Cerebral venous thrombosis secondary to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

We report a case of a woman who underwent in-vitro fertilisation embryo transfer treatment for infertility and developed an acute stroke (left hemiparesis and headache). The stroke was caused by cerebral venous thrombosis due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. We review the current background about this uncommon disorder.

Prognosticating acute symptomatic seizures using two different seizure outcomes.

Purpose: This study examined the profiles and prognosis of first acute symptomatic seizure (ASS). Because seizure recurrences may occur in the setting of a persisting or reemerging acute symptomatic cause or in the setting of an unprovoked seizure, we documented the prognosis of ASS in terms of acute symptomatic seizure (AS) or unprovoked seizure (US) recurrence.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study of patients with suspected seizures between April 2004 and December 2005.

Lesion patterns and stroke mechanisms in concurrent atherosclerosis of intracranial and extracranial vessels.

Background And Purpose: Concurrent atherosclerosis of the intracranial and extracranial cerebrovascular system is common in Asians. The typical lesion patterns and the mechanisms of stroke in patients with concurrent stenoses are unclear. This study aimed to determine these stroke features of such patients in Hong Kong.

Effects of valproate or lamotrigine monotherapy on the reproductive endocrine and insulin-related metabolic profile in Chinese adults with epilepsy: a prospective randomized study.

Cross-sectional studies have suggested that valproate treatment may be associated with hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism in women. Few prospective data are available. We evaluated the reproductive endocrine and insulin-related metabolic parameters in men and women with untreated epilepsy randomized to valproate (n=44) or lamotrigine (n=37) monotherapy for 12 months.

An epidemiological study of epilepsy in Hong Kong SAR, China.

Background: Several specialist clinic-based epidemiology studies suggested low prevalence in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China. Population-based epidemiological data for epilepsy is not available. We performed the first population-based epidemiological survey of epilepsy in this locality.

Refractory epilepsy in a Chinese population.

Objectives: To investigate the proportion of Chinese patients with intractable seizures and the risk factors leading to refractory epilepsy.

Methods: Consecutive patients over 14 years of age attending a Neurology clinic were evaluated. Patients with epilepsy were classified into two groups according to their seizure control: refractory or seizure-free.

Diagnostic value and safety of long-term video-EEG monitoring.

This paper aimed to assess the usefulness and safety of video-EEG (video-electroencephalography) monitoring in patients with refractory epilepsy. We analysed the video-EEG recordings of consecutive patients over a 3-year period from 2002 to 2005. The pre-admission diagnosis, demographic information, number of ictal episodes, adverse events, and final diagnosis were recorded in all patients.

Association between ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism and drug-resistant epilepsy in Han Chinese.

There is accumulating evidence to suggest that overexpression of efflux drug transporters at the blood-brain barrier, by reducing antiepileptic drug (AED) accumulation in the seizure foci, contributes to drug resistance in epilepsy. P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, is the most studied drug transporter. There are conflicting data as to whether the CC genotype of the ABCB1 3435C>T polymorphism is associated with drug resistance in Caucasian patients with epilepsy.

Topiramate for migraine prophylaxis among Chinese population.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of topiramate for migraine prophylaxis among Chinese patients in a multicenter prospective observational study. We found that topiramate at low doses was effective in preventing migraine headache in Chinese patients and was generally well tolerated. There was no difference in baseline headache frequency or intensity between responders and nonresponders.

Update on status epilepticus.

Status epilepticus is a medical emergency and is secondary to a range of insults to the central nervous system. The authors reviewed the current management of this disorder in light of the latest developments from recent trials and guidelines. Important principles in management include early recognition of status epilepticus, identification of the underlying cause and prompt treatment to terminate seizures and reduce complications.

Treatment of lateral epicondylitis with botulinum toxin: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Lateral epicondylitis is a common condition for which botulinum toxin has been reported to have a therapeutic role in uncontrolled studies.

