Pediatric neurology
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Pediatric neurology · Sep 2010
Review Case ReportsReversible posterior leukoencephalopathy induced by cancer chemotherapy.
Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy, defined by both clinical and neuroimaging findings, can affect children receiving chemotherapy. The syndrome is characterized by hypertension, alterations in mental status, seizures, hallucinations, and acute visual changes and is associated with abnormalities seen in magnetic resonance imaging of symmetric white matter lesions, especially in the parietal and occipital lobes. ⋯ Presented here are four cases of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy induced by chemotherapy, with a brief review of the literature and consideration of possible mechanisms. A diagnosis of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy should be considered when patients receiving cancer chemotherapy suddenly develop hypertension followed by neurologic complications, especially if presenting with seizures.
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Pediatric neurology · Aug 2010
Intravenous levetiracetam in the management of acute seizures in children.
Levetiracetam may be effective in children with acute seizures or status epilepticus. We performed a retrospective chart review of children who received intravenous levetiracetam within 30 minutes of a seizure. Seventy-three patients during a 2-year study period met our inclusion criteria. ⋯ The predictive ability of patient and drug regimen variables in outcomes was poor. Only the number of concomitant antiepileptic drugs consistently predicted outcomes. Levetiracetam was well tolerated at the doses studied, and appears most effective in single seizure events.
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Pediatric neurology · Jul 2010
Case ReportsBrown-Séquard-plus syndrome because of penetrating trauma in children.
Brown-Séquard syndrome is an uncommon condition involving incomplete spinal cord injury, with ipsilateral motor and proprioception loss, contralateral pain, and decreased temperature. Brown-Séquard-plus syndrome is associated with additional neurologic findings involving the eyes, bowel, or bladder. We describe an adolescent with Brown-Séquard-plus syndrome attributable to a stab injury. ⋯ He was managed with high-dose steroids, along with intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation, resulting in good neurologic recovery. Appropriate medical (and surgical, when indicated) management usually results in good to complete recovery of neurologic function, depending on the level and grade of injury. With the increasing incidence of gunshot wounds and stab injuries in children, pediatricians, including pediatric neurologists and emergency physicians, are more likely to encounter these types of spinal cord injuries in children.
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Pediatric neurology · Jun 2010
Case ReportsReversible splenial lesion associated with novel influenza A (H1N1) viral infection.
We describe clinically mild encephalopathy with a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum associated with the novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus. A 14-year-old Japanese boy was hospitalized because of dysarthria and dysphagia 5 days after the onset of fever. He had been receiving zanamivir for 4 days before admission. ⋯ Neurologic signs were limited to pseudobulbar palsy, without impairment of consciousness or seizures. This presentation is, to our knowledge, the first among patients with mild encephalopathy with a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum, expanding the clinical spectrum of this condition. Our findings indicate that pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection can cause mild encephalopathy with a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum.
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Pediatric neurology · Jun 2010
Case ReportsInternal carotid artery agenesis and basilar artery aneurysm with third nerve palsy.
Agenesis of the internal carotid artery is an extremely rare vascular anomaly, occurring in less than 0.01% of the population. In most patients, this vascular anomaly is asymptomatic because the contralateral internal carotid artery, external carotid artery, or vertebrobasilar artery systems provide a sufficient arterial collateral blood supply. ⋯ These abnormalities were diagnosed incidentally using computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance angiogram as part of an evaluation for suspected encephalitis. According to our review of the literature, this report is the first to describe unilateral agenesis of the carotid artery presenting with ipsilateral oculomotor nerve palsy.