Journal of hospital Pula, Vol. 9 No. 9, 2012.
Professional paper
CONVERSIVE DISORDERS IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Lorena Radolović Prenc
Juraj Sepčić
Ivana Vidović
Dubravko Marković
Abstract
Aim of the study is to evaluate faulty multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in patient with psychiatric disturbances.
Authors demonstrate and evaluate the role of complement diagnostic techniques as well as evoked brain potentials (EBP),
magnetic resonance imaging (MR) of brain and cervical spine and cerebrospinal fluid analysis to confirm the MS diagnosis,
opposite to possible neurosis. Three patients suffering of conversive-somatic disorders showed a highly similar clinical MS
picture. Their investigation revealed normal findings of cerebrospinal fluid analysis, MR and evoked brain potential. A first
female patient suffered of transient weakness of right limbs in the stress situations. Second one a male, a victim of War in
Croatia was admitted to the hospital with lower limbs palsy. Third female patient had scanning (staccato) speech mimicking
MS bulbar speech disturbances and spastic ataxia. In all patients symptoms disappeared after anti-depressive treatment.
Patients were found in the group of 121 clinically observed and “defined” MS patients. The percentage of faulty MS diagnosis
was still rather high. Diagnostic procedures such as MR, evoked brain potential and cerebrospinal fluid analysis are sufficient
for establishing a definite diagnosis. However, not rare disorder, neurosis, could be diagnostic problem for mimicking
MS symptoms.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
106968
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2012.
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