Monday, March 16, 2009

UPDRS

Hoehn and Yahr Staging of Parkinson's Disease

1. Stage One
1. Signs and symptoms on one side only
2. Symptoms mild
3. Symptoms inconvenient but not disabling
4. Usually presents with tremor of one limb
5. Friends have noticed changes in posture, locomotion and facial expression

2. Stage Two
1. Symptoms are bilateral
2. Minimal disability
3. Posture and gait affected

3. Stage Three
1. Significant slowing of body movements
2. Early impairment of equilibrium on walking or standing
3. Generalized dysfunction that is moderately severe

4. Stage Four
1. Severe symptoms
2. Can still walk to a limited extent
3. Rigidity and bradykinesia
4. No longer able to live alone
5. Tremor may be less than earlier stages

5. Stage Five
1. Cachectic stage
2. Invalidism complete
3. Cannot stand or walk
4. Requires constant nursing care

This rating system has been largely supplanted by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, which is much more complicated.



Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)

The UPDRS is a rating tool to follow the longitudinal course of Parkinson's Disease. It is made up of the 1) Mentation, Behavior, and Mood, 2) ADL and 3) Motor sections. These are evaluated by interview. Some sections require multiple grades assigned to each extremity. A total of 199 points are possible. 199 represents the worst (total) disability), 0--no disability.

I. Mentation, Behavior, Mood

Intellectual Impairment
0-none
1-mild (consistent forgetfulness with partial recollection of events with no other difficulties)
2-moderate memory loss with disorientation and moderate difficulty handling complex problems
3-severe memory loss with disorientation to time and often place, severe impairment with problems
4-severe memory loss with orientation only to person, unable to make judgments or solve problems

Thought Disorder
0-none
1-vivid dreaming
2-"benign" hallucination with insight retained
3-occasional to frequent hallucination or delusions without insight, could interfere with daily activities
4-persistent hallucination, delusions, or florid psychosis.

Depression
0-not present
1-periods of sadness or guilt greater than normal, never sustained for more than a few days or a week
2-sustained depression for >1 week
3-vegetative symptoms (insomnia, anorexia, abulia, weight loss)
4-vegetative symptoms with suicidality

Motivation/Initiative
0-normal
1-less of assertive, more passive
2-loss of initiative or disinterest in elective activities
3-loss of initiative or disinterest in day to say (routine) activities
4-withdrawn, complete loss of motivation


II. Activities of Daily Living

Speech

0-normal
1-mildly affected, no difficulty being understood
2-moderately affected, may be asked to repeat
3-severely affected, frequently asked to repeat
4-unintelligible most of time

Salivation

0-normal
1-slight but noticeable increase, may have nighttime drooling
2-moderately excessive saliva, hay minimal drooling
3-marked drooling

Swallowing
0-normal
1-rare choking
2-occasional choking
3-requires soft food
4-requires NG tube or G-tube

Handwriting
0-normal
1-slightly small or slow
2-all words small but legible
3-severely affected, not all words legible
4-majority illegible

Cutting Food/Handing Utensils
0-normal
1-somewhat slow and clumsy but no help needed
2-can cut most foods, some help needed
3-food must be cut, but can feed self
4-needs to be fed

Dressing
0-normal
1-somewhat slow, no help needed
2-occasional help with buttons or arms in sleeves
3-considerable help required but can do something alone
4-helpless

Hygiene
0-normal
1-somewhat slow but no help needed
2-needs help with shower or bath or very slow in hygienic care
3-requires assistance for washing, brushing teeth, going to bathroom
4-helpless

Turning in Bed/ Adjusting Bed Clothes
0-normal
1-somewhat slow no help needed
2-can turn alone or adjust sheets but with great difficulty
3-san initiate but not turn or adjust alone
4-helpless

Falling-Unrelated to Freezing
0-none
1-rare falls
2-occasional, less than one per day
3-average of once per day
4->1 per day

Freezing When Walking
0-normal
1-rare, may have start hesitation
2-occasional falls from freezing
3-frequent freezing, occasional falls
4-frequent falls from freezing

