Reasons for hospitalization in Parkinson's disease: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: To characterize reasons for hospital admission, mortality and surgical procedures in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to controls. METHODS: The clinical features of all consecutive patients from 2000 to 2007 were reviewed. We identified patients with PD (ICD 9 code 332.0) from a database of our General Hospital (Vimercate) with a catchment's population of 180,000. Data on admitting wards as well as reasons for admission, surgical procedures performed and clinical outcome were collected. Clinical data were compared to an age and sex matched control population admitted in the same period of time. RESULTS: The total number of admissions was 367. Mean age was 76.7 years. The mean duration of stay was 9.2 days for controls and 9.7 for PD patients. A comorbid disorder was the cause of admission in 80% of cases and 79% of cases came from the Emergency Room. Infectious diseases, mainly respiratory infections, were more frequent in PD of both sexes, while trauma was significantly higher only in PD men. Percentage of patients treated surgically was similar in both cases and controls. Intrahospital mortality was 6% both in PD and controls. Infectious diseases were more frequent in PD patients while cardiovascular death was more frequent in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity in PD is higher than reported in other reports. In our study PD patients had the same length of hospitalization and intrahospital mortality as controls. The presence of a control population allows to discriminate between general complications of the elderly and specific vulnerabilities of PD patients.

A practical definition of minor stroke.

It is generally assumed that minor stroke (MS) is an ischemic stroke with a short-term, good functional outcome. However, no clear definition of MS exists. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) are still the most accredited standards, but scores and timing of the assessment are not homogeneous. As suggested by a qualified sample of Italian neurologists, the index parameter chosen in our analysis was mRS at the time of hospital discharge. The database of the SIRIO study (a large observational study of 2,573 patients with stroke admitted in Italian hospitals in 2005) was used to identify an mRS threshold to define MS. Reference was made to outcome markers such as rate of discharge to home, 1-year disability and 1-year mortality. The rate of discharge progressively decreased with increase in mRS, while the rates of 1-year mortality and disability progressively increased. Our proposal is one of defining a stroke "minor" when the rate of discharge to home is above the SIRIO database overall value and the 1-year mortality and disability is below the respective overall values. This definition is consistent with a score ≤2 on the mRS.

Agenesis of the right internal carotid artery and Klippel-Feil syndrome: case report.

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To describe the case of a Klippel-Feil anomaly associated with carotid agenesis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Klippel-Feil anomaly is a spinal malformation characterized by fusion of the cervical vertebrae. Four subtypes have been identified for this congenital disorder with different severity of vertebral fusion and different extra-axial anomalies. Most cases are sporadic, although autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive cases are recognized. It can cause neurologic disorders and is associated to vascular abnormalities. However, agenesis of internal carotid and Klippel-Feil syndrome is an unusual association. METHODS: A 49-year-old woman came to our attention for recurrent transitory ischemic attacks presenting with weakness of left limbs associated with sensory abnormalities. Neurologic examination revealed mild left limb weakness and tactile hypoesthesia. RESULTS: Brain magnetic resonance (MR) and MR angiography demonstrated absence of the right internal carotid and the middle right cerebral artery was filled from the basilar artery. Fusion of vertebral bodies was documented at MR and confirmed at spinal CT scan. The day after the admission the neurologic examination became normal. Ticlopidine was then started. CONCLUSION: Literature of vascular abnormalities in association with Klippel-Feil syndrome takes the form of anecdotal reports. Aortic coarctation, vertebral artery dissection, aneurysms, persistent trigeminal artery, and abnormal origin of internal carotid are described. An unusual association of carotid internal agenesis and Klippel-Feil syndrome is reported with a literature review.