Repeat percutaneous tracheostomy in a COVID-19 patient

A 73-year-old man with history of hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was admitted to the emergency department with acute respiratory failure from COVID-19. After 10 days of mechanical ventilation (MV) the patient underwent a successful trial of extubation. However, 3 days later his neurological status deteriorated and required re-intubation. A brain computed tomography (CT) scan showed right cerebellar hemorrhage. Considering extent and location of the hemorrhage we decided to perform a percutaneous tracheostomy on the 18th day. The patient was then successfully weaned from MV (day 47th), and finally decannulated (day 50th). On day 62nd, the patient experienced an episode of septic shock, requiring oro-tracheal re-intubation, for we decided to perform a repeat percutaneous tracheostomy. All the procedure steps were uneventful. The patient was subsequently transferred to another ICU, and then successfully discharged to the Respiratory Ward. Keywords: coronavirus; airways; dilational tracheostomy

Critical cerebellar hemorrhage due to pilocytic astrocytoma in a child: A case report

Background: Cerebellar hemorrhage is rare in children, and its cause is usually vascular disorders such as arteriovenous malformations or hematological disorders. Case Description: A previously healthy 10-year-old girl presented with a loss of consciousness following sudden headache and vomiting. A non-contrast brain computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a massive cerebellar hemorrhage with obstructive hydrocephalus; however, subsequent CT angiography (CTA) showed no vascular abnormalities. An emergency craniotomy was performed to evacuate the hematoma, and histological analysis of the specimen obtained from the tissue surrounding the hematoma revealed a pilocytic astrocytoma (PA). Six months after the ictus, her recovery was scored at 2 on the modified Rankin Scale. Conclusion: PA can be a cause of critical cerebellar hemorrhage. In this case of life-threatening massive hematoma, CTA was useful to exclude a major vascular pathology and to save time.

Role of early surgical intervention in outcome and prognosis of spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage with intraventricular extension

Spontaneous cerebellar hematomas represent 5 to 13% of all cases of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. The main controversy involves deciding which cases require surgical evacuation of the hematoma versus other options, such as ventricular drainage only or conservative treatment. Furthermore, because the clinical course is variable in some cases, timing of such treatment should be carefully considered. The duration from the onset of hemorrhage also plays an important role in prognosis and recovery of the patient. Both the clinical presentation and subsequent course vary among cases. Unpredictable rapid deterioration in consciousness levels has been recognized. The majority of patients with such decline in consciousness experience the deterioration primarily within 72 hrs after onset⁠. Acute presentation was observed to be correlated with poor outcomes. In our report, the first case presented with sudden onset of headache in the right frontal region of head with vertigo. He came to hospital within 6 hours of onset. However, the second case had an onset of symptoms around 72 hours before the presentation.

Case Report: Guillain–Barré Syndrome Associated With COVID-19

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a potentially fatal, immune-mediated disease of the peripheral nervous system that is usually triggered by infection. Only a small number of cases of GBS associated with COVID-19 infection have been published. We report here five patients with GBS admitted to the Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery Hospital, Assiut University/Egypt from July 1 to November 20, 2020. Three of the five patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 following polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nasopharyngeal swabs on day of admission and another one had a high level of IgM and IgG; all had bilateral ground-glass opacities with consolidation on CT chest scan (GGO) and lymphopenia. All patients presented with two or more of the following: fever, cough, malaise, vomiting, and diarrhea with variable duration. However, there were some peculiarities in the clinical presentation. First, there were only 3 to 14 days between the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and the first symptoms of GBS, which developed into flaccid areflexic quadriplegia with glove and stocking hypoesthesia. The second peculiarity was that three of the cases had cranial nerve involvement, suggesting that there may be a high incidence of cranial involvement in SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS. Other peculiarities occurred. Case 2 presented with a cerebellar hemorrhage before symptoms of COVID-19 and had a cardiac attack with elevated cardiac enzymes following onset of GBS symptoms. Case 5 was also unusual in that the onset began with bilateral facial palsy, which preceded the sensory and motor manifestations of GBS (descending course). Neurophysiological studies showed evidence of sensorimotor demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, suggesting acute inflammatory polyneuropathy (AIDP) in all patients. Three patients received plasmapheresis. All of them had either full recovery or partial recovery. Possible pathophysiological links between GBS and COVID-19 are discussed.