Walking
0-normal
1-mild difficulty, day drag legs or decrease arm swing
2-moderate difficultly requires no assist
3-severe disturbance requires assistance
4-cannot walk at all even with assist

Tremor
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent, not bothersome to patient
2-moderate, bothersome to patient
3-severe, interfere with many activities
4-marked, interferes with many activities

Sensory Complaints Related to Parkinsonism
0-none
1-occasionally has numbness, tingling, and mild aching
2-frequent, but not distressing
3-frequent painful sensation
4-excruciating pain

III. Motor Exam

Speech
0-normal
1-slight loss of expression, diction,volume
2-monotone, slurred but understandable, mod. impaired
3-marked impairment, difficult to understand
4-unintelligible

Facial Expression
0-Normal
1-slight hypomymia, could be poker face
2-slight but definite abnormal diminution in expression
3-mod. hypomimia, lips parted some of time
4-masked or fixed face, lips parted 1/4 of inch or more with complete loss of expression

*Tremor at Rest
Face
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent
2-mild and present most of time
3-moderate and present most of time
4-marked and present most of time

Right Upper Extremity (RUE)
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent
2-mild and present most of time
3-moderate and present most of time
4-marked and present most of time

LUE
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent
2-mild and present most of time
3-moderate and present most of time
4-marked and present most of time

RLE
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent
2-mild and present most of time
3-moderate and present most of time
4-marked and present most of time

LLE
0-absent
1-slight and infrequent
2-mild and present most of time
3-moderate and present most of time
4-marked and present most of time

*Action or Postural Tremor

RUE
0-absent
1-slight, present with action
2-moderate, present with action
3-moderate present with action and posture holding
4-marked, interferes with feeding

LUE
0-absent
1-slight, present with action
2-moderate, present with action
3-moderate present with action and posture holding
4-marked, interferes with feeding

*Rigidity

Neck
0-absent
1-slight or only with activation
2-mild/moderate
3-marked, full range of motion
4-severe

RUE
0-absent
1-slight or only with activation
2-mild/moderate
3-marked, full range of motion
4-severe

LUE
0-absent
1-slight or only with activation
2-mild/moderate
3-marked, full range of motion
4-severe

RLE
0-absent
1-slight or only with activation
2-mild/moderate
3-marked, full range of motion
4-severe

LLE
0-absent
1-slight or only with activation
2-mild/moderate
3-marked, full range of motion
4-severe

*Finger taps

Right
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

Left
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

*Hand Movements (open and close hands in rapid succession)

Right
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

Left
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

*Rapid Alternating Movements (pronate and supinate hands)

Right
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

Left
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

*Leg Agility (tap heel on ground, amp should be 3 inches)

Right
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

Left
0-normal
1-mild slowing, and/or reduction in amp.
2-moderate impaired. Definite and early fatiguing, may have occasional arrests
3-severely impaired. Frequent hesitations and arrests.
4-can barely perform

*Arising From Chair (pt. arises with arms folded across chest)
0-normal
1-slow, may need more than one attempt
2-pushes self up from arms or seat
3-tends to fall back, may need multiple tries but can arise without assistance
4-unable to arise without help

*Posture
0-normal erect
1-slightly stooped, could be normal for older person
2-definitely abnormal, mod. stooped, may lean to one side
3-severely stooped with kyphosis
4-marked flexion with extreme abnormality of posture

*Gait
0-normal
1-walks slowly, may shuffle with short steps, no festination or propulsion
2-walks with difficulty, little or no assistance, some festination, short steps or propulsion
3-severe disturbance, frequent assistance
4-cannot walk

*Postural Stability (retropulsion test)
0-normal
1-recovers unaided
2-would fall if not caught
3-falls spontaneously
4-unable to stand

*Body Bradykinesia/ Hypokinesia
0-none
1-minimal slowness, could be normal, deliberate character
2-mild slowness and poverty of movement, definitely abnormal, or dec. amp. of movement
3-moderate slowness, poverty, or small amplitude
4-marked slowness, poverty, or amplitude



Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living

Gillingham FJ, Donaldson MC, eds., Third Symp. of Parkinson's Disease, Edinburgh, Scotland, E&S Livingstone, 1969, pp.152-7.

