Background: Stroke is the leading cause of cortical deafness (CD), the most severe form of central hearing impairment. CD remains poorly characterized and perhaps underdiagnosed. We perform a systematic review to describe the clinical and radiological features of stroke-associated CD. Methods: PubMed and the Web of Science databases were used to identify relevant publications up to 30 June 2021 using the MeSH terms: “deafness” and “stroke”, or “hearing loss” and “stroke” or “auditory agnosia” and “stroke”. Results: We found 46 cases, caused by bilateral lesions within the central auditory pathway, mostly located within or surrounding the superior temporal lobe gyri and/or the Heschl’s gyri (30/81%). In five (13.51%) patients, CD was caused by the subcortical hemispheric and in two (0.05%) in brainstem lesions. Sensorineural hearing loss was universal. Occasionally, a misdiagnosis by peripheral or psychiatric disorders occurred. A few (20%) had clinical improvement, with a regained oral conversation or evolution to pure word deafness (36.6%). A persistent inability of oral communication occurred in 43.3%. A full recovery of conversation was restricted to patients with subcortical lesions. Conclusions: Stroke-associated CD is rare, severe and results from combinations of cortical and subcortical lesions within the central auditory pathway. The recovery of functional hearing occurs, essentially, when caused by subcortical lesions.

Gastric volvulus can be defined as an abnormal rotation of the stomach. It can be both an emergency and a chronic intermittent problem. Being such a rare clinical entity and a difficult condition to diagnose, it is commonly diagnosed at the time of surgery or even at autopsy. We present the case of an 82-year-old independent female with a past medical history of hiatal hernia, who came to the emergency department with hematemesis and severe epigastric pain. An abdominal CT scan revealed an organoaxial stomach volvulus within the intrathoracic cavity. After initial treatment with gastric decompression, IV fluids and proton pump inhibitors, the patient was informed that the surgical intervention would be the only definitive curative treatment for her condition and denied the procedure. She was then discharged after clinical and analytical improvement. She was offered a conservative treatment and follow up by the internal medicine team. After a few months, the patient reported moderate improvement of her symptoms and less episodes of epigastric pain. She was pleased with the conservative management and denied any surgical or invasive procedures. A proximity contact was established with the family doctor, which she maintains. This case report is proof that rare entities can happen to patients presenting common symptoms and better resolutions come from multidisciplinary approaches.

Local anesthetics are widely used by various medical professionals. Although their usefulness is unquestionable, as with any medication, there is a possibility of iatrogenic effects. When local anesthetic systemic toxicity occurs, it might be a life-threatening condition. Knowing its existence and how to act when it arises is crucial. The clinical presentation is wide-ranging, but globally it affects the neurological and cardiovascular system, with cardiac arrest being the extreme of its presentation. The treatment is mainly supportive with an attempt to reverse the effects of the anesthetic by administering a lipid emulsion. Here, we present a clinical case of difficult management with many complications.