Severe Neuroinvasive West Nile Virus in Association With Anti-CD20 Monotherapy for Multiple Sclerosis

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to report on the development of neuroinvasive West Nile virus (WNV) infection in the context of anti-CD20 monotherapy for multiple sclerosis (MS).

METHODS

This is a case series study.

RESULTS

In 2021-2022, we observed 4 cases of neuroinvasive WNV infection in our patient population of 2009 patients with MS on ocrelizumab, compared with a total of 46 cases of neuroinvasive WNV infection reported in Pennsylvania and 40 in New Jersey. Odds were 258 times that of the general population (95% confidence interval 97-691), χ2 p < 0.0001). All were women aged 41-61 years with variable disease duration, level of disability, and duration of anti-CD20 therapy. All presented in summer/early fall with fever, headache, and encephalopathy consistent with meningoencephalitis. Three patients had acute cerebellitis. Two had anterior nerve root involvement progressing to quadriparesis, and 1 developed refractory nonconvulsive status epilepticus. All required intubation and experienced significant morbidity. All had CSF pleocytosis. Two patients were WNV IgM positive in both the serum and CSF, 1 patient had positive serum IgM and CSF metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), while 1 had positive CSF mNGS with negative serum and CSF antibodies.

DISCUSSION

Neuroinvasive WNV infection can develop with anti-CD20 monotherapy in the absence of additional immunosuppression. WNV serologies may be negative in the setting of anti-CD20 treatment; in the appropriate clinical context, one should consider direct detection methods such as PCR or mNGS-based testing.

Central Nervous System Infections in Immunocompromised Patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews current epidemiologic trends, clinical presentations, and diagnostic strategies for central nervous system (CNS) infections in human immunodeficiency virus-negative (HIV) patients immunocompromised by their underlying disease or by receipt of immunosuppressive or immunomodulating therapies. Three patient groups are considered: (1) cancer patients; (2) hematopoietic or solid organ transplantation recipients; and (3) patients with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions requiring therapies that alter the host immune response.

RECENT FINDINGS

Clinical presentations, associated neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities differ between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Infections can trigger the emergence of neurotropic antibodies or inflammatory conditions due to treatment with cancer immunotherapies. Unbiased metagenomic assays to identify obscure pathogens help clinicians navigate the increasing range of conditions affecting the growing population of patients with altered immunity. Awareness of clinical presentations and disease and drug-specific risks is important for early diagnosis and intervention in these often life-threatening infections and their noninfectious mimes.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines. The target audience for this guideline includes primary care physicians and specialists caring for this condition such as infectious diseases specialists, emergency physicians, internists, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists and dermatologists in North America.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines. The target audience for this guideline includes primary care physicians and specialists caring for this condition such as infectious diseases specialists, emergency physicians, internists, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists and dermatologists in North America.

Neoplastic Myelopathies

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews the current classification system of primary spinal cord tumors and explores evolving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for both primary tumors and metastatic tumors to various compartments of the spinal cord.

RECENT FINDINGS

The 2016 World Health Organization classification system allows for more precise prognostication of and therapy for spinal cord tumors and has identified new entities, such as the diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M mutant. Whole-exome sequencing reveals that the genetic background of primary glial spinal cord neoplasms differs from that of their intracranial histologic counterparts in ways that can potentially influence therapy. Targeted and immune checkpoint therapies have improved survival for patients with melanoma and lung cancer and have simultaneously produced novel complications by enhancing radiation toxicity in some cases and by facilitating the emergence of novel autoimmune and paraneoplastic syndromes involving the spinal cord, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and syndromes associated with anti-Hu and collapsin response mediator protein-5 (CRMP-5) antibodies. These conditions must be distinguished from tumor or infection. Epidural spinal cord compression treatment paradigms have changed with the advent of robotic surgery and advances in radiation therapy.

