Color-coded duplex ultrasonography of the origin of the vertebral artery: normal values of flow velocities.

The introduction of color-coded duplex ultrasonography has improved the ease of performing ultrasound investigations of the vertebral arteries. So far, normal values of flow velocities have been reported only for the intertransverse region of the vertebral artery (V2 segments). Atherosclerotic disease at the origin of the vertebral arteries (V0 segment) is frequent and is one of the risk factors for vertebrobasilar ischemic disease. Normal values of flow velocities of the vertebral artery origin are needed to assess pathologic findings, such as vertebral artery origin stenosis or dissection. The aim of this study was to describe the normal flow velocities of vertebral artery origin (V0 segm…

Vasculitic wallenberg syndrome with detection of anti-proteinase 3 antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with severe Wegener's granulomatosis and only mild kidney involvement.

The risk of abducens palsy after diagnostic lumbar puncture.

Abducens palsy occasionally has been observed after diagnostic lumbar puncture (DLP).1-3 Its risk is not exactly known. We are aware of only one report, which mentions not a single case among 1,341 DLPs when using 22-gauge needles.4 At our clinic, an average of 800 inpatients a year undergo DLP. We usually use 22-gauge needles, and occasionally (in less than 5%), 20-gauge needles. Over a 14.5-year period, we saw two patients with abducens palsy—one unilateral, one bilateral—after DLP. This translates to a risk of less than 1 out of 5,800 DLPs. ### Patient 1. A 61-year-old man with type 2 diabetes noticed progressive weakness of the legs. Neurologic examination revealed proximal paraparesis,…