Search

The case of a "young stroke" affecting a 22 years old man is reported. Essential clinical features were drowsiness, headache, motor aphasia, right hemiparesis and Claude-Bernard-Horner in the left eye. An extensive investigative protocol was carried out which revealed an occlusion of the intracranial left ICA with subsequent recanalization. The possible causes of the stroke (migraine, dissection or combination of both) are discussed and the importance of a complete evaluation of patients of this kind is stressed.

3 patients with Myotonic Dystrophy (MD) and associated leg motor neuropathy, confirmed in two of them by biopsy of one branch of lateral popliteal nerve, were studied with Multimodality Evoked Potentials. Abnormalities of VEPs and BAEPs, in agreement with literature, were found in all patients. Median SEP peripheral conduction velocity, N9-N13 and N13-N20 conduction time were normal. On the contrary, all patients showed reduced lower limb SEP peripheral conduction velocity niloutstanding normal nerve biopsy. These results suggest in MD neurological abnormalities occur outside muscular system, too.

The motor and sensory conduction velocities were measured, and the somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded on median nerve stimulation in 20 epileptics on long-term carbamazepine therapy. The plasma drug levels were monitored and found to be consistently within therapeutic range. The electrophysiological study showed that the motor and sensory conduction velocities in the lower limbs were significantly lower than in age-and sex-matched controls, while no significant variation was found in the somato-sensory evoked potentials. There was no correlation between the neurophysiological data and any of the pharmacological data, such as duration of treatment, plasma levels and dose of drug per Kg of bodyweight per day.