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Biomedical subjects

R Khalil

Publications and source records attributed to R Khalil.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Cerebral phlebitis and Crohn disease].

A 17 year-old man with a one-year history of Crohn's disease presented with superior sagittal sinus thrombosis in spite of an apparent remission of the inflammatory bowel disease. Under treatment, the neurological disorders rapidly improved. Hematological studies showed mild thrombocytosis, spontaneous platelet aggregation, and an increase of the fibrinogen level, plasmatic viscosity and red blood cells aggregability. Mild hypofibrinolysis and antiphospholipid antibodies were also noted. Nine fully documented cases of cerebral venous thrombosis associated with an inflammatory bowel disease are reviewed. The possible prothrombotic role of thrombocytosis and other hematological disorders is discussed.

Adolescent↗

[Paralysis of the common oculomotor nerve and contralateral cerebellar syndrome (Claude's syndrome). 2 cases caused by mesencephalic infarction].

Two cases of Claude's syndrome due to a mesencephalic infarction in the territory of the interpedoncular fossa arteries are reported. The first case had pupillary sparing while ptosis was lacking in the second case. Partial impairment of the oculomotor nerve suggests an intra-axial fascicular organization. However, the precise intra-axial pattern of the nerve is unknown in humans.

Cerebellar Diseases↗

[Lacunar syndromes due to intracerebral hemorrhage].

Nine cases (seven men and two women, mean age 64.5 years) of classical lacunar syndromes due to intracerebral hemorrhage are reported. Three patients presented with pure motor hemiparesis (two putaminal hematomas with proportional weakness and one cortical hemorrhage with brachio-crural hemiparesis). Four patients presented with sensorimotor stroke due to thalamo-capsular hemorrhage. The last two patients had thalamic hemorrhage causing ataxic hemiparesis or dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome. Four subjects had arterial hypertension, one was diabetic, and two were treated with anti-vitamin K. Abrupt onset was noted in all instances. Only one patient experienced moderate inaugural headaches. Good recovery occurred in all cases. Lacunar syndromes are a very uncommon presentation of intracerebral bleeding. Hemorrhages are yet the second etiology of such syndromes. Distinguishing hemorrhage from infarction is not clinically possible and needs early unenhanced CT scan.

Aged↗

Effects of handedness and sex on the morphology of the corpus callosum: a study with brain magnetic resonance imaging.

In view of conflicting data in the existing literature, we examined 53 normal subjects using a handedness questionnaire and callosal area measurements obtained from midsagittal MRI images. The callosum was found to be significantly larger in nonconsistent right-handers (NCRH), especially in its anterior half and especially for males. A significant hand x sex interaction, favoring consistent right-handed (CRH) females, was also found for the posterior midbody, a region known to house interhemispheric fibers connecting the right and left posterior association cortices. These results (1) confirm Witelson's (1985) first findings on postmortem specimens; (2) validate a dichotomy between CRH and NCRH rather than simply considering the writing hand, as was the case in most other similar studies; and (3) suggest that at least two different sex-related--probably hormonal--factors may be acting during the callosal development, one explaining the larger anterior half in NCRH males and the other the larger posterior midbody in CRH females.

Adolescent↗

[Vertebrobasilar arterial dolichoectasia. Complications and prognosis].

Symptomatic dolichoectasia of the vertebrobasilar system was found in 23 patients (16 males and 7 females, mean age: 62 years) during a 13-year period. Arterial hypertension was noted in 20 cases and associated aortic ectasia in 4. The malformation was identified in all patients on CT completed by angiography in 19, MRI in 7. Autopsy was performed in 5 cases. Fourteen subjects (group 1) presented with a vascular event (ischemic in 13) affecting the brainstem and/or cerebellum. Nine other patients (group 2) had a chronic symptomatology resulting from compression of the cranial nerves, central nervous system and/or CSF pathway. Two patients died of stroke within the first month (rupture of the ectasia in one and occlusion in the other one). The 21 survivors were followed for a mean period of 45.3 months. Eight patients had a stroke, with a significantly higher incidence in group 1 than in group 2 (p less than 0.05). Ten patients (5 in each group) developed progressive dementia possibly resulting from multiple cerebral infarction, hypertensive leucoencephalopathy, and/or hydrocephalus. Twelve patients died during the follow-up (4 of stroke, 6 of profound mental and motor deterioration, one from ruptured ectatic aorta, and the last one of unrecognized cause). The actuarial survival rate was 60% after 3 years of follow-up. Except for the incidence of stroke, inaugural manifestations (stroke vs nervous compression) did not seem to influence the long-term prognosis.

Actuarial Analysis↗

[Changes in personality and hypertension. The "athymhormic" syndrome].

In 3 hypertensive patients, aged 57 to 66, profound behavioral and personality changes occurred rather abruptly, characterized by total loss of spontaneous activity and initiative, apathetic behavior, passivity, lack of drive and motivation, loss of interest for any of previous occupations and hobbies, and total flatness of affect. Neurological examination was normal or only showed mild extra-pyramidal signs. Neuropsychological evaluation was only remarkable for mild intellectual impairment suggestive of frontal lobe dysfunction. None of the 3 patients fulfilled criteria for dementia or severe depression. This neurobehavioral syndrome has been coined "athymhormic syndrome" (Habib & Poncet, 1988), a term emphasizing the specific defect in drive ("horme") and affect ("thumos"). Electrical and clinical heart examination was unremarkable. Blood pressure was always found within normal limits during hospitalization, including 24-hour monitoring in one case. However, all patients were known as hypertensive in the past, with repeated bouts of high blood pressure (up to 270 mmHg systolic in one case). X-ray CT-scan was usually normal or showed non-specific white matter changes (so-called "leukoaraiosis"). In all 3 cases, a brain MRI scan showed multiple small infarcts mainly involving deep subcortical structures (caudate nuclei and/or adjacent periventricular white matter) of both hemispheres, consistent with the definition of lacunes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

Deep cerebral venous system thrombosis in adults.

