Biomedical subjects
P E Sternberg
Publications and source records attributed to P E Sternberg.
Vacuolar myelinopathy of the brain and lamellar ichthyosis.
A 13-month-old child with lamellar ichthyosis and numerous cutaneous and systemic infections died following an abrupt episode of severe hypotension. Postmortem examination revealed white matter vacuolation in the brain stem tegmentum and cerebellar hemispheres similar to that seen in toxicity from hexachlorophene, to which our patient was not exposed. The patient had been treated with many commonly used medications, including 13-cis-retinoic acid, a relatively new drug with apparent therapeutic benefit in hyperkeratotic dermatoses. This had been given systemically during the patient's last week of life. Possible relationships between the white matter lesions and extrinsic toxic agents are discussed.
Neuromyelitis optica in the elderly.
Blindness and quadriparesis developed in an elderly woman whose symptoms began at the age of 69 years. Postmortem examination revealed extensive demyelinative lesions in the optic nerves and spinal cord. The clinical and pathologic findings were consistent with the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica ( NMO ). This case serves to document that NMO and presumably typical multiple sclerosis can occur initially at an advanced age.