Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Ambrosetto.
A most unusual case of ataxic quadriparesis due to bilateral infarcts involving the posterior capsule-corona radiata region is reported. The literature concerning ataxic hemiparesis is briefly discussed.
Ten patients (5 males) affected by epilepsy with cerebral calcifications of unknown etiology mainly located in the posterior regions were subjected to a battery of tests including an intestinal biopsy. Our aim was to establish whether or not the patients also suffered from celiac disease. Celiac diseases was found in 6 patients. This result and the individual cases reported in the literature suggest that this triad of diseases (celiac disease, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy) are casually related. The same HLA phenotype was found in all 10 patients, i.e., including the cases without celiac disease, suggesting an underlying disorder of the immune system. Our results emphasize that particular attention should be paid to a search for celiac disease in all patients with epilepsy and posterior cerebral calcifications.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed to study 7 long-term hemodialysis patients affected with destructive amyloid spondyloarthropathy. In the appropriate clinical setting, MRI proved to be more useful than conventional radiography or CT and more definitive in excluding infections. Indeed, MRI can replace more invasive procedures in making the correct diagnosis. Different than what is reported in literature, a high incidence of odontoid lesions (C2) was observed in our series, with extraosseous and extradural deposits of soft tissue masses (amyloid pseudotumors), subluxation, odontoid invagination and medullary compression. Bone lesions, involved disks and amyloid pseudotumors typically exhibited low-intensity signal on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences and no enhancement following Gd-DTPA injection. The use of MRI is thus suggested, especially at cervical level, also in case of relatively mild symptoms.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We report the case of a patient presenting clinical symptoms and signs of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). CT revealed the findings typical of both PSP and NPH. The possible pathogenetic mechanisms of the coexistence of these two diseases are briefly discussed.
We studied four patients with a focal epilepsy and bilateral occipital corticosubcortical calcifications without any sign of phakomatosis. The clinical course of the disease was similar in all the patients and evolved from a benign onset to a severe encephalopathy with progressive mental impairment. The question of whether these patients have an incomplete and atypical form of Sturge-Weber syndrome or a previously undescribed disorder is addressed.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We report a case of intracavernous carotid artery aneurysm presenting an unusual clinical course and suggest possible pathogenetic mechanisms to explain the clinical picture. We discuss the differential diagnosis from other disorders producing unilateral ophthalmoplegia.
We report a head-injured patient in whom CT scan revealed an extracerebral hypodense fluid collection separated into two compartments by a membrane, which was probably the torn dura mater. We briefly discuss the probable pathogenetic mechanism.
Two cases of quadrigeminal plate cistern lipoma detected by CT scan, one of which produced impairment of vertical gaze, are reported. The problems of diagnosis and therapy of intracranial lipomas are briefly discussed.
We report a patient affected by progressive supranuclear palsy who also presented with bilateral internuclear ophthalmoplegia. The computed tomographic (CT) scan showed the previously described radiological picture characteristic of the syndrome and two additional unusual findings. The significance of these findings is discussed and the importance of the CT scan in the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy is emphasized.
Computed tomographic (CT) findings of three patients affected by progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are reported. The radiological picture consisted of atrophy of the midbrain and quadrigeminal plate, with prominent interpeduncular, crural, ambient, and quadrigeminal plate cisterns, and dilatation of the aqueduct and third ventricle. These features were not related to the duration of the illness and degree of neurological deficits. In the authors' opinion CT is useful in the differential diagnosis of PSP and other extrapyramidal disorders.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
2 cases of Sturge-Weber syndrome without facial nevus are reported. The patients presented different forms of epilepsy. The diagnosis was made by computed tomography (CT) which showed typical intracranial calcifications in both occipital regions. The problems concerning the atypical and incomplete forms of the syndrome are briefly discussed. The importance of CT as a diagnostic procedure for this disease is emphasized.