Frontotemporal dementia misdiagnosed as schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder

Introduction

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) encompasses a group of clinical features that include personality and behavior changes (disinhibition, social isolation, antisocial behavior, compulsion) and executive dysfunction (poor planning, loss of judgment and loss of insight). These features may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of a primary psychiatric disorder.

Objectives

To emphasize the difficulties in making a clinical distinction between early frontotemporal dementia and other psychiatric diseases.

Methods

We describe 11 patients who suffered from FTD, while initially had diagnosed with primary psychiatric disorders. The correct diagnosis was achieved by psychiatric and neuropsychological evaluations (WAIS SCALE, ACE-R, MMSE), neuroimaging studies (MRI 7/11, SPECT 8/11) and applying the international consensus criteria for FTD.

Results

All patients (5 males and 6 females) were initially diagnosed with psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia (2/11), bipolar disorders (4/11), depression (5/11), schizoaffective disorder (1/11), somatization disorder (1/11), personality disorders (2/11), malingering (1/11), alcohol dependence (1/11), while 5 patients had more than one diagnosis. The age of onset varied from 19 to 53 years old. Final diagnosis of FTD was delayed on average 6,5 years from the onset of symptoms.

Conclusion

Clinicians should be familiar with the clinical entity of FTD and its difficult distinction from other psychiatric disorders. A possible hospitalization of a patient with FTD in a psychiatric department and the social impact that it brings may be avoided. On the other hand, the proper care of FTD patients (pharmacological and psychosocial) improves the quality of life of patients and their caregivers.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Comparison of otoplasty results using different types of suturing techniques

BACKGROUND

Prominent ears are a common congenital deformity. Numerous techniques have been developed for the treatment of protruding ears, indicating that there is no single widely-accepted procedure. Modern otoplasty techniques fall into of two main surgical categories, (1) cartilage sparing (Mustardé & Furnas), and (2) cartilage cutting (Chongchet & Stenström). This study compares an antihelixmastoid suture technique with the normal Mustardé & Furnas technique.

METHODS

Within a 5-year period (between 2005 and 2009), 78 patients (mean age 27 years; range 7 to 46) underwent otoplasty performed by the senior author (in a private plastic surgery center), employing the posterior suturing technique (Mustardé & Furnas). Of these 78 patients, 44 underwent otoplasty which combined the usual posterior suturing technique with modification we have developed (antihelixmastoid sutures). Depending on the suture technique used, the patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (Mustardé & Furnas sutures), Group 2 (Mustardé & Furnas sutures with extra modification). Patients were invited for follow-up examinations 1 month and 1 year after surgery, and all of them attended both these follow-up checks, where recurrence and suture extrusion were evaluated.

RESULTS

Group 1: the clinical recurrence rate was 4.55% (3 ears). The suture extrusion rate was 7.6% (5 ears). Group 2: the clinical recurrence rate was 1.25% (1 ear). The suture extrusion rate was 7.5% (6 ears). Patients were generally satisfied with the results in terms of shape and symmetry. There were no complications such as haematoma, ear deformity and skin necrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Posterior suturing with conchomastoid and modification of Mustardé sutures is a simple operation which can be performed quickly. It appears to be effective in terms of recurrence rate (especially in the upper segment) and patient satisfaction.

Cerebellar hemorrhage after supratentorial burr hole drainage of a chronic subdural hematoma

Cerebellar hemorrhage is an unusual, but increasingly recognized complication after supratentorial surgery. Even rarer are the cases of cerebellar hemorrhage after supratentorial burr-hole drainage of a chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). The pathophysiology of this rare complication still remains unclear. Hypertension and overdrainage of cerebrospinal fluid seem to be causative factors of postoperative cerebellar hemorrhage. The most important key to minimize this hazardous sequel is to be aware of this potential complication and its pathogenetic mechanisms. We report our case of a 43-year old man who developed cerebellar hemorrhage after burr hole trephination for supratentorial CSDH.