Spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage is unusual, accounting for less than 1% of all cases of subarachnoid hemorrhge. Very rare cases have been reported that they had no definitive etiology of spontaneuos spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage. One patient with spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage is presented to emphasize the clinical and radiological features of this uncommon illness. The patient had severe back pain at the onset and was unable to walk. The s!mtoms improved slowly with conservative treatments. Complete blood work up CSF culture and spinal angiogrphy failed to reveal a cause for the hemorrhage. This is believed to be the first case report of spontaneous spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown cause in Korea.
Back Pain ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*

Acute infarcts of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) territory are unusual. Furthermore incomplete AICA infarcts are perplexing because of its variations of vascular anatomy and inconsistent clinical features. We present a case with clinical features of AICA infarction, which consist of ipsilateral peripheral-type facial palsy, vertigo, and contralateral facial and upper limb sensory changes without motor weakness. The patient had hypertension and was a current smoker. The high signal intensity on inferior pontine tegmental area was found on MRI and the R2 interneuronal dysfunction was note on Blink reflex. The angiographic findings didn't show any focal vascular lesions, which is contrary to the pathogenesis of AICA infarction published previously. On the clinical ground, the present case reserves to attention in that patients with peripheral-type facial palsy should be properly evaluated and with thorough neurological examination and we could differentiate between the incomplete AICA infarcts such as Gasperini syndrome and Bell's palsy.
Arteries ; Bell Palsy ; Blinking ; Facial Paralysis* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infarction ; Interneurons ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurologic Examination ; Upper Extremity ; Vertigo

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Severe hemispheric infarction(SHI) reportedly has various range of high mortality. Recently it has been reported that more aggressive therapeutic intervention, such as decompressive hemicraniectomy or mild hypothermia might has potential benefits in the management of SHI. However, the mortality and the prognosis of Sill under the conservative treatment were rarely studied yet in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-six patients with CT proven SHI were subjected among 1649 acute stroke patients registered at the Hallym Stroke Data Bank since Jan. 1993. We analyzed the computerized databases for the mortality and compared inclusively demographic features, clinical characteristics, etiology, therapy modalities and CT findings of fatal group with those of survivors. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were expired among 66 SI-il patients(mean age: 64.9+/-11.5, male to female ratio;37:29). The mean time to expire was 160.4 hours. The fatal group had a significantly higher incidence of cardioembolism. uncontrolled BP during the acute stage, and extensive infarction territory(MCA+ACA). Risk factors for ischemic stroke such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia. smoking, previous stroke history, diabetes mellitus. and old age were not related to mortality low densities and hyperdense MCA signs on brain imaging were not different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The early mortality rate of Sill under the conservative care was 38% in a referral hospital of Korea. intractable hypertension in the acute stage, cardioembolism and extent of infarct area may have predictable values of early mortality of SHI.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Hypothermia ; Incidence ; Infarction ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality* ; Neuroimaging ; Prognosis ; Referral and Consultation ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Survivors

A 57-year-old female was hospitalized for visual disturbance and right hemiparesis. MRI revealed cortical and sub-cortical infarcts in the left occipito-parietal area. One week later, she experienced paroxysmal electric shock like pain on the dorsum of her right hand. All analgesics failed to relieve her pain, but an antiepileptic drug eradicated the pain completely. This unusual seizure could have been misdiagnosed as a thalamic or pseudothalamic pain syndrome had an ictal EEG not been performed. We report the post-stroke somatosensory seizure, only with unilateral ictal pain. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(1):49~51, 2001
Analgesics ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Paresis ; Seizures* ; Shock ; Stroke

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate frontal N30 status in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to examine the correlation between the amplitude of frontal N30 and the severity of motor deficits. METHODS: The frontal N30 was compared between 17 PD patients and 18 healthy volunteers. Correlations between the amplitude of frontal N30 and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score of the more severely affected side was examined. RESULTS: The mean latency of the N30 was not significantly different between patients and healthy volunteers (p = 0.981), but the mean amplitude was lower in PD patients (p < 0.025). There was a significant negative correlation between the amplitude of N30 and the UPDRS motor score (r = -0.715, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The frontal N30 status indicates the motor severity of PD. It can be a useful biomarker reflecting dopaminergic deficits and an objective measurement for monitoring the clinical severity of PD.
Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease*

