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NERVOUS SYSTEM MANIFESTATIONS AFTER GASTRIC SURGERY
Author(s) -
Banerji N. K.,
Hurwitz L. J.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1971.tb07503.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ataxia , peripheral neuropathy , neurological examination , myelopathy , surgery , myopathy , peripheral nervous system , nervous system , gastroenterology , epilepsy , neurology , central nervous system , spinal cord , endocrinology , psychiatry , diabetes mellitus
106 patients who had gastric surgery for peptic ulcer were examined for evidence of nervous system involvement. Sixteen patients (15.1 %) had neurological signs and eighteen (17.0%) had nervous system symptoms without signs. There were 43 nervous system manifestations which comprised myopathy, peripheral neuropathy, neuromyopathy, myeloneuropathy, myelopathy, motor neurone disease, dementia, optic atrophy, cerebellar ataxia, affective disorders, the restless legs syndrome and epilepsy. The age and sex of the patients, the site of the ulcer and the type of gastric operations did not predispose to the appearance of neurological symptoms and signs. A longer interval from the gastrectomy to the present examination was associated with a higher incidence of neurological complications. In seven of the sixteen patients with neurological signs a causative factor was thought to be identified and specific treatment was effective. These were Vitamin D deficiency and myopathy in three patients, hypokalaemia and transient paralysis in one and Vitamin B‐12 and peripheral neuropathy in three. In another two patients Vitamin B‐12 was deficient but there was only slight improvement with treatment. In the other patients with neurological signs, treatment was of no avail. In the eighteen patients without signs the disability was usually only slight. The relationship of Vitamin B‐12, steatorrhoea and blind loop formation to the neurological signs are briefly discussed.