Parkinsonsim due to a Chronic Subdural Hematoma

Systematic Review of Post-Traumatic Parkinsonism, an Emerging Parkinsonian Disorder Among Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury

This systematic review focuses on an increasing subset of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors who develop post-traumatic parkinsonism (PTP), characterized by slowness of movement (bradykinesia), rigidity (stiffness), postural instability, and resting tremors caused by obstruction or damage to deep brain structures of the basal ganglia. PTP is rare, and one hypothesis to explain PTP rarity is that TBIs severe enough to affect deep brain structures are often lethal; however, with increasing survivability of TBIs, these numbers are expected to increase. The goal of this review is to raise awareness of an expected global increase of a subgroup of TBI patients who are treatment responsive and report therapeutic results aiding providers in diagnosing, educating, and treating PTP patients. Literature over the past 100 years was considered, and 44,663 peer-reviewed articles were identified. Inclusion criteria required a clinical indication of parkinsonian signs and TBI. Twenty-six case reports were ultimately included from which 36 individual patient data points were extracted for this review. Between 1980 and 2010, there has been an increase in reporting of PTP decade after decade. Forty-seven percent of PTP cases have 1-6 months of latency to symptom onset, and 83% of cases were male. PTP can occur with or without presence of brain lesions, and the most common type of injuries that cause PTP are motor vehicle accidents followed by falls. PTP patients are responsive to surgery or medication treatments. Further detail on PTP symptomology, treatment responsiveness, and injury types is provided.

Chronic subdural hematoma-induced parkinsonism: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is one of the most common neurosurgical cases, especially in elderly individuals. Secondary parkinsonism due to CSDH is a rare entity. The mechanism of parkinsonism symptoms in chronic subdural hematoma has been suggested to include direct mechanical compression of the basal ganglia due to hematoma or indirectly through brain structure changes due to space lesions and vascular disorders. Surgery on the subdural hematoma provides a favorable outcome for parkinsonism symptoms.

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the literature on CSDH-induced parkinsonism.

SEARCH METHODS

This is a systematic review on case reports. Literature search was performed using the predefined keywords on PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. We also provided our own case report and compared it with published studies.

RESULT

Sixteen cases from 13 case reports/series were identified, predominantly consisting of male patients with the mean age of 66.5 ± 9.73 years. The most common symptoms were rigidity, gait disturbance, and bradykinesia, observed in 12 (75%) cases each. The second and third most common symptoms were tremor (11; 68.75%) and facial masking (8; 50%), respectively. Other reported symptoms were dysphasia (3; 18.75%), dysarthria (3; 18.75%), and urinary incontinence (2; 12. 5%). Time gap between the symptom onset and CSDH diagnosis and unilateral location seemed to influence the outcome.

CONCLUSION

Only 16 CSDH-induced parkinsonism were identified since the 1960s. This condition is thought to occur due to basal ganglia compression. Surgery on the subdural hematoma provides a favorable outcome for parkinsonism symptoms. Timely CSDH diagnosis might yield better outcome. However, further research on CSDH-induced parkinsonism is needed, especially in the mechanisms and treatment outcomes.

Secondary parkinsonism caused by chronic subdural hematomas owing to compressed cortex and a disturbed cortico–basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuit: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a commonly encountered condition in neurological and neurosurgical practice, but the presence of concomitant parkinsonism is extremely rare. Basal ganglia disturbance is a well-known underlying mechanism; however, few cases present with cerebral cortex compression as the cause of symptoms.

OBSERVATIONS

A 52-year-old man was referred to the authors’ hospital with a 5-week history of gait disturbance and suspected Parkinson’s disease. Neurological examination revealed a mask-like face, stooped posture, left-predominant rigidity, and postural instability. The authors initiated dopamine agonist administration, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was scheduled. One week later, MRI showed bilateral CSDHs. The hematomas markedly compressed the bilateral cerebral cortex, whereas the midbrain and basal ganglia structures were intact. The patient underwent burr hole drainage and was discharged after 9 days without sequelae.

LESSONS

CSDH can cause parkinsonism by compressing the cerebral cortex, which is a part of the cortico–basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuit. Surgery leads to positive outcomes, as illustrated by this case, in which cerebral cortex compression caused parkinsonism.

Intracranial Meningioma-induced Parkinsonism

An intracranial tumor is a rare cause of secondary parkinsonism. Our patient presented to our clinic for recently-developed asymmetric parkinsonism without pyramidal signs. However, a meningioma located in the sphenoidal ridge was identified upon imaging studies. This case suggests that additional causes should be considered when approaching patients with parkinsonism and that imaging studies can provide useful information to make accurate diagnoses.