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Biomedical subjects

Boby V Maramattom

Publications and source records attributed to Boby V Maramattom.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Gliomatosis cerebri angiographically mimicking central nervous system angiitis: case report.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis of isolated central nervous system angiitis often requires both cerebral angiography and biopsy for diagnosis. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present a case of gliomatosis cerebri with demonstrated angiographic changes suggestive of a central nervous system vasculitis. INTERVENTION: A 47-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of worsening headache and progressive drowsiness. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed confluent nonenhancing T2-weighted hyperintensity involving the frontal white matter bilaterally, hypothalamus, and both thalami. A four-vessel angiogram revealed diffuse arterial beading with stenoses of a right frontal middle cerebral artery branch and the distal posterior cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery branches, bilaterally. The biopsy revealed a Grade 2 fibrillary astrocytoma consistent with gliomatosis cerebri. CONCLUSION: Gliomatosis cerebri can mimic central nervous system vasculitis angiographically. Perivascular infiltration by tumor cells may be responsible for these changes.

Angiography, Digital Subtraction↗
PubMed2006

Clinical importance of cardiac troponin release and cardiac abnormalities in patients with supratentorial cerebral hemorrhages.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the Incidence of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) elevation, electrocardiographic (ECG) changes, and arrhythmias in supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and their association with early mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with supratentorial ICHs admitted to Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, from March 1998 to October 2003 were studied. We excluded moribund patients with ICHs who died within 12 hours of hospital admission. Cardiac troponin T levels measured on admission and day 2 were determined by a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Continuous ECG monitoring was performed In all patients. Computed tomographic scans were graded and correlated with abnormal cardiac variables. RESULTS: Peak levels of cTnT were elevated at 0.035 to 1.2 microg/L (mean +/- SD, 0.27 +/- 0.38 microg/L) in 10 (20%) of 49 patients and were not associated with changes in creatine kinase MB fraction or ECG results. The cTnT levels did not correlate with location or side of hemorrhage or mortality at 30 days. Seventy (64%) of 110 patients displayed ECG abnormalities. The ECG changes did not correlate with the location or side of ICH, hydrocephalus, midline shift, or extension to the ventricles. CONCLUSION: The cTnT elevations in survivors of acute ICH are frequent but without confirmatory ECG changes that suggest mild myocardial injury. One-month mortality is not influenced by such cTnT elevations. In addition, ECG abnormalities are common but likely benign in patients with supratentorial ICH who survive the initial insult.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Acute intermittent porphyria presenting as a diffuse encephalopathy.

Although acute intermittent porphyria presents with dramatic neurological findings, the diagnosis is difficult. An 18-year-old woman had a clinical picture of porphyric encephalopathy. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging demonstrated multiple large contrast-enhancing subcortical white matter lesions, which regressed with glucose and hematin infusions. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging was normal, and MR spectroscopy excluded acute demyelination or tissue necrosis. MR findings of acute intermittent porphyria can differ from those in posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome by virtue of intense contrast enhancement. Because diffusion-weighted MR imaging and spectroscopy were normal, the lesions are likely caused by reversible vasogenic edema and transient breakdown of the blood-brain barrier.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Validation of a new coma scale: The FOUR score.

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) has been widely adopted. Failure to assess the verbal score in intubated patients and the inability to test brainstem reflexes are shortcomings. We devised a new coma score, the FOUR (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness) score. It consists of four components (eye, motor, brainstem, and respiration), and each component has a maximal score of 4. We prospectively studied the FOUR score in 120 intensive care unit patients and compared it with the GCS score using neuroscience nurses, neurology residents, and neurointensivists. We found that the interrater reliability was excellent with the FOUR score (kappa(w) = 0.82) and good to excellent for physician rater pairs. The agreement among raters was similar with the GCS (kappa(w) = 0.82). Patients with the lowest GCS score could be further distinguished using the FOUR score. We conclude that the agreement among raters was good to excellent. The FOUR score provides greater neurological detail than the GCS, recognizes a locked-in syndrome, and is superior to the GCS due to the availability of brainstem reflexes, breathing patterns, and the ability to recognize different stages of herniation. The probability of in-hospital mortality was higher for the lowest total FOUR score when compared with the lowest total GCS score.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Segmental cutaneous hemangioma and spinal arteriovenous malformation (Cobb syndrome). Case report and historical perspective.

The discovery of either a dermatomal cutaneous nevus or a spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) should raise the suspicion of Cobb syndrome. The Cobb syndrome is a neurocutaneous syndrome in which there are metameric cutaneous and spinal AVMs. The authors present the case of a patient with acute cervical myelopathy and subtle cutaneous hemangiomas in whom a cervical perimedullary fistula was discovered. They also acknowledge Harvey Cushing's contribution to the recognition of this syndrome.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Which patient fares worse after early deterioration due to swelling from hemispheric stroke?

The authors studied 24 patients admitted to the neurointensive care unit because of clinical deterioration to drowsiness or stupor and midline shift after complete middle cerebral artery infarction (coMCAI) stroke. Fourteen (58%) experienced further deterioration and either underwent hemicraniectomy or refused surgery and died. These patients were significantly more likely to be female (72% vs 20%) and to have additional vascular territorial infarction (72% vs 0%) on initial CT. These features may help to identify patients at high risk for further deterioration after coMCAI.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Sirolimus may not cause neurotoxicity in kidney and liver transplant recipients.

Neurotoxicity associated with calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporin A and tacrolimus is established. Sirolimus is a new agent related to tacrolimus, but its mechanism of action differs. The authors reviewed 202 transplant recipients treated with sirolimus from 2001 to 2004. They found no evidence of neurotoxicity with sirolimus therapy for up to 18 months (range, 15 days to 3 years). Sirolimus could be considered a substitute immunosuppressant for patients with cyclosporin A or tacrolimus neurotoxicity.

Adolescent↗