Right-to-left shunt (RLS) can be identified by contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler (cTCD) in patent foramen ovale (PFO) patients. AIM: To evaluate cTCD for PFO screening comparing it to cTEE. METHOD: 45 previous cTCD performed for PFO diagnosis and correlated its findings with cTEE. Patients were submitted to a cTCD standardized technique and were divided in two groups according to RLS: Group 1, patients with a positive RLS and Group 2 when RLS was negative. RESULTS: 29 (65%) patients were included in group 1 and 16 (35%) in group 2. PFO confirmation by cTEE was performed in 28 (62%) patients. cTCD had a 92.85% sensitivity, 82.35% specificity, 89.65% positive predictive value and 87.5% negative predictive value when compared to cTEE for PFO diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Standardized technique cTCD allows for RLS visualization in PFO patients with a good correlation with cTEE and can be used as a screening test before cTEE.

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis is a treatable rare autossomal recessive disease characterized by lipid storage secondary to a sterol 27-hydroxylase deficiency in the formation of cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. We describe two Brazilian brothers with cognitive impairement and chronic diarrhea. One of them also presents bilateral cataracts. Neurological findings were progressive walking deficit, limb ataxia and pyramidal signs. Both patients had bilateral Achilles tendon xanthomata. Magnetic resonance image showed signal alterations in cerebellar hemispheres. We describe these cases with molecular genetic analysis confirming diagnosis and comparing with previous literature. The CYP27A1 gene study showed a C1187T mutation on exon 6.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two different timings for the performance of the Valsalva maneuver (VM) using an infusion of agitated saline solution with blood as contrast agent (CA) to right-to-left shunt (RLS) screening. METHOD: 42 patients were submitted to a standardized contrast-enhanced transcranial doppler (cTCD) to screen for right-to-left shunt (RLS). cTCD technique was done with two different moments of the VM: [1] the CA injection during the VM (CAduringVM test); [2] the CA injection before the VM (CApreVM test). RESULTS: Positive MCA tests were observed in 47 (56%) CAduringVM tests and in 50 (59.5%) CApreVM tests, p=0.64. There was an almost perfect agreement for the positive tests between the CAduringVM and CApreVM test, r s=0.829 (95% CI 0.61-1.00, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that there is no significant difference in the results of RLS screening by cTCD when two different moments of VM were done.

Few healthcare centers in Brazil perform thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe an interinstitutional protocol for the rapid identification and thrombolytic treatment of AIS patients at a public health hospital in a large Brazilian city. METHOD: Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel evaluated 433 patients with possible stroke during a six-month period. After a standard checklist, patients with suspected AIS and symptoms onset of less than two hours were evaluated at our University Hospital (UH). RESULTS: Sixty-five (15%) patients met the checklist criteria and had a symptom onset of less than two hours, but only 50 (11%) patients were evaluated at the UH. Among them, 35 (70%) patients had ischemic stroke, 10 (20%) had hemorrhagic stroke, and 5 (10%) had other diagnoses. Of the 35 ischemic stroke patients, 15 (43%) underwent IV thrombolysis. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that trained EMS workers could help to improve the rate of thrombolytic treatment in large Brazilian cities. Permanent training programs for EMS and hospital staff, with quality control and correct identification of AIS patients, should be implemented to increase appropriate thrombolytic therapy rates in Brazil.

Resumo: O Doppler transcraniano contrastado (DTCc) é um método diagnóstico utilizado com frequência na investigação da embolia paradoxal (EP) e do forame oval patente (FOP). Apesar da padronização do método, inúmeros questionamentos existem em relação a metodologia utilizada, entre as quais, a solução contrastante ideal, o momento de realização da manobra de Valsalva (MV) durante o exame sensibilizado e marcadores que diferenciem entre a EP devido o FOP e outras EPs, preferencialmente as extracardíacas. Este estudo teve como objetivos: 1) comparar a positividade de EP pelo DTCc com o uso de duas soluções contrastantes, a solução salina agitada (SSA) e a solução salina agitada com sangue (SSAs); 2) comparar dois momentos da MV com o uso da SSAs; e 3) identificar possíveis marcadores de EP pelo DTCc que possam estar correlacionados com a presença de FOP pelo ecocardiograma. Material e Métodos: Foram analisados 42 pacientes em acompanhamento no Ambulatório de Doenças Cerebrovasculares do Serviço de Neurologia do Hospital de Clínicas da UFPR entre primeiro de outubro de 2007 e 31 de agosto de 2008 com indicação para investigação de EP ou FOP. Todos os pacientes foram submetidos a exame de DTCc padronizado, com uso das duas soluções contrastantes: SSA composta por 9ml de solução salina e 1ml de ar e SSAs, composta por 8ml de solução salina, 1ml de sangue do próprio paciente e 1ml de ar. Foram realizadas três metodologias: exame em repouso; sensibilizado previamente pela MV (MV-Pré), caracterizado por MV 5 segundos antes da injeção da solução contrastante e sensibilizado posteriormente pela MV (MV-Pós), caracterizado por MV 5 segundos após a injeção da solução contrastante. Resultados: Foi observada diferença na positividade da EP comparando as duas soluções utilizadas com a presença de maior duração da passagem de sinais de microembolia (MES) com a SSAs. Ao serem avaliados dois momentos distintos para a MV com o uso de SSAs, não foi observada diferença nos resultados de exames positivos, número e duração de MES. Nos pacientes com AVEi e DTCc positivo submetidos a ecocardiograma transesofágico contrastado (ETEc) para o diagnóstico de FOP, os exames com passagem de EP com número acima de 9 MES e início da passagem de MES antes de 9 segundos após a injeção da SSAs foram observados somente em pacientes com FOP pelo ETEc (31%). Conclusão: O uso de SSAs aumenta os graus e a duração da EP comparada a SSA, porém não existe diferença quanto a positividade de EP com SSAs quando comparados dois momentos distintos da MV. A presença de mais de 9 MES e início da passagem destes com menos de 9 segundos após a injeção da SSAs é um ponto de corte para identificar, com alta especificidade, os pacientes com FOP pelo ETEc.

