Background and Objectives: Stroke mimics are medical conditions producing stroke-like symptoms but eventually get diagnosed as non-stroke diseases. Epileptic seizure is a common type of stroke mimic. The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of emergency multimodal computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of epileptic seizure. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the case group of patients with suspected stroke in the emergency stroke care service of the First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University from September 2017 to October 2019. We included those who underwent multimodal CT, including non-contrasted cranial CT, CT perfusion with CT angiography, and were ultimately diagnosed as epileptic seizures. Ten patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke were assigned as controls. Results: A total of five cases met the inclusion criteria. Multimodal CT was completed within 2.25 to 3.50h from symptom onset. On CT perfusion, hyperperfusion was shown in four cases and slightly increased perfusion in one case with epileptic seizures. Cerebral blood flow and cerebral blood volume were significantly increased, while time to peak and mean transit time decreased in the regions of interest of the epileptic hemisphere when compared to either the non-affected hemisphere or the ischemic area in the control group (P<0.05). The abnormal perfusion areas did not follow vascular territory supply and CT angiography did not show vessel occlusion in the case group. Conclusion: Emergency multimodal CT could be used effectively to differentiate epileptic seizure from stroke.

Seizures (including postictal state) account for about 38% of stroke mimics, which are easily confused with acute ischemic cerebrovascular events. Electroencephalogram, with a low interictal positive rate, has limitations in early diagnosis of epileptic seizures because it is usually unavailable in the emergency room. In acute settings, CT perfusion imaging is economical and has a short examination time. It is widely used for early screening and evaluation of suspected stroke. Seizures are accompanied by perfusion changes and have certain characteristics. CT perfusion patterns in different periods, especially for focal hyperperfusion, can distinguish stroke-like seizures from cerebrovascular events at an early stage. It helps to make a clear diagnosis and appropriate clinical decisions, leading to improve patients′ prognosis.

A 20-year-old male patient presented with myalgia of upper limbs and myasthenia of extremities for more than 1 month. Physical examination showed diffuse erythema on the cheeks, upper eyelids, upper chest, neck and dorsa of the hands. The myodynamia of the proximal and distal muscles of upper and lower extremities was grade Ⅳ, Ⅴ, Ⅲ and Ⅴ respectively. Laboratory examinations revealed that the serum levels of creatine kinase, CK-MB and lactate dehydrogenase were 2103 U/L, 83 U/L and 489 U/L respectively, which were all above the normal range. Electromyogram revealed myopathic abnormality and normal nerve conduction velocity. Histopathology of gastrocnemius muscle showed hypertrophy and swelling of muscle fibers, disappearance or fuzziness of transverse striation, and intermuscular lymphoid cell infiltration. A biopsy of the skin lesion from the upper chest showed liquefaction degeneration of and colloid bodies in basal cell layer, perivascular lymphoid cell infiltration in the dermis. A diagnosis of dermatomyositis was established based on the clinical and laboratory findings. After management with intravenous prednisolone 80 mg once daily and symptomatic treatment for 4 weeks, the myodynamia of upper limbs was improved, serum levels of creatine kinase,CK-MB and lactate dehydrogenase reached the normal ranges. However, the myodynamia of lower limbs progressively deteriorated with the emergence of paresthesia. Enhanced MRI scan showed a tumor in the vertebral canal at the level of thoracic vertebra 11 to 12. A spherical encapsulated tumor measuring 3 cm in diameter was surgically removed. The tumor was diagnosed as paraganglioma in vertebral canal according to pathological and immunohistochemical findings. The patient was finally diagnosed with paraganglioma in vertebral canal superimposed on dermatomyositis.

Objective To explore the application of quantitative EEG(QEEG)trends in the assessment of the state of brain function in patients with severe stenosis of the internal carotid artery and its predictive value for the risk of acute occlusion in the short term.Methods The clinical and imaging data of a case of severe left internal carotid stenosis were retrospectively analyzed,and QEEG trends were used for evaluating the state of brain function.Results It showed that rhythmicity spectrogram,amplitude-integrated EEG,fast Fourier transformation spectrogram and fast Fourier transform power spectrum in QEEG trends could quickly and visually display theta activity and amplitude at the side of severe internal carotid artery stenosis continued to increase compared with the healthy side hemisphere.Acute occlusion of the left internal carotid artery and large artery atherosclerotic cerebral infarction occurred in the patient after 3 days.Conclusion As a supplement to neuroimaging examination,QEEG trends may be helpful for rapidly diagnosing brain function damage in the early stage of patients with severe internal carotid artery stenosis who are under the ischemic attack state,and even have potential predictive values for patients with acute occlusion in the short term.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of a novel modified Blumgart pancreaticojejunostomy in laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD).Methods:Between May 2021 and January 2022, 13 successive cases from Lihuili Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University who underwent LPD were enrolled in this retrospective study. The study retrospectively analyzed the demographic characteristics, perioperative outcomes, and pathological results of these cases.Results:Twenty patients underwent LPD success-fully and one required conversion to open surgery. The operative time was (308.6 ± 61.7) min. The duration for PJ was (26.7 ± 4.3) min. The estimated blood loss was (188.1 ± 94.2) ml. The postoperative hospital stay was (14.2 ± 3.5) d. There was one case of biochemical leakage and no case of grade B or grade C pancreatic fistula.Conclusions:The new method is safe, simple and feasible. The novel method could reduce the incidence of pancreatic fistula and other complications after LPD.

Objective:To elucidate the phenomenon that epileptic seizure occurs in patients with epilepsy without definite diagnosis when driving a motor vehicle and its hazards.Methods:From January 2020 to June 2022, 7 epileptic patients who experienced traffic accidents caused by seizures were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, and their demographic data, traffic accident related data and epilepsy diagnosis and treatment data were summarized and analyzed.Results:A total of 7 adult patients with epilepsy were collected, including 6 males, 4 of whom had been driving for more than 10 years. Among them, 1 patient drove a bus, and the other 6 patients drove private cars. Totally 5/7 of the accidents resulted in personal injury, and 3/7 of the accidents resulted in personal death. In 5 patients, video electroencephalogram showed interictal epileptiform discharges. In 2 patients, the imaging findings suggested the presence of cerebral cortical lesions that may lead to seizures. In terms of the form of seizure, 3 patients′ seizure type was focal to bilateral tonic-clonic, and the other 4 patients were very probable to be focal impaired awareness seizure.Conclusions:Undiagnosed epileptic seizures lead to traffic accidents, endanger patients and public safety, which need to attract attention from both doctors and patients, as well as the whole society.