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Query: UMLS:C0023380 (lethargy)
 5,697 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hydrocephalus is marked by the excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles. The disorder is characterized by an imbalance in the production and reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid. Congenital hydrocephalus is usually the result of an intrauterine infection or maldevelopment of the aqueduct of Sylvius. Acquired hydrocephalus can be caused by infection, neoplasm or hemorrhage. In infants, hydrocephalus usually presents as progressive head enlargement. The presenting symptoms in children are irritability, headache, nausea, vomiting and lethargy. Diagnosis is made with ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The majority of patients are treated with cerebrospinal fluid shunt procedures, most commonly the placement of ventriculoperitoneal or lumboperitoneal shunts. The outcome of hydrocephalus is determined by the etiology, the presence or absence of associated anomalies, and the timeliness of diagnosis and treatment.
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PMID:Hydrocephalus in infancy and childhood. 173 57

A case of generalized choreic movement associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage is reported. A 71 year-old hypertensive woman suddenly developed severe headache 14 days before admission. Consciousness disturbance and involuntary movement involving the face and upper extremities appeared about 8 days after onset. The involuntary motion was diagnosed as generalized choreic movement. CT scans showed subarachnoid hemorrhage with ventricular dilatation and periventricular lucency involving bilateral caudate nuclei. On admission the patient was stuporous with Hunt & Kosnik Grade 4. She showed involuntary choreic movement in both arms, trunk and face; hemiparenis and hyperreflexia were absent. An angiography revealed a right internal carotid-anterior choroidal artery aneurysm with vasospasm. After clipping the aneurysm in the following day, the consciousness disturbance and choreic movement gradually improved. By eight days after operation, the choreic movement completely disappeared. An MRI showed lacunar infarcts in the bilateral basal ganglia, predominantly in the caudate nuclei. In our case, the choreic movement is supposed to have been caused by impaired circulation in the bilateral corpora striata due to vasospasm and hydrocephalus after subarachnoid hemorrhage, in addition to the preexisting lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia. This is claimed to be the first reported case of generalized choreic movement in associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, which improved after surgery.
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PMID:[Generalized choreic movement associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage]. 174 95

From January 1981 to December 1988, we collected 11 cases of neonatal meningitis caused by Flavobacterium meningosepticum. The 6 male and 5 female newborns ranged from 3 days to 20 days old. Birth body weight varied from 1100 gm to 3600 gm. Seven cases were premature or small for date. Nosocomial infection was noted in 7 of these 11 cases. Clinically, lethargy and poor activity were the most common symptoms. Cyanosis, fever and convulsion were the next. There were 9 cases showing pleocytosis, increased protein and decreased glucose level in the cerebrospinal fluid examination. The organisms isolated in all 11 cases were susceptible to piperacillin, resistant to ampicillin, aminoglycosides and cephalosporin. Five patients were treated with antibiotics other than piperacillin for 5 to 18 days. Three patients died; hydrocephalus was the cause of death in 2 of them. Two patients were discharged against advice. Among the remaining 6 cases we gave piperacillin for 3 weeks, one case developed hydrocephalus but eventually succumbed to K. pneumoniae sepsis. Out of five surviving cases, 3 developed hydrocephalus (VP shunt performed in two). The other two patients were discharged without neurological deficit. In conclusion, neonatal Flavobacterium meningosepticum meningitis was more frequent in premature or small for date babies, and it usually appeared in nosocomial infection. The prognosis was poor and piperacillin was proved to be the drug of choice.
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PMID:[Clinical observation of neonatal meningitis caused by flavobacterium meningosepticum]. 177 41