Rating can be assigned by rater or by patient.

* 100%-Completely independent. Able to do all chores w/o slowness, difficulty, or impairment.

* 90%-Completely independent. Able to do all chores with some slowness, difficulty, or impairment. May take twice as long.

* 80%-Independent in most chores. Takes twice as long. Conscious of difficulty and slowing

* 70%-Not completely independent. More difficulty with chores. 3 to 4X along on chores for some. May take large part of day for chores.

* 60%-Some dependency. Can do most chores, but very slowly and with much effort. Errors, some impossible

* 50%-More dependant. Help with 1/2 of chores. Difficulty with everything

* 40%-Very dependant. Can assist with all chores but few alone

* 30%-With effort, now and then does a few chores alone of begins alone. Much help needed

* 20%-Nothing alone. Can do some slight help with some chores. Severe invalid

* 10%-Totally dependant, helpless

* 0%-Vegetative functions such as swallowing, bladder and bowel function are not functioning. Bedridden.

Disclaimer: The information and reference materials contained herein is intended solely for the information of the reader. It should not be used for treatment purposes, but rather for discussion with the patient's own physician.

ALS Functional Rating Scale

http://www.alsconnection.com/ALSFRS.asp


ALSFRS
Instructions for completing the ALSFRS-R (ALS Functional Rating Scale)
A. Comparisons are made with the patient's status prior to the onset of the disease, not with status at the last visit.B. Patient's response (on a 5 point scale) is recorded in relation to the question "How are you doing at (...)? for each of the 12 functions listed in the ALSFRS-R
SPEECH
4. Normal speech processes
3. Detectable speech disturbance
2. intelligible with repearing
1. speech combined with non-vocal communication
0. loss of useful speech
SALIVATION
4. Normal
3. slight but definite excess of saliva in mouth, may have nighttime drooling
2. moderately excessive saliva, may have minimal drooling
1. marked excess of saliva with some drooling
0. marked drooling, requires constant tissue
SWALLOWING
4. Normal eating habits
3. early eating problems, occasional choking
2. dietary consistency changes
1. needs supplemental tube feedings
0. NPO (exclusively parental or enteral feedings)
HANDWRITING
4. Normal
3. slow or sloppy, all workds legible
2. not all words legible
1. able to grip pen, unable to write
0. unable to grip pen
CUTTING FOOD AND HANDLING UTENSILS(patients without gastrostomy)
4. Normal
3. somewhat slow and clumsy, needs no help
2. can cut most foods, slow of clumsy, some help needed
1. foods cut by someone else, can still feed slowly
0. needs to be fed
CUTTING FOOD AND HANDLING UTENSILS(patients with gastrostomy)
4. Normal
3. clumsy, able to perform all manipulations
2. some help needed with clsures and fasteners
1. provides minimal assistance to caregiver
0. unable to perform any aspect of task
DRESSING AND HYGEINE
4. Normal
3. independent self care with effort of decreased effieicency
2. intermittent assitance or substitute methods
1. needs attendant for self care
0. total dependence
TURNING IN BED AND ADJUSTING BEDCLOTHES
4. Normal
3. somewhat slow or clumbsy, needs no help
2. can turn alone or adjust sheets with great difficulty
1. can initiate, cannot turn or adjust sheets
0. helpless
WALKING
4. Normal
3. early ambulation difficulties
2. walks with assistance
1. non-ambulatory functional movement only
0. no purposeful leg movement
CLIMBING STAIRS
4. Normal
3. slow
2. mild unsteadiness or fatigue
1. needs assistance
0. cannot do
DYSPENA
4. None
3. occurs when walking
2. occurs with one more more:eating, bathing, dressing
1. occurs at rest, either sitting or lying
0. significant difficulty, considering mechanical support
ORTHOPNEA
4. None
3. some difficulty sleeeping, d/t shortness of breath, does not routinely use >2 pillows
2. needs extra pillows to sleep (>2)
1. can only sleep sitting up
0. unable to sleep
RESPIRATORY INSUFFICIENCY
4. None
3. intermittent use of BiPAP
2. continuous use of BiPAP at night
1. continuous use of BiPAP day and night
0. invasive mechanincal ventilation by intubation/trach

