Prolonged migraine aura resembling ischemic stroke following CoronaVac vaccination: an extended case series

BackgroundAfter the initiation of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Thailand, thousands of patients have experienced unusual focal neurological symptoms. We report 8 patients with focal neurological symptoms after receiving inactivated virus vaccine, CoronaVac.Case seriesPatients were aged 24–48 years and 75% were female. Acute onset of focal neurological symptoms occurred within the first 24 h after vaccination in 75% and between 1-7d in 25%. All presented with lateralized sensory deficits, motor deficits, or both, of 2–14 day duration. Migraine headache occurred in half of the patients. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain during and after the attacks did not demonstrate any abnormalities suggesting ischemic stroke. All patients showed moderately large regions of hypoperfusion and concurrent smaller regions of hyperperfusion on SPECT imaging while symptomatic. None developed permanent deficits or structural brain injury.DiscussionsHere, we present a case series of transient focal neurological syndrome following Coronavac vaccination. The characteristic sensory symptoms, history of migraine, female predominant, and abnormal functional brain imaging without structural changes suggest migraine aura as pathophysiology. We propose that pain related to vaccine injection, component of vaccine, such as aluminum, or inflammation related to vaccination might trigger migraine aura in susceptible patients.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-022-01385-0.     

The First 10 Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke in Lao People's Democratic Republic under Teleconsultation from Thailand

Background: Acute ischemic stroke patients in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) are unable to access the intravenous thrombolytic therapy using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) due to various reasons. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of thrombolytic therapy administration at Mittaphab Hospital, Lao PDR under the international telestroke consultation system from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand. Methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients who presented at Mittaphab Hospital within 4.5 hours after the onset and received thrombolytic therapy between December 2016 and June 2017 were studied. An immediate real time teleconsultation with 24 hours availability between neurologists at Mittaphab hospital and the Chulalongkorn stroke team was performed in all cases for patient evaluation and decision for thrombolytic treatment. Results: There were 205 patients with acute stroke, 28 patients (14%) arrived at the hospital within 4.5 hours after the onset. Ten patients (5%) were eligible for intravenous rtPA. The mean duration from onset to hospital arrival was 122.50 minutes and the mean door to needle time was 108 minutes. The mean National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) before thrombolysis was 10. At 90 days, the mean NIHSS was 3 and the mean mRS was 2. Seventy percent of patients had good outcome (mRS ≤2). Only one patient developed massive cerebral infarction. None of the patient developed symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage or major bleedings. Conclusions: Telestroke consultation from Thailand can facilitate the thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke patients in Lao PDR.