SUMMARY

Neoplastic myelopathies subsume a wide spectrum of pathologies. Neoplastic cord involvement may be primary or secondary and may be approached diagnostically by the particular spinal cord compartment localization. Primary spinal cord tumors account for only 2% to 4% of primary central nervous system tumors, ranging from low-grade glial neoplasms to malignant tumors. Metastatic malignancy to the epidural or leptomeningeal spaces is more common than primary cord tumors. Differential diagnoses arising in the course of evaluation for cord tumors include myelopathies related to radiation or chemotherapy and paraneoplastic syndromes, all of which are sources of significant morbidity. Knowledge of genetic syndromes and the biologic behavior of diverse histologies together with selective application of surgery, radiation, and targeted therapies can facilitate diagnosis, minimize surgical morbidity, and prolong quality of life.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Academy of Neurology, and American College of Rheumatology: 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Lyme Disease

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines. The target audience for this guideline includes primary care physicians and specialists caring for this condition such as infectious diseases specialists, emergency physicians, internists, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists and dermatologists in North America.

Central Nervous System Infections Complicating Immunosuppression and Transplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews infections associated with cancer treatments and immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory therapies used in both neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions, including hematopoietic cell transplantation and solid organ transplantation. It provides a clinical approach to the most commonly affected patient groups based on clinicoanatomic presentation and disease-specific risks resulting from immune deficits and drugs received.

RECENT FINDINGS

The clinical presentations, associated neuroimaging findings, and CSF abnormalities of patients with central nervous system infections who are immunocompromised may differ from those of patients with central nervous system infections who are immunocompetent and may be confused with noninfectious processes. Triggering of brain autoimmunity with emergence of neurotropic antibodies has emerged as a recognized parainfectious complication. New unbiased metagenomic assays to identify obscure pathogens help clinicians navigate the increasing range of conditions affecting the growing population of patients with altered immunity.

SUMMARY

Despite evidence-based prophylactic regimens and organism-specific antimicrobials, central nervous system infections continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality in an increasing range of patients who are immunocompromised by their conditions and therapies. Multiple new drugs put patients at risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, which has numerous imaging and clinical manifestations; patients at risk include those with multiple sclerosis, for whom infection risk is becoming one of the most important factors in therapeutic decision making. Efficient, early diagnosis is essential to improve outcomes in these often-devastating diseases.

A case series of PD-1 inhibitor-associated paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are highly efficacious for treating many solid tumor types. Because of their immune-activating mechanism of action, ICIs can trigger various immune-mediated toxicities. We present three cases: i) a woman with anti-Ri brainstem encephalitis; ii) a man with anti-Hu sensory neuronopathy; and iii) a woman with suspected combined anti-Hu and anti-NMDA paraneoplastic syndromes associated with the initiation of the ICIs pembrolizumab and nivolumab. These cases suggest that ICIs can induce both humoral and cell-mediated paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes. Identifying biomarkers that predict risk of developing ICI-associated paraneoplastic syndromes and the development of efficacious treatment strategies for neurologic ICI-toxicities are critical unmet needs.

Epidemiology, Treatment, and Complications of Central Nervous System Metastases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Neurologic problems resulting from systemic cancer metastases to brain parenchyma, dura, spinal cord, and leptomeninges are among the most common types of consultations addressed by neurologists. With patients surviving longer from systemic cancer, along with the rapidly evolving therapeutic options, the treatment of these devastating complications has become both more effective and more complicated. This article reviews current patterns of metastatic disease and the increasingly nuanced landscape of evolving therapies, their complications, and their impact on quality of survival.

RECENT FINDINGS

Targeted therapies with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors and cytotoxic therapies directed at disease-specific chemosensitivity patterns have dramatically improved the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and breast cancer, but have led to some novel complications and altered recurrence patterns. Clinical trials suggest the superiority of hippocampal-avoidance radiation fields and the use of stereotactic radiosurgery over whole-brain radiation therapy to minimize long-term cognitive consequences of radiation therapy. Emerging data document tolerable safety when brain radiation is combined with immunotherapy. Chemotherapy can be a first-line treatment for some inoperable brain metastases, eliminating or deferring whole-brain radiation therapy. Stereotactic body radiation therapy is a new technique of radiation used for spinal and epidural metastases that spares spinal cord tissue while ablating tumors.