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Childhood Myasthenia Gravis Pearls

1. Half of patients may be seronegative, but of those who have disease the treatment in many cases is similar to treatment of adult disease
2. Steroid, PE and IVIG all have been used safely during pregnancy. CI's should not be overused due to possibility of causing uterine contractions. Regional anesthesia or C section is preferred. Avoid Magnesium sulfate.
3. The slow channel congenital myasthenic syndrome (SCCMS) appears in later childhood or adolescence. It is associated with relatives with various adult onset MG subtypes. It is inherited as autosomal dominant. Neck flexor weakness, progressive myopathy, and failure to respond to CI's are common, as are skeletal deformities.
4. Pupillary hyporeflexia is relatively specific for congenital ach deficiency. Progressive myopathy occurs in it and SCCMS, as does non response to CI's. Congenital Ach deficiency also is associated with basal lamina on muscle surface.
5. Dok 7 mutation is associated with limb girdle myasthenia.
6. Fast channel syndrome occurs in infancy and early childhood and presents similarly to other conditions. it responds well to CI's and 3,4 DAP.


Features of anti MuSK positive ab in MG (myasthenia gravis)


The presentation may be atypical with severe bulbar, axial, and respiratory weakness, with relative sparing of extraocular muscles. Patients may get worse paradoxically with Mestinon, may have an atypical or myopathic EMG, and respond, sometimes dramatically to aggressive immunomodulation eg. plasmapheresis, MMF steroids and Rituxan

Dosing of anticholinesterase drugs


from Continuum 2009

Mestinon (pyridostigmine bromide).
Oral dose 30-50 mg q 4-6 hours
Intramuscular dose 2.0 mg q 4-6 hours
Intravenous dose 0.7 mg q 4-6 hours
pediatric oral dose 1.0 mg/kg to 7.0 mg/kg q 4-6 hours

Neostigmine (prostigmine)
oral dose 15 mg q 4-6 hours
intramuscular dose 1.5 mg (methylsulfate) q 4-6 hours
Intravenous dose 0.5 mg (methylsulfate) q 4-6 hours
pediatric 0.3 mg/kg in divided doses 2-3 times per day

Ambenonium chloride (mytelase)
for patients allergic to or developing a rash to bromides
oral dose 7.5 mg in divided doses 3-4 times daily
pediatric oral dose .15 mg/kg up to a maximum of 1.5 mg/kg/d in divided doses

Contraindicated medication list in Myasthenia gravis

from Continuum 2009

1. Absolute contraindication-- curare, d-penicillamine, botulinum toxin, interferon alpha
2. Contraindicated
a. Antibiotics-- aminoglycosides (gentamycin, kanamycin, neomycin, streptomycin, tobramycine); macrolides (erythromycin, azithromycin (Z-pack), telithromycin, Biaxin)
Fluoroquinolones ( ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, levofloxacin);
b. quinine, quinidine, procainamide,
c. magnesium salts, iv magnesium replacement.
3. Caution- may exacerbate weakness in some myasthenics
a. Calcium channel blockers
b. Beta blockers
c. Lithium
d. Statins
e. Iodinated contrast agents

article on public domain
http://www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-neurology/volume-10-number-2/drugs-which-may-exacerbate-or-induce-myasthenia-gravis-a-clinician-s-guide.html

link to article by Pascuzzi discussing contraindicated drugs in more detail
http://myasthenia.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=JuFvZPPq2vg%3d

Pearls on antibody testing in MG


1. AchR antibody is positive in 80-85 % of patients with MG, but only 55 % of pure ocular disease
2. Less than one percent of patients have pure blocking antibodies (others may have associated with binding antibodies) and so blocking antibodies are of little clinical use.
3. Modulating antibodies cross link the receptor and modulate their rate of degradation. It is most helpful as a test when the level of binding antibody is negative which is 3-4 %.
4. High levels of modulating antibodies, like anti striated muscle antibodies, occur in association with lymphoma, although can occur sporadically too especially in old.
5. MuSK antibody, important in clustering of receptors in NMJ, are positive in 40 % of AchR negative patients, only occassionally in those with pure ocular disease.

