1/9. Primary angiitis of the central nervous system: an ante-mortem diagnosis.A rare case of primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is reported with its clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. A 20-year-old girl presented with headache, projectile vomiting, unsteadiness of gait and urgency of micturition. She had left seventh nerve upper motor neuron type paresis, increased tone in all four limbs, exaggerated deep tendon reflexes, cerebellar signs, and papilloedema. cerebrospinal fluid showed lymphocytosis with elevated protein and normal glucose level. Cerebral computerised tomographic scan and MRI showed bilateral diffuse asymmetric supra- and infra-tentorial lesions (predominantly in the supratentorial and left cerebrum). On MRI, the lesions were hyperintense on T2, and proton density-weighted images and hypointense on T1-weighted images. Based on the clinical findings of raised intracranial tension and MRI features, initial diagnoses of gliomatosis cerebrii, tuberculous meningitis, primary central nervous system lymphoma and chronic viral encephalitis were considered. PACNS was not included in the initial differentials and, an open brain biopsy was advised which established the definitive diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/9. Intracranial vasculitis and multiple abscesses in a pregnant woman.Cerebral vasculitis is an unusual disorder with many causes. Infectious causes of cerebral vasculitis are predominantly bacterial or viral in nature. Purulent bacterial vasculitis is most often a complication of severe bacterial meningitis. The patient is a 25-year-old African American female, 25 weeks pregnant, who presented to the neurology service after a consult and referral from an outside hospital. She had a 1-month history of right sixth nerve palsy. Initial workup included a negative lumber puncture and a noninfused magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three days later, the patient developed right-sided migraine headaches and right third nerve palsy. The angiogram revealed diffuse irregularity and narrowing of the petrous, cavernous, and supraclinoid portions of the internal carotid and right middle cerebral arteries. Shortly thereafter, an MRI examination revealed diffuse leptomeningeal enhancement and abscess and a right parietal subdural empyema. Infectious vasculitis secondary to purulent meningitis has a rapidly progressive course and presents with cranial nerve palsy with involvement of the cavernous sinus. Although the association of this disease with pregnancy has not been established, it should be recognized that the early imaging studies may be negative or discordant and follow-up imaging might be necessary.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/9. Recurrent stroke as a manifestation of primary angiitis of the central nervous system in a patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus.CONTEXT: Cerebral vasculitis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) is usually related to additional or secondary infectious agents other than neoplastic diseases or hiv itself. OBJECTIVE: To describe a 31-year-old patient infected with hiv who presented with 2 recurrent, acute episodes of neurologic impairment in a 5-month period. DESIGN: Comparison of clinical and histologic data between the present case and previously published cases. SETTING: Community hospital. PATIENT: A 31-year-old, hiv-infected patient with recurrent strokes and chronic lymphocytic meningitis. INTERVENTION: After ruling out cardiac embolisms and coagulation disorders, the presence of central nervous system vasculitis, probably secondary to an infectious process, was suspected based on the clinical examination and cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities. RESULTS: Necropsy findings suggest the diagnosis of primary angiitis of the central nervous system, and the only infectious agent that could be found was hiv. CONCLUSIONS: Histologic studies were compatible with a diagnosis of primary angiitis of the central nervous system, but the pathogenic role of hiv in the genesis of the vasculitic process cannot be elucidated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/9. Late-developing cerebral arteropathy after pyogenic meningitis.BACKGROUND: Although vasculopathy is a recognized complication during acute meningitis, to our knowledge, no previous reports have been published of this phenomenon developing months after successful treatment. OBJECTIVE: To report a unique case of a late-developing vasculopathy after pyogenic meningitis in an adult. REPORT OF A CASE: A 51-year-old woman was seen with severe headache 2 months after treatment of haemophilus influenzae type C meningitis. Initial arteriography showed no abnormality; a second arteriogram showed progressive multifocal intracranial stenosis affecting mainly the internal carotid arteries. Findings from pathologic examination disclosed diffuse collagenosis consistent with chronic vascular injury from meningitis. The arterial lesions stabilized, and the patient remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSION: Progressive intracranial arterial stenosis can evolve months after meningitis and should be added to the list of recognized vascular complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/9. diffusion-weighted imaging in acute bacterial meningitis in infancy.Bacterial meningitis is frequently fatal or leads to severe neurological impairment. Complications such as vasculitis, resulting in infarcts, should be anticipated and dealt with promptly. Our aim was to demonstrate the