Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of ischemic stroke in an Afro-Caribbean population: A 1-year prospective MRI study on 534 consecutive patients.

PURPOSES: Few population-based MRI studies on stroke, particularly in African-descent populations, are available. Based on a 1-year Afro-Caribbean population-based study MRI, ischemic stroke characteristics were extensively analyzed. METHODS: All strokes occurring in Martinique (390,371 inhabitants) were prospectively included. Ascertainment was based, whenever possible, on MRI. All patients were categorized as single- (subclassified as cortical, cortical-subcortical, subcortical, lacunar) or multiple-lesion pattern, and vascular (single, multiple or junctional) territory. Brain parenchyma was evaluated, based on visualization of macrobleeds, microbleeds, white-matter hyperintensities or stroke sequelae. Etiology was classified according to TOAST criteria. RESULTS: Among 596 ischemic stroke patients included, 534 (295 men, 239 women; mean age, 71 [range 23-110] years) underwent MRI (median delay 1 day). Four hundred and eighty-eight had single-type lesion (14.8% cortical, 42.4% cortical-subcortical, 14.5% subcortical, 16.6% lacunar), involving anterior cerebral (4%), middle cerebral (63.7%), posterior cerebral artery (10.4%) or basilar trunk (11.7%) territories, with 10.3% simultaneously involving multiple territories and 4.9% junctional infarction. Etiologies were LAA (11.2%), SVD (10.7%), CE (29.6%), rare (4.5%) or undetermined (44.1%). CONCLUSION: Our prospective, consecutive, ischemic stroke series gives a comprehensive description of ischemic stroke imaging patterns and etiologic distributions in an Afro-Caribbean population with high socio-economic status. Our patients' stroke characteristics are close to those of European-descent populations.

[Sensory ataxic neuromyelopathy in acquired copper deficiency]. / Ataxie proprioceptive et carence en cuivre masquée.

INTRODUCTION: Neurological involvement associated with copper deficiency has been reported recently in humans and may be under-recognized. CASE REPORT: A 65-year-old patient, with past history of gastrectomy 40 years earlier, developed a myelodysplastic syndrome and then subacute onset of progressive gait ataxia and paresthesias in the lower extremities. Serum vitamin B12 level was low but neurological deterioration persisted, despite vitamin replacement therapy and normal cobalamin level. Further diagnostic investigations revealed severe copper deficiency. Copper supplementation led to hematologic improvement and neurological stabilization. CONCLUSION: Copper and vitamin B12 deficiency, due to malabsorption as a cause of progressive neuromyelopathy and hematologic manifestations, may coexist.

[Bilateral intracerebral angioplasty in a patient with stroke caused by giant cell arteritis]. / Angioplastie carotidienne bilatérale chez une patiente avec infarctus cérébral sur maladie de Horton.

INTRODUCTION: Giant cell arteritis is the most frequent vasculitis and can cause stroke in about 4% of the patients. The mechanism is often hemodynamic in relation with an arterial stenosis or occlusion. Optimal treatment remains to be defined. Outcome is often poor. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 78-year-old patient, with giant cell arteritis who developed neurological deterioration after the onset of the corticotherapy. Brain MRI revealed bilateral stroke caused by multiple preocclusive internal carotid stenosis. The patient was treated successfully with angioplasty and stenting. CONCLUSION: Endovascular treatment could constitute an interesting alternative for patients with giant cell arteritis associated with neurological deterioration after a first episode of stroke because of hemodynamic instability or at stroke recurrence. For these patients, the usual medical treatment appears to be insufficient.

Evaluation of the 2005 McDonald MRI criteria for dissemination in space in Afro-Caribbean patients with clinically isolated syndromes.

BACKGROUND: In 2005, the McDonald MRI criteria for dissemination in space were revised to improve diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in non-Caucasians. METHODS: We included patients with a first clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to assess their performance in the Afro-Caribbean population. Baseline brain and spine MRI examinations were available within 3 months after onset of CIS. The development of a second clinical event was used as the main outcome indicating clinically definite MS. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients (52F/14M) were included between January 1998 and January 2008 (mean age: 34.7; median follow-up: 34 months). CIS was classified as spinal cord (30.3%), optic neuritis (28.8%), brainstem (24.2%), multiregional (10.6%), hemispheric (4.5%), or undetermined (1.5%). Overall conversion rate was 42.4% (median: 11 months). The McDonald criteria revised for dissemination in space were fulfilled in 33.3% (sensitivity: 0.39 (+/-0.18); specificity: 0.66 (+/-0.15), positive predictive value: 0.46 (+/-0.20), negative predictive value: 0.60 (+/-0.15). CONCLUSION: The Afro-Caribbean population is characterized by a strong proportion of CIS in the spinal cord and a lower burden of disease on the baseline brain MRI. This may explain the low sensitivity of the 2005 McDonald criteria for dissemination in space. Further prospective studies emphasizing MRI spinal cord features are needed to improve diagnostic criteria in a population of African descent.

[Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) toxic encephalopathy]. / Encéphalopathie toxique par ingestion de carambole (Averrhoa carambola).

Ingestion of star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) can induce severe intoxication in subjects with chronic renal failure. Oxalate plays a key role in the neurotoxicity of star fruit. We report the cases of two patients with unknown chronic renal insufficiency who developed severe encephalopathy after ingestion of star fruit. The two patients developed intractable hiccups, vomiting, impaired consciousness and status epilepticus. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging showed cortical and thalamic hyperintense lesions related to epileptic status. They improved after being submitted to continuous hemofiltration which constitutes the most effective treatment during the acute phase.

[Steroid treatment in four cases of anti-GAD cerebellar ataxia]. / Traitement des ataxies cérébelleuses à anticorps anti-GAD par cures séquentielles de corticoïdes.

INTRODUCTION: Few neurological diseases are linked with anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD-ab); stiff man syndrome is an example. Cerebellar ataxia is a new feature of this expanding spectrum. No therapeutic trial is yet available in these diseases. We here report on four patients suffering from cerebellar ataxia linked with GAD-ab and review the data in the literature on this recently described syndrome. METHOD: We conducted an open trial with monthly pulsed steroids. Steroid pulses were given six months followed with placebo for another six months. Main clinical and biological parameters were monitored monthly (International Cooperative Cerebellar Ataxia Rating Scale [ICARS] and GAD-ab). RESULT: The clinical response was found limited and inconstant. Transient decline in GAD-ab level was noted in two patients. Moreover, GAD-ab level was found highly variable and did not correlate with clinical parameters. DISCUSSION: Cerebellar ataxia with GAD-ab is an increasingly described syndrome. Outcome can be severe, leading to definitive cerebellar atrophy. Diagnosis is supported by high level of serum GAD-ab with intrathecal secretion. Experimental data have suggested a direct excitotoxic effect of GAD-ab on Purkinje cells. Response to various treatments is often disappointing. Improvement has been obtained with veinoglobulins in individual patients. A weak clinical and biological response was associated with monthly steroid pulses.

[MRI findings in star-fruit intoxication]. / IRM cérébrale dans l'intoxication à la carambole.

Star-fruit ingestion has been previously reported to cause severe neurotoxicity in uremic patients with symptoms ranging from hiccups, vomiting and consciousness disturbances to refractory status epilepticus, coma and death. MRI examinations of five uremic patients with severe neurological disturbances following star-fruit intoxication were reviewed. At the time of MRI, all patients presented with a confusional state, preceded by seizures in three cases. MRI showed focal (four patients) and diffuse (one patient) cortical hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted sequences, with a corresponding low apparent diffusion coefficient. An additional area of increased diffusion intensity was observed in the pulvinar (two patients) and hippocampus (two patients). MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging may be useful for the diagnosis of star-fruit neuro-intoxication which is associated with a poor prognosis and requires acute and appropriate treatment.

Role of return migration in the emergence of multiple sclerosis in the French West Indies.

The emergence of multiple sclerosis in island societies has been investigated only in a few Caucasian populations living in temperate regions. The effect of human migration on the risk of developing this disease is still an open question because of possible genetic selection. We conducted an epidemiological study of the multiple sclerosis population in the French West Indies (Martinique and Guadeloupe), a population which includes large numbers of West Indians who have returned after emigrating to metropolitan France. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for multiple sclerosis among migrants were calculated and their genetic characteristics were compared to those of non-migrants. The crude prevalence of multiple sclerosis was 14.8/10(5) on December 31, 1999 (95% CI: 11.9-17.7); and its crude mean annual incidence for the period July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2002 was 1.4/10(5) (95% CI: 1.0-1.8), confirming its emergence in the French West Indies. Recurrent neuromyelitis optica, which is virtually the only form of multiple sclerosis in black African populations in tropical regions, represented not >17.8% of these cases. During the 1,440,000 person-years of follow-up, 33 incidence cases were identified in migrants. Since the number of expected cases was 19.3, the overall SIR was 1.71 (95% CI: 1.19-2.38; P < 0.01) among migrants. The increase in the SIR was more marked if the stay was made before the age of 15 years (4.05, 95% CI: 2.17-6.83; P < 0.0001). European ancestry in the two migrating and non-migrating populations was similar. Martinique, which has a higher rate of return migration, has a higher prevalence of multiple sclerosis (21.0/10(5) versus 8.5/10(5)) and a higher incidence (2.0/10(5) versus 0.7/10(5)) than Guadeloupe. The emergence of the disease in the French West Indies is of environmental rather than genetic origin. It may be explained either through the introduction by migrants of precipitating environmental factors that operate in a critical way before the age of 15 years, and/or by the recent disappearance from the French West Indies of protective environmental factors acting before this age.

