Treatment of seizures in acute intermittent porphyria: safety and efficacy of gabapentin.

Treatment of seizures in acute intermittent porphyria represents a therapeutic dilemma. Patients needing chronic therapy often experience acute porphyric attacks due to increased hepatic metabolism induced by the antiepileptic drugs themselves. Gabapentin is a new antiepileptic drug not appreciably metabolized by the liver in humans, and it appears to be safe and effective in the maintenance therapy of epilepsy in these patients.

Cerebral ischemia in a patient with protein S deficiency and carotid stenosis.

Congenital protein S deficiency is an important risk factor for venous and, more rarely, arterial thrombosis. Here, we describe the case of a 35-year old patient with cerebral ischemia, protein S deficiency and carotid stenosis. Other members of the family were found to have the same protein S deficit and a history of venous thrombotic manifestations.

Atypical features and prognosis of Wallenberg syndrome: longitudinal study.

The lessons of a retrospective study of 24 consecutive cases of Wallenberg syndrome observed during a 6-year span are described: the high frequency of signs and symptoms not considered typical, such as headache, diplopia, supranuclear homolateral facial paresis and homolateral brachiocrural hemiparesis; the unfavorable short term course in a high percentage of cases, and the risk of sudden respiratory arrest.

Transient global amnesia: a clinical and EEG study.

33 cases of transient global amnesia are reported. An interaction between organic and functional factors in determining the syndrome is supposed.