Increased Incidence of In-Hospital Ischemic Stroke During SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: A Single-Center Study.

BACKGROUND: Meta-analyses of observational studies report a 1.1-1.7% pooled risk of stroke among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection requiring hospitalization, but consultations for stroke and reperfusion procedures have decreased during the outbreak that occurred during the first half of the year 2020. It is still unclear whether a true increase in the risk of stroke exists among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In-hospital ischemic stroke (IHIS) complicated the 0.04-0.06% of all admissions in the pre-COVID-19 era, but its incidence has not been assessed among inpatients with COVID-19. We aimed to compare IHIS incidence among patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection with that of inpatients with non-COVID-19 illnesses from the same outbreak period and from previous periods. METHODS: This historical cohort study belongs to the COVID-19@Vallecas cohort. The incidence of IHIS was estimated for patients with SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized during March-April 2020 [COVID-19 cohort (CC)], for patients with non-COVID-19 medical illness hospitalized during the same outbreak period [2020 non-COVID-19 cohort (20NCC)], and for inpatients with non-COVID-19 illness admitted during March-April of the years 2016-2019 [historical non-COVID-19 cohort (HNCC)]. Unadjusted risk of IHIS was compared between the three cohorts, and adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) of IHIS between cohorts was obtained by means of Poisson regression. RESULTS: Overall, 8126 inpatients were included in this study. Patients in the CC were younger and more commonly men than those from the HNCC and 20NCC. Absolute risk of IHIS was 0.05% for HNCC, 0.23% for 20NCC, and 0.36% for CC, (p = 0.004 for HNCC vs. CC). Cumulative incidence for IHIS by day nine after admission, with death as a competing risk, was 0.09% for HNCC, 0.23% for 20NCC, and 0.50% for CC. In an adjusted Poisson regression model with sex, age, needing of intensive care unit admission, and cohort (HNCC as reference) as covariates, COVID-19 was an independent predictor for IHIS (IRR 6.76, 95% confidence interval 1.66-27.54, p = 0.01). A nonsignificant increase in the risk of IHIS was observed for the 20NCC (IRR 5.62, 95% confidence interval 0.93-33.9, p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was associated with an increase in the incidence of IHIS when compared with inpatients from a historical cohort. Viral infection itself may be related to the increased risk of IHIS among patients with COVID-19, but in view of our results from the 20NCC, it is likely that other factors, such as hospital saturation and overwhelming of health systems, may have played a role in the increased frequency of IHIS.

Systemic thrombosis in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients despite thromboprophylaxis: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Incidence of thrombotic events associated to Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is difficult to assess and reported rates differ significantly. Optimal thromboprophylaxis is unclear. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyze the characteristics of patients with a confirmed thrombotic complication including inflammatory and hemostatic parameters, compare patients affected by arterial vs venous events and examine differences between survivors and non-survivors. We reviewed compliance with thromboprophylaxis and explored how the implementation of a severity-adjusted protocol could have influenced outcome. METHODS: Single-cohort retrospective study of COVID-19 patients admitted, from March 3 to May 3 2020, to the Infanta Leonor University Hospital in Madrid, epicenter of the Spanish outbreak. RESULTS: Among 1127 patients, 80 thrombotic events were diagnosed in 69 patients (6.1% of the entire cohort). Forty-three patients (62%) suffered venous thromboembolism, 18 (26%) arterial episodes and 6 (9%) concurrent venous and arterial thrombosis. Most patients (90%) with a confirmed thrombotic complication where under low-molecular-weight heparin treatment. Overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) was rare. Initial ISTH DIC score and pre-event CRP were significantly higher among non-survivors. In multivariate analysis, arterial localization was an independent predictor of mortality (OR = 18, 95% CI: 2.4-142, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite quasi-universal thromboprophylaxis, COVID-19 lead to a myriad of arterial and venous thrombotic events. Considering the subgroup of patients with thrombotic episodes, arterial events appeared earlier in the course of disease and conferred very poor prognosis, and an ISTH DIC score ≥ 3 at presentation was identified as a potential predictor of mortality. Severity-adjusted thromboprophylaxis seemed to decrease the number of events and could have influenced mortality. Randomized controlled trials are eagerly awaited.

