaluated the effect of onabotulinum toxin A (BoNT) injection on PS. METHODS: A total of 24 patients with CD who were on BoNT treatment for at least one year and 23 healthy controls were included. Posturographic analyses were carried out in all the subjects on static posturography platform under four different conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, tandem stance and cognitive task. In patients, posturographic analysis was carried out just before the BoNT injections and was repeated four weeks later. RESULTS: Before treatment, the anterior-posterior sway was significantly higher in CD patients with the eyes open condition compared to the controls (p=0.03). Cognitive task significantly affected several sway velocities. Tandem stance significantly affected many sway parameters, whereas the eyes closed condition did not. After treatment, only two parameters in tandem stance and one in cognitive task improved within the patient group, in a pairwise comparison. CONCLUSIONS: Postural control is impaired in CD patients probably due to the impaired proprioceptive and sensorimotor integration. In reference to dual task theories possibly due to divided attention and task prioritization, cognitive dual-task and harder postural task disturbes the PS in these patients.

Evaluation of postural balance in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) can be more prone to accidents due to excessive daytime sleepiness which can lead to attention deficits and thereby cause balance problems. One of the tests evaluating postural balance is static posturography (SPG). In this study, we aimed to evaluate postural balance with SPG in OSAS patients. METHODS: Patients who were referred to a sleep disorders outpatient clinic of a tertiary health care centre with snoring, daytime sleepiness or witnessed apnoea were enrolled consecutively in this cross-sectional study. They were grouped as the OSAS group and the control group according to the apnoea-hypopnoea index. Posturographic analyses were carried out in all subjects on a SPG platform under five different conditions: eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), head rotated to left (HL), head rotated to right (HR), and tandem Romberg. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients and 23 controls were included in the study. In EO conditions, there was no difference between the OSAS group and the control group in any of the posturographic parameters. In EC conditions, change in lateral sway was significantly higher in the OSAS group which also correlated negatively with SaO2(min). HR conditions caused an i ncrease in anterior-posterior (A-P) sway velocity, and HL conditions led to an increase in change in lateral and A-P sways, sway area, and sway area velocity in the OSAS group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that postural balance in OSAS patients is impaired even in the very first hours of the day, and that the severity of the disease has an impact on postural balance.

Clinical features and risk factors of angiography headache and evaluation of its relationship to primary headaches.

INTRODUCTION: Angiography headache is defined as a new headache caused directly by cerebral angiography. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of angiography headache, and its relationship with primary headaches. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This single-centre prospective cohort study was carried out in our tertiary healthcare centre. Patients who had undergone a diagnostic cerebral angiography procedure between March 2016 and June 2017 were included in the study. During and after the procedure, we evaluated the patients in terms of occurrence of headache, and, if present, details about time to onset of headache after cerebral angiography, duration of headache, accompanying symptoms (nausea, vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia), and degree and severity of pain. RESULTS: A total of 226 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of angiography headache was found to be 22.1% (n = 50). While angiography headache started in the first six hours in 92% (n = 46) of the patients, it started after 24 hours of the angiography procedure in only 4% (n = 2). Compressive headache was the most common type, described by 64% of the patients, whereas 4% of the patients described pricking or stabbing sensations. Angiography headache was associated with female gender, higher educational level, and a history of primary headache. CONCLUSION: Angiography headache is an important clinical entity that must be considered during and after angiography. Experiencing angiography headache is more common among patients with a history of primary headache.

A Case of Simultaneous Mania and Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: Etiology or Comorbidity? / Es Zamanli Idiopatik Normal Basinçli Hidrosefali ve Mani Olgusu: Etiyoloji mi? Es Tani mi?

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), typically associated with the triad of gait disturbance, dementia and urinary incontinence, rarely presents with symptoms of mania, depression or psychosis and psychiatric disorders may complicate the diagnosis. Few cases of NPH and psychiatric disease comorbidity have been reported so far. In most of these cases, NPH was associated with depression and psychotic symptoms. Mania symptoms were also reported in a few cases those of which were associated with a history of bipolar disorder (BPD) or subthreshold BPD symptoms. In this paper, we present a case of late-onset mania symptoms simultaneously presenting with NPH in a healthy individual without a history of psychiatric disorder.