The objectives of this study are to investigate the prevalence of occupation related carpal tunnel syndrome(CTS) among workers in a condom industry; to analyse the sensitivity and specificity of clinical signs or symptoms such as hand diagram, Tinel's sign and Phalen's sign in carpal tunnel syndrome; and to test vibration threshold test using audiometry as a technically easy and noninvasive method in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome in stead of nerve conduction velocity(NCV). The study group was divided into exposed group(39 cases)and non-exposed group(48 cases) based on whether or not excessive use of wrist movements exist. 1. There are statistically significant differences in symptoms and signs of carpal tunnel syndrome such as hand diagram, Tinel's sign and Phalen's sign between exposed and non-exposed group(p<0.05). 2. Six cases(9 hands) were confirmed as carpal tunnel syndrome by NCV. Five cases(7 hands) belonged to exposed group, 1 case(2 hands) to nonexposed group. As there are significant differences in prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome between two groups(p<0.05), excessive use of wrist in occupation is a risk factor of carpal tunnel syndrome. 3. When we use NCV as a gold standard in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, sensitivity and specificity of hand diagram, Tinel's sign and Phalen's sign is as followed; hand diagram; sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 84.2%. Tinel's sign; sensitivity 55.6%, specificity 72.8%. Phalen's sign; sensitivity 14.3%, specificity 88.4%. Among above clinical signs and symptoms, hand diagram is the best clinical screening test. 4. The differences of vibration threshold between median and ulnar nerve at the same time are useful in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome but the time change of vibration threshold of median nerve over time are not sensitive enough. It is concluded that vibration threshold between median and ulnar nerve at the same time can be used as a supplementary or alternative criterion to indicate that the nerve dysfunction is located in the carpal tunnel.
Audiometry ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Condoms* ; Diagnosis ; Hand ; Mass Screening ; Median Nerve ; Neural Conduction ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ulnar Nerve ; Vibration ; Wrist

The habituation of early (R1) and late response (R2) of blink reflex was investigated in 44 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 19 control subjects. The latency, duration and area of R1 and R2 components of blink reflex in single stimulation, and the percentage recovery of R1 in paired stimulation were not different between patients and control subjects. However, in PD patients, the latency of R2 evoked by test stimuli was shorter than that of conditioning stimuli, and the percentage recovery of R2 habituation was increased as compared to that of control subjects. The degree of early recovery of R2 habituation was slightly more evident in advanced PD patients and nonmedicated patients than that of control subjects. In addition, the early recovery of R2 was present in the test of asymptomatic side of PD patients. Our results suggests that blink reflex may be used as a method of evaluating the clinical status of PD patients.
Blinking* ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease*

BACKGROUND: Persistent auras after temporal lobectomy may be bothersome to the patients even though they are seizure free. But most authors specifically are concerned about the seizure outcome itself. The aim of the present study was to investigate which factors are related to persistent auras in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy(TLE) after temporal lobectomy. METHODS: We have retrospectively analysed many factors in 38 TLE patients with aura. All patients underwent anterior temporal lobectomy with amygdalo-hippocampectomy. Twenty three patients were seizure and aura free (completely seizure-free) and 15 patients had persistent auras(persistent auras) in spite of seizure-free. Characteristics of auras, past medical history, presence of secondary GTC, seizure frequency, age of surgery, age of onset, duration of habitual seizure, ictal EEG pattern, and pre- and postoperative MRI findings were compared between group with completely seizure-free and group with persistent aura. RESULTS: Characteristics of aura, past medical history, presence of secondary GTC, seizure frequency, ictal EEG pattern, age of onset, and age of surgery had no statistical differences between both groups. Seizure duration of group with persistent aura seemed to be longer than that of group with completely seizure-free(13.6 years vs 17.0 years, median test, p=0.10) and remained hippocampus in postsurgical MRI seemed to be related to persistent auras(Fisher's exact test, p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: We found that there were suggestive differences in seizure duration and remained hippocampus between the two groups.
Age of Onset ; Anterior Temporal Lobectomy ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy* ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe

A young woman developed a hemilateral tonic spasm associated with multiple sclerosis. Her symptoms included brief recurrent episodes of abnormal, often painful, posturing of one or more extremities without alteration of consciousness. An area of demyelination in the contralateral cerebral peduncle was observed on a magnetic resonance imaging. The tonic attacks abated with carbamazepine therapy. The pathophysiology may involve ephaptic transmission between demyelinated fibers in acute plaques within the corticospinal tract secondary to axonal irritation by lymphokines. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(2):167~169, 2001)
Axons ; Carbamazepine ; Consciousness ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphokines ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Spasm* ; Tegmentum Mesencephali

A young woman developed a hemilateral tonic spasm associated with multiple sclerosis. Her symptoms included brief recurrent episodes of abnormal, often painful, posturing of one or more extremities without alteration of consciousness. An area of demyelination in the contralateral cerebral peduncle was observed on a magnetic resonance imaging. The tonic attacks abated with carbamazepine therapy. The pathophysiology may involve ephaptic transmission between demyelinated fibers in acute plaques within the corticospinal tract secondary to axonal irritation by lymphokines. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(2):167~169, 2001)
Axons ; Carbamazepine ; Consciousness ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphokines ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Spasm* ; Tegmentum Mesencephali