Neurological Disorders in Central Spain, Second Survey: Feasibility Pilot Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The Neurological Disorders in Central Spain, second survey (NEDICES-2) is a population-based, closed-cohort study that will include over 8000 subjects aged ≥55 years. It will also include a biobank. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate all major aspects of the NEDICES-2 (methods, database, screening instruments, and questionnaires, as well as interexpert rating of the neurological diagnoses) in each one of the planned areas (all of them in central Spain) and to test the possibility of obtaining biological samples from each participant. METHODS: A selection of patients and participants of the planned NEDICES-2 underwent face-to-face interviews including a comprehensive questionnaire on demographics, current medications, medical conditions, and lifestyle habits. Biological samples (blood, saliva, urine, and hair) were also obtained. Furthermore, every participant was examined by a neurologist. RESULTS: In this pilot study, 567 study participants were enrolled (196 from hospitals and 371 from primary care physician lists). Of these 567, 310 completed all study procedures (questionnaires and the neurological evaluation). The study was time-consuming for several primary care physicians. Hence, a few primary care physicians from some areas refused to participate, which led to a reconfiguration of study areas. In addition, the central biobank needed to be supplemented by the biobanks of local Spanish National Health System hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Population-based epidemiological surveys, such as the NEDICES-2, require a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of all aspects of a future field study (population selection, methods and instruments to be used, neurological diagnosis agreement, and data collection).

Mechanical thrombectomy in patients with medical contraindications for intravenous thrombolysis: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The present study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the safety of primary mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke and comorbidities that preclude treatment with IV thrombolysis (IVT), compared with patients who received standard IVT treatment followed by MT. Secondary objectives were to analyse the recanalization rate and outcomes. METHODS: A prospective observational multicenter study (FUN-TPA) that recruited patients treated within 4.5 hours of symptom onset was performed. Treatments were IVT followed by MT if occlusion persisted, or primary MT when IVT was contraindicated. Outcome measures were procedural complications, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (SICH), recanalization rate, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at 7 days, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score and mortality at 90 days. RESULTS: Of 131 patients, 21 (16%) had medical contraindications for IVT and were treated primarily with MT whereas 110 (84%) underwent IVT, followed by MT in 53 cases (40%). The recanalization rate and procedural complications were similar in the two groups. There were no SICHs after primary MT vs 3 (6%) after IVT+MT. Nine patients (43%) in the primary MT group achieved independence (mRS 0-2) compared with 36 (68%) in the IVT+MT group (p=0.046). Mortality rates in the two groups were 14% (n=3) vs 4% (n=2) (p=0.13). Adjusted ORs for independence in patients receiving standard IVT+MT vs MT in patients with medical contraindications for IVT were 2.8 (95% CI 0.99 to 7.98) and 0.24 (95% CI 0.04 to 1.52) for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: MT is safe in patients with potential comorbidity-derived risks that preclude IVT. MT should be offered, aiming for prompt recanalization, to patients with LVO stroke unsuitable for IVT. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02164357; Results.

