Selective MR imaging approach for evaluation of patients with Horner's syndrome.

Purpose: To assess the usefulness of MR in the evaluation of patients with Horner's syndrome.

Patients And Methods: We prospectively performed MR imaging in 33 patients with Horner's syndrome (13 preganglionic and 20 postganglionic) using a protocol specifically designed for pre- and postganglionic varieties of this syndrome. Assignment of patients to pre- or postganglionic categories was performed on the basis of pharmacologic testing.

Late-onset congenital syphilis. A retrospective look at University of Iowa Hospital admissions.

A retrospective review of 766,742 hospital admissions was performed between 1966 and 1986 at the University of Iowa Hospital for the diagnosis of congenital syphilis. Although 88 individuals were identified with this diagnosis, adequate treatment was documented in only 33 (38%). Thirty-nine of the 88 individuals identified were initially seen for visual complaints by the ophthalmology department.

Neuroophthalmologic effects of intravenous magnesium sulfate.

To test the hypothesis that visual disturbances are more common during intravenous magnesium sulfate administration than at 1 to 4 days after discontinuation of the drug, 13 women underwent bedside neuroophthalmologic examinations during intravenous magnesium sulfate tocolysis at 2.0 to 3.0 gm hr and again at 1 to 4 days after cessation of therapy.

Central neurogenic hyperventilation: pharmacologic intervention with morphine sulfate and correlative analysis of respiratory, sleep, and ocular motor dysfunction.

Central neurogenic hyperventilation (CNH), for which there is no effective therapy, can eventually result in respiratory fatigue and death. This report describes a patient with CNH due to a brainstem anaplastic astrocytoma who also exhibited disturbances of sleep and ocular motor function. The CNH responded clinically to morphine sulfate and methadone.

Hydroxyamphetamine mydriasis in Horner's syndrome.

We studied hydroxyamphetamine hydrobromide 1% (Paredrine) mydriasis in 54 patients with Horner's syndrome to determine its effectiveness in distinguishing preganglionic lesions from postganglionic lesions. The difference in pupillary dilation between the unaffected and affected sides was used as a measure of the hydroxyamphetamine effect. We found that patients who had clinical evidence of damage to the postganglionic neuron of the oculosympathetic pathway had less pupillary dilation on the affected side.

Hydroxyamphetamine mydriasis in normal subjects.

Hydroxyamphetamine eyedrops are used to help localize the lesion in Horner's syndrome. Because normal variability in the response to the eyedrops may influence the interpretation of test results in patients with Horner's syndrome, we studied both the interocular variability of the drug's mydriatic effect within each normal subject and the variation between individuals. We used photographs to document the variability among 26 normal subjects.

Apraxia of lid opening in blepharospasm.

Apraxia of lid opening is a nonparalytic motor abnormality characterized by difficulty in initiating the act of lid elevation. It has been reported with extrapyramidal disorders, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Shy-Drager syndrome. We found seven cases (7%) of functionally disabling apraxia of lid opening in 100 consecutive blepharospasm patients studied.

Significance of CT and MR findings in sphenoid sinus disease.

Disorders of the paranasal sinuses, particularly the sphenoid sinus, can be associated with significant disorders of the optic and other cranial nerves. We examined 100 consecutive routine CT scans, 100 posterior fossa CT scans, and 100 MR scans to look for evidence of sinus disease, especially of the sphenoid sinus. The sphenoid sinus was abnormal in 7% of scans by all methods.

The association of antiphospholipid antibodies with severe preeclampsia.

Over a 3-year period, we studied 43 women who presented with severe preeclampsia prior to 34 weeks' gestation. Seven (16%) had significant levels of antiphospholipid antibodies, whereas none of the normotensive controls of similar gestational age had antiphospholipid antibodies (P less than .001).

Amaurosis fugax associated with antiphospholipid antibodies.

In more than 50% of amaurosis fugax patients under 45 years of age no cause for the episodes of visual loss is identifiable. We have encountered 6 young adults (4 women and 2 men) with episodes of amaurosis fugax associated with elevated levels of antiphospholipid antibodies. Splinter hemorrhages of the nail beds were present in most patients.

Psychogenic respiratory distress.

Five patients developed recurrent episodes of psychogenic respiratory difficulty that were superimposed on psychogenic neurologic symptoms. Misdiagnosis resulted in long hospital stays, code blue alerts, intubation, mechanical ventilation, and, in one case, tracheostomy. Patients "learned" psychogenic respiratory distress because their breathing symptoms evoked distinct evidence of anxiety in physicians and staff.

Pseudotumor cerebri in men.

We describe 29 men with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) and compare them with aged-matched women with PTC and male control subjects. Pseudotumor cerebri occurs less frequently in men but in a similar age distribution. Although signs and symptoms of PTC are similar in men and women, men may require surgical treatment for impending visual loss.

CT and hemifacial spasm.

Forty-six patients with typical hemifacial spasm had CT. Thirty-eight (83%) were abnormal, including two with surgically documented tumors. Thirty-six had a characteristic dolichoectatic vertebrobasilar artery, with the convexity pointing to the side of the spasm in 92% of the scans.

Maternal orbital hematoma associated with labor.

We examined two women with orbital hematomas that occurred during labor. Both women developed sudden diplopia, proptosis, and orbital pain. The location of the hematoma was confirmed by orbital echography and computed tomography.

Cranial magnetic resonance imaging in eclampsia.

Although the precise neuropathologic basis for eclamptic convulsions remains unclear, intracranial hemorrhage is frequently associated with fatal cases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a recently developed neuroimaging technique that appears superior to other processes for defining intracranial anatomy and pathophysiology. This technique has not yet been reported in eclampsia.

Cytomegalovirus infection in a healthy adult associated with recurrent branch retinal artery occlusion.

The authors report a 16-year-old healthy male who developed branch retinal artery occlusions sequentially in both eyes. A few vitreous cells and retinal vasculitis were associated findings. A complete work-up of the patient for an etiology for the occlusions failed to show any possible embolic source.

Opsoclonus in adults. Report of three cases and review of the literature.

Opsoclonus is a rare but distinctive disorder of ocular motility. Although there are many reported cases of opsoclonus in children, there is no large series of cases in adults. In recent years, three cases of opsoclonus in adults have been identified at the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Adherence of Candida species to human epidermal corneocytes and buccal mucosal cells: correlation with cutaneous pathogenicity.

Adherence of microorganisms to epidermal corneocytes may be a prerequisite for cutaneous colonization and infection. Six species of Candida were assayed in vitro for adherence to human epidermal corneocytes and buccal mucosal cells, and compared to previous studies of pathogenicity in a rodent model of cutaneous candidiasis. C.

Pseudotumor cerebri and pregnancy.

Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) is most commonly seen in obese women of reproductive age. We studied 109 women with PTC between ages 16 and 44 years. In 11, PTC started during pregnancy.

Color "amnesia" without aphasia.

Following an apparent left parietal CVA, a patient developed a severe and nearly complete color amnesia which was not associated with any disturbance in color vision or color perception. Like all previously reported cases with color amnesia, this patient was alexic but, unlike most previously reported cases, he was not aphasic.

Depression and hemispheric functions: changes associated with unilateral ECT.

Nine depressed patients received ECT to the dominant (left) side along with nine matched depressed patients who received ECT to the non-dominant (right) side. Neuropsychological tests showed that the right hemispheric functions were more frequently abnormal as compared to left hemispheric (dominant) functions in the pre-ECT tests. ECTs delivered to either the right or left side improved right hemispheric functions when the depression was ameliorated.