Ten patients who were premature born and had intracranial/intraventricular hemorrhage and developed hydrocephalus in early life were treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunts because of progression of the hydrocephalus. The hydrocephalus remained well controlled but in a follow-up period of 2 months to 7 years after shunt placement the patients developed an isolated fourth ventricle that required treatment. The presenting symptoms varied: increasing head size, fontanelle fullness, irritability difficulty with swallowing, vomiting, hypoactivity, headaches and lethargy. One patient presented with full cardiorespiratory arrest and expired. The remainder on neuroimaging studies revealed an extremely large fourth ventricle creating a mass effect and very small (slit-like) lateral ventricles, indicating a functioning lateral ventricle-peritoneal shunt. These patients were treated with the placement of a fourth ventricle shunt catheter and connection to the existing shunt, with resolution of symptoms. Premature infants with hydrocephalus need to be followed and assessed for findings of the syndrome of the isolated fourth ventricle in an attempt to prevent sudden neurological deterioration.
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PMID:Spectrum of the syndrome of the isolated fourth ventricle in posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus of the premature infant. 213 41

To determine whether seizures are a reliable sign of increased intraventricular pressure in children with shunt-dependent hydrocephalus and meningomyelocele, we performed a retrospective chart review of 346 patients with meningomyelocele and shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. Fifty-one patients had seizures. Seizure episodes were investigated to determine whether they were temporally associated with shunt dysfunction. Episodes of actual or presumed shunt dysfunction were analyzed as to presenting symptoms, ventriculogram, computed tomography scan, and shunt film results. These 51 patients had 129 admissions for possible shunt dysfunction. One hundred one admissions were due to increased intraventricular pressure; nine (9%) of these, had a seizure as one of the presenting symptoms. All of the nine episodes had other common presenting symptoms of shunt dysfunction, such as headache, vomiting, lethargy, or respiratory compromise. We conclude that seizures alone are an inadequate predictor of shunt dysfunction in children with meningomyelocele, but can be seen as one of the presenting symptoms.
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PMID:Seizures in relation to shunt dysfunction in children with meningomyelocele. 223 Dec 21

Controversy remains concerning the management of patients with cerebellar hemorrhage. In this study the records of 42 patients were reviewed. In 60% of them the signs of brainstem compression and upward transtentorial herniation were found. The level of consciousness was found to be consistent with the radiologic finding of the ambient cistern on the CT scan. Complete compression of the ambient cistern was always associated with coma, a partially compressed ambient cistern with stupor or drowsiness, while a normally shaped ambient cistern was associated with a normal level of consciousness. Immediate surgical decompression of the posterior fossa was life-saving for patients with brainstem compression and upward transtentorial herniation. Mortality was 57% for comatose patients and 9% for drowsy or stuporous patients. Ventriculostomy alone is the treatment of choice in cases with only hydrocephalus without brainstem compression or transtentorial herniation.
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PMID:Neurosurgical management of cerebellar hemorrhage. 239 51

Twenty-four patients with caudate hemorrhage, in whom such definite organic lesions as arteriovenous malformations or ruptured cerebral aneurysms could not be proved, were analyzed. These cases comprise 2.0% of 1202 cases of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage diagnosed by computed tomography and experienced from 1976 through 1987. Thirteen patients were male and 11 were female. Their average age was 61 years. Headache (67%) and nausea and vomiting (50%), which were often the initial symptoms, were similar to those of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The main clinical symptoms were signs of meningeal irritation. Ten patients (42%) had transient disturbance of consciousness, and nine (38%) of these were somnolent; only one patient, who had a massive hematoma, was stuporous. When the hematoma extended to the internal capsule, the patient showed motor disturbance (38%). Two patients (8%) had Horner's sign, five (21%) exhibited diminished activity, and one (4%) suffered anosognosia. The volume of the intracerebral hematoma averaged 4.7 ml and was less than 5 ml in 17 patients (71%). In 20 patients (83%), the hematoma was confined to the head of the caudate nucleus. The hemorrhage tended to rupture into the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle, and in nearly all cases (96%), intraventricular hematoma was observed. Seventeen patients (71%) underwent cerebral angiography. There were no instances of dilation of the recurrent artery of Heubner. Twenty patients (83%) were treated conservatively. Continuous ventricular drainage was employed in four patients (17%), and ventriculoperitoneal shunting in three (13%). However, it was judged retrospectively that continuous ventricular drainage had been necessary in only two cases in which disturbance of consciousness was progressed due to acute hydrocephalus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Clinical analysis of 24 cases of caudate hemorrhage]. 248 89

