Central Nervous System Metastases in Patients With Cervical Carcinoma

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1686-1689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Cacho-Díaz ◽  
Nydia A. Lorenzana-Mendoza ◽  
Rosa M. Michel-Ortega ◽  
Gervith Reyes-Soto ◽  
Alejandro Monroy-Sosa ◽  
...  

IntroductionCervical cancer (CC) is the most common malignancy throughout developing countries, although considered rare, central nervous system metastasis (CNSm) does occur.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe our experiences and compare them to other published cases.Materials and MethodsFrom May 2009 to August 2015, the files of all patients with CC treated at our referral center were reviewed.ResultsWe found 27 patients with CC and CNSm. Mean age at the time of CNS diagnosis was 50 ± 11 years, mean interval between initial CC and CNSm was 46 months; the most frequent initial International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage was IIB with 17 patients followed by IB in 4. Fifty-nine percent of patients had lung metastases at the time CNSm were diagnosed. Headache was the most common symptom, followed by weakness, altered mental status, and ataxia/cerebellar. Mean survival was 8.2 months after CNSm was discovered; 3 patients are still alive.ConclusionsThe present study describes the largest series of patients with CNSm from CC; this rare complication should be suspected in patients with CC who present with headache, ataxia, cranial nerve palsy, visual disturbance, altered mental status, focal weakness, or other neurological symptom, without other plausible explanation.

Author(s):  
Layli Sanaee ◽  
Monica Taljaard ◽  
Tim Karnauchow ◽  
Jeffrey J. Perry

Background. It can be difficult for clinicians to distinguish between the relatively benign enteroviral (EnV) meningitis and potentially lethal herpes simplex virus (HSV) central nervous system (CNS) disease. Very limited evidence currently exists to guide them.Objective. This study sought to identify clinical features and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings associated with HSV CNS disease.Methods. Given that PCR testing often is not immediately available, this chart review study sought to identify clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings associated with HSV meningitis over a 6-year period. In cases where PCR was not performed, HSV and EnV were assigned based on clinical criteria.Results. We enrolled 166 consecutive patients: 40 HSV and 126 EnV patients. HSV patients had a mean 40.4 versus 31.3 years for EnV,p=0.005, seizures 21.1% versus 1.6% for EnV,p<0.001, altered mental status 46.2% versus 3.2% for EnV,p<0.001, or neurological deficits 44.7% versus 3.9% for EnV,p<0.001. CSF neutrophils were lower in HSV (median 3.0% versus 9.5%,p=0.0002); median lymphocytes (87.0% versus 67.0%,p=0.0004) and protein (0.9 g/L versus 0.6 g/L,p=0.0005) were elevated.Conclusion. Our study found that HSV patients were older and more likely to have seizure, altered mental status, or neurological deficits than patients with benign EnV meningitis. HSV cases had lower CSF neutrophils, higher lymphocytes, and higher protein levels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-520
Author(s):  
Tyler Wen ◽  
Jason Chu ◽  
Danielle Allenspach ◽  
David Van

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created numerous clinical challenges for physicians, in part due to its wide range of clinical manifestations and associated complications. Case Report: Here we present the case of a 69-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with fever, dyspnea, and altered mental status. We believe the patient’s condition was precipitated by a COVID-19 infection-induced delirium, a setting in which he ingested aspirin and acetaminophen in overdose that required lifesaving interventions. Conclusion: This case illustrates the potential for neuropsychiatric effects in COVID-19 patients due to both direct viral central nervous system pathology and pandemic-related psychosocial stressors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 675-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amporn Atsawarungruangkit ◽  
Fernando Dominguez ◽  
Gustavo Borda ◽  
Nikolaos Mavrogiorgos

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacterium that causes listeriosis. Brain abscess is a very uncommon manifestation of listeriosis and has not been reported to be associated with adalimumab (humira), one of the approved medications for treating Crohn’s disease. A 45-year-old female with Crohn’s disease presented with sudden onset of fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and altered mental status for 1 day. She was on prednisone and 6-mercaptopurine. She had started taking adalimumab 17 days prior to admission. She had signs of toxicity, confusion, and nuchal rigidity, but showed neither central nervous system deficits nor focal deficits. The laboratory results revealed Gram-positive coccobacillus, positive blood and cerebrospinal fluid culture for Listeria monocytogenes, and a 5 × 5 mm ring-enhancing lesion of brain abscess on MRI. After holding off 6-mercaptopurine and adalimumab, her mental status improved on the next day. Finally, she was discharged on day 7 of hospitalization with ampicillin 2 g intravenously every 4 h for a total of 2 weeks. Two weeks later, the follow-up MRI showed a 2-mm area of residual enhancement in the left temporal lobe at the site of the previous brain abscess. Adalimumab, as a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitor, carries a risk of triggering opportunistic infection, such as listeriosis. With an altered mental status or neurological signs in patients receiving TNF-alpha antagonizing agent, physicians should suspect bacterial infection in the central nervous system and promptly initiate treatment for brain abscess if needed.