SUMMARY

Metastases to the nervous system remain devastating, but their prognosis and therapies are more heterogeneous than previously appreciated. Neurologists now can offer more personalized prognostic information based on new stratification criteria, can predict drug complications relevant to the nervous system, and can provide critical partnership in the multidisciplinary effort to balance effective longer-term disease control with treatment-related adverse consequences.

Neurologic Complications of Transplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article describes the diagnosis and management of neurologic problems during hematopoietic cell and solid organ transplantation using time elapsed since transplantation as a guide to expected complications, including drug toxicities, infections, strokes, autoimmune phenomena, disease recurrence, and secondary neoplasms.

RECENT FINDINGS

Growing clinical experience in the neurology of transplantation has led to appreciation of the diverse clinical and radiographic spectrum of calcineurin inhibitor-related posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Novel autoimmune phenomena illustrate the delicate balance between adequate immunosuppression and necessary host inflammatory defenses that can lead to organ rejection. The spectrum of infectious complications has changed with the evolution of new conditioning regimens.

SUMMARY

Neurologic problems remain an important source of morbidity and mortality, both in the immediate transplantation period and for years after the procedure. As perioperative management has reduced the incidence of acute infections, graft versus host disease, and organ rejection, problems of long-term survivors require neurologic input into multidisciplinary management of chronic neurologic conditions impacting quality of life.

Medical management of patients with brain tumors

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review provides management recommendations for medical and neurologic problems in patients with brain tumors, including vasogenic edema, infections, seizures, prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism, drug interactions, cognitive and emotional problems, palliative symptom management, and long-term sequelae of brain tumors and their therapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Non-enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs are the preferred category of seizure medication for patients with brain tumors, and levetiracetam is emerging as the drug of choice. Select groups of patients, such as those with cortically based hemorrhagic melanoma metastases, may benefit from prophylactic antiepileptic drug use. Antiangiogenic agents can reduce the steroid requirement of patients with vasogenic edema. Patients with brain tumors remain at risk for infections from the perioperative period through many months after treatment, and steroids may mask signs of infection. Few studies have been done on management of common cognitive issues such as short-term memory deficits and fatigue, but memantine may help delay cognitive deficits in patients receiving whole-brain radiation therapy. Palliative care conversations should begin early in the course of treatment.

SUMMARY

Meticulous medical management begins at diagnosis of brain tumors and continues through the active treatment course and into either palliative care strategies or management of long-term sequelae of treatment. During the active treatment phase, problems such as vasogenic edema, seizures, and venous thromboembolism predominate, whereas late complications include the continuing risk of infections; sequelae of radiation such as vascular disease, cavernous angiomas, and cognitive decline; and secondary tumors. Attention to symptom palliation is an important part of the neurologist's role throughout the course of a brain tumor patient's illness.

Neurological complications of solid organ transplantation

Solid organ transplantation (SOT) is the preferred treatment for an expanding range of conditions whose successful therapy has produced a growing population of chronically immunosuppressed patients with potential neurological problems. While the spectrum of neurological complications varies with the type of organ transplanted, the indication for the procedure, and the intensity of long-term required immunosuppression, major neurological complications occur with all SOT types. The second part of this 2-part article on transplantation neurology reviews central and peripheral nervous system problems associated with SOT with clinical and neuroimaging examples from the authors' institutional experience. Particular emphasis is given to conditions acquired from the donated organ or tissue, problems specific to types of organs transplanted and drug therapy-related complications likely to be encountered by hospitalists. Neurologically important syndromes such as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), and posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) are readdressed in the context of SOT.