Differential diagnosis of head drop

1. ALS
2. GBS/CIDP
3. MG
4. IBM/DM/PM
5. PD/Parkinsonism
6. Isolated neck extensor myopathy
7. Congenital muscular dystrophy (mutations in LMNA or SEPN1 genes)
8. Congenital myopathy (nemaline)
9. Hypothyroidism
10. Syringomyelia
11. Post mantle irradiation

Differential diagnosis of dysarthria and dysphagia

from Continuum 2009
1. ALS
2. MG
3. Stroke
4. Syringomyelia
5. Kennedy syndrome
6. GBS/CIDP
7. Myopathy/botulism


Pearls
1. Dysarthia of MG is nasal, with slurred , nasal but not spastic speech, weak tongue movements but not arduous movements of tongue. In ALS, speech is slow and effortful, has a spastic quality as well, slow and effortful speech with a strangled quality. In ALS initial weakness may be described as a tickle in throat or inability to clear mucus , which is not typical of MG. MG patients may have nasal regurgitation, trouble with food not going down or getting stuck. Choking or weight loss also are typical of ALS.

Differential diagnosis of tongue fasciculations

Continuum p21 2009

1. Lower motor neuron disease (ALS, Kennedy disease, SMA, poliomyelitis
2. Muscle specific receptor tyrosine kinase, MG
3. Brainstem lesion
4. Base of skull tumor
5. Radiation in area of skull base
6. Unilateral hypoglossal neuropathy
7. organophosphates

Pearl tongue weakness is as useful as tongue fasciculations. Test by asking patient to move tongue against cheek on each side and hold against resistance. If the disease is UMN only, this may be only sign seen on tongue. Advanced ALS patients may be unable to move their tongues at all.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ptosis as presenting sign of levator palpebrae myositis

Neuroimages. Neurology 2008; 71:1202

A 45 year old surgeon presented with 2 days of eye pain and ptosis, isolated. The key study was an enhanced MRI orbits, with fat suppression sequences, that showed enhancement of the right levator palpebrae. Corticosteroids are usually effective but were not required in this patient who resolved spontaneously.

British Medical Journal (BMJ) lies, goes on attack

Ordinarily, we do not mix medicine and politics on this site. However, we do believe in academic freedom and honesty, and fear that an attack on any is an attack on the rights of all that will ultimately end badly. While we do hold views on truth in the Middle East conflicts, these thoughts are not germane to this article. Rather, we have a major issue with a medical journal leaving science, entering politics, where it does not belong, committing gross errors of fact, and then attacking the organization that pointed out the errors. While arrogance is not in short supply at the BMJ, a commitment to accuracy and truth is deficient in this case. We feel we have the obligation to report the BMJ mistakes so that our readers can keep a cool head when digesting what they read.

Honestreporting.com, a watchdog news agency that checks media facts, reports that the BMJ devotes five articles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in a recent edition to reviewing the "perils of criticizing Israel." "Chief amongst these" is Karl Sabbagh's analysis of hundreds of e-mails sent to the BMJ in response to an article published way back in 2004. According to Sabbagh, most of the hostile emails resulted "from a request from HonestReporting, a website operated from the United States and Israel." Also writing on this topic in the BMJ, Jonathan Freedland even admits that Derek Summerfield (the author of the 2004 piece)made a "mistake to open his piece with a clear error, one that inevitably made his essay appear tendentious." So why is the BMJ so defensive towards those who pointed out this admitted error?
HR wonders whether the BMJ's shot at a shadowy and highly effective "Israel lobby" is designed not to inform but to make crticism of itself more difficult. "Needless to say," HR opines, "if an 'Israel lobby' was so influential over the media, there would be no need for HonestReporting to exist."

