[A 49-year-old man with progressive bulbar palsy and respiratory failure]

Abstract

We report a 49-year-old man with progressive bulbar palsy and respiratory failure. He was well until his 48 years of the age (December 1994) when he noted a difficulty in speaking in loud voice. In February, 1995, he noted regurgitation of foods to his nose and difficulty in his speech. He was admitted to our service in May 29, 1995. On admission, he was alert and oriented to all spheres and he was not demented. His higher cerebral functions were normal. In cranial nerves, he showed dysarthria and dysphagia; muscle atrophies were seen in the tongue, the bilateral sternocleidomastoid, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus muscles. Fasciculations were seen in these muscles. He showed no muscle weakness in his limbs except for the upper limb girdle muscles, no ataxia, no reflex abnormalities, nor sensory changes. EMG showed neurogenic changes in the affected muscles. MRI of the brain and the spinal cord was entirely normal. He was discharged for out patient follow-up, however, in October of 1995, he noted difficulty in swallowing solid foods. Gastrostomy was placed and he was discharged to his home. In February 11th of 1996, he was found unresponsive and brought into the ER of our hospital. On admission, he was comatose without spontaneous respiration. BP could not be obtained. He was immediately intubated and artificial ventilation was started. On the following morning, he became alert and he was not demented. He continued to show marked dysarthria and dysphagia; again no weakness was noted in the distal parts of the upper and lower extremities. Laboratory examination showed increase in serum CK to 2,173 IU/L and amylase to 2,032 IU/L. He was extubated on February 15th, however, his spontaneous respiration was not suffice to maintain his blood gas. According to his will, he was not placed on respirator and he died on February 24th, 1996. The patient was discussed in a neurological CPC and the chief discussant arrived at the conclusion that the patient had ALS. Although no upper neuron signs were observed clinically, it is not uncommon to see degeneration in the corticospinal tract in post-mortem examination. The question was what might have been the cause of increase in CK and amylase. Many participants thought that they were secondary to multiple organ failure due to prolonged hypoxic state at his last admission; other possibilities raised included acute myocardial infarction and acute bowel necrosis. Post-mortem examination revealed muscle atrophy in the facial, lingual, cervical, intercostal, and the upper limb girdle areas. The lungs were unremarkable except for old organized pneumonic foci in the right middle and lower lobes. Marked to moderate congestion was seen in many internal organs, however, no other gross abnormality was found. It was thought that respiratory palsy itself was the direct cause of his agonal event. In the spinal cord, the anterior horns showed various degree of neuronal loss and gliosis. No clear evidence of pyramidal tract degeneration was seen at the light microscope level. Lower brain stem motor neurons were markedly reduced. But no Bunina body was found. The substantia nigra showed moderate degree of neuronal loss and extraneuronal neuromelanins. The locus coeruleus showed similar but milder changes. The degree of nigral degeneration appeared to be well beyond those which could be seen in usual ALS patients. The question was whether or not this patient might have been in an early stage of the extended form of ALS.