OBJECTIVE: Patent foramen ovale is associated with paradoxical embolism (PE) and stroke. Hypercoagulable states, such as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), can exacerbate PE by increasing clot formation. The aim of this study was to verify whether patients with APS and stroke present a right-to-left shunt (RLS) with greater frequency than patients with APS but without stroke. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with APS were tested for RLS using contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler (cTCD): 23 patients had a history of stroke (Stroke Group) and 30 had no history of stroke (No-stroke Group). RESULTS: cTCD was positive in 15 patients (65%) from the Stroke Group and in 16 patients (53%) in the No-stroke Group (p=0.56). The proportion of patients with a small RLS (<10 high-intensity transient sign or HITS) and a large RLS (&gt;10 HITS) was similar between the groups without significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not support the theory that paradoxical embolism may play an important role in stroke in APS patients.

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A amplitude de movimento do pescoço pode ser reduzida pela presença de disfunções vertebrais e miofasciais, as quais podem ser tratadas pela manipulação osteopática por meio da técnica articulatória rítmica cervical. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se a manipulação osteopática, através da técnica articulatória rítmica gera aumento da amplitude de rotação cervical mensurada por fleximetria. MÉTODOS: A casuística foi constituída de 58 indivíduos de ambos os gêneros, com idade média de 36±6,5 anos, com cervicalgia mecânica crônica, que foram submetidos de maneira randomizada à fleximetria controle da rotação cervical, à manipulação osteopática, por meio da técnica articulatória rítmica, ao repouso de 5 minutos e à fleximetria estudo da rotação cervical. RESULTADOS: A comparação entre as médias das fleximetrias de rotação cervical através do teste t de Student para dados pareados, ao nível de significância de 0,05 (5%), mostrou que houve aumento significativo da rotação cervical em todos os casos (p<0,05) passando de 151,4º para 162,5º no arco total de movimento (aumento de 7,3%). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados foram dentro do esperado, confirmando que a manipulação osteopática, através da técnica articulatória rítmica gerou aumento significativo da amplitude de rotação cervical em todos os casos, podendo servir de tratamento de doenças que se relacionam à redução da mobilidade vertebral, como cervicalgia e osteoartrite cervical.

The tactile analogue scale (TAS) was elaborated to be used in blind subjects or those who can not use the vision during their crises. The objective of this study was to characterize, from TAS, the architecture of migraine attacks in subjects with visual disability. For that, 11 migrainous with visual disturb (MVD) subjects were studied and 22 migrainous subjects with no visual disability as a control group. All patients fulfilled the criteria for migraine and the patients of the group studied showed visual acuteness less than 20/200. To evaluate the results, the patients of the group MVD were subdivide within two groups, according to their visual acuteness: subgroup A subjects with subnormal vision and subgroup B amaurotic ones. In subgroup A measurement 46 attacks with average of the migraine attacks of the 56.50 mm, in the subgroup B 45 attacks with average of the 59.58mm and in the control group 92 attacks with average of the 49.88mm. When subgroup B and control group were compared there was a significant statistic difference (p=0.022). Through these outcomes we can observe that the migrainous subjects with no visual afference show a higher pain intensity during the migraine crises comparing to those subjects with no visual handicap. The study suggests that, as in other forms of sensibility, the total visual loss can also interfere in the nociceptive control of the pain during the migraine attacks.