Two fatal cases of deep cerebral venous system thrombosis are reported in adults. The first case looked like a diencephalic tumor or encephalitis but the diagnosis was made antemortem by means of cerebral angiography. Autopsy found bilateral infarction of basal ganglia. The second patient presented with a hemorrhagic infarction of right thalamus and basal ganglia. Deep cerebral venous occlusion was diagnosed at autopsy. In spite of a few cases of survival, the thrombosis of the galenic system remains often fatal. The pathological changes and indications for anticoagulation are discussed.

Adult↗

Multiple sclerosis: cell-mediated immunity to human brain gangliosides.

Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to myelin components has been implicated in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis: two targets were suggested, Myelin Basic Protein with controversial results and, more recently, gangliosides. In order to investigate their possible involvement, we have performed Leukocyte Migration inhibition (LMI) tests in the presence of human brain gangliosides. Thirty nine MS patients (twenty four being "definite", according to McDonald and Halliday's classification), twenty nine patients with Other Neurological Diseases (OND), thirty six patients with Inflammatory diseases (ID) and forty healthy controls were tested. MS patients were divided into two groups, depending on the clinical stage of the disease. The mean migration inhibition percentage of the MS-attack group was found to be significantly different from the four others (p less than 0.01) (24.4 +/- 16.2 versus 10.9 +/- 8.5 in MS without attack, 4.4 +/- 12.9 in OND, 3.9 +/- 13.9 in ID and 11.1 +/- 12.1 in healthy subjects). LMI to gangliosides is therefore significantly increased during the attack stage in MS. These results support the notion of a Delayed Type Hypersensitivity to these glycolipids during the active stage of the disease.

Adult↗

[Pictorial creations of a painter presenting with left-sided neglect].

We report the pictorial evolution of a well-known French painter, before and after a left hemiplegia. Before the stroke he was famous not only for his drawings but also for his paintings. The evolution comprised 3 periods. Just after the stroke, the painter presented with severe exacerbation of a chronic depression. The second period was characterized by a rich pictorial production, with an excellent spatial organization of drawings; the style remained well recognizable and the favourite topics were unchanged: streets' scenes, country women, bunches of flowers. Shapes, drawings and volumes were well preserved. The neglect concerned not only the left hemispace but also the "microspaces" on the left side of which the painter's gaze attention had been fixed. Analysis of the production for this period supports the hypothesis according to which the neglect would be explained by a selective defect in automatic orientation of the attention on the left side. In the last period the aggravation appeared to bear more on the instrumental processes than on the esthetic capacities.

Aged↗

Transient global amnesia followed by vertebrobasilar ischemia in a case of dolichoectatic basilar artery.

A 59-year-old hypertensive patient presented with transient global amnesia without neurological signs or symptoms. During the following 3 years, he experienced several attacks of vertebrobasilar insufficiency and a cerebellar infarction. CT scan and MRI found a partially thrombosed dolichoectatic basilar artery but no significant lesion within the limbic system. These data suggest transient global amnesia was due to a transient ischemia in the basilar artery distribution.

Amnesia↗

[Carotid artery occlusion disclosed by cerebral ischemia. Lesional, etiologic and developing aspects].

The authors report on a series of 100 patients, who underwent an ischemic cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (8 transient attacks, 15 minor CVAs and 77 completed strokes) which revealed internal carotid artery occlusion (unilateral in 93 cases and bilateral in 7), proven by ultrasonography and/or angiography. The computerized tomography scan was normal in 8 cases. The middle cerebral artery territory was involved in 84 patients (isolated or associated (25 patients) with another site), whereas an isolated watershed infarction was the only lesion in the other 8 patients. Twenty-two patients died during the acute phase. Among the 68 survivors followed for a long time, 28 were severely incapacitated. The occlusions were not atherosclerotic in 18 cases (8 spontaneous dissections, 5 cardiogenic emboli, 3 radiation-induced arteries, 2 multiple causes). Eighty-two patients had atherosclerotic thromboses (67 men and 15 women, mean age 63.1 +/- 12.7 years). Among them, 24 had previously experienced minor ischemic strokes. In this group, the two year survival rate was 63 p. 100. Patients with non-fatal atherosclerotic thromboses were followed for an average of 22.2 months, during which time 28.2 p. 100 experienced another stroke.

Actuarial Analysis↗

[Neurological disorders disclosing auricular myxoma: 3 cases].

We report 2 cases (n. 1 and 2) of cerebral infarction caused by a left atrial myxoma, and 1 case (n. 3). of dementia associated with a large left atrial myxoma. Cerebral emboli and neurological symptoms which can occur prior to cardiac obstructive and/or systemic signs require echocardiography. The cardiac post-operative condition was dramatically improved in cases revealed by an hemiplegia.

Aged↗

Spontaneous dissection of both extracranial internal carotid arteries.

Neurological examination and Doppler sonography of a 50-year-old patient were suggestive of a spontaneous dissection of the left internal carotid artery (left-sided headaches, amaurosis fugax, Horner's syndrome and hemispheric stroke). Four-vessel angiogram performed several days after the onset of the symptoms showed dissection of both extracranial carotid arteries, more pronounced on right side where the dissection was clinically asymptomatic. Angiogram follow-up demonstrated a recanalization of both carotid arteries. A review of 15 other documented reports indicates that bilateral internal carotid dissection is usually associated with fibromuscular dysplasia. A large majority of cases does not clinically differ from unilateral carotid artery dissection.

Carotid Artery Diseases↗