European journal of neurology : the official journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies
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Brain imaging with positron emission tomography using [(18) F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) and transcranial B-mode sonography (TCS) improves the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism. The diagnostic merits of these approaches in identifying and differentiating atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS) are compared. ⋯ FDG-PET and TCS show comparable accuracies for differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative parkinsonism. This preliminary study supports the use of TCS and warrants further prospective validation.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke fourfold and is associated with a poor clinical outcome. Despite work-up in compliance with guidelines, up to one-third of patients have cryptogenic stroke (CS). The prevalence of asymptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in CS remains unknown. The SURPRISE project aimed at determining this rate using long-term cardiac monitoring. ⋯ One in five patients with CS had PAF, which occurred at low burden and long after stroke. Future studies should determine the role of implantable cardiac monitors after stroke and determine the potential therapeutic benefit of OAC treatment of patients with PAF.
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Impairment of cognitive functions occurs in essential tremor (ET) although the mechanism is largely unknown. A possible association between cognitive performance and brain atrophy in ET patients was examined using neuropsychological tests and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). ⋯ A correlation between neurocognitive deficits in ETCI and GMV was observed suggesting that grey matter atrophy appears to be a correlate of cognitive impairment in ET.