Adult tuberculous meningitis in Qatar: a descriptive retrospective study from its referral center.

Background: Tuberculous meningitis is the severest and commonest form of central nervous system tuberculosis causing high mortality and morbidity. We aim to study the clinical, biochemical, and radiological characteristics of tuberculous meningitis in adult patients in Qatar and to calculate the incidence.

Methods: A descriptive retrospective 7-year study was conducted at the Hamad General Hospital (the only tertiary referral center and sole health care provider for tuberculosis in Qatar) between the 1st of January 2006 and the 31st of December 2012, to describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and the incidence of adult tuberculous meningitis in Qatar.

Neurological manifestation of recreational fatal and near-fatal diethylene glycol poisonings: case series and review of literature.

Diethylene glycol is a common industrial solvent which is responsible for accidental and epidemic poisoning as early as the 1930s. Due to the unavailability and unaffordability of ethanol, people in Qatar among the low income group are consuming household chemicals, some of which contain diethylene glycol, for recreational purposes.The history of ingestion is usually not volunteered and the initial clinical presentation is usually nonspecific, making it difficult to diagnose from the clinical presentation.

Neurocysticercosis presenting as a vertical one-and-a-half syndrome with associated contralesional horizontal gaze paresis.

We describe a patient presenting with vertical one-and-a-half syndrome and concomitant contralesional horizontal gaze paresis as the result of a solitary neurocysticercosis (NCC) lesion in the right midbrain extending into the thalamomesencephalic junction. The patient received an albendazole-dexamethasone course which resulted in resolution of his symptoms. The neuro-ophthalmological complications of NCC are reviewed and the clinical topography of the neuro-ophthalmological findings of this unusual observation are discussed.

Prevalence, demographics and clinical characteristics of multiple sclerosis in Qatar.

No published epidemiologic data on multiple sclerosis (MS) in Qatar exist. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence, demographics and clinical characteristics of MS in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. We analyzed data for Qatari MS patients fulfilling the McDonald diagnostic criteria.

Vertical one-and-a-half syndrome with contralesional pseudo-abducens palsy in a patient with thalamomesencephalic stroke.

We report a unique neuroophthalmological syndrome consisting of vertical one-and-a-half syndrome-resulting from a combination of supranuclear conjugate upgaze palsy associated with left infranuclear (fascicular) third nerve involvement (Weber syndrome)-with concomitant contralesional pseudo-abducens palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed that this unusual clinical combination was the result of two infarcts one in the left thalamomesencephalic junction and another affecting the left infrategmental paramedian area of the rostral midbrain. We discuss the clinical topography of both neuroophthalmological findings.