Neurological complications of transplantation: part I: hematopoietic cell transplantation

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the preferred treatment for an expanding range of neoplastic and nonmalignant conditions. Increasing numbers of solid organ transplantations (SOTs) add an additional population of immunosuppressed patients with multiple potential neurological problems. While the spectrum of neurological complications varies with conditioning procedure and hematopoietic cell or solid organ source, major neurological complications occur with all transplantation procedures. This 2 part review emphasizes a practical consultative approach to central and peripheral nervous system problems related to HCT or SOT with clinical and neuroimaging examples from the authors' institutional experience with the following conditions: the diversity of manifestations of common infections such as varicella zoster virus, Aspergillus, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), drug therapy-related complications, stroke mechanisms, the spectrum of graft versus host disease (GVHD), and neurologically important syndromes of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), and posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). These complications preferentially occur at specific intervals after HCT and SOT, and neurological consultants must recognize an extensive spectrum of syndromes in order to effect timely diagnosis and expedite appropriate treatment.

CNS infections in patients with cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article provides a practical clinical approach to potential CNS infections in patients with cancer, discusses problematic presentations of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, and includes specific testing and treatment recommendations for bacterial meningitis, invasive fungal infections, and opportunistic viral infections.

RECENT FINDINGS

The major deficits predisposing patients with cancer to CNS infection are neutropenia, barrier disruption, B-lymphocyte or immunoglobulin deficiency, and impaired T lymphocyte-mediated immunity. Evolving patterns of drug resistance and prophylactic antimicrobial regimens have altered the timing and range of organisms causing infections. Increasingly intensive immunosuppression has made new groups of patients vulnerable to infections such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. New MRI sequences offer the potential to diagnose such infections earlier, at a stage when they are more treatable.

SUMMARY

Despite improved prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotic regimens, CNS infections remain an important source of morbidity and mortality among several cancer patient groups, particularly those patients undergoing craniotomy and those with hematologic malignancies receiving either hematopoietic cell transplantation or other intensive chemotherapy regimens.

Management of malignant gliomas and primary CNS lymphoma: standard of care and future directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article review the current standard of care of astrocytic gliomas and primary CNS lymphoma and discusses promising new therapeutic targets.

RECENT FINDINGS

Standard treatment modalities for primary malignant brain tumors include resection, radiation, local or systemic chemotherapy, and, most recently, antiangiogenic agents. However, these tumors often have a rapid course, and patients usually die within a few years of diagnosis. Improved surgical techniques and radiation and chemotherapy can prolong survival while maintaining quality of life, but these therapies remain inadequate.

SUMMARY

The care of patients with malignant brain tumors is challenging. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of primary malignant brain tumors and the elucidation of aberrant molecular pathways are leading to novel treatment strategies and the ability to identify patients who may benefit from specific treatments.

Neurologic infectious disease emergencies

Nearly 70 years after the discovery of penicillin, neurologic infectious diseases (NIDs) remain an important worldwide source of morbidity and mortality. The clinician faced with a potential NID must urgently consider patient demographics, pace of illness and clinical syndrome, and laboratory data. In keeping with the topics of this issue, initial emergency diagnosis and management are emphasized, with appropriate references to relevant literature for subsequent longer-term interventions.

Central nervous system infections in cancer patients

With improved treatments, patients with many types of cancer survive longer. However, both the acute adverse effects of more intensive therapies and the risks of chronic immunosuppression have led to a diverse and evolving spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) infections. The presentation and course of CNS infections in cancer patients may be different from those in patients without cancer, complicating and delaying accurate diagnosis. New syndromes related both to the underlying malignancies and to their treatment continue to emerge. Noninfectious disorders such as adverse drug effects, vascular lesions, and radiation effects can mimic CNS infections. The two major clinical presentations of CNS infections are meningoencephalitic syndromes and focal deficits due to mass lesions. The range of pathogens can be narrowed by considering the type of immune deficit present, local nosocomial trends, and the specific vulnerabilities created by the underlying disease and treatment regimen. Patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures and those receiving hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) account for the majority of cancer patients with CNS infections. Significant recent changes reviewed here include evolving patterns of bacterial meningitis, current treatment recommendations for fungal infections, special infectious risks associated with immunomodulatory therapies, and neuroimaging techniques to distinguish infection from other intracranial processes.

