Radiofrequency Lesions through Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes in Movement Disorders: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Although there are few reports of radiofrequency lesions performed through deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes in patients with movement disorders, experience with this method is scarce. METHODS: We present 2 patients who had been previously treated with DBS of subthalamic nuclei (STN) and the ventral intermediate (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus for Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, respectively, and underwent a radiofrequency lesion through their DBS electrodes after developing a hardware infection. The authors conduct a review of the literature regarding this method. RESULTS: Both patients had a good clinical outcome after 20 and 8 months, respectively, as assessed by a reduction in Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Scale and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores. The second patient underwent a second DBS system implantation surgery after his radiofrequency treatment to optimize his management, achieving optimal clinical control with lower current and drug requirements than before the radiofrequency intervention. No adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Radiofrequency lesions through DBS electrodes allow the creation of small and localized lesions. Its effectiveness and low-risk profile, in addition to its low cost, make this procedure suitable and a possible alternative in the therapeutic repertoire for the surgical treatment of movement disorders.

[Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from gastric adenocarcinoma: Case report and review of literature]. / Metástasis intramedular de adenocarcinoma gástrico: caso clínico y revisión de la literatura.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases are very rare and usually associated with lung or breast cancer, with gastric origin being exceptional. Their clinical onset tends to be faster than that of primary intramedullary tumours. The most common early symptoms of intramedullary spinal cord metastasis are motor deficit in one or more limbs, pain, sensory loss, and sphincter disturbances. The appearance of a rapidly progressive Brown-Séquard syndrome in an oncology patient should orientate the diagnosis of this condition. The prognosis is very poor, with a median survival of 4 months. However, recent research has shown that surgery could offer a slight benefit in survival and functionality. The case is reported of a 61-year-old man with an intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from a gastric carcinoma, as well as a literature review of this topic. It has been found that this case is the fourth one reported in the literature.