Biomedical subjects

Po-Lin Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Po-Lin Chen.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Isolated hand weakness in cortical infarctions.

Isolated hand weakness due to stroke is infrequently observed, and often misdiagnosed as peripheral lesions. This study investigated the clinical and radiologic profiles in such patients. Five men and one woman were studied. All patients underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to confirm the diagnosis. Four patients had uniform weakness and the other two had either differential radial or ulnar weakness, respectively. MRI showed acute infarctions involving the hand knob area of the primary motor cortex (M1) in five patients and the postcentral gyrus sparing the precentral gyrus in one patient. Two patients with uniform digit weakness had additional involvement of the inferior parietal lobule. These findings suggest that isolated or predominant hand weakness in patients with cerebral infarctions is not necessarily caused by lesions in the M1 knob area, and that the control center of hand movement is not limited to the knob area alone.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Fatal case of community-acquired bacteremia and necrotizing fasciitis caused by Chryseobacterium meningosepticum: case report and review of the literature.

A diabetic patient with chronic heart failure developed necrotizing fasciitis and bacteremia caused by Chryseobacterium meningosepticum, which rapidly evolved into death, even with fasciotomy and intensive care. A review of the English literature found 10 cases of soft tissue infection caused by C. meningosepticum, which is rarely acquired in the community.

Bacteremia↗

PubMed2005

Reversible electroencephalographic and single photon emission computed tomography abnormalities in Hashimoto's encephalopathy.

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a well-established disease that occurs most commonly in patients with euthyroidism. We report 3 patients diagnosed with HE. Cases 1 and 2 were young females who had experienced intractable seizures and presented with cognitive impairment. Reversible slow waves on the electroencephalogram (EEG), and nearly complete recovery of cognition, were noted after steroid treatment. Case 3 was an elderly male who presented with a sudden onset of vertigo, diplopia, and recurrent gait ataxia. Reversible hypoperfusion in the upper portion of the left cerebellum, on (99m)Tc hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), was noted after steroid treatment. We also review 25 cases from the literature of patients diagnosed with HE. All patients had antithyroid antibodies. A reversible inflammatory process is supported by brain magnetic resonance imaging, SPECT, EEG and cerebrospinal fluid studies. Vasculitis is the most probable pathogenesis according to laboratory findings. Steroids are the treatment of choice, and result in a favorable outcome when administered early in the disease course.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

General paresis with reversible mesial temporal T2-weighted hyperintensity on magnetic resonance image: a case report.

We report a patient with general paresis, whose magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a T2 high-intensity lesion in bilateral mesial temporal regions. Serum rapid plasma reagin test showed reactive at 64 dilutions and serum Treponema pallidum haemagglutination test was 1:20480. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed: RBC 111/mm3, WBC 8/mm3, Venereal Disease Research Laboratory reactive at 1 dilution and protein 60 mg/dl. His neuropsychiatric symptoms recovered gradually after penicillin treatment two months later. Repeated MRI revealed resolution of the bilateral mesial temporal lesions. We demonstrated the first Taiwanese patient with general paresis whose clinical improvement was associated with the disappearance of the temporal lobe MRI abnormality. The diagnosis of neurosyphilis must be considered when MRI shows mesial temporal lesions. MRI may be used to predict prognosis in patients with general paresis.

Humans↗