A 13-month-old boy admitted with lethargy and hydrocephalus was found to have a right thalamic mass. Ventricular drainage was instituted, and the tumor mass was reduced by partial resection and local irradiation. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt was then placed. However, the tumor recurred 16 months later, with extensive ventricular seeding and peritoneal metastasis through the shunt tube. The child died 22 months after onset. Histological study of surgical specimens of the primary tumor and autopsy specimens of the brain and peritoneal metastatic tumors revealed poorly differentiated, small, round cells with numerous mitotic figures. In addition, autopsy specimens of the brain tumor contained areas of ependymal, oligodendroblastic, and spongioblastic differentiation. On immunohistochemical study, the tumor cells of each specimen were positive for anti-neuron specific enolase and anti-neurofilament antibodies, but negative for anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies. Electron microscopy revealed some zonulae adherens. These findings strongly suggest that the tumor originated from primitive multipotential cells capable of differentiating into ependymal, glial, and neuronal lines.
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PMID:[Primitive neuroectodermal tumor with peritoneal metastasis through a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Case report]. 248 94

We report on 10 patients between 3 and 18 years of age who had been treated in the neonatal and postneonatal period for hydrocephalus of various causes with a ventriculo-atrial or ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Between the age of 2 and 17 years these children suffered from recurrent attacks of headache, vomiting bradycardia and lethargy suggesting shunt-obstruction. 8 children showed slowing of electrical activity in their EEG, 4 had papilledema on fundoscopy. Splayed sutures were found in one child by skull x-ray. In all the above cases the CT-headscans assessed by radiologists showed no evidence of shunt-obstruction. Only on direct comparison with previous CT-scans we were able to detect minimally dilated ventricles in 6 children. In all cases conservative treatment failed. Symptoms only ceased after surgical shunt-revision. In all children treated with shunts headache, vomiting and vegetative symptoms must be considered as signs of shunt-obstruction until proved otherwise. A negative CT-scan done while symptoms are present cannot rule out raised intracranial pressure. Only by direct comparison with previous CT-scans carried out during an asymptomatic period a minor dilatation of the ventricles can often be detected. This should be taken as a sign of shunt-obstruction.
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PMID:[Critical intracranial pressure crises in drained hydrocephalus with minimally enlarged or normal ventricles]. 273 67

Fourteen patients with ventricular cerebrospinal fluid shunts in place for chronic hydrocephalus presented with a history and neurological deficits usually associated with high intracranial pressure (ICP) caused by an obstructed shunt system. However, the symptoms were characteristically present when the patient was upright and active, and were usually relieved by lying down. The symptoms of intermittent headache, nausea, emesis, lethargy, and diplopia were associated with paresis of upward gaze or minimal strabismus. Measurement of ICP showed unexpected dramatically low levels with a marked drop in pressure when the patient was in the upright position, whereas ICP was near normal when the patient was supine. The low ICP was corrected by insertion of a high-pressure Flo-Control valve into the shunt system already in place. Postoperatively, the immediate clinical improvement and more normal ICP measurements were striking. The important clinical finding in this group of patients was the presence of disabling symptoms which occurred when the patients were up and active and which were relieved by lying down. Measurements of ICP with the patient in the supine and then in the upright position were critical in establishing an accurate diagnosis of symptomatic low ICP in these hydrocephalic patients with indwelling shunts. With the patient in the Trendelenburg position, ICP showed a marked increase, as expected; in some patients this position was prescribed as treatment for several days before surgery.
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PMID:Symptomatic low intracranial pressure in shunted hydrocephalus. 334 12


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