Inter-Rater Agreement in the Clinical Diagnosis of Cognitive Status: Data from the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain 2 Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: To assess the diagnostic agreement of cognitive status (dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), normal cognition) among neurologists in the field of neurological disorders in Central Spain 2 study. METHODS: Full medical histories of 30 individuals were provided to 27 neurologists: 9 seniors, 10 juniors and 8 residents. For each case, we were asked to assign a diagnosis of dementia, MCI or normal cognition using the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association workgroup (NIA-AA) core clinical criteria for all-cause dementia, Winblad et al. criteria for MCI, and analyze intensity and etiology if dementia was diagnosed. Inter-rater agreement was assessed both with percent concordance and non-weighted κ statistics. RESULTS: Overall inter-rater agreement on cognitive status was κ = 0.76 (95% CI 0.65-0.86), being slightly higher among junior neurologists (κ = 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.95) than among seniors (κ = 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.83) and residents (κ = 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.81) but without statistical significance among groups. Dementia severity showed an overall κ of 0.34, 0.44 and 0.64 for mild, moderate and severe dementia respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial agreement was demonstrated for the diagnosis of cognitive status (dementia, MCI and normal cognition) among neurologists of different levels of experience in a population-based epidemiological study using NIA-AA and Winblad et al. CRITERIA: The agreement rate was lower in the diagnosis of dementia severity.

Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score applied to CT angiography source images is a strong predictor of futile recanalization in acute ischemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Reliable predictors of poor clinical outcome despite successful revascularization might help select patients with acute ischemic stroke for thrombectomy. We sought to determine whether baseline Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) applied to CT angiography source images (CTA-SI) is useful in predicting futile recanalization. METHODS: Data are from the FUN-TPA study registry (ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT02164357) including patients with acute ischemic stroke due to proximal arterial occlusion in anterior circulation, undergoing reperfusion therapies. Baseline non-contrast CT and CTA-SI-ASPECTS, time-lapse to image acquisition, occurrence, and timing of recanalization were recorded. Outcome measures were NIHSS at 24 h, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, modified Rankin scale score, and mortality at 90 days. Futile recanalization was defined when successful recanalization was associated with poor functional outcome (death or disability). RESULTS: Included were 110 patients, baseline NIHSS 17 (IQR 12; 20), treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT; 45 %), primary mechanical thrombectomy (MT; 16 %), or combined IVT + MT (39 %). Recanalization rate was 71 %, median delay of 287 min (225; 357). Recanalization was futile in 28 % of cases. In an adjusted model, baseline CTA-SI-ASPECTS was inversely related to the odds of futile recanalization (OR 0.5; 95 % CI 0.3-0.7), whereas NCCT-ASPECTS was not (OR 0.8; 95 % CI 0.5-1.2). A score ≤5 in CTA-SI-ASPECTS was the best cut-off to predict futile recanalization (sensitivity 35 %; specificity 97 %; positive predictive value 86 %; negative predictive value 77 %). CONCLUSIONS: CTA-SI-ASPECTS strongly predicts futile recanalization and could be a valuable tool for treatment decisions regarding the indication of revascularization therapies.

Brain Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Findings in the Stroke-like Migraine Attacks after Radiation Therapy (SMART) Syndrome.

A 41-year-old male presented with an acute onset of headache, confusion, seizures, and unilateral focal neurological deficit 25 years after receiving whole-brain radiation therapy to treat a cerebellar medulloblastoma. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a thick unilateral parieto-occipital cortical contrast enhancement. A diagnosis of "Stroke-like Migraine Attacks after Radiation Therapy" (SMART) syndrome was made. Here, we describe the brain MR spectroscopy findings of SMART, showing a decrease in N-acetyl-aspartate and increased levels of creatine and choline, corresponding with neuronal destruction or transient neuronal impairment with mild nonspecific gliosis. The absence of a lactate peak suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction, vasospasm or ischemic mechanisms were not involved.

Primer caso descrito de parálisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal como forma de inicio de un mieloma múltiple / First case described of isolated, complete and fluctuating cranial nerve III palsy heralding multiple myeloma

