WFN Publications Featured Articles

• Early Endeavors to Build a CT Scan: The Ukraine Pioneers 8 ⧉
  By Peter J. Koehler
  
  Some years ago, I presented a lecture on the history of CT and MR at the History of Neurology course of the American Academy of Neurology (2018). Soon after the invention of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) in 1895, two steps needed to be made to improve brain imaging, notably the introduction of contrast enhancement and the production of 3D images.
• American Epilepsy Society Announces Position Statement on Valproate Use in Women of Childbearing Potential ⧉
  
  The American Epilepsy Society (AES) president, R. Edward Hogan, MD, recently shared important information about the serious risks associated with use of valproate (valproic acid, divalproex) by women of childbearing potential, as highlighted in the updated AES Position Statement on the Use of Valproate by Women of Childbearing Potential.

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• The humanistic burden of myasthenia gravis: A systematic literature review ⧉

  REVIEW ARTICLE | VOLUME 437 ⧉, 120268, JUNE 15, 2022

  Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2022.120268 ⧉

  While the clinical manifestations of myasthenia gravis (MG) are well understood, its humanistic impact is not. The objective of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the humanistic burden of MG with regards to psychological symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) according to patients and caregivers.

  While the literature demonstrates that symptoms associated with MG get better with disease improvement and remission, additional options in efficacious therapy that adequately address the disease-related symptoms and also improve HRQoL may contribute to beneficial outcomes in a greater number of patients with MG.

   

• To the emergency room and back again: Circular healthcare pathways for acute functional neurological disorders ⧉

  FULL LENGTH ARTICLE | VOLUME 437 ⧉, 120251, JUNE 15, 2022

  Studies of Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) are usually outpatient-based. To inform service development, we aimed to describe patient pathways through healthcare events, and factors affecting risk of emergency department (ED) reattendance, for people presenting acutely with FND.

  People that present acutely to a UK city hospital with FND tend to follow looping pathways through hospital healthcare events, centred around ED, with low rates of documented diagnosis and referral for psychological therapy. When better practice occurs, it is associated with lower risk of ED reattendance.

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• Fluctuating pain in Parkinson's disease: Its prevalence and impact on quality of life ⧉

  VOLUME 25, DECEMBER 2021, 100371

  Pain is a common non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and the incidence of fluctuating pain may be improved by taking levodopa. There are only a few detailed reports regarding fluctuating pain.

  In this study, 331 PD patients were classified into three groups: no-pain group (67.4%), non-fluctuating pain group (22.1%), and fluctuating pain group (10.6%). We evaluated patients' background and its impact on the quality of life (QOL) of each group.

  Pain is regarded as a non-negligible symptom that affects the QOL of PD patients, and given the unique characteristics, fluctuating pain might be considered as an independent clinical subtype of PD.

• Cross-sectional area of the vagus nerve on carotid duplex ultrasound and atrial fibrillation in acute stroke: A retrospective analysis ⧉

  VOLUME 25, DECEMBER 2021, 100378

  The autonomic nervous system, including the vagus nerve, is associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the association between the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the vagus nerve on ultrasound and the presence of AF has not been fully clarified. This study investigated the association between vagus nerve CSA and the presence of AF in patients with acute stroke.

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