2021 ◽  

Objective: Poisoning caused by the ingestion of amatoxin-containing mushrooms is life-threatening and requires urgent attention. However, only few studies have evaluated the factors that predict mortality owing to mushroom poisoning. We conducted a systematic review of amatoxin poisoning in South Korea and meta-analysis of the association between severe early-stage central nervous system symptoms and mortality in cases of amatoxin poisoning. Methods: The Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, KMbase, and Korean Studies Information System databases were searched for articles up to July 2020. We included case reports, case series, and observational studies on Amanita poisoning in South Korea. Outbreak area, incubation time, clinical course, management, and outcomes were evaluated. We then conducted a meta-analysis of the association between severe central nervous system symptoms and mortality. Results: Sixteen articles were included in the review and five in the meta-analysis. Outbreaks occurred principally in Gyeongbuk and in the western part of Gangwon. All patients had gastrointestinal symptoms, such as watery diarrhea. Liver failure occurred 2-3 days after mushroom intake in most patients, and ingestion of amatoxins from mushroom consumption was associated with high mortality risk. The risk of mortality among patients with altered mental status or seizures was 10 times higher than that among patients without these symptoms (risk ratio = 10.56, 95% confidence interval = 2.73-40.83). Conclusions: Amanita mushrooms are often mistaken for edible mushrooms, and their ingestion is frequently fatal. Aggressive treatment must be pursued in patients with severe central nervous system symptoms, such as altered mental status or seizures.


Author(s):  
Pezad N Doctor ◽  
◽  
Sowkya Rangarajan ◽  
Jocelyn Ang ◽  
◽  
...  

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) predominantly affects the respiratory system. However, COVID-19 associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a state of hyper inflammatory shock affecting the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematologic and central nervous system. Isolated neurological manifestations have rarely been reported, especially in children and adolescents. We describe a 17-year-old boy presenting with intermittent headaches, altered mental status and right sided weakness, was found to be positive for SARS-COV2 from nasopharyngeal sampling. His neurological symptoms lasted for three weeks and subsequently improved spontaneously. Keywords: SARS-CoV2; Encephalitis; Headaches.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 2027-2030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Chen ◽  
Dat Ngo ◽  
Joseph Rosenthal

A 26-year-old male with a history of pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and seizures presented with second relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and central nervous system involvement, 19 years after the initial diagnosis. Over the next two months, the patient received six doses of triple intrathecal chemotherapy (cytarabine, methotrexate, and hydrocortisone), three concurrently with continuous blinatumomab in the second month. Approximately 12 days after blinatumomab initiation, he developed central nervous system toxicity manifesting as speech impairment, altered mental status, incontinence, and diffuse weakness. Blinatumomab was discontinued, and he was started on dexamethasone. Within the next couple of months, his neurologic status recovered, and he was able to perform all of his baseline activities without limitation. Unfortunately, the patient eventually expired after further relapse approximately one year later. To our knowledge, this is the first published case report of severe neurotoxicity in a patient who was given blinatumomab concurrently with intrathecal chemotherapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Igor V. Litvinenko ◽  
Miroslav M. Odinak ◽  
Nikolay V. Tsygan ◽  
Aleksander V. Ryabtsev

The central nervous system seems to be quite vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, leading to a variety of alteration pathways, high incidence and variability of the neurological symptoms of COVID-19. The COVID-19 symptoms, possibly associated with alteration to the central nervous system, include hyperthermia, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, dizziness, dysphonia, dysphagia, hyposmia and anosmia, hypogeusia and ageusia, impairment of consciousness. The impairment of olfaction and gustation are the most common symptoms of the nervous system alteration (98% and 70%, respectively), which is most likely a consequence of the alteration of the receptors. Presumably the pathogenesis of dysphonia and dysphagia may involve neurodegenerative mechanisms or may be associated with a predominantly demyelinating alteration of the caudal cranial nerves. Pathomorphological findings in the brain of the COVID-19 patients include diffuse hypoxic and focal ischemic injuries of various sizes up to ischemic infarctions (in thrombosis of large arteries); microangiopathy; vasculitis; diapedetic and confluent hemorrhages with possible progression to hemorrhagic infarctions and rarely intracerebral hematomas. Acute cerebrovascular accident worsens the course of COVID-19 and can worsen the clinical outcome, taking into account the mechanisms of the central nervous system alteration in highly contagious coronavirus infections (SARS-CoV, MERS, SARS-CoV-2), including embolism, hypoxia, neurodegeneration, systemic inflammatory response and immune-mediated alteartion to the nervous tissue. A fairly rare complication of coronavirus infection, however, acute myelitis requires attention due to the severity of neurological disorders. The literature data show high incidence and polymorphism of the symptoms of the central nervous system alteration, as well as the important role of the cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative pathogenesis of brain alteration in COVID-19, which is taken into account in examining and treating the patients with new coronavirus infection. (1 figure, bibliography: 61 refs)


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