Prognostic factors in adult brainstem gliomas: a multicenter, retrospective analysis of 101 cases

BACKGROUND

Adult brainstem gliomas (BSG) are uncommon and poorly understood with respect to prognostic factors. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical, radiographic, histologic, and treatment features from 101 adults with presumed or biopsy proven BSG to determine prognostic factors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed the records of patients diagnosed from 1987-2005. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine prognostic factors.

RESULTS

These 50 male and 51 female patients ranged in age from 18 to 79 years at diagnosis (median 36 years) with follow-ups from 1 to 261 months (median 47 months). The overall survival for all patients at 5 and 10 years was 58% and 41%, respectively, with a median survival of 85 months (range 1-228). Out of 24 candidate prognosis factors, we selected seven covariates for proportional hazards model by Lasso procedure: age of diagnosis, ethnicity, need for corticosteroids, tumor grade, dysphagia, tumor location, and karnofsky performance status (KPS). Univariate analysis showed that these seven factors are significantly associated with survival. Multivariate analysis showed that four covariates significantly increased hazard for survival: ethnicity, tumor location, age of diagnosis, and tumor grade.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, we identified four prognostic factors that were significantly associated with survival in adults with BSGs. Overall, these patients have a better prognosis than children with BSGs reported in the literature. These results call for larger prospective studies to fully assess the importance of these factors in the clinical setting and to help stratify patients in future clinical studies.

Treatment of medical complications in patients with brain tumors

Patients with primary brain tumors and those with cerebral metastases are at risk throughout their illness for several major medical problems, including vasogenic edema, seizures, and symptomatic venous thrombosis. In turn, the corticosteroids, anti-epileptic drugs, and anticoagulants used to treat these problems may produce significant adverse effects and result in important drug-drug interactions that may complicate chemotherapy. Although few Class I studies address any of these issues, guidelines can be offered to maximize quality of life and minimize hospital readmissions. Optimal management of brain edema involves minimizing corticosteroid use and tapering the steroid dose slowly to avoid steroid withdrawal symptoms. Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis pneumonia is necessary for patients requiring corticosteroids for more than 1 month. Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) should be avoided unless patients experience seizures. If possible, non-CTY (P450) enzyme-inducing drugs should be chosen. AED levels should be obtained frequently during corticosteroid taper. Multimodality venous thrombosis prophylaxis should begin at the time of the original surgery with external leg compression and unfractionated subcutaneous heparin or a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Brain tumor patients with symptomatic venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism can be anticoagulated safely with warfarin or with LMWH, and LMWHs are preferable from the standpoints of efficacy, safety, and convenience for long-term outpatient treatment of venous thrombosis. Clinicians should be aware of potential drug-drug interactions between prescribed AEDs and chemotherapy and possible interactions with complementary and alternative therapies chosen by their patients. They also should be aware of interventions to minimize late sequelae of brain tumors and their treatment, including cognitive decline, depression, and increased stroke risk.

Central nervous system infections in cancer patients

With improved therapies, patients with cancer survive longer. However, both the acute complications of intensive therapies and the risks of chronic immunosuppression have led to an increased incidence of central nervous system (CNS) infections. The presentation and course of common infections may be different from those in patients without cancer, and new syndromes related both to the underlying diseases and to their treatment have complicated the differential diagnosis. Noninfectious disorders such as drug treatment complications, vascular lesions, and radiation effects can mimic CNS infections. The major clinical presentations of CNS infections can be divided into meningoencephalitic syndromes and deficits due to focal mass lesions. The range of pathogens can be narrowed by considering the type of immune deficit present. The two groups of patients who most frequently develop CNS infections are those undergoing procedures for primary brain tumors and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Among several recently recognized syndromes in the latter are infections due to human herpesviruses 6 and 7, West Nile virus, and the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.

