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Annals of Medicine and Surgery (2012) Jul 2022Kernohan Woltman Notch Phenomenon (KWNP) is caused by a supratentorial lesion pressing the contralateral cerebral peduncle against the free edge of the tentorium of the...
Kernohan Woltman Notch Phenomenon (KWNP) is caused by a supratentorial lesion pressing the contralateral cerebral peduncle against the free edge of the tentorium of the cerebellum. It is manifested by neurological signs of ipsilateral localization; cerebral MRI is the most sensitive examination for KWNP. Our patient is a 50-year-old woman, operated in 2011 for aortic and mitral valve replacement by mechanical prosthesis, under oral anticoagulant, consults for headaches evolving for 20 days without any notion of head trauma with installation of a progressively worsening left hemibody deficit. Glasgow coma scale was 14 (E3 V5 M6) with left anisocoria 4mm left/2mm right with left hemiplegia. CT shows a chronic left hemispheric subdural hematoma 13.5mm thick with subfalcorial and ipsilateral temporal involvement of the deficit. The cardiovascular examination as well as the biological assessment was unremarkable. The patient was operated on with a total recovery in 12 days, the anticoagulant is resumed on day 20 postoperatively, with close monitoring. KWNP may contribute to misdiagnosis in patients with bilateral corticospinal tract lesions, and anticoagulation poses a problem in stopping and restarting treatment due to the risk of bleeding on one side and thrombosis on the other side.
PubMed: 35860133
DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104006 -
Annals of Medicine and Surgery (2012) Feb 2022and importance: Contralateral epidural hematoma (EDH) after decompressive surgery for acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) is uncommon. If unrecognized, this delayed hematoma...
INTRODUCTION
and importance: Contralateral epidural hematoma (EDH) after decompressive surgery for acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) is uncommon. If unrecognized, this delayed hematoma can lead to devastating consequences.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 30-year-old patient with no past medical history, was brought to the emergency after a severe brain injury secondary to an aggression, Glasgow coma scale was 6 (E1V1 M4) with a left anisocoria. The CT scan revealed a left acute subdural hematoma with midline shift superior than 10 mm, and a non-surgical contralateral EDH was also identified. The patient was operated on urgently. Post-operatively, the pupils became equal sized and reactive. A right anisocoria was noticed 12 h later, with a large contralateral EDH on CT scan associated to a gross midline shift. A second operation was performed immediately with a good recovery and the patient was extubated one week post-operatively.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
The most common surgical complications after a decompressive craniectomy for an acute subdural hematoma noted in literature are surgical site herniation, post-operative infections, epilepsy, and subdural effusions with or without hydrocephalus. Contralateral epidural hematoma (EDH) after decompressive craniectomy is also documented (Ban et al., 2010; Nadig and King, 2012) [3,15]
CONCLUSIONS
Delayed contralateral EDH after decompressive surgery should be anticipated in the presence of contralateral skull fracture and/or intraoperative brain swelling and immediate postoperative scan is indicated. Early detection of this fatal complication and prompt treatment may improve the poor outcome in this group of patients.
PubMed: 35145655
DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.103233 -
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021We reviewed the evidence on features of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in trichinellosis, systematically searching five databases (to January 2021). We... (Review)
Review
We reviewed the evidence on features of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in trichinellosis, systematically searching five databases (to January 2021). We categorized clinical features based on their diagnostic value as warning signs for severe CNS infection (with outcome death) or non-specific signs (outcome improvement). They were suggestive of severe infection if they substantially raised death probability. The review included 87 papers published from 1906 through 2019, with data on 168 patients. Mydriasis, paraparesis, dysphagia, psychomotor seizures, or delirium present a 30-45% increased death likelihood. The best poor prognosis predictor is mydriasis (positive likelihood ratio 9.08). Slow/absent light reflex, diminished/absent knee reflexes, globally decreased tendon reflexes present a moderate increase (20-25%) of death risk. Anisocoria, acalculia, or seizures could also indicate an increased death risk. We provided a detailed presentation of clinical and paraclinical signs that alert physicians of a possible neurotrichinellosis, emphasizing signs that might indicate a poor prognosis.
PubMed: 34070586
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11060945