Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome Presenting After COVID-19 Vaccination.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with a plethora of neurological complications. Newly developed vaccinations targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral spike protein represent a great epidemiological promise with respect to the resolution of the pandemic. However, vaccinations are not without side effects and, in rare cases, have even been implicated in various autoimmune phenomena. In this report, we describe a case of Tolosa-Hunt syndrome (THS), a granulomatous inflammatory process of the cavernous sinus, occurring in a patient one week after getting COVID-19 vaccination. This rare diagnosis of exclusion must be considered in patients presenting with painful ophthalmoplegia.

Real-world experience with implantable loop recorder monitoring to detect subclinical atrial fibrillation in patients with cryptogenic stroke: The value of p wave dispersion in predicting arrhythmia occurrence.

PURPOSE: We hypothesized patients implanted with ILRs for cryptogenic stroke in "real life" clinical practice will show an AF detection rate comparable to prior clinical studies, and that clinical or imaging features may help to identify those at higher risk of AF detection. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients who presented with cryptogenic stroke and received an ILR at an academic medical center from 2015 to 2017 with an active inpatient stroke service. The electronic health record and remote monitoring were used to identify occurrence of AF. RESULTS: A total of 178 patients who received ILRs for cryptogenic stroke were included. Overall, after a thorough evaluation for other etiologies of stroke, 35 (19.6%) were found to have AF detected. Mean follow-up was 365 days with a median time to detection of 131 days. Advanced age (p = 0.001), diastolic dysfunction on echo (p = 0.03), as well as ECG findings of premature atrial contractions (PACs) and p wave dispersion (PWD) > 40 ms were found to be predictive of AF detection (p = 0.04, p < 0.001, respectively). On multiple regression analysis, the only independent predictor of AF detection was PWD > 40 ms. CONCLUSION: After a thorough evaluation to exclude other etiologies for stroke, approximately 20% of patients of our cryptogenic stroke population were found to have AF with ILR surveillance. Advanced age, diastolic dysfunction, as well as ECG findings of PACs and increased PWD may help to predict those at higher risk of AF detection, while PWD was the only independent predictor. This has important clinical implications, as better prediction of AF may help identify those at highest risk and might subsequently aid in guiding therapy.

Incidence of Seizures in Fat Embolism Syndrome Over a 10-Year Period: Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample Database.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Data regarding the incidence of seizures in patients diagnosed with fat embolism syndrome (FES) are lacking. We examined the incidence of seizures in patients with FES, and the impact of seizures on outcomes over a 10-year period. METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample data set we identified adults (age 18 y old or above) with a diagnosis of FES (ICD-9 958.1) between 2005 and 2014, and categorized them according to the presence or absence of seizures. We excluded patients with a history of epilepsy or traumatic brain injury RESULTS:: Of the 66,227,531 discharges, we identified 1888 patients (0.003%) with FES of which 53% were male and mean age of 56 (±57.45). Seizure or epilepsy rate in patients with FES was 2.86% (1.69% with seizures and 1.16% with epilepsy), as compared with 3.6% in all hospitalized patients without FES. The Charlson Comorbidity Index for all FES patients was 2.38 (±5.28) and was similar for those with and without seizures. Hospital length of stay was higher in patients with FES and seizures versus those without seizures (14.59 vs. 10.82 d, P=0.09). No statistically significant difference in mortality was observed between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of seizure and epilepsy in patients with FES is low when compared with rates in all hospitalized patients or in patients with other causes of acute neurological injury such as intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury. Further studies are needed to provide recommendations for antiepileptic medication use in FES.