Background: Neurological disorders are significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, data about general neurological inpatient admissions in Brazil is limited. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of neurological disorders according to disease group and lesion site among patients admitted to a general Neurology ward. Methods: This was an observational and descriptive study. The hospital discharge database for the Neurology ward was surveyed in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10), from September 2008 to October 2019. The final diagnosis was classified into neurological disorder groups and site. Results: Overall, 2,606 clinical neurological patient files were included, with mean length of hospitalization of 16.7 days and a total of 325 readmissions (12.5%). The overall mortality rate in the ward was 3.8% (100 patients). Among all the diagnoses, cerebrovascular disease was the most prevalent (45.8%), followed by inflammatory disorders (22.2%). The brain was the most common lesion site (66.0%), followed by peripheral nerves (10.0%) and meninges and cerebrospinal fluid (7.7%). Conclusions: The disease pattern upon admission showed that a majority of the cases consisted of cerebrovascular disorders and that the brain was the most frequently affected structure, although we observed that a wide variety of cases were admitted, encompassing all neurological disorders.

Background Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a secondary cause of headache and an underdiagnosed disease. The clinical presentation can be highly variable. It typically presents with isolated classic orthostatic headache complaints, but patients can develop significant complications such as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Objective To report 3 cases of SIH diagnosis admitted and treated in a tertiary-level neurology ward. Methods Review of the medical files of three patients and description of clinical and surgical outcomes. Results Three female patients with SIH with a mean age of 25.6 ± 10.0 years old. The patients had orthostatic headache, and one of them presented with somnolence and diplopia because of a CVT. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ranges from normal findings to classic findings of SIH as pachymeningeal enhancement and downward displacement of the cerebellar tonsils. Spine MRI showed abnormal epidural fluid collections in all cases, and computed tomography (CT) myelography could determine an identifiable cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak in only one patient. One patient received a conservative approach, and the other two were submitted to open surgery with laminoplasty. Both of them had uneventful recovery and remission in surgery follow-up. Conclusion The diagnosis and management of SIH are still a challenge in neurology practice. We highlight in the present study severe cases of incapacitating SIH, complication with CVT, and good outcomes with neurosurgical treatment.