[Hoigne syndrome following an intravenous injection of ceftriaxone: a case report].

Introduction: Hoigne's syndrome is characterized by the development of acute clinical manifestations which are mainly psycho-sensorial. Classically, these features immediately follow the injection of procaine penicillin G.

Case Report: We report a 59-year-old man who presented with psycho-organic manifestations that occurred just after the intravenous injection of ceftriaxone; to our knowledge, this is the first case of Hoigne's syndrome reported after an injection of this antibiotic.

[Lateral bulbar infarction due to intracranial dissection and subarachnoid haemorrhage].

Introduction: Intracranial vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms are a recognized cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage and the hemorrhagic recurrence risk after a first rupture of the dissecting aneurysm is high and of poor prognosis. However, when the dissection is discovered in a patient with vertebrobasilar territory ischemia, little is known about the risk of hemorrhagic rupture risk and there is no consensus on management.

Observation: We report the case of a 49-year-old man who developed subarachnoid hemorrhage 48 hours after the occurrence of a latero-bulbar syndrome caused by a spontaneous dissection with occlusion of the right vertebral artery.

[Cerebral angiitis caused by periarteritis nodosa].

Introduction: We report a case of periarteritis nodosa revealed by a cerebral angiitis which recovered under treatment.

Observation: A 52-year-old patient suddenly presented with a left sensory syndrome and a fluctuating aphasia due to ischemia involving both parietal lobes. The diagnosis of periarteritis nodosa was based on the following criteria: severe loss of weight, renal insufficiency, hypertension, angiography suggesting an arteritis.

[Spontaneous thrombosis of lesion-free carotid arteries: a retrospective analysis of eight patients].

Strokes are rarely secondary to spontaneous carotid artery thrombosis. The objectives of this retrospective analysis were to define characteristic features and the clinical course. The study population included eight patients (6 females/2 males) seen at six university neurological centers.

[Facial palsy and central nervous system infection with varicella virus following adult chickenpox].

Introduction: VZV virus-related peripheral neuropathies usually occur after shingles in adults and more rarely after chickenpox in childhood.

Case Report: A 54-year-old patient presented with a right VIIth nerve palsy following a chickenpox rash and recovered after antiviral treatment. CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic meningitis and the virus was identified by PCR.

[Intracranial haemorrhage associated with phaeochromocytoma].

Introduction: Pheochromocytoma is rarely disclosed by intracranial hemorrhage. We report two cases.

Observation: The first 26-year-old patient developed subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery.

[Ataxic sensory neuropathy and Lyme disease].

Introduction: The clinical spectrum of peripheral neuropathies in Lyme disease is very wide. We report a case which was revealed by an ataxic sensory neuropathy.

Observation: A 77-year-old patient presented with a subacute ataxic sensory neuropathy which occurred 2 weeks after a skin lesion involving the right lower limb.

[Hypokalaemic paralysis as a presentation of adrenal tumor].

A 24-year-old patient presented with flaccid quadriplegia due to severe hypokaliemia, initially presumed to have been induced by glycyrrhizin. Persistence of low potassium levels and hypertension led to the diagnosis of primary hyperaldosteronism related to an adrenal cortical tumor. After surgery, the patient recovered from hypertension and hypokaliemia.

[Pituitary tumour as a presenting symptom of a systemic lymphoma].

Pituitary non Hodgkin malignant lymphomas are rare. We report a case of large cell systemic lymphoma with pituitary and meningeal localizations in a 40-year-old patient. The clinical picture was panhypopituitarism with MRI appearance of pituitary adenoma and VII and VIII cranial nerves involvement.

[Hypertensive encephalopathy as revealing symptom of Takayasu's arteritis].

A 29-year-old patient presented with Takayasu's arteritis which was revealed by heart failure, epilepsy, right hemiparesis and fever. Transient abnormalities of MRI and CSF (raised protein and cell content) were initially observed. The hypothesis of a hypertensive encephalopathy is suggested.