Rare onset symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) may present with unusual manifestations such as pain syndromes, movement disorders, rare cranial nerve involvement, cognitive or psychiatric symptoms, leading to diagnostic dilemma. The purpose of this study is to determine the types of rare onset symptoms in patients with MS in order to provide better clues for early diagnosis. METHOD: We, retrospectively, analysed data of 680 MS patients who were diagnosed or followed-up in our demyelinating diseases unit. Onset symptoms such as visual field defects, rare cranial nerve involvement, paroxysmal symptoms, movement disorders, pain syndromes, cognitive and psychiatric manifestations were recorded. RESULTS: Nineteen MS patients (13 women) were identified as having unusual initial manifestations. None of these cases had typical optic, brainstem, sensory, motor or cerebellar signs. Five patients presented with rare cranial nerve involvement, five patients with pain syndromes, four patients with movement disorders, two patients with paroxysmal symptoms, two patients with cognitive deficits and one patient with homonymous hemianopia. None of these patients were diagnosed with MS at initial presentation; all of them were diagnosed with MS in the following months or years. CONCLUSION: This retrospective study indicates that there is a wide range of rare initial manifestations of MS due to diverse involvement of central nervous system. Rare, unusual symptoms complicate early diagnosis. Given the fact that disease modifying treatment should be initiated early, it is crucial to diagnose MS as early as possible. Therefore, physicians should not disregard MS when a patient presents with any of these rare manifestations.

Evaluation of Choroidal Vascular Changes in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Using Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the choroidal thickness in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). METHODS: In this observational comparative study, 68 eyes of 34 MS patients and 60 eyes of 30 healthy subjects were evaluated. All participants underwent complete ophthalmologic examination and OCT scanning. Choroidal thickness measurements were performed at seven points. RESULTS: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was reduced significantly in MS patients (310.71 ± 61.85 µm) versus healthy controls (364.85 ± 41.81 µm) (p < 0.001). The difference was also significant at all six measurement points (p < 0.001 for all). Choroidal thickness measurements revealed no significant difference between MS eyes with a prior optic neuritis (ON) history (MS ON) and those without ON history (MS non-ON). Subfoveal choroidal thickness did not correlate with retinal nerve fiber layer and Expanded Disability Status Scale score, but reduced choroidal thickness was associated with longer disease duration (r = -0.28, p = 0.019) in MS patients. CONCLUSION: In MS patients, choroidal structural changes occur both in MS ON and MS non-ON eyes. The decreased choroidal thickness might provide evidence to support a potential role of vascular dysregulation in the pathophysiology of MS.

The Incidence and the Risk Factors of Silent Embolic Cerebral Infarction After Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.

Silent embolic cerebral infarction (SECI) is a major complication of coronary angiography (CAG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent CAG with or without PCI were recruited. Cerebral diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed for SECI within 24 hours. Clinical and angiographic characteristics were compared between patients with and without SECI. Silent embolic cerebral infarction occurred in 12 (12%) of the 101 patients. Age, total cholesterol, SYNTAX score (SS), and coronary artery bypass history were greater in the SECI(+) group (65 ± 10 vs 58 ± 11 years,P= .037; 223 ± 85 vs 173 ± 80 mg/dL,P= .048; 30.1 ± 2 vs 15 ± 3,P< .001; 4 [33.3%] vs 3 [3.3%],P= .005). The SECI was more common in the PCI group (8/24 vs 4/77,P= .01). On subanalysis, the SS was significantly higher in the SECI(+) patients in both the CAG and the PCI groups (29.3 ± 1.9 vs 15 ± 3,P< .01; 30.5 ± 1.9 vs 15.1 ± 3.2,P< .001, respectively). The risk of SECI after CAG and PCI increases with the complexity of CAD (represented by the SS). The SS is a predictor of the risk of SECI, a complication that should be considered more often after CAG.

Adaptation to Turkish and Reliability Study of the Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R).

INTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease characterized by progressive degeneration of the motor neurons. It is difficult to define the severity of the clinical findings of this destructive disease owing to its rapid progression, which presents serious alterations in a short time even in the same patient. The present study was designed to evaulate the validity of the Turkish version of the Revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), which has been used in various countries for measuring the functional status of ALS patients. METHODS: The ALSFRS-R scores of 41 ALS patients (24 male), in any stages of illness, were simultaneously assessed by two physicians. The functional status of the patients (motor system, bulbar, and pulmonary functions) was evaluated under 12 titles. In every subtitle, the functional status was evaluated as 0 for the worst functional status and 4 for the best functional status. The mean differentials for both subtitles and global scores and the 95% confidence bounds of these means were detected. The coherence was defined as the states in which the coefficient is above 0.80 and is statistically significant. RESULTS: From the data obtained, the correlation between the two physicians was found to be statistically significant (p=0.000) in terms of the means of both subtitles and total scores. CONCLUSION: It was shown in the present study that in the clinical follow-up of the disease, the Turkish version of ALSFRS-R is a simple, reliable, and easily applicable.