Toxoplasmosis of the conus medullaris in a patient with hemophilia A-associated AIDS. Case report

Cytomegalovirus polyradiculopathy in three Japanese patients with AIDS

Polyradiculopathy (PRP) is a rare but serious neurologic complication of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We herein report three cases of CMV PRP in patients with AIDS. Although providing a prompt diagnosis and initiating anti-CMV therapy may achieve clinical improvements, administering single-drug treatment may result in virologic failure. Therefore, introducing antiretroviral therapy is a key step for improving the treatment outcomes of CMV PRP.

Intravascular Lymphoma with Conus Medullaris Syndrome Followed by Encephalopathy

Background:

Intravascular large cell lymphoma (ILCL) is a diagnostic challenge, with neurological, cutaneous and constitutional symptoms. The natural history is usually an evolution to a comatose state. As invasive procedures are usually required for diagnosis, recognizing the typical clinical pattern is critical since an effective treatment is available.

Method:

After an extensive literature review of the subject, we report a case of ILCL, analyzing clinical, laboratory, radiological and pathological data. We will also give a special attention to the clinical picture of a conus medullaris (CM) lesion with subsequent encephalopathy in the same patient.

Results:

We report here a 61-year-old woman with a paraplegia caused by a CM lesion, evolving about one year latter to encephalopathy and eventual coma, with the diagnosis of ILCL confirmed by autopsy. The present case is similar to eight other cases in literature who had CM lesion associated with ILCL, knowing that 80-90% of these patients will eventually evolve to encephalopathy without treatment. Conclusions: ILCL is a recognized but rare cause of coma. Diagnosing it is tremendously important since it is fatal if left untreated. We propose that this specific picture (conus medullaris lesion, eventually evolving to encephalopathy) is quite characteristic and will directly result in better outcome if recognized.

Neuromuscular manifestations of HIV/AIDS

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, now entering its fourth decade, affects approximately 33 million people living in both developed and resource-limited countries. Neurological complications of the peripheral nervous system are common in HIV-infected patients, and neuromuscular pathology is associated with significant morbidity. Peripheral neuropathy is the most common neuromuscular manifestation observed in HIV/AIDS, and in the antiretroviral era, its prevalence has increased. The purpose of this review was to describe the clinical spectrum of neuromuscular disorders in the setting of HIV infection and to provide an approach to diagnosis and management.

Demyelinating and infectious diseases of the spinal cord

Spinal cord diseases generally have distinctive clinical findings that reflect dysfunction of particular sensory or motor tracts. The abnormalities on MR images reflect the pathologic changes that occur in the affected pathways. The complexity and the wide spectrum of diseases affecting the spinal cord require a profound knowledge of neuropathology and exactly tuned imaging strategies. This article describes and illustrates the clinical and imaging characteristics in various demyelinating and infectious conditions of the spinal cord.

Acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy due to cytomegalovirus in advanced HIV disease: CSF findings in 17 patients

OBJECTIVES

To describe the abnormalities in CSF from HIV infected patients with acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy (ALP) caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

METHODS

Retrospective case notes and laboratory records were reviewed for 17 consecutive patients with CMV associated ALP admitted to specialist HIV/AIDS units at UCL Hospitals and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

RESULTS

Infection with CMV was confirmed by detection of CMV DNA by polymerase chain reaction amplification in 15 patients (all of whom were negative by culture), by culture in one patient, and by objective clinical response to anti-CMV treatment in one patient. Only nine patients had a CSF pleocytosis 28-1142 (median 150) cells/mm3; in seven there was a polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocyte preponderance. Protein concentrations in CSF were moderately or considerably raised in 13 patients; CSF: plasma glucose ratios were < or = 50% in five patients. Two patients had no pleocytosis, normal CSF: plasma glucose, and normal or near normal protein values.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormalities in CSF in CMV associated ALP are varied: only 50% of patients have a "typical" PMN preponderant pleocytosis. The diagnosis of this condition should not rely on demonstration of a PMN preponderant pleocytosis, but on identification of CMV DNA in CSF and the exclusion of other opportunistic infections and lymphoma in order that specific anti-CMV treatment may be instituted.

Neuroepidemiology of HIV infection

There are a variety of HIV-related neurologic complications that have numerous causes. HIV-related neurologic illnesses are specific to the stage of HIV infection, although the greatest burden of neurologic disease and the most disabling syndromes occur in the more advanced stages. As the number of HIV-infected persons continues to increase worldwide and as antiretroviral and other anti-infective therapies improve patient survival in the advanced stages of HIV infection, the burden of neurologic disease will continue to increase.

Acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: experience in 23 patients

We reviewed our experience in 23 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who had acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy. The patients developed a distinctive syndrome of rapidly progressive flaccid paraparesis and areflexia that was frequently associated with sphincter disturbances. Persuasive laboratory evidence of a cytomegalovirus polyradiculopathy (polymorphonuclear pleocytosis or confirmatory cerebrospinal fluid culture) was found in 15 of the 23 patients. Treatment with ganciclovir in these patients led to clinical stabilization, although worsening during the first 2 weeks of treatment was common. Most patients with cytomegalovirus polyradiculopathy had severe residual deficits. Metastasis from systemic lymphoma accounted for the polyradiculopathy in 2 other patients. A more benign syndrome was identified in the remaining 6 patients. They generally had slower clinical progression and less severe neurological deficits at their nadir than did patients with cytomegalovirus polyradiculopathy. Unlike patients with cytomegalovirus infection, their cerebrospinal fluid showed a predominantly mononuclear pleocytosis. Moreover, spontaneous improvement without treatment was common. Our experience together with the published experience of others suggests that the acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy in AIDS is a clinical syndrome with different etiologies and variable clinical outcome. Recognition of this heterogeneity is necessary for the management of individual patients, as well as the interpretation of treatment results.

Spinal cord toxoplasmosis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection

Spinal cord toxoplasmosis occurs rarely in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It usually presents as a space occupying lesion which makes differentiation from a neoplasm difficult. As a result, only 2 of the 5 previously reported cases have been diagnosed antemortem. We have incorporated the clinical details from one further case to describe the clinical features of this condition. The clarification of this clinical entity may allow earlier diagnosis of this rare condition in the future.