STMO-19 Impact of aggressive resection for glioblastoma of the thalamus with histone H3-K27M mutation

Glioblastoma of the thalamus occurs predominantly in childhood and young adulthood, and cases with histone mutations are thought to have a particularly poor prognosis. We studied tumor resection rate, age, type of adjuvant therapy, and histone gene mutations on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients who underwent aggressive removal. Eight cases of thalamic glioblastoma were included in the study. The mean age at surgery was 36.1 years (10–74 years, 3 cases under 18 years). Tumor removal was performed from the parieto-occipital lobe to the thalamus via the lateral ventricles in all cases. In all cases, more than 90% of the contrast-enhancing lesions were removed. Postoperatively, one patient had sensory disturbance of the left upper limb, and the other had incomplete paralysis of the left upper and lower limbs, but both were able to walk with a cane. In the case of the patient with postoperative complications, the tumor was located in the vicinity of the internal capsule. All patients were treated with radiation therapy and temozolomide, and bevacizumab and Novo-TTF were used in cases after approval. All patients were able to return home and return to school or work after initial treatment. The mean progression-free survival (PFS) was 0.87 years, and overall survival (OS) was 1.95 years. Five patients had histone H3-K27M mutations, and three patients had no mutations. PFS and OS were 1.02 years and 0.62 years, respectively, and 2.53 years and 1.20 years, respectively, both of which were longer in patients with mutations (PFS; p=0.16, OS; p=0.23).Aggressive removal of glioblastoma of the thalamus may improve prognosis, especially in patients with histone H3-K27M mutations. In patients with tumors extending to the vicinity of the internal capsule, total removal may cause paralysis and sensory disturbance.

Cervical Cord Compression With Lower Limbs Sensory Disturbance Presentation: Three Case Reports and Literature Review

Background: Lower limb sensory disturbance presentation can be a false localizing cervical cord compressive myelopathy (CSM). It may lead to delayed or missed diagnosis, resulting in the wrong management plan, especially in the presence of concurrent lumbar lesions.Case presentation:Three Asian patients with lower limb sensory disturbances presentation were treated ineffectively in the lumbar. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed cervical disc herniation and cervical level spinal cord compression. Anterior cervical discectomy surgery and zero-p interbody fusion were performed. After operations, imagings showed that the spinal cord compression were relieved, and the lower limbs sensory disturbances were also relieved. Three-months follow-up after operation showed good recovery.Conclusions:These three cervical cord compression cases of lower limb sensory disturbance presentation were easily misdiagnosed with lumbar spondylosis. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion operation had a good therapeutic effect. Therefore, cases that present with lower limb sensory disturbance, but in a non-radicular classical pattern, should always alert a suspicion of a possible cord compression cause at a higher level.

Risk factors for shoulder pain after stroke: A clinical study

Objectives: To investigate the risk factors for shoulder pain after stroke, and prevent its occurrence effectively. Methods: The patients with stroke treated in our hospital between September 2016 and October 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. The medical records of the included patients including age, gender, lesion side, stroke duration, hospital stay, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, limitation of shoulder joint activity, alcohol abuse, smoking, type of stroke, Ashworth scale, Brunnstrom stage, sensory disorders, and motor arm score of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were collected and analyzed to determine the risk factors for shoulder pain after stroke. Results: A total of 1390 patients were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, consisting of 162 patients with shoulder pain after stroke and the prevalence was 11.6%. The included patients were divided into shoulder pain group and non-shoulder pain group. There were significant differences in age, stroke duration, hospital stay, diabetes, limitation of shoulder joint activity, Ashworth scale, Brunnstrom stage, sensory disorders, and motor arm score of NIHSS between the two groups (P < 0.05). Based on the multivariate regression analysis, the independent risk factors for shoulder pain after stroke included diabetes, limited shoulder joint activity, Brunnstrom grade I-III period, Ashworth 3-4 grade, motor arm score of NIHSS 3-4 points, and sensory disturbance. Conclusion: Great emphasis should be placed on the stroke patients with diabetes, limited shoulder joint activity, Brunnstrom grade I-III period, Ashworth 3-4 grade, motor arm score of NIHSS 3-4 points, or sensory disturbance, as these patients have higher risks for shoulder pain after stroke. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4594 How to cite this:Hao N, Zhang M, Li Y, Guo Y. Risk factors for shoulder pain after stroke: A clinical study. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(1):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4594 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Physical Impairments, Sensory Disturbance and Functional Ability in Cancer Patient With and Without Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms

ObjectiveThe present study examined the objective and patient-reported measures of physical impairments, sensory disturbance and functional ability between cancer patients with and without chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms.Methods41 cancer survivors exposed to neurotoxic chemotherapies were conveniently recruited and completed a single cross-sectional assessment of patient-reported outcomes (VAS for pain intensity and ABC scale) and objective assessments (SWM test, TUG test, 5xSTS test, Romberg test with eyes open and eyes closed, 6MWT, and FAB scale).ResultsCancer patients who had undergone chemotherapy with CIPN symptoms did significantly worse in the SWM test, TUG test, 5xSTS test, Romberg test with eyes closed, 6MWT, FAB scale, and ABC scale (p<0.05) when compared with cancer survivors without CIPN symptoms.ConclusionCancer survivors with CIPN symptoms have lower physical performance, sensory perception, and functional ability, which may increase the risk of falling and disability. These findings further emphasize the need for effective rehabilitation and interventions to treat CIPN symptoms and related physical impairment and functional deficits.

Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS): genetic and clinical aspects

Cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) typically presents in middle life with a combination of neuropathy, ataxia and vestibular disease, with patients reporting progressive imbalance, oscillopsia, sensory disturbance and a dry cough. Examination identifies a sensory neuropathy or neuronopathy and bilaterally impaired vestibulo-ocular reflex. The underlying genetic basis is of biallelic AAGGG expansions in the second intron of replication factor complex subunit 1 (RFC1). The frequency and phenotype spectrum of RFC1 disease is expanding, ranging from typical CANVAS to site-restricted variants affecting the sensory nerves, cerebellum and/or the vestibular system. Given the wide phenotype spectrum of RFC1, the differential diagnosis is broad. RFC1 disease due to biallelic AAGGG expansions is probably the most common cause of recessive ataxia. The key to suspecting the disease (and prompt genetic testing) is a thorough clinical examination assessing the three affected systems and noting the presence of chronic cough.

Laterality of Skin Temperature Depending on Sensory Symptoms in Patient with Wallenberg Syndrome

Background: Wallenberg’s syndrome (WS) is caused by dorsal lateral medulla infarction. Clinical symptoms include hoarseness, dysphagia, sensory disturbance, vertigo, ataxia, and Horner’s syndrome. Recently, lateral difference of body surface temperature (BST) has been reported as a symptom of WS, resulting from the disturbances of the sympathetic nerve tract. Although sensory dysfunction is the major symptoms of WS, there is no evidence that BST influences these symptoms. We sought to evaluate the relationship between BST and sensory symptoms in WS using infrared thermography.Methods: Patients with WS within 7 days of symptom onset from June 2018 to December 2020 were enrolled. Infrared thermography was conducted at 7±30 days and 90±30 days after the onset of stroke. Laterality of BST was defined as being positive when macroscopically different and discrepancy >0.5°C in thermography.Results: The final analyses included 12 patients with a mean age of 59.9±11.85 years. Sensory symptoms in nine patients were most often described as numbness (56%), cold (44%), burning (33%), and heaviness (11%). Of these, burning symptoms lasted at 100%, cold 75%, and numbness 50% during 3 months follow-up. All patients with sensory dysfunction showed lateral BST differences. The BST laterality persisted in patients with remaining sensory dysfunction at 3 months follow-up.Conclusions: All patients with sensory dysfunction in WS showed lateral BST differences which was detected with thermography. Laterality of BST and sensory dysfunction in WS might be associated with the disturbance of the connecting pathway of skin blood flow descending from the rostral ventrolateral medulla.

Trigeminal Neuralgia from Acute Sphenoid Sinusitis: Consideration of Anatomical Sphenoid Sinus Variation – A Case Report

Although the etiology of classical trigeminal neuralgia is clearly understood to be neurovascular compression, the exact etiology of trigeminal neuralgia with continuous pain is often unknown. Mild sphenoid sinusitis is not usually considered to induce trigeminal neuralgia, especially when limited to the maxillary nerve. We report a rare case of trigeminal neuralgia of the maxillary nerve caused only by mild sphenoid sinusitis and discuss the significance of the anatomical structure and diagnostic procedures. A 45-year-old woman noticed a sudden onset of temporal pain followed by numbness on her right cheek. Her right gingiva also experienced sensory disturbance. The symptoms gradually subsided after the initial onset, but they persisted. She visited our hospital for further examinations and had no febrile episodes throughout the course. A tingling sensation and sensory disturbance were only identified in the maxillary nerve. No other neurological symptoms were noted. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed mild sphenoid sinusitis on the right side. The absence of the bony boundary between the sphenoid sinus and maxillary nerve was revealed using thin-sliced computed tomography (CT). The patient’s symptoms were diagnosed as maxillary neuropathy caused by mild sinusitis. The bony defect around the maxillary nerve was considered to have affected development of the pathological process. Even mild sphenoid sinusitis can cause inflammation to spread to the maxillary nerve if no bony boundary exists between it and the sphenoid sinus. A coronal CT study is highly beneficial for clarifying the pathophysiological mechanism of trigeminal neuralgia limited to the maxillary nerve.

Sensory Disturbance of the Lower Extremity after Sural Artery Flap Elevation

Purpose. Elevation of the sural artery flap with the sural nerve is associated with donor-site morbidities, such as postoperative sensory disturbance of the lower extremity. We evaluated the sensory disturbance of the lower extremity after elevation of the sural artery flap. Methods. This study included 7 patients who underwent surgery using the sural artery flap. The sensory disturbances immediately after surgery and at present were evaluated on a 10-point scale. The influences of surgery on activities of daily living and patient satisfaction were also evaluated. Results. The sensory disturbance was 4.48 immediately after surgery and 2.24 presently, and the difference between the timepoints was not statistically significant. The influence of surgery on activities of daily living was 2.30, and the patient satisfaction was 7.90. Conclusion. It may be necessary to consider the sural artery flap, which does not include the sural nerve, to avoid unnecessary complications. When it is unavoidable to use the sural artery flap, including the sural nerve, it is important to thoroughly inform patients beforehand about the postsurgery sensory disturbance in the lower extremities.