Presse Med
-
The authors report a case of spinal cord schistosomiasis presenting as myelitis, with rapidly developing deficit, signs of severe cerebrospinal fluid inflammation, normal myelography and computerized tomography. The patient's country of origin suggested schistosomiasis, and the diagnosis was confirmed by serology and rectal biopsy which showed eggs of Schistosoma mansoni. Magnetic resonance imaging was helpful as it confirmed the absence of spinal cord compression and showed a lesion of the conus medullaris, this region being the most frequent site of schistosomial myelitis.
-
Letter Case Reports
[Post-traumatic hematoma of the iliopsoas muscle in an athlete].
-
The results of a study of 62 patients with 69 dissections of the extracranial internal carotid artery are presented. Mean age at the time of diagnosis was 43 years, with a preponderance of men over women. The patients were followed up for a mean period of 41 months. ⋯ The most frequent local signs were suggestive hemicrania, cervical pain, Horner syndrome and tinnitus. The initial angiography showed occlusion in one quarter of the cases and stenosis in 70 per cent. Stenosis was usually located in the second infrapetrosal half of the artery and had the most favourable angiographic prognosis.
-
Early somatosensory (ESEP) and auditory (EAEP) evoked potentials were recorded in 27 patients with severe coma (Glasgow score less than 5) following cardiorespiratory arrest, within the first 7 days of its course. Somatosensory responses were elicited by stimulation of the median nerve. ESEP were abolished in 17 patients due to a parietal thalamo-cortical lesion. ⋯ In 9 other patients scalp-recorded ESEP and EAEP were normal; all emerged from coma including 5 with good neurological recovery and 4 with neurological sequelae. Clinical, electroencephalographic and computerized tomographic data appeared to be devoid of predictive value at the same initial period. In view of their sensitivity to anoxia and to cerebral oedema, even with neurosedative drugs, ESEP seemed to be reliable in predicting outcomes and in evaluating central nervous system lesions at cortical and subcortical levels (basal ganglia and brainstem) after cardiorespiratory arrest.