complications of meningitis by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in patients who deteriorated despite therapy. We studied 13 infants between the ages of 1 day and 32 months who presented with symptoms ranging from fever and vomiting to seizures, encephalopathy and coma due to bacterial meningitis, performing MRI, including DWI, 2-5 days after presentation. Multiple infarcts were found on DWI in 12 of the 13, most commonly in the frontal lobes (in 10). Global involvement was seen in four children, three of whom died; the fourth had a very poor outcome. In one case abnormalities on DWI were due to subdural empyemas. We diagnosed vasculitis in three of five patients studied with MRA. We think DWI an important part of an MRI study in infants with meningitis. Small cortical or deep white-matter infarcts due to septic vasculitis can lead to tissue damage not easily recognized on routine imaging and DWI can be used to confirm that extra-axial collections represent empyemas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/9. Acute neutrophilic meningitis treated successfully with corticosteroids.This report describes a cocaine user who presented with polymorphonuclear pleocytosis in cerebrospinal fluid mimicking bacterial meningitis. Thorough investigation of the cerebrospinal fluid did not reveal evidence of bacteria or fungi. Clinical deterioration was observed in spite of empiric treatment with antibiotics. The patient had a favorable outcome after corticosteroid treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/9. Inflammatory thromboembolic complication after craniopharyngioma surgery?Aside from endocrine or visual disturbances an appearance of other complications after craniopharyngioma surgery is rare. We report a case of delayed brain infarction in the postoperative period of craniopharyngioma resection. A 30-year-old man presented with visual impairment and diabetes insipidus. Imaging revealed a partly cystic, partly contrast enhancing intra-/suprasellar mass lesion. The patient underwent craniotomy with resection of the tumour. Histological examination revealed an adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma. Early postoperative an aseptic meningitis, which was diagnosed clinically as well as by laboratory and CSF analysis, resolved spontaneously. One week later a cerebral incident with infarction in the peripheral territory of MCA on the left side occurred. For this unusual event with a review of the literature a thromboembolic origin is suggested on the basis of inflammatory vascular involvement after an attack of aseptic meningitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/9. P-ANCA cranial pachymeningitis: a case report.Pachymeningitis is an inflammatory process that thickens the dura mater. This disease has various etiologies including infectious, neoplastic, or autoimmune diseases. We present the case of a patient who developed cranial pachymeningitis with a clinical and biological picture suggestive of a neurological form of vasculitis. A 51-year-old woman developed rhinitis, otitis media, headaches, and deterioration of her condition after a course of recombinant hepatitis b vaccine. After a booster dose of the vaccine, she developed unilateral visual loss and impairment of multiple cranial nerves. Blood analysis showed inflammation and presence of antimyeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA). Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed pachymeningitis. A complete remission was obtained with immunosuppressive therapy. The initial clinical presentation and subsequent remission under immunosuppressive therapy were suggestive of a vasculitis with nervous system involvement. Though vasculitis was not proven histologically in this patient, we believe that MPO-ANCA-related autoimmunity provoked the patient's disease as already reported in similar cases. As pachymeningitis is a fibrosing process, early recognition and treatment of an autoimmune etiology, even in the absence of previous pulmonary or renal involvement, is required to prevent definitive neurological impairment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 220.00369097786keywords = pachymeningitis, meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/9. Persisting vasculitis after pneumococcal meningitis.INTRODUCTION: Bacterial meningitis is associated with a high mortality and a high incidence of neurological sequelae. Parainfectious vasculitis leading to ischemic brain damage is a known complication of bacterial meningitis but its treatment is uncertain. methods AND RESULTS: We report the case of a 53-year-old man with pneumococcal meningitis who developed numerous ischemic lesions in the brainstem and basal ganglia caused by parainfectious vasculitis. Clinical and radiological improvement was observed after delayed corticosteroid initiation. Symptomatic vasculitis relapsed after steroid withdrawal and stabilized after reintroduction of the immunosuppressive therapy. Although the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained high levels of MMP-9 at the time of symptomatic vasculitis, a significant decrease of the enzyme accompanied the introduction of corticotherapy and the regression of vasculitic symptoms. No relation between the level of MMP-9 and the white blood cell count in CSF could be found. CONCLUSION: Parainfectious vasculitis may respond to late corticosteroid treatment. MMP-9 level in CSF may be a marker of vasculitic complication in bacterial meningitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 8keywords = meningitis (Clic here for more details about this article) |