Objective: To determine if an injection of botulinum toxin is more effective than placebo for reducing pain in adults with lateral epicondylitis.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted from September 2002 to December 2004.

Simple partial status epilepticus in Chinese adults.

Simple partial status epilepticus (SPSE) is uncommon compared with generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus. We evaluated the clinical profile and predictors of poor outcome in a group of Chinese patients with this condition. We identified 32 patients above the age of 14 years with SPSE from a large urban hospital over an eleven-year period.

Prognosis following Postanoxic Myoclonus Status epilepticus.

Prediction of outcome after cardiac arrest has important ethical and socioeconomic implications. In general, delay in recovery of neurological function is associated with a worse prognosis. The presence of myoclonic seizures early after anoxia has been identified as a poor prognostic factor.

Electrophysiological, clinical and epidemiological study of Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Hong Kong Chinese.

The authors reviewed the clinical and electrophysiological features in 20 consecutive adult patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) admitted to a regional hospital in Hong Kong from 1993 to 1998. The majority of cases in this locality consists of the demyelinating form of GBS; epidemic, acute motor axonal neuropathy is not the predominant form. The incidence of GBS in this region of China was 0.

Generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus in the elderly in China.

The proportion of elderly people in China is projected to increase rapidly but there is limited information on status epilepticus (SE) in this population. We evaluated retrospectively the etiology, response to treatment, outcome and predictors of mortality in a group of elderly patients with generalized tonic-clonic SE in Hong Kong, China. Factors for increased mortality were analyzed using a logistic regression model.

Cerebral microbleeds and white matter changes in patients hospitalized with lacunar infarcts.

Microbleeds (MBs) detected by gradient-echo T2*-weighted MRI (GRE-T2*),white matter changes and lacunar infarcts may be regarded as manifestations of microangiopathy. The establishment of a quantitative relationship among them would further strengthen this hypothesis. We aimed to investigate the frequency and the number of MBs in patients hospitalized with lacunar infarcts and their quantitative relationship with the severity of white matter changes (WMC) and the number of old lacunar infarcts.

Carpal tunnel syndrome: diagnostic usefulness of sonography.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate accuracy of sonography for diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in patients clinically suspected of having the disease in one or both hands.

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort of 133 patients suspected of having CTS were referred to a teaching hospital between October 2001 and June 2002 for electrodiagnostic study. One hundred twenty patients (98 women, 22 men; mean age, 49 years; range, 19-83 years) underwent sonography within 1 week after electrodiagnostic study.

Epidemiology and management of epilepsy in Hong Kong: an overview.

Over half of the estimated 50 million people with epilepsy live in Asia, but there has been limited information on the epidemiology, aetiology and management of epilepsy from this region. In this article, we summarise some of the main problems faced by patients and the current treatment options available in an urban area of China.

Vagus nerve stimulation for refractory epilepsy: long term efficacy and side-effects.

Background: In general vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can serve as an adjunctive treatment for patients with refractory partial-onset seizures. And we evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of VNS in a group of Chinese patients with refractory epilepsy.

Methods: Of 127 patients with refractory epilepsy, 13 patients who were not eligible for surgical intervention were implanted with the Cyberonics VNS system.

Small subcortical infarct and intracranial large artery disease in Chinese.

Background: Small subcortical infarct (SSI) occurs more frequently among Chinese than Caucasians. Apart from small vessel disease, SSI is also associated with intracranial large artery disease. We aimed to study the frequency of SSI with and without intracranial large artery disease among Chinese stroke patients.

Status epilepticus in Hong Kong Chinese: aetiology, outcome and predictors of death and morbidity.

The majority of patients with epilepsy live in developing countries but there is limited information on status epilepticus (SE) from these regions. We evaluated the clinical profile and predictors of poor outcome in a group of Chinese patients with SE. Patients with SE were ascertained from the medical, intensive care and emergency departments of a large urban hospital from 1996 to 2001.