Practical neurology
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Headaches are a common neurological complaint during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Most are primary and benign, but there are also several secondary headaches. This review uses a practical case-based approach to the evaluation and management of the most common headaches referred for neurological consultation: primary headaches such as migraine as well as the presentation and management of some of the secondary headaches complicating pregnancy and the puerperium. These include: idiopathic intracranial hypertension, eclampsia, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, cerebral venous thrombosis, pituitary apoplexy and postdural puncture headache.
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Practical neurology · Jan 2017
Case ReportsCollet-Sicard syndrome: a rare but important presentation of internal jugular vein thrombosis.
We describe a rare neurological presentation of internal jugular vein thrombosis induced by central venous catheter placement in a patient with cancer. A 71-year-old man gave a 3-week history of dysphagia and dysarthria with left-sided neck pain and headache. He was receiving chemotherapy for appendiceal adenocarcinoma. ⋯ We diagnosed Collet-Sicard syndrome secondary to thrombosis in the sigmoid-jugular venous complex. His headache and neck pain resolved 2 days after removing the catheter and starting anticoagulation. Collet-Sicard syndrome is an unusual syndrome of lower cranial nerve palsies, often signifying disease at the skull base, including malignancy, trauma or vascular causes.
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There is increasing interest in using neurostimulation to treat headache disorders. There are now several non-invasive and invasive stimulation devices available with some open-label series and small controlled trial studies that support their use. ⋯ These stimulation devices may find a place in the treatment pathway of headache disorders. Here, we explore the basic principles of neurostimulation for headache and overview the available methods of neurostimulation.
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Practical neurology · Aug 2016
ReviewA practical review of the neuropathology and neuroimaging of multiple sclerosis.
The variability in the severity and clinical course of multiple sclerosis (MS) has as its basis an extreme heterogeneity in the location, nature and extent of pathology in the brain and spinal cord. Understanding the underlying neuropathology and associated pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease helps to communicate the rationale for treatment and disease monitoring to patients. ⋯ Here, we review MS neuropathology and its imaging correlates to provide a practical guide for using MRI to assess disease severity and treatment responses. This provides a foundation for optimal management of patients based on the principle that they show 'no evidence of disease activity'.