Diffusely infiltrating brainstem gliomas: a report of the diagnostic difficulties in 2 cases.

Brainstem gliomas seem to present in 2 distinct ways. More commonly they are localized to 1 portion of the brainstem and present with signs that are both localizing and lateralizing. These are usually fairly easy to image neuroradiologically. The rarer diffusely infiltrating variety manifest a slowly building array of findings pointing to all levels and both sides of the brainstem. Our 2 cases exemplify the diffuse variety. They were clinically typical, and the CSF pressure and protein were elevated but the neuroimaging abnormalities were so subtle that they were originally overlooked. This subtlety of neuroradiologic abnormality resembles that found in gliomatosis cerebri.

Persistent positive visual phenomena in migraine.

Ten patients with migraine developed persistent positive visual phenomena lasting months to years. The complaints were similar in their simplicity and involvement of the entire visual field and usually consisted of diffuse small particles such as TV static, snow, lines of ants, dots, and rain. Neurologic and ophthalmologic examinations were normal, and EEGs were normal in eight of eight patients tested. MRI was normal in all patients except one who had nonspecific biparietal white matter lesions and another with a small venous angioma. Treatment of this unusual complication of migraine was unsuccessful.

Treatment of temporal arteritis with ocular involvement.

A 78-year-old white woman had catastrophic visual loss in one eye due to temporal arteritis. Despite treatment with doses of oral corticosteroids high enough to normalize the Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate, she experienced progressive retinal ischemia with visual loss in the second eye. The use of 1,000 mg of pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone every 12 hours restored her vision. Brief hospitalization of patients with arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy for treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone may offer a significant chance of visual recovery of the involved eye and provide optimal protection to the uninvolved eye.

Stereoacuity in patients with optic nerve disease.

Twenty-eight patients were given the Titmus stereoacuity test (TST). Seventeen patients had documented optic nerve disease, and 11 had no known optic nerve disease. Thirteen of 17 patients (76%) with known optic nerve disease failed to achieve their expected TST scores, while only three of 11 (27%) of the patients without optic nerve disease fell into this category. Patients with reduced visual acuity secondary to optic nerve disease showed a disproportionately greater reduction in their TST scores than would be expected, based on Snellen's visual acuities.

Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and intraocular pressure.

Several reports have suggested that nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) may be related to increased intraocular pressure. We reviewed the records of 45 patients aged 48 through 86 years with nonarteritic AION (10 patients had bilateral AION) for intraocular pressure measurements and the diagnosis of glaucoma or suspected glaucoma. This group was compared with 45 age- and sex-matched patients with normal eye examination results. The mean +/- SD intraocular pressures were 16.3 +/- 3.3 mm Hg for 45 eyes of the 45 patients with AION and 16.1 +/- 2.8 mm Hg for 45 eyes of the 45 control patients (paired t test, P = .70). Among patients with unilateral AION, intraocular pressure was not greater in the involved eye than in the uninvolved eye. Three patients with AION had a previous diagnosis of glaucoma, while three of the control patients were being followed up with suspected glaucoma. We found no evidence in our series to support the hypothesis that AION is associated with increased intraocular pressure.

Implications of thrombocytosis in giant cell arteritis.

PURPOSE: To bring attention to the implications of thrombocytosis in giant cell arteritis. METHOD: Case report. Platelet counts were measured before and after corticosteroid therapy in a patient with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis. RESULT: Platelet counts were increased before corticosteroid therapy was begun and returned to normal levels after corticosteroid therapy was instituted. CONCLUSION: Platelet counts in a patient with giant cell arteritis may have diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic value.

Choroidal folds associated with increased intracranial pressure.

PURPOSE: To determine whether a relationship exists between increased intracranial pressure and the presence of idiopathic choroidal folds. METHODS: A prospective study in which 12 consecutive patients presenting with choroidal folds were evaluated by imaging studies (ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or computed tomography) to rule out known causes of choroidal folds, such as orbital disease, choroidal tumor, posterior scleritis, hypotony, and choroidal neovascular membrane. A lumbar puncture was performed on each of these patients, and measurement of opening pressure of cerebrospinal fluid was obtained. RESULTS: Twelve patients with choroidal folds included nine men and three women. Six patients (50%) presented with papilledema in the eye with choroidal folds. The other six patients (50%) presented with only choroidal folds. In this study, 10 (83%) of 12 patients had an opening pressure greater than 230 mm H(2)O. In patients presenting with only choroidal folds, five (83%) of six patients had an opening pressure greater than 230 mm H(2)O, with an average opening pressure of 290 mm H(2)O. CONCLUSION: Depending on the timing of the evaluation, papilledema may or may not be present, and only choroidal folds may be seen as a reflection of increased intracranial pressure. We believe that increased intracranial pressure from any source (that is, pseudotumor cerebri, sinus thrombosis, or intracranial mass) can present with only choroidal folds; therefore, these patients should have an appropriate work-up that should probably include a lumbar puncture before the title of "idiopathic" is given to their finding.

