Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia
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COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and is ongoing pandemic. While a majority of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection shows asymptomatic or mild disease, hospitalized patients can develop critical condition, such as pneumonia, sepsis, and respiratory failure. Some cases deteriorate into sever systemic disease and multiorgan failure. ⋯ Brain CT and MRI showed typical images of CVT in the left transvers sinus and CT pulmonary angiography showed PE. Administration of unfractionated heparin followed by edoxaban treatment reduced the levels of D-dimer and improved his clinical presentation and thrombosis. Monitoring coagulopathy is important in COVID-19 patients and in case of venous thromboembolism, including cerebral venous system, appropriate anticoagulant therapy should be initiated.
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Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has a reported postoperative recurrence rate of 3-20% and the optimal therapeutic strategy remains controversial. Recently, in Japan, Goreisan (Kampo medicine) was used for preventing postoperative CSDH recurrence. Therefore, this study aimed to explore if Goreisan is effective against specific CSDH types by evaluating its effects on postoperative CSDH recurrence and reoperation rates based on its natural history and internal structure on CT images. ⋯ Lesions were categorized as homogeneous, laminar, separated, or trabecular type, and patients with homogeneous type lesions in the Goreisan group were approximately 50% less likely to undergo reoperation compared with those in the control group (7.3% versus 14%; odds ratio = 0.51; 95% confidence interval = 0.12-2.11). Thus, the homogeneous type CSDH was the most responsive to Goreisan, whereas the separated type was the least responsive. Therefore, selecting treatment strategies for preventing CSDH recurrence on CSDH type may contribute toward reducing reoperation rates.
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Central to COVID-19 pathophysiology is an acute respiratory infection primarily manifesting as pneumonia. Two months into the COVID-19 outbreak, however, a retrospective study in China involving more than 200 participants revealed a neurological component to COVID-19 in a subset of patients. The observed symptoms, the cause of which remains unclear, included impaired consciousness, skeletal muscle injury and acute cerebrovascular disease, and appeared more frequently in severe disease. ⋯ Here, we review the historical association between neurological complications and highly pathological coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. We draw from evidence derived from past coronavirus outbreaks, noting the similarities and differences between SARS and MERS, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. We end by briefly discussing possible mechanisms by which the coronavirus impacts on the human nervous system, as well as neurology-specific considerations that arise from the repercussions of COVID-19.
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The Coronavirus disease due to SARS-CoV-2 emerged in Wuhan city, China in December 2019 and rapidly spread to more than 200 countries as a global health pandemic. There are more than 3.5 million confirmed cases and around 165,000 to 243,000 fatalities. The primary manifestation is respiratory and cardiac but neurological features are also being reported in the literature as case reports and case series. ⋯ Hence a high index of suspicion is required for timely diagnosis and isolation of cases to prevent the spread in neurology wards. We present a narrative review of the neurological manifestations and complications of COVID-19. Our aim is to update the neurologists and physicians working with suspected cases of COVID-19 about the possible neurological presentations and the probable neurological complications resulting from this novel virus infection.