[Neuroradiological aspects of Devic's neuromyelitis optica]. / La neuromyélite optique rémittente: données neuroradiologiques.

INTRODUCTION: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare inflammatory and demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, restricted to optical nerves and spinal cord. The main neuroradiological aspects, now summarized into a complete set of diagnosis criteria, are a normal cerebral MRI at onset and longitudinal involvement of the spinal cord concerning more than 3 vertebral segments. The clinical course and frequency of typical lesions remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: We here report neuroradiological data from patients suffering from NMO. METHODS: Brain and spinal cord MRI were systematically reviewed for 32 afro-Caribbean patients. RESULTS: A typical longitudinal spinal lesion was seen in 44.7 percent with or without edema; a lesion involving less than 3 vertebral segments in 26.3 percent and no lesion in 21.1 percent. Longitudinal study of a few bouts suggested a progressive normalisation of spinal cord appearance. Atrophy was negatively correlated with immunosuppressive treatment. Cerebral lesions usually absent at onset were correlated to the follow-up. In a non-recursive condition, patients completed diagnostic criteria for encephalic and spinal lesions in 82.8 percent and 48.1 percent. CONCLUSION: Radiology of spinal bouts showed multiple aspects besides the typical form. The notion of multiple bouts must be added to the spinal criteria to achieve good sensitivity. A typical extensive spinal lesion is usual in the follow-up, but seen after less then half of the bouts. Requiring such a lesion would delay the diagnosis.

Visual phenotype of multiple sclerosis in the Afro-Caribbean population and the influence of migration to metropolitan France.

PURPOSE: To describe the visual phenotype of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Afro-Caribbean population living in Martinique (French West Indies) and to specify the influence of the migration to metropolitan France on ocular impairment. DESIGN: Prospective consecutive observational case series. METHODS: A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 112 patients of Afro-Caribbean origin with MS satisfying McDonald's diagnostic criteria, divided into 53 cases (47.3%), the non-migrant patients (group NM), who had never left the Caribbean basin, and 59 cases (52.7%), the migrant patients (group M), who had lived in metropolitan France for at least 1 year before age 15. RESULTS: MS first manifested as an impairment of the optic nerve in 41 cases (36.6%): 25 cases (47.1%) in group NM and 16 cases (27.1%) in group M. Visual function was recovered in 13/25 cases (52%) in group NM compared to 13/16 cases (81%) in group M. Two-thirds of patients presented with a clinical ocular impairment, which was bilateral in 58.5% of cases in group NM. Fourteen cases (12.5%) met the criteria of neuromyelitis optica, nine cases (17%) in group NM and five cases (8.5%) in group M. In group NM, when the initial visual attack did not regress, the visual Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was 5+/-1.5 ; 75% of patients had monocular blindness and 50% binocular. CONCLUSIONS: In the non-migrants (group NM), MS manifested more frequently with an optical neuropathy, the ocular impairment was more severe, and corresponded to neuromyelitis optica in 17% of the cases; a visual presentation and the absence of complete recovery from the first attack represented a factor of poor prognosis. This series is the largest description of the visual phenotype of MS in patients of African origin. The results confirm the preferential impairment of the optic nerve in the black population in the course of the disease. The migration towards an area of high prevalence of MS influences the visual phenotype in terms of a lower incidence and less severe prognosis of ocular impairment.

Unusual form of neurocysticercosis associated with HIV infection.

Concurrent infection with Taenia solium and HIV would be expected to occur more frequently because of the increasing frequency of HIV infection in endemic areas of cysticercosis. However, little is known about the influence of HIV infection on the frequency and the clinical course of cysticercosis. Giant cysts and racemose forms of neurocysticercosis seem to be more frequent in HIV-infected patients and may be secondary to an uncontrolled parasitic growth because of an impaired cell-mediated immune response. We report an unusual case of epidural spinal racemose neurocysticercosis revealed by compression of cauda equina in an HIV-infected man and discuss the potential interactions between T. solium and HIV infections.