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Sneezing is known to precede lateral medullary syndrome (LMS). It is usually interpreted as the precipitating cause for a vertebral artery dissection that subsequently causes LMS. Through two case reports and a literature review, we aim to challenge the concept that sneezing at the onset of LMS implies that a dissection is the underlying cause. An 82-year-old man and a 54-year-old man both reported unprovoked explosive pathological sneezing at the onset of the LMS without any delay between sneezing and the other LMS symptoms. Both denied neck trauma or neck pain. There was no conclusive evidence for vertebral artery dissection in either case. Paroxysmal sneezing can be an initial manifestation of lateral medullary ischemia and may not necessarily indicate an underlying vertebral artery dissection as the cause.

Objective To compare the degree of discomfort caused by nerve conduction studies (NCS) versus needle electromyography (EMG), and to determine what factors predict aversion to one test or the other. Methods Two hundred patients underwent both EMG and NCS, and were asked to indicate which test was more uncomfortable. Responses were then correlated with demographic information, testing characteristics, and medical histories to identify any notable associations. Results Of the 200 patients, 58.5% (117) of the patients found the NCS more uncomfortable than EMG. Sixty-one percent (11/18) of the younger patients (18–29 years old) found EMG more uncomfortable (P = 0.08), whereas 68% (40/59) of the older patients (age greater than 60 years old) found NCS more uncomfortable (P = 0.05). Sixty-seven percent (14/21) of the patients whose BMI was less than 22 kg/m2 rated EMG as more uncomfortable (P = 0.01). Sixty-nine percent (27/39) of the patients whose BMI was greater than or equal to 38 found the NCS more uncomfortable (P = 0.02). A positive correlation existed between NCS discomfort and number of nerves tested. 67% (35/52) of the patients with polyneuropathy found NCS more uncomfortable. Conclusion Nerve conduction studies are more uncomfortable than needle EMG in the majority of patients, and predictions regarding which test will be more uncomfortable for a given patient are possible.

Although brain magnetic resonance imaging is a more sensitive diagnostic tool in the evaluation of coma, noncontrast head computed tomography (CT) may demonstrate highly specific findings in some cases of coma. We present a case of thiamine deficiency-induced coma associated with acute necrosis of fornices documented on CT and review cardinal neuroimaging features of Wernicke encephalopathy. Acute fornices necrosis is a novel finding on head CT suggestive of thiamine deficiency.