scholarly journals Idiopathic Arachnoiditis of the Cauda Equina: A Case Report from Tanzania

2021 ◽  
pp. 535-540
Author(s):  
Emmanuel V. Assey ◽  
Abid M. Sadiq ◽  
Magreth J. Swai ◽  
Adnan M. Sadiq ◽  
Marieke C.J. Dekker

Arachnoiditis is a rare clinical entity that usually presents with severe debilitating radiating pain that can pose a challenge in diagnosis especially in areas without appropriate imaging modalities. We present a 26-year-old male with progressive lower back pain with radiation to the lower extremities, aggravated by movement and touch. We diagnosed idiopathic arachnoiditis based on cerebrospinal fluid analysis and magnetic resonance imaging. He was managed with a 5-day course of methylprednisolone and analgesics with a good outcome. Severe back pain without a specific cause in a young patient should be investigated with proper imaging modalities and lumbar puncture if warranted to evaluate the cause.

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 238
Author(s):  
Ahmed Alhowimel ◽  
Faris Alodaibi ◽  
Mazyad Alotaibi ◽  
Dalyah Alamam ◽  
Hana Alsobayel ◽  
...  

Tertiary care centres continue to experience over-utilisation of diagnostic imaging services for lower back pain cases that may not be required. Moreover, these services may require additional time and consequently delay access to services that offer conservative management, i.e., physiotherapy, and hence, increase the direct and indirect costs with no added quality of care. A logic model was developed based on qualitative and quantitative studies that explains the plan and process evaluation strategies to reduce imaging for lower back pain in tertiary hospitals. Logic models are useful tools for defining programme components. The delivery of the components is ensured by well-defined process evaluations that identify any needed modifications. The proposed logic model provides a road map for spine clinics in tertiary care hospitals to decrease the number of patient referrals for magnetic resonance imaging and waiting times for consultations and services and promote early access to physiotherapy services.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 572-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Mohamed Iqbal ◽  
R. Morris ◽  
M. Hersch

We report a case of serious neurologic injury due to inadvertent epidural injection of 8 ml of the antiseptic 2% chlorhexidine in 70% alcohol during a procedure aimed to relieve the pain of labour. This resulted in immediate severe back pain, progressive tetraparesis and sphincter dysfunction caused by damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots. Subacute hydrocephalus necessitated drainage, but cranial nerve and cognitive function were spared. Magnetic resonance imaging documented marked abnormality of the spinal cord and surrounding leptomeninges. In the ensuing eight years, there has been clinical and electrophysiological evidence of partial recovery, but neurologic deficit remains severe.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. E428-E428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Agrawal ◽  
Bellore J.P. Shetty ◽  
Jagadeesh H. Makannavar ◽  
Lathika Shetty ◽  
Jayaprakash Shetty ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Intraspinal endometriosis is an extremely rare condition with characteristic symptoms, including lower back pain that increases in severity during each menstrual cycle. METHODS: Here, we report a case of endometriosis involving the conus cauda region. This patient presented with acute deterioration secondary to hemorrhage. We also review the relevant literature. RESULTS: Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the dorsolumbar region showed a mass lesion within the spinal canal at the L1–L2 level with evidence of acute hemorrhage. The patient underwent an emergency D12–L2 laminectomy and microdecompression of the lesion. The histological and immunohistochemical features were characteristic of intraspinal endometriosis. CONCLUSION: Intraspinal endometriosis must be recognized as a potential cause of periodic neurological signs and symptoms in young and middle-aged women.


1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Hotopf ◽  
S. Pollock ◽  
W. A. Lishman

SynopsisTwo male patients who presented with unusual pictures of dementia in the absence of other obvious symptoms or signs are reported. Investigations demonstrated changes highly suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) on magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and electrophysiological tests. We suggest this represents a rare presentation of multiple sclerosis.


Spine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (16) ◽  
pp. 1146-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Lorenc ◽  
Piotr Palczewski ◽  
Damian Wójcik ◽  
Wojciech Glinkowski ◽  
Marek Gołębiowski

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 2050313X1770034
Author(s):  
Pravin George ◽  
Christopher R Newey ◽  
Karin P Mente ◽  
Erik P Pioro

Objective: Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is a rapidly progressive spongiform encephalopathy. The E200K mutation is found in a majority of genetically transmitted Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease cases. Methods: We describe the case and associated neuroimaging of an E200K-129M gene-mutation-related fatal spongiform encephalopathy with resultant clinical insomnia and thalamic changes. Results: A 46-year-old Caucasian male presented with, who was well until 2 months prior to admission, a rapidly progressive dementia followed by a change in personality with auditory and visual hallucinations. His wife noted progressively worsening jerking and other limb movements and that he kept his eyes open overnight and was “awake” at all hours. Magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram and initial cerebrospinal fluid analysis were essentially non-diagnostic. Positron emission topography revealed severe bilateral thalamic hypometabolism. Posthumous cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed abnormal PrP 27-30 protein. Autopsy confirmed prion disease and presence of the E200K-129M mutation. Conclusion: This report highlights that positron emission topography imaging may help diagnose E200K-129M mutation-related spongiform encephalopathy. In cases of non-diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram and cerebrospinal fluid studies, early positron emission topography may help in the workup of rapidly progressive dementia.


Author(s):  
Jen-Yung Tsai ◽  
Isabella Yu-Ju Hung ◽  
Yue Leon Guo ◽  
Yih-Kuen Jan ◽  
Chih-Yang Lin ◽  
...  

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is among the most common causes of lower back pain and sciatica. The causes of LDH have not been fully elucidated but most likely involve a complex combination of mechanical and biological processes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a tool most frequently used for LDH because it can show abnormal soft tissue areas around the spine. Deep learning models may be trained to recognize images with high speed and accuracy to diagnose LDH. Although the deep learning model requires huge numbers of image datasets to train and establish the best model, this study processed enhanced medical image features for training the small-scale deep learning dataset.Methods: We propose automatic detection to assist the initial LDH exam for lower back pain. The subjects were between 20 and 65 years old with at least 6 months of work experience. The deep learning method employed the YOLOv3 model to train and detect small object changes such as LDH on MRI. The dataset images were processed and combined with labeling and annotation from the radiologist’s diagnosis record.Results: Our method proves the possibility of using deep learning with a small-scale dataset with limited medical images. The highest mean average precision (mAP) was 92.4% at 550 images with data augmentation (550-aug), and the YOLOv3 LDH training was 100% with the best average precision at 550-aug among all datasets. This study used data augmentation to prevent under- or overfitting in an object detection model that was trained with the small-scale dataset.Conclusions: The data augmentation technique plays a crucial role in YOLOv3 training and detection results. This method displays a high possibility for rapid initial tests and auto-detection for a limited clinical dataset.


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