Rev Neurol France
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Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody, which neutralizes the effect of vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) allowing regression of tumour vessels and a decrease in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Already used in oncology as adjuvant treatment for certain metastatic cancers and in second line for high-grade gliomas, it has been recently used as a treatment of cerebral radionecrosis resisting conventional drug treatment and hyperbaric oxygen. This article presents three patients with cerebral radionecrosis and treated by monthly infusions of bevacizumab (10 mg/kg per month). ⋯ The second patient received four infusions, but the absence of improvement of the clinical symptoms and progression of the radiolesion led to discontinuation of the treatment. The third patient developed several severe side effects, a transient ischemic accident and a perforated corneal ulcer, resulting again in premature discontinuation of treatment. The development of severe side effects, combined with the absence of notable clinical and radiologic improvements resulting from the use of bevacizumab as a treatment resulted in the premature interruption of such treatment, in all three patients.
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Cerebral actinomycosis is rare and difficult to diagnose. ⋯ Actinomycosis should be discussed as a possible diagnosis for all cerebral lesions, particularly in patients with a potential dental infection. Histology is required for positive diagnosis. Antibiotic therapy alone is generally sufficient; surgery is often performed for diagnostic purposes.
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The sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common cause of delirium, accompanied by hyperthermia or not. It is defined as a diffuse cerebral dysfunction induced by the systemic response to the infection without clinical or laboratory evidence of direct infectious involvement of the central nervous system. It is, thus, a diagnosis of exclusion. ⋯ At the present time, clinical, biological and radiological characteristics of SAE have been sufficiently described to ensure rapid identification, but prognosis remains severe. Proper management requires treatment as early as possible of the infectious site and accompanying systemic inflammatory response. When appropriately conducted, minimal consequences or complete recovery can be expected.
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Case Reports
[Cardiac myxoma complicated with cerebral aneurysms and revealed by an ischemic stroke].
Myxoma is a rare benign primary cardiac tumor. It may cause vascular complications. Neurological symptoms may precede or accompany the diagnosis of myxoma with systemic embolization occurring most often in the cerebral circulation. ⋯ Although myxoma is a benign tumor histologically, it can lead to serious complications such as systemic embolism and sudden death.
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Standard neurophysiological techniques evaluate exclusively large myelinated fibers, but are not useful to explore sensory small fibers. Quantitative sensory tests have been developed to explore the thermal nociceptive function but this exploration is only subjective. Laser evoked potentials (LEPs) represent a noninvasive and objective test to explore thermal and nociceptive pathways. ⋯ In routine, the determination of detection and nociceptive thresholds, the analysis of N2P2 latencies and amplitudes enable demonstration of a dysfunction of A delta nerve fibers, to quantify these lesions and to determine whether the neuropathies are length-dependent or not. The LEP amplitude is negatively correlated to deafferentation. The interest of LEPs remained to be studied compared to skin biopsy.