[Recurrent acute polyneuropathy and cutaneous vasculitis].

A patient with relapsing cutaneous vasculitis presented 3 times in 10 years with an acute extensive neuropathy and respiratory failure which fully recovered. The relationships between Guillain-Barré syndrome and vasculitis are discussed.

[Cerebral hemorrhage due to a ruptured mycotic aneurysm. Two cases].

Introduction: Cerebral hemorrhages due to rupture of mycotic aneurysms are rare but severe complications of infective endocarditis. We report two cases with a good outcome.

Exegesis: The first patient presented with a parieto-occipital hematoma which occurred in the course of a relapsing infective endocarditis due to Streptococcus mitis.

[Acute onset syringomyelia: two cases].

Two cases of acute presentation of cervical syringomyelia associated with Chiari malformation are reported. In the first case, dysphagia was the main symptom; the second patient had symptoms suggesting acute brain stem ischemia. The mechanism of this acute onset of the illness is discussed.

Transcranial Doppler detection of cerebral microemboli during left heart catheterization.

The role of transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) in individual risk assessment of embolic complications and the development of prevention strategies during coronary angiography remains to be determined. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence, time of occurrence and potential significance of microembolic signals (MES) detected with TCD during femoral left heart catheterization. TCD monitoring of the right and left middle cerebral artery was performed in 51 consecutive patients (36 men, 15 women) who were referred for coronary angiography.

[Arterial thrombolysis and angioplasty in atheromatous basilar artery occlusion].

Basilar occlusions treated with conventional therapy (anticoagulants or antiplatelets) have a poor outcome (80p. cent mortality). This unfavorable outcome may require a treatment within 6 hours by intra-arterial thrombolysis, sometimes followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in case of atherothrombotic occlusion due to a tight atherosclerotic stenosis.

[Benign acute ataxia in an adult with VZV infection].

In adults, neurological complications of VZV virus usually occur after herpes zoster infection in patients with AIDS. We report a case of acute and benign cerebellar ataxia after chickenpox in a patient without immunodeficiency.

[Neurological manifestation of infectious endocarditis: 14 cases].

Fourteen cases of infective endocarditis revealed by neurological manifestations are reported: 8 strokes (one transient ischemic attack, one regressing and 6 completed strokes), 2 intracranial hematomas (one due to ruptured mycotic aneurysm), 2 toxic encephalopathies, one grand mal seizure, one suppurative meningitis. Most of them were native valve endocarditis, and streptococcus was the most frequently responsible bacteria. The outcome was characterized by a high mortality (6 cases) and morbidity (4 cases).

[POEMS syndrome disclosed by ophthalmological manifestation].

POEMS syndrome is characterized by Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal protein and Skin changes. Papilledema is a common finding but ophthalmological complaints are rare. We report a case of POEMS syndrome in a 42-year old man which was revealed by oscillopsia and blurred vision.

Dural puncture and corticotherapy as risks factors for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

Dural puncture with corticosteroid could be a predisposing factor for cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). A 35-year-old woman using oral contraception was treated with corticosteroid epidural infiltration for L5 radiculalgia. The following day a postural headache developed and accidental dural puncture was suspected.

[Postural balance following stroke: towards a disadvantage of the right brain-damaged hemisphere].

In the light of studies published in the last ten years, we have suspected a differential influence of the sides of hemispheric cerebral lesions on posture and balance. A study was aimed at verifying this hypothesis, the method of which being original because many possible confounding factors such as age, sex as well as topography and size of the brain lesion have been taken into account in the statistical analysis. Inclusion criteria were: right-handed patients, first stroke, no previous disease which might have affected balance.

[Symptomatic aneurysms of the postero-inferior cerebellar artery. A multicenter retrospective study of 29 cases].

A multicenter retrospective study of 29 cases of posterior inferior cerebellar artery is reported. Over a period of 21 years, the frequency of posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm among all intracranial aneurysm was estimated to 1.38 p.