Introducción. El mieloma múltiple es la neoplasia de células plasmáticas más frecuente. Al ser incurable, el tratamiento persigue obtener el mayor tiempo de supervivencia libre de clínica. Constituye una causa extremadamente rara de afectación de los nervios craneales y es producido habitualmente por un plasmocitoma intracraneal. Presentamos un caso de mieloma múltiple, que asociaba un plasmocitoma intracraneal y que comenzó clínicamente con parálisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal. Caso clínico. Mujer de 63 años que acudió a urgencias por presentar un cuadro clínico oscilante, consistente en diplopía binocular horizontal y, posteriormente, cefalea. La exploración neurooftalmológica reveló una parálisis completa del III nervio craneal derecho. Se solicitó una tomografía axial computarizada craneal urgente, que reveló múltiples lesiones osteolíticas diploicas, asociando una de ellas componente de partes blandas en la hendidura esfenoidal derecha. La paciente fue ingresada, y se le diagnosticó posteriormente un mieloma múltiple IgA-k. Tras recibir inducción quimioterápica y ser sometida a un trasplante autólogo de progenitores hematopoyéticos, alcanzó la remisión completa. Conclusiones. El mieloma múltiple es un trastorno raro de los nervios craneales, una causa muy infrecuente de parálisis aislada y completa del III nervio craneal y menos aún fluctuante, y no se ha encontrado ningún caso publicado con este inicio clínico. Tener en cuenta las posibles manifestaciones neurooftalmológicas del mieloma múltiple puede contribuir a un diagnóstico precoz y a una incidencia positiva sobre el curso de esta enfermedad (AU)

Introduction. Multiple myeloma is the most common plasma-cell malignancy. To be incurable, treatment aims to obtain the longest non-clinical survival time. Cranial nerve palsy in multiple myeloma is extremely rare and is usually due to an intracranial plasmacytoma. We present a multiple myeloma case, with an intracranial plasmacytoma, which debuted clinically with isolated, complete and fluctuating cranial nerve III palsy. Case report. A 63-year-old woman presented an oscillating clinical picture, consisting of horizontal binocular diplopia and later, headache. The neuro-ophthalmologic examination revealed a complete cranial nerve III palsy of the right eye. An urgent cranial CT-scan was requested. It showed multiple diploic osteolytic lesions, associating soft-parts component in the right superior orbital fissure. The patient was admitted, being diagnosed subsequently of IgA-k multiple myeloma. After receiving induction-chemotherapy and undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation, she achieved full remission. Conclusions. Multiple myeloma is a rare cranial nerves disorder, very uncommon cause of cranial nerve III full isolated paralysis and even less fluctuating, not having found any case published with this clinical onset. Awareness of possible multiple myeloma neuro-ophthalmic manifestations may bring about an early diagnosis and a positive impact on the disease course (AU)

[First case described of isolated, complete and fluctuating cranial nerve III palsy heralding multiple myeloma]. / Primer caso descrito de parálisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal como forma de inicio de un mieloma múltiple.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma is the most common plasma-cell malignancy. To be incurable, treatment aims to obtain the longest non-clinical survival time. Cranial nerve palsy in multiple myeloma is extremely rare and is usually due to an intracranial plasmacytoma. We present a multiple myeloma case, with an intracranial plasmacytoma, which debuted clinically with isolated, complete and fluctuating cranial nerve III palsy. CASE REPORT: A 63-year-old woman presented an oscillating clinical picture, consisting of horizontal binocular diplopia and later, headache. The neuro-ophthalmologic examination revealed a complete cranial nerve III palsy of the right eye. An urgent cranial CT-scan was requested. It showed multiple diploic osteolytic lesions, associating soft-parts component in the right superior orbital fissure. The patient was admitted, being diagnosed subsequently of IgA-kappa multiple myeloma. After receiving induction-chemotherapy and undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation, she achieved full remission. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple myeloma is a rare cranial nerves disorder, very uncommon cause of cranial nerve III full isolated paralysis and even less fluctuating, not having found any case published with this clinical onset. Awareness of possible multiple myeloma neuro-ophthalmic manifestations may bring about an early diagnosis and a positive impact on the disease course.

