Intractable hiccups are debilitating and usually a result of some underlying disease. Initial management includes vagal maneuvers and pharmacotherapy. When hiccups persist despite medical therapy, surgical intervention rarely is pursued. Cases described in the literature cite successful phrenic nerve blockade, crush injury, or percutaneous phrenic nerve pacing. The authors report on a case of intractable hiccups occurring after a posterior fossa stroke, Complete resolution of the spasms has been achieved to date following the placement of a vagus nerve stimulator.
We describe a dramatic case of an identical twin presenting at birth with unilateral congenital glaucoma. Because of the suspicion of neurofibromatosis 1 a magnetic resonance image of the neural axis was obtained, which revealed a plexiform neurofibroma with spinal cord impingement. Diagnosis of neurofibromatosis 1 was confirmed by 3 months of age with the emergence of café-au-lait spots. This case was compared with all 19 reports published in the English literature of neurofibromatosis 1 associated with congenital glaucoma. Initial presentation, family history, characteristics ofthe clinical syndrome, and outcome of glaucoma in infants with neurofibromatosis 1 and congenital glaucoma were reviewed. A plexiform neurofibroma of the ipsilateral eyelid was present in eight patients and ipsilateral facial hypertrophy occurred in three patients. Café-au-lait spots appeared between the ages of 5 weeks and 8 years; none of the patients were reported to have café-au-lait spots at birth. Newborns with unilateral congenital glaucoma should raise high suspicion for neurofibromatosis 1 and its associated findings, which might need immediate intervention.
Immediately after surgery, the patient had nearly complete resolution of intention tremor in the left arm. His resting tremor in the left hand was also greatly improved. The 30-month follow-up examination revealed maintenance of the immediate postoperative improvement.
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