Recep Alp

Botulinum toxin and intractable trigeminal neuralgia.

The effects of botulinum toxin have been demonstrated in pain syndromes such as migraine, tension headache, and postherpetic neuralgia. With this background data in hand, the authors planned a randomized, open-ended study to investigate the efficacy of botulinum injections in cases of refractory trigeminal neuralgia. In 8 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, 100 U botulinum toxin was injected into the region of the zygomatic arch. The results of their statistical analyses demonstrated that the medication can be effective in treating trigeminal neuralgia. The patients did not develop any significant adverse effects. Botulinum toxin can be used in the treatment of refractory trigeminal neuralgia.

Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis Door-to-Door Survey in Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey

Background: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Istanbul, Turkey, is unknown. We investigated the prevalence of MS in the district of Maltepe, Istanbul, Turkey. Methods: This was a cross-sectional field research study using door-to-door sampling. Maltepe is a district of Istanbul beside the sea of Marmara (population 359,298 from 2000 census). The two-phase study screened 32,531 subjects using the Poser criteria for clinical diagnosis. The χ2 test was used for analyses of frequency distributions. Results: 33 of 32,531 people were diagnosed with MS. Their average age was 41 ± 12.0 years (43 ± 12.7 years for females and 37 ± 9.6 years for males). The prevalence of MS in Maltepe was 101.4/100,000 within the total population (118.7/100,000 in the female and 76.0/100,000 in the male populations). Conclusions: The prevalence rates of MS in the Turkish population living in a district of Istanbul are considerably higher than we thought. And the prevalence rate is much higher than neighboring countries. They are similar to those recently recorded in Sicily and Germany. These figures suggest that the prevalence rate of MS is not totally dependent upon geographical variation. However, the research of our results needs to be confirmed with further investigations in order to determine the prevalence of MS in Turkey with confidence.

Use of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, Second Edition, criteria in the diagnosis of primary headache in schoolchildren: epidemiology study from eastern Turkey.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of primary headache among schoolchildren in the city of Agri, located in eastern Turkey, where geographical, climatic and socio-economic conditions differ greatly from those of other regions of Turkey. A cross-sectional school-based (ages ranging from 11 to 18) study was conducted from January to April 2006. Diagnosis was based on the second edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders. This population was evaluated by a two-stage clustered sampling procedure. In the first phase, 1385 children were asked whether they had had a headache within the past year. For the second-step interview, 540 children (38.9%) with a complaint of headache were selected. Five children who had complained of headaches in the first interview did not agree to participate in the second stage. Of the remaining 535, 473 were identified as having primary headache and 62 as having secondary headache. Overall, one-year prevalence of headache subtypes was 14.3% for migraine, 3.5% for probable migraine, 8.6% for pure tension-type headache, 4.6% for migraine plus tension-type headache, and 3.0% for probable migraine plus tension-type headache. The prevalence of migraine was higher in our study than in previous studies.

Two intracranial sewing needles in a young woman with hemi-chorea.

Chorea is an involuntary movement disorder stemming from dysfunctional neuronal networks interconnecting basal ganglia and frontal cortical motor areas. Chorea is characterized by a continuous flow of random, brief, involuntary muscle contractions and can result from a wide variety of causes [1]. Although various etiological factors have been reported, hemi-chorea in adults is usually related to vascular lesions, ischemic strokes, or petechial hemorrhages [1,2]. We report a patient with hemi-chorea resulting from the presence of two sewing needles situated in the brain.

Cavernous hemangioma: a rare cause for secondary parkinsonism: a case report.

A 72-year-old female was admitted to our outpatient clinic with the complaints of slowed movements and sudden speeding up of her walk. She was identified to have cavernous angioma with left basal ganglion localization. The patient did not demonstrate a levodopa response and refused to have surgical treatment. The cause underlying this clinical presentation was identified as the chronic pressure brought forward by the cavernous hemangioma. We present this patient as a case report, because cavernous angioma with basal ganglia localization is an unusual cause of secondary parkinsonism.

Planimetry investigation of the corpus callosum in temporal lobe epilepsy patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) on corpus callosum (CC) morphometry in patients with TLE. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey between November 2010 and December 2013. The epileptic syndrome diagnosis was based on International League Against Epilepsy criteria, and this study was conducted on the MRIs of 25 epilepsy patients and 25 control subjects. We classified the patients according to their duration of epilepsy <10 and ≥10 years. The projection area length (PAL) of the CC was also estimated. Total brain volumes (TBV) were measured on CT images. Results: The mean values of TBV for patients with TLE and the control group were not statistically different, but the CC PAL values were statistically different. The mean CC PAL values of under and over 25 years of age in patients with TLE were statistically different. The mean values of TBV of under and over 10 years duration of TLE were small statistically, but the CC PAL values were statistically different. Conclusion: The results indicate a clear influence of TLE on the structure of the CC rather than TBV.

P141 The investigation of selegiline and rasagiline administration on QT interval in conscious rabbits

reflexes -(C) and negative reflexes -(-)). This testified to deficiency in vagus system reflexes, which main function is regulation of internals and provision of blood distribution in accordance with body needs. The reflexes pathology was connected with clinical neurological preeclampsia symptoms (headache, dizziness, “black flies” in front of the eyes, pain in epigastric zone). The moderate preeclampsia reflexes had the following characteristics: oculocardiac -(+)14, C1, (++)6, (-)2; orbital -(+)15, CO, (++)7, (-)1; celiac-plexus reflex-(+)19, (++)2, (-)2. Accordingly, the severe preeclampsia reflexes had the following characteristics: oculocardiac -(+)9, C4, (++)9, (-)5; orbital -(+)10, C3, (++)8, (-)6; celiac-plexus reflex-(+)11, (++)10, (-)6. Conclusions: Vegetative dystonia syndrome reflects dependence between preeclampsia severity and degree of its neurological manifestations. The increase in preeclampsia severity means poor vegetative reflexes and pronounced imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This should be taken into account during treatment and preparation of pregnant women for delivery, because labor decompensates insufficient adaptation mechanisms through hemorrhage and loss of blood. These complications are realized with participation of nervus vagus system.