TITLE: Primer caso descrito de paralisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal como forma de inicio de un mieloma multiple.Introduccion. El mieloma multiple es la neoplasia de celulas plasmaticas mas frecuente. Al ser incurable, el tratamiento persigue obtener el mayor tiempo de supervivencia libre de clinica. Constituye una causa extremadamente rara de afectacion de los nervios craneales y es producido habitualmente por un plasmocitoma intracraneal. Presentamos un caso de mieloma multiple, que asociaba un plasmocitoma intracraneal y que comenzo clinicamente con paralisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal. Caso clinico. Mujer de 63 años que acudio a urgencias por presentar un cuadro clinico oscilante, consistente en diplopia binocular horizontal y, posteriormente, cefalea. La exploracion neurooftalmologica revelo una paralisis completa del III nervio craneal derecho. Se solicito una tomografia axial computarizada craneal urgente, que revelo multiples lesiones osteoliticas diploicas, asociando una de ellas componente de partes blandas en la hendidura esfenoidal derecha. La paciente fue ingresada, y se le diagnostico posteriormente un mieloma multiple IgA-kappa. Tras recibir induccion quimioterapica y ser sometida a un trasplante autologo de progenitores hematopoyeticos, alcanzo la remision completa. Conclusiones. El mieloma multiple es un trastorno raro de los nervios craneales, una causa muy infrecuente de paralisis aislada y completa del III nervio craneal y menos aun fluctuante, y no se ha encontrado ningun caso publicado con este inicio clinico. Tener en cuenta las posibles manifestaciones neurooftalmologicas del mieloma multiple puede contribuir a un diagnostico precoz y a una incidencia positiva sobre el curso de esta enfermedad.

Intracranial internal carotid artery angioplasthy and stenting in giant cell arteritis.

We report the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with several episodes of transient ischemic attack (TIA) caused by pathologically confirmed giant cell arteritis. She continued suffering from TIAs during admission despite immunosuppressant and antithrombotic therapy. Sudden neurological deterioration with paraparesis and cognitive impairment developed. A brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed bilateral watershed ischemic lesions. MR angiography demonstrated severe stenosis of both intracranial internal carotid arteries (ICAs). Angioplasty and stenting on the left ICA were performed, with evident clinical improvement occurring within 24 hours. Endovascular therapy may be an alternative option to treat severe GCA with symptomatic intracranial large vessel disease not responsive to intensive conventional medical treatment.

Ocular dipping in creutzfeldt-jakob disease.

BACKGROUND: Ocular dipping (OD), or inverse ocular bobbing, consists of slow, spontaneous downward eye movements with rapid return to the primary position. It has been mainly reported following hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, but has also been described in association with other types of diffuse or multifocal encephalopathies and structural brainstem damage. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a previously asymptomatic 66-year-old woman who presented with confusion, recent memory disturbances, and abnormal involuntary movements, followed by a coma. Abnormal spontaneous vertical eye movements consistent with OD developed from the fourth day after admission, and the patient died 20 days later. The pathological examination of the brain confirmed the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. CONCLUSIONS: The precise location of damage causing OD is unknown. In contrast to ocular bobbing, OD has no localizing value itself, but structural brainstem damage is likely when it appears combined with other spontaneous vertical eye movements.

Flecainide-induced myoclonus.

