Purpose: To evaluate the demographical characteristics of patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedure in the neurology intensive care clinics. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedure in neurology intensive care clinics between 2015-2017 were included in this study. Demographical characteristics of the cases were retrospectively evaluated. Findings: In total, 50 patients (21 women, 29 men) were evaluated as the study group. Mean duration of follow-up was 40.12±30.19 days. All patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy procedure had neurological disorders. Mean age of the patient group was 73±15.8 years. Mean Glasgow coma score (GCS) as evaluated on the day of PEG decision was 9.18±3.6. Five patients developed a skin infection on the site of PEG entry and one patient experienced peristomal bleeding. Conclusion: Enteral route must be the first option to be preferred for feeding patients who receive long-term inpatient treatment for neurological disorders in intensive care units. In patients who do not tolerate oral intake, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy applications provide a route to give pre-prepared nutritional solutions. Long-term nutritional support can be given through this route with minimal complications.

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OBJECTIVE: Stroke is one of the most critical diseases causing severe disability and death. The incidence of ischemic stroke increases with advancing age.This study aims to identify the etiologic, epidemiological, demographic and clinical features of acute ischemic stroke patients and to contribute to acute stroke data in our country. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective descriptive study. We reviewed the hospital records of 200 patients who were admitted with acute ischemic stroke between January 2016 and December 2016. RESULTS: Of the patients, 52% were female (n: 104) and mean age of the study group was 68.36±16.2 (23-97). Only 53 patients (26.5%) had applied to the emergency department after four and a half hours after the onset of the symptoms. In medical history of the patients, 62.5% (n:125) had hypertension, 27% (n: 54) had diabetes mellitus, 14.5% (n: 29) had coronary artery disease, and 11% (n: 22) had atrial fibrillation. The mortality rate was found to be 10.5% in patients who were followed up in the neurology clinic. CONCLUSION: Hypertension and diabetes are the most critical risk factors. Patients mostly apply to the emergency departments lately. Although the results of the present study have parallels with those of previous studies, the most crucial problem is the low rate of patients who apply to the emergency department within the first 4.5 hours which is called golden window period.

Background/Aim: Sleep disorders are often reported by MS patients and various studies have shown sleep disorders to be more widespread in MS patients than in healthy control groups. However, despite the high frequency, they are often overlooked. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of fatigue and daytime sleepiness in MS patients, the underlying factors, and their relationship for testing the reliability of subjective scales and establishing when patients presenting with these symptoms should be referred to a sleep specialist. Methods: The patients enrolled in this cohort study were aged >18 years, had a confirmed diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS, were in the remission phase, had not taken steroids within the last 3 months, and had complaints of fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and sleep disorders. Patients with EDSS score <3 were admitted to the sleep laboratory for 2 days to perform 1 night of polysomnography (PSG) and a 5-nap multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) the following day. The results were evaluated with regards to the clinical scales. Results: A total of 41 patients were evaluated. Excessive daytime sleepiness was found in 14 (34.1%), and sleep quality was poor in 28 (68.29%). According to the PSG-MSLT, a sleep disorder was found in 37 patients (90.24%). A diagnosis of hypersomnolence was made in 23 (56.1%) patients, and two (4.88%) were categorized as type 2. Conclusion: It is necessary for every clinician involved in MS treatment to correctly diagnose and treat fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other sleep disorders, which increase the disability of disease. When the high prevalence of these types of disorders and the fact that they are multifactorial are taken into consideration, the timing of the referral of these patients to a sleep specialist and the implementation of objective tests become more important.

Objective: To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the serum and urinary nerve growth factor (NGF) in MS patients as markers of detrusor overactivity.Material and Methods: 20 volunteers who were diagnosed with MS and who had urinary tract symptoms and 29 volunteers who were diagnosed with MS however who did not have urinary tract symptoms were included in the study. A comprehensive anamnesis and spot urine samples were obtained from the subjects. Twenty seven healthy volunteers with similar age and gender distribution were included for making a comparison with regard to NGF levels and spot urine samples were obtained.Results: Urinary NGF levels and NGF/urinary creatinine ratios were found lower in the group composed of MS patients who had urinary symptoms compared to the group composed of MS patients who did not have urinary symptoms but the difference was not statistically significant. These parameters were found lower in patient group who did not have urinary symptoms compared to control group however the difference was not statistically significant (p: 0,114 and 0,833) Conclusion: Urinary NGF levels were found to be lower in patients with urinary symptoms compared to patients without symptoms. Further studies in larger patient populations are needed to clarify the relationship between NGF and urinary tract symptoms in MS patients