Chest computed tomography and mediastinoscopy in the diagnosis of sarcoidosis-associated uveitis.

PURPOSE: To report the usefulness of chest computed tomography and mediastinoscopy in diagnosing sarcoidosis in elderly patients with uveitis. METHODS: Case reports. Two Caucasian women, aged 73 and 70 years, underwent evaluations for uveitis, which included chest computed tomography and mediastinoscopy. RESULTS: A chest computed tomographic scan of each woman disclosed mediastinal lymphadenopathy and warranted mediastinal lymph node biopsy by mediastinoscopy. In both patients, histopathologic and microbiologic studies demonstrated sterile noncaseating granulomas consistent with the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of sarcoid-associated uveitis in the elderly may be facilitated by chest computed tomography, which may be more sensitive than conventional chest roentgenography. Laboratory studies of biopsied mediastinal nodes obtained by mediastinoscopy can confirm the diagnosis.

Corneal opacities in Gaucher disease.

PURPOSE: To describe the corneal findings in a variant of Gaucher disease. METHODS: Case report. In an 18-year-old man, ophthalmic and general clinical evaluation, and enzymatic and molecular genetics studies were performed. RESULTS: Diffuse, well-defined, small, linear, or dotlike corneal opacities were observed through, out the posterior two thirds of the corneal stroma in both eyes. The patient had calcific valvular heart disease. Enzymatic and ultrastructural studies were consistent with Gaucher disease. Analysis of the glucocerebrosidase gene disclosed homozygosity for a D409H mutation. CONCLUSION: Corneal opacities are a distinguishing ocular feature of the variant of Gaucher disease associated with the D409H mutation and with calcific cardiac disease.

Trigeminal cisternal injection of glycerol for treatment of chronic intractable cluster headaches.

Medical treatment of chronic cluster headaches (cluster headaches that occur frequently without remission) can be very difficult. In many patients, the pain remains severe despite all medication trials. For these patients, previous reports recommend radiofrequency trigeminal rhizotomy, which risks corneal anesthesia and subsequent corneal decompensation. As a safer, yet effective, treatment, retro-Gasserian injections of glycerol were given to eight patients having intractable chronic cluster headaches. Needle penetration into the trigeminal cistern, glycerol amount (0.55 ml), and length of patient elevation after the procedure (80-90 degrees upright for 10 h) were modified for maximal exposure of the V1 division. Three patients required one additional injection, and one patient required two additional injections. Verbal pain scales (means +/- 1 standard error of the mean) were: 9.1 +/- 0.30 (preoperative), 2.6 +/- 1.10 (1 mo postoperative), and 2.1 +/- 0.64 (1 yr postoperative). Daily headache frequency decreased from 6.0 +/- 2.0 (preoperative) to 0.2 +/- 0.09 (i.e., one headache every 5 days) (1 yr postoperative). Three of the eight patients had no headaches after 1 year. There were no instances of corneal or facial anesthesia. One year postoperatively, five patients required no medication, and three remained on low doses of medication for headache treatment. In contrast to previous limited reports of glycerol injections for cluster headaches, results with these patients having chronic cluster headaches support the use of glycerol injections as a viable treatment alternative, with significant pain relief and corneal safety.

Transient monocular obscuration--?amaurosis fugax: a case report.

A 73-year-old white man with pseudophakia experienced repeated bouts of transient visual loss associated with erythropsia and colour desaturation. A diagnosis of atheromatous carotid vascular disease was considered, prompting carotid angiography, during which time the patient experienced transient aphasia. Subsequent examination during an episode of visual loss showed that a spontaneous anterior chamber haemorrhage was the cause of the visual complaints.

Sudden painless visual loss: optic nerve and circulatory disturbances.

There are many causes of sudden painless visual loss in older adults. This article reviews the causes that are based on disturbances of the optic nerve and disorders of the circulatory system of the eye. Clinical clues to the recognition of these disorders and treatment (if available) are reviewed.

Arteriovenous communication in the orbit.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are anomalous communications between arterial and venous systems without interposed capillaries. These lesions are rarely entirely intraorbital. A case of an arteriovenous communication between branches of the internal and external carotid arterial circulations and the ophthalmic veins located within the orbit is reported. Treatment with embolization resulted in a branch retinal artery occlusion. Attempted direct arterial occlusion of a dural-based fistula of the eye is a risky procedure. If embolized, AVMs should probably be approached from the venous side, if at all.

Ischemic ("diabetic") cavernous sinus syndrome.

A 65-year-old diabetic woman presented with an acute cavernous sinus syndrome involving the right third, fifth, and sixth cranial nerves. The complete neuro-ophthalmic workup included high-resolution computed tomography, angiography, lumbar puncture, and laboratory studies, all of which were unrevealing. The cranial nerve palsies spontaneously resolved in 10 weeks, consistent with an ischemic etiology.

Primary optic pathway sarcoidosis in a 38-year-old white man.

We report a case of primary optic pathway sarcoidosis in a 38-year-old white man. The disorder was limited to the optic nerves and was resistant to corticosteroids.