Flecainide is a class 1c antiarrhythmic that acts by blocking sodium channels to reduce intracardiac conduction and is used mainly in the treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias. Dizziness, visual disturbances, headache, and nausea are commonly associated with flecainide, but severe central nervous system toxicity is rare. Here, we report the case of a 71-year-old woman with a history of renal transplantation who developed severe myoclonus 24 hours after being started on flecainide, 100 mg 2 times a day, because of atrial fibrillation. This symptom completely disappeared once the drug was removed. Only 2 patients presenting with flecainide-induced myoclonus have been previously reported. Although the exact pathophysiologic explanation of this phenomenon remains unclear, it is well known that the susceptibility to severe flecainide toxicity is increased in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Inter-Rater Agreement in the Clinical Diagnosis of Essential Tremor: Data from the NEDICES-2 Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess the diagnostic agreement among the neurologists in the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain 2 (NEDICES-2) study; these neurologists were assigning diagnoses of essential tremor (ET) vs. no ET. METHODS: Clinical histories and standardized video-taped neurological examinations of 26 individuals (11 ET, seven Parkinson's disease, three diagnostically unclear, four normal, one with a tremor disorder other than ET) were provided to seven consultant neurologists, six neurology residents, and five neurology research fellows (18 neurologists total). For each of the 26 individuals, neurologists were asked to assign a diagnosis of "ET" or "no ET" using diagnostic criteria proposed by the Movement Disorders Society (MDS). Inter-rater agreement was assessed both with percent concordance and non-weighted κ statistics. RESULTS: Overall κ was 0.61 (substantial agreement), with no differences between consultant neurologists (κ = 0.60), neurology residents (κ = 0.61), and neurology research fellows (κ = 0.66) in subgroup analyses. Subanalyses of agreement only among those 15 subjects with a previous diagnosis of ET (11 patients) and those with a previous diagnosis of being normal (four individuals) showed an overall κ of 0.51 (moderate agreement). DISCUSSION: In a population-based epidemiological study, substantial agreement was demonstrated for the diagnosis of ET among neurologists of different levels of expertise. However, agreement was lower than that previously reported using the Washington Heights-Inwood Genetic Study of Essential Tremor criteria, and a head-to-head comparison is needed to assess which is the tool of choice in epidemiological research in ET.

Palinopsia induced by topiramate and zonisamide in a patient with migraine.

Palinopsia is an illusory visual phenomenon consisting in the persistence or recurrence of visual images after the exciting stimulus object has been removed. It has been reported in association with parietal and occipital lobe lesions, migraine auras, and related to the use of several drugs and illicit drugs. Here, we report the case of a 23-year-old woman with a 4-year history of episodic migraine with aura who developed palinopsia during sequential prophylactic therapies with topiramate and zonisamide. Although the exact physiopathology of this phenomenon remains unknown, topiramate- and zonisamide-induced palinopsia support an increase on serotonergic activity as a possible mechanism for this visual disorder.

Presentación clínica y radiológica en las trombosis venosas cerebrales profundas del adulto / Clinical and radiological presentation in deep cerebral venous thromboses in adults

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A variant of WEBINO syndrome after top of the basilar artery stroke.

Wall-eyed bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia (WEBINO) is an uncommon neuro-ophthalmologic syndrome consisting of both eyes primary position exotropia and bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia. It is thought to be caused by medial midbrain lesions involving both bilateral medial longitudinal fasciculi and medial rectus subnuclei. We report the clinical and neuroimaging findings of a WEBINO syndrome associated to bilateral ptosis, non-reactive mydriasis and complete vertical gaze palsy in a 55-year-old man who suffered a top of the basilar artery stroke causing tegmental midbrain infarction.

Akinetic mutism induced by tacrolimus.

Akinetic mutism is an uncommon clinical syndrome characterized by the inability to produce voluntary movements or speech without loss of awareness. Cerebrovascular diseases are the most frequent etiology. It has been reported in cyclosporine-related neurotoxicity, but it is exceptional as the presenting form of tacrolimus intoxication. We report the case of a 66-year-old man who underwent an orthotopic liver transplantation and was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone and tacrolimus. He had an uneventful postoperative course until the third day after surgery, when he developed acute onset mutism, akinesia, and waxy rigidity of passive limb movements. His arterial blood pressure and temperature were normal. Blood analysis and a magnetic resonance image of the brain showed no acute abnormalities. Serum levels of tacrolimus were 20.8 ng/mL, so it was substituted by cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil with progressive and complete recovery of akinetic mutism during the following days. Akinetic mutism is an exceptional manifestation of tacrolimus neurotoxicity, but early recognition of the syndrome and withdrawal of the drug are important to avoid persistent cerebral lesions.