[Intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. A four years’ experience in a Chilean public hospital]. / Evolución del protocolo de trombolisis endovenosa en ataque cerebrovascular isquémico agudo.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator) is the standard pharmacological treatment in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), reducing disability in patients. AIM: To report the results a thrombolysis protocol during four years in a regional public hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from 106 consecutive patients aged 68 ± 13 years (57% men) who were treated with IVT, from May 2012 until April 2016, was analyzed. RESULTS: The median door-to-needle time was 80 minutes (interquartile range = 57-113). The median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores on admission and at discharge were was 11.5 and 5 points respectively. At discharge, 27% of hospitalized patients had a favorable outcome (n = 99), defined as having 0 to 1 points in the modified Rankin scale. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and mortality rates were 5.7 and 13.1%, respectively. The thrombolysis rate rose from 0.7% in 2012 to 6% in 2016. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of 24/7 neurology shifts in the Emergency Department allowed us to increase the amount and quality of IVT in our hospital, as measured by the rate of thrombolysis and by process indicators such as door-to-needle time.

Evolución del protocolo de trombolisis endovenosa en ataque cerebrovascular isquémico agudo / Intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. A four years’ experience in a Chilean public hospital

Background: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with alteplase (tissue plasminogen activator) is the standard pharmacological treatment in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), reducing disability in patients. Aim: To report the results a thrombolysis protocol during four years in a regional public hospital. Material and Methods: Data from 106 consecutive patients aged 68 ± 13 years (57% men) who were treated with IVT, from May 2012 until April 2016, was analyzed. Results: The median door-to-needle time was 80 minutes (interquartile range = 57-113). The median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores on admission and at discharge were was 11.5 and 5 points respectively. At discharge, 27% of hospitalized patients had a favorable outcome (n = 99), defined as having 0 to 1 points in the modified Rankin scale. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and mortality rates were 5.7 and 13.1%, respectively. The thrombolysis rate rose from 0.7% in 2012 to 6% in 2016. Conclusions: The implementation of 24/7 neurology shifts in the Emergency Department allowed us to increase the amount and quality of IVT in our hospital, as measured by the rate of thrombolysis and by process indicators such as door-to-needle time.

Linfomatosis intravascular cerebral como causa de demencia rápidamente progresiva: reporte de un caso / Cerebral intravascular lymphomatosis as cause of subacute dementia: report of a case

Cerebral Intravascular Lymphomatosis is a type of non Hodgkin Lymphoma, generally composed with B cells, its ocurrence is infrequent, clinically progressive and has a fatal course. Vascular damage is related with tumoral infiltration and small caliber occlusion, with results in multi infarcts. Neurological symptoms and signs are frequently the first clinical manifestation, which include sub acute encephalopathy, cognitive impairment, delirium, aphasia, hemipharesis, visual disturbances, paraplegia, paresthesia and cranial nerves involvement. MRI shows images of vasculitis from CNS. Cerebral Intravascular Lymphomatosis must be considered in differential diagnosis of rapid and subacute dementias, and clinical cases with small vessel recurrent multi infarct of unusual etiology. We present the clinical case of a patient with rapid progressive dementia and systemic disease manifestation. The CNS involvement was characterized as a subacute encephalopathy, with confusion and agitation, seizures, motor disturbances, bilateral plantar extensor reflexes and cerebellar signs. The clinical symptomatic course was progressive, with weight loss and fluctuant fever. The patient had a fatal course after he was treated with Methylprednisolone. Postmortem pathologic examination revealed a diffuse non Hodgkin lymphoma of B cells, intravascular variant, with brain compromise, cerebellum, suprarenal glands, pancreas, myocardium, thyroid gland, lung kidney and the lever...

La linfomatosis intravascular cerebral es un tipo de Linfoma no Hodgkin generalmente de células B, de presentación infrecuente, curso clínico progresivo y fatal. El daño vascular es producto de oclusión de vasos de pequeño calibre por infiltración tumoral, con resultado de múltiples infartos. Las manifestaciones neurológicas suelen ser la forma de presentación clínica inicial, caracterizadas por un amplio espectro que incluye encefalopatía subaguda, deterioro cognitivo, delirio, afasia, hemiparesia, trastornos visuales, paraplejia, parestesias y compromiso de pares craneanos. Los estudios de RNM evidencian alteraciones indistinguibles de las vasculitis del SNC. La linfomatosis intravascular debe considerarse en el diagnóstico diferencial de las demencias rápidamente progresivas y en los cuadros de multi infarto cerebral de pequeño vaso de etiología inusual y recurrente. Se presenta el caso de un paciente con demencia rápidamente progresiva, con manifestaciones neurológicas de deterioro cognitivo y enfermedad sistémica. El compromiso del SNC se expresó como encefalopatía subaguda con confusión, agitación, y crisis convulsivas, trastornos motores con reflejo cutáneo plantar extensor bilateral y compromiso cerebeloso, de curso clínico sintomático progresivo, con baja de peso y fiebre fluctuante. El paciente fue sometido a tratamiento con metilprednisolona a pesar del cual falleció. El estudio necrópsico demostró alteraciones por Linfoma no Hodgkin difuso de células B, variante intra vascular, con compromiso del cerebro, cerebelo, glándulas suprarrenales, páncreas, miocardio, tiroides, pulmón riñón e hígado...

Mielopatía por déficit de vitamina B12: caracterización clínica de 11 casos / Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord caused by vitamin B12 deficiency: report of 11 cases

Background: Subacute combined degeneration is a clinical manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency, that we observe with unusual frequency. Aim: To report a series of eleven patients with subacute combined degeneration. Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of 11 patients hospitalized in a public hospital in Santiago, between March 2001 and February 2003. All had a myelopathy of more than three weeks of evolution with serum vitamin B12 levels of less than 200 pg/ml. Results: A risk factor was identified in 10 cases and the most common was an age over 60 years old. The main presenting symptom was the presence of paresthesias. On admission, sphincter dysfunction, posterior column and pyramidal syndromes coexisted in nine patients. A level of sensitive deficit was detected in six. Ten patients had macrocytosis and eight were anemic. Serum vitamin B12 was measured in ten and in nine, it was below 200 pg/ml. The mean lapse between onset of symptoms and treatment was eight months. All received intramuscular vitamin B12 in doses on 1,000 to 10,000 IU/day. Sphincter dysfunction and propioception were the first symptoms to improve. Conclusions: Subacute combined degeneration must be suspected in patients older than 60 years with a subacute myelopathic syndrome and low serum vitamin B12 levels.