In the 2004 article, the BMJ, under the byline of Dr (?) Summerfield, stated that "The Israeli army, with utter impunity, has killed more unarmed Palestinian civilians since September 2000 than the number of people who died on September 11, 2001." Leaving aside the grotesqueness of the comparison, that is based on assumptions that are, to put a polite face on it, are incorrect, the numbers cited by the BMJ are themselves wrong. As HR noted, "The only actual similarity between the two is the death count ― approximately 3,000. Summerfield labels all Palestinian casualties 'unarmed civilians' ― denying the fact that (1) the clear majority of Palestinians who have died since September 2000 were terrorists and armed combatants (according to the Institute for Counter-Terrorism), and (2) no Palestinian civilian has been deliberately killed 'with impunity' ― in stark contrast to 9/11. "

As a physician, I have personally found arrogance much more dangerous in the care of patients than stupidity. Doctors who don't know something, can, after all, ask for help. However, the arrogant are left on an island with no idea how to undo harm that they have caused. Moreover, the best response to having made a mistake is to ADMIT the mistake and move on. The original article by Summerfield was not true, because more civilians died in the 9/11 attacks than in Palestinian territories during the cited period, by far, and the campaign to get the BMJ to retract the error was neither unprecedented nor inappropriate as alleged. If the BMJ wishes to become a political magazine instead of a medical journal, it will have to engage the ideas of nonphysicians who are interested in politics. Backtracking, writing even more stubborn and one sided articles, and accusing the watchdogs makes the BMJ look even more foolish than wrong.

The BMJ does have a storied history and reputation. Its a pity that its being sullied by rank journalists.


Sunday, March 08, 2009

Stiff person syndrome with ampiphysin antibodies: distinctive feature of a rare disease


Murinson BB, Guarnaccia JB. Neurology 2008; 71: 1955-58.

Principal form of SPS has stiffness of the spine and legs with spasms worse with emotional stress and triggers, and associated with anti GAD antibodies. Variants include less strong association with anti GAD AB, and limited stiff limb syndrome, and a progressive variant with encephalomyelitis, rigidity and myoclonus (PERM).

A distinct form with ampiphysin antibodies is a small subset (11/126 cases) and has the following distinctive features: association with breast cancer (10/11), female exclusively, mean age close to 58, association with other paraneoplastic antibodies and other neurologic disorders including sensory neuronopathy, encephalopathy, and myelopathy. Treatment may involve steroids, plasmapx or cancer treatment rather than IVIG as in anti GAD ab associated disease.

Clinically, all had stiffness and rigidity, half had pain, NONE had diabetes, EMG was positive for continuous motor activity or consistent with SPS. Nine were responsive to very high dose benzodiazepines (> 50 mg.day diazepam), none responsed to IVIG. Arm or neck involvement was specifically cited by referring physician in 80 % of the cases. Some patients responded completely to excision of the tumor.

Lab testing with immunocytochemisty is not sufficient, ELISA or RIA is needed and special labs are needed to test for this antibody.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

"staggers" or trematol poisoning


cf Loren Rolak, Neurology Secrets p. 410.

This disease suffered by Mary Lincoln, Abe's mother, was due to a toxin the white snakeroot plant which grows in dense woods and occurred when a woods was insufficiently cleared. It has not been described in over 60 years. Typically, cows would eat the snakeroot, and humans would drink the milk "milk sickness."

Presentation in Mrs. Lincoln included fatigue and stiffness, then whole body tremors, upper more than lower extremities, present at rest and resembling a shiver, leading over days to epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting. Eventually, lethargy, large pupils and hiccups occurred. She developed lethargy and large red tongue and eventually died.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Predictors of recovery after postanoxic status epilepticus


Rosetti AO et al. Predictors of awakening from postanoxic status epilepticus after therapeutic hypothermia. Neurology 72; 744-749.

The authors describe 6 patients who woke and recovered. All recovering patients had preserved brainstem reflexes, reactive EEG background during PSE. Half had myoclonic and half NCSE. Age range 53-68.