Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) leads to progressive impairment of muscle function, respiratory failure and premature death. Longitudinal data on the course of physical disability and respiratory function are sparse. ⋯ Our detailed observations of the progression of physical disability, dependence on care and respiratory impairment in patients with DMD from childhood to adult life is valuable for predicting the clinical course with current medical care. Compared with historical data, survival has improved considerably.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2009
Psychiatric profile and attention deficits in postural tachycardia syndrome.
Patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) often appear anxious and report inattention. Patients with POTS were formally assessed for psychiatric disorders and inattention and compared with patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and control subjects. ⋯ Patients with POTS do not have an increased lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Although they may seem anxious, they do not have excess cognitive anxiety. They do experience significant inattention which may be an important source of disability.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2009
Case ReportsAn extensive spinal epidural abscess successfully treated conservatively.
A spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is an uncommon condition, appearing in 0.2-2 cases per 10,000 hospital admissions. Urgent surgical decompression in combination with long term antibiotics is the common treatment of choice for SEA. However, in some cases, a non-surgical treatment can also be considered. In this case report, a patient is presented with SEA extending from C2 to L3 which was successfully treated with antibiotic therapy without surgical intervention.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2009
Memory impairment in multiple sclerosis: correlation with deep grey matter and mesial temporal atrophy.
MRI research in multiple sclerosis (MS) samples reveals pathology in both the cerebral cortex and deep grey matter (DGM). The classical subcortical dementia hypothesis has been ascribed to MS and is supported by studies highlighting the role of thalamic atrophy in neuropsychological outcomes. However, the importance of mesial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy in MS is largely untested and poorly understood. New structural imaging techniques permit volumetric measures of multiple regions within the MTL lobe and DGM. ⋯ For the first time, the predictive validity of MTL and DGM atrophy were simultaneously compared with MS using reliable and validated neuropsychological measures. This study found that both compartments play significant but different roles in the amnesia of MS.