Thrombocytopenic thrombotic purpura: severe clinic with no CT, minor MRI, but a SPECT correlate

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome could be an underestimated variant of "reversible neurological deficits" in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been increasingly identified in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) owing to the advance in neuroimaging techniques. Prompt diagnosis is pivotal to improve its outcome. To analyze the clinical and radiographic profile of PRES in patients with SLE and search for the appropriate treatment strategy PRES in SLE.

Methods

SLE patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PRES from August 2008 to January 2011 were evaluated at baseline, and followed to determine clinical outcomes. Data were analysis on clinical characteristics, laboratory abnormalities, treatment details, and outcomes.

Results

Ten episodes of PRES in patients with SLE were identified. All patients were female, mean age of onset was 22.93 ± 2.48 years, and SLEDAI at the onset of PRES were 25.8 ± 5.7. All cases had acute onset of headache, altered mental status, stupor, vomiting, cortical blindness and seizures. Neurological symptoms were the initial manifestation of SLE in three cases. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated posterior white matter edema involving the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, which were more conspicuous on T2 weighted spin echo and diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) than on computed tomography (CT) scan. Complete clinical and radiographic recovery was observed in 8 patients after prompt treatment with corticosteroids.

Conclusions

PRES might be due to lupus per se besides other traditional causative factors such as hypertension. PRES might be an underestimated variant of “reversible neurological deficits” in SLE. Prompt recognition and timely management is important to prevent permanent neurological deficits.

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for autoantibody-positive cerebellar ataxia

OBJECTIVE

It has been reported that autoimmune cerebellar ataxias, such as anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-antibody-positive cerebellar ataxia and gluten ataxia, are treatable. Here, we examined the therapeutic efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) on autoantibody-positive cerebellar ataxia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

IVIg therapy was administered in seven autoantibody-positive cerebellar ataxia patients. Therapeutic efficacy was examined in terms of its effects on clinical symptoms and changes in brain perfusion using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

RESULTS

Treatment was effective in four cerebellar cortical atrophy patients (two anti-GAD antibody-positive and two anti-gliadin antibody-positive) and in one anti-thyroid antibody-positive spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) patient, but not in two multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients. All four IVIg effective patients who underwent SPECT showed apparent increases in cerebellar perfusion.

CONCLUSION

If cerebellar ataxia with an autoimmune mechanism is suspected and radiological findings do not reveal MSA, it is worth considering immunotherapy including IVIg.

Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura with Reversible Neurological Features: Brain Diffusion MRI with ADC Map, Spect and EEG Findings. A Case Report

Although nervous system involvement is common in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), abnormalities on computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography are not encountered so frequently and if present, these abnormalities are often reversible. We describe a 39-year-old woman with recurring transient focal neurological findings found to have laboratory findings consistent with TTP. In cerebral diffusion weighted images (DWI), diffuse cortical hyperintensity was noted in right frontal lobe, but the ADC (apparent diffusion coefficient) map was normal. Electroencephalography demonstrated lateralized slowing and repeated DWI showed diffuse cortical hyperintensity in the right hemisphere. SPECT showed luxury perfusion in the right hemisphere areas. The patient's condition resolved with plasmapheresis. Our patient illustrates that diffuse hemispheric involvement can be seen in DWI and EEG, and SPECT may show luxury perfusion after resolution of neurological findings in TTP cases. To our knowledge, this is the first TTP case in which the ADC map was normal.