Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
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Radiolabeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is an analog of guanethidine and is taken up by the postganglionic presynaptic nerve endings. MIBG uptake in the heart correlates with adrenergic function, which can be reduced in Lewy body diseases. We described the recent developments in innervation imaging using (123)I-MIBG scintigraphy in Lewy body diseases including Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. ⋯ As described by recent studies, MIBG scintigraphy is a valuable diagnostic tool for differentiation between Lewy body diseases and parkinsonian syndromes or other movement disorders with parkinsonism. Furthermore, this method may provide a powerful differential diagnostic tool between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease. We also reported the results of clinical investigations about the correlation between characteristics of Parkinson's disease and myocardial MIBG uptake.
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Multicenter Study
Multicenter study report: electrophysiological monitoring procedures for subthalamic deep brain stimulation surgery in Parkinson's disease.
Despite the wide diffusion of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) for Parkinson's disease, systematic practical recommendations for intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring are still lacking. In this paper, a shared protocol for intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring arising from the meetings of a panel of neurophysiologists of the DBS Study Group of the Italian Neurological Society is proposed. Intraoperative monitoring is composed by microrecordings and functional stimulation. ⋯ Functional stimulation is used to assess the clinical efficacy and the side effects induced by STN-DBS at different positions. Based on the therapeutic window, an algorithm to find the optimal target is proposed. The procedures for intraoperative monitoring for STN-DBS proposed here are safe, relatively cheap, take approximately 30-40 min per side and could offer valuable additional information to the surgeon.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Greater occipital nerve block in chronic migraine.
Headache syndromes often involve occipital and neck symptoms suggesting a functional connectivity between nociceptive trigeminal and cervical afferents. Several studies have suggested that pain relief in migraine and other types of headache can be achieved by local injections of steroids, local anaesthetics or a mixture of both in the area of greater occipital nerve (GON). Usually greater occipital nerve block (GONB) is performed by using local anaesthetics alone or with steroid. ⋯ Both treatments were full tolerated. In our study, adding triamcinolone to local anaesthetic when performing GONB and TPIs was not associated with improved outcome in the sample of patients with TM. In both groups, the procedure resulted in significant and rapid relief of headache, neck pain, photophobia and phonofobia.
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Since the publication of the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-2) in 2004, a fiery debate has been raging about chronic daily headache in general and about chronic migraine and medication overuse headache in particular. Based on a number of considerations and observations on the current state of knowledge, a proposal is advanced that suggests a few changes to ICHD-2, namely: (1) differentiation of migraine without aura at the second-digit level into infrequent, frequent and very frequent, based on frequency of attacks. (2) Inclusion of transformed migraine among the complications of migraine; this entry should be coded to 1.5.1 replacing chronic migraine and the only diagnostic criterion that needs to be changed over those already listed in the revised ICHD-2 (ICHD-2R) is its temporal pattern (more than 20 days/month for 1 year or more and never with more than 5 headache-free consecutive days). (3) Differentiation of transformed migraine at the fourth-digit level depending on the presence or absence of symptomatic medication overuse (i.e. use for more than 20 days/month) regardless of whether overuse played any role in the worsening of the headache. (4) Switching of medication overuse headache to the Appendix with other diagnostic criteria to be defined.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Frovatriptan versus zolmitriptan for the acute treatment of migraine: a double-blind, randomized, multicenter, Italian study.
The objective of this study is to assess patients' satisfaction with migraine treatment with frovatriptan (F) or zolmitriptan (Z), by preference questionnaire. 133 subjects with a history of migraine with or without aura (IHS criteria) were randomized to F 2.5 mg or Z 2.5 mg. The study had a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, with each of the two treatment periods lasting no more than 3 months. At the end of the study, patients were asked to assign preference to one of the treatments (primary endpoint). ⋯ SPF episodes were 18 (F) versus 22% (Z; p = NS). Drug-related adverse events were significantly (p < 0.05) less under F (3 vs. 10). In conclusion, our study suggests that F has a similar efficacy of Z, with some advantage as regards tolerability and recurrence.