Glatiramer acetate (Copaxone): comparison of continuous versus delayed therapy in a six-year organized multiple sclerosis trial

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of glatiramer acetate (GA) for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who received active treatment versus those on placebo for approximately 30 months (24-35 months) before receiving GA during a six-year organized, prospective open label study. Entry required two relapses in the previous two years and an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 0-5. Patients (251) were equally randomized to daily subcutaneous GA, 20 mg, or to placebo. After approximately 30 months, 208 patients continued in an open label study: 101 continued on GA and 107 switched from placebo to active drug. Groups were well matched at randomization and entry to the open label study. Patients always on GA showed a steady decline in relapses: a mean of 1.5 per year at entry, a mean of 0.42 over the entire six years (95% CI = 0.34-0.51), a 72% reduction (P = 0.0001). They averaged a relapse every four + years (yearly rate 0.23 in year six) and 26/101 remain relapse free. Patients did less well if on placebo for 30 months, but relapses then declined, and by year six the rates were similar. Of patients always on GA, 69% showed neurological improvement of > or = 1 EDSS steps or remained stable compared with 57% if GA treatment was delayed. Of relapse-free patients always on GA over six years, only three of 26 (11%) were worse by > or = 1 EDSS steps, whereas nine of 21 (43%) in the placebo/active group were worse (P < 0.03). Disability, measured every six months, showed that the group of patients always on GA was relatively stable over the six years, while the group who received placebo for the first two-and-a-half years did significantly less well. Daily injections of GA were well tolerated. This longest ever organized MS treatment trial shows that delaying therapy with GA increases the risk of neurologic disability, reinforcing the rationale for using GA as a first-line treatment early in the course of relapsing-remitting MS.

Nervous system infections in patients with cancer

The diagnostic approach to the patient with cancer with suspected CNS infection depends on an analysis of the patient's immune defect, the time course of development of manifestations of infection, and the type of clinical syndrome with supportive evidence for a specific diagnosis coming from laboratory and neuroradiographic data. Most patients with CNS infections can be grouped into those with signs of meningitis or meningoencephalitis and those with focal mass lesions. A smaller group presents with stroke-like onset. Except for the group with strokes, those with focal deficits usually present in a more indolent fashion, whereas those with meningitis and encephalitis present more acutely [63]. Patients with B-lymphocyte dysfunction are susceptible to encapsulated bacterial pathogens. Patients with T-lymphocyte impairment develop CNS infections that are caused by intracellular pathogens, particularly viruses (HSV, JC, CMV, HHV-6), Nocardia, Aspergillus, and Toxoplasma. Many noninfectious entities, such as drug treatment complications, radiation effects, recurrent tumor, and paraneoplastic syndromes, can mimic CNS infections. Although cryptococcosis, bacterial meningitis, and some viral infections are easily diagnosed from Gram's stain, culture, or PCR, patients with mass lesions may require tissue biopsy to confirm diagnosis. Patients with cancer differ from normal hosts in the distribution of pathogens, and there is a wider range of differential diagnostic issues, both infectious and noninfectious, for the relatively few clinical syndromes that present as potential CNS infections.

Radiotherapeutic effects on brain function: double dissociation of memory systems

OBJECTIVE

The neurocognitive sequelae of therapeutic cranial irradiation are not well characterized in adults with primary brain tumors. To address this problem, we prospectively examined neuropsychological findings during two phases of radiation effects.

BACKGROUND

Investigations of radiation effects have revealed variable outcomes that range from no radiation-associated morbidity to severe cognitive impairment, but have relied on case reports or retrospective studies of late-delayed changes in white matter or in cognition. No reliable radiographic or neurocognitive tools exist to describe the multiple phases of radiation effects.

METHOD

Twenty adult patients (median age, 39 years) from a university hospital were treated with radiotherapy (RT) for low-grade primary brain tumors. Prospective longitudinal neuropsychological studies were compared at baseline (after surgery and before irradiation) and at 3, 6, and 12 months after RT to examine early-delayed effects, including verbal memory changes in 20 patients and visual memory changes in 11 patients. We also examined cognitive changes during the late-delayed phase for up to 3 years after RT and determined whether early-delayed memory deficit predicted late-delayed memory deficit in a small subset of patients. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was used, including verbal and visual memory tests designed to compare learning, storage, and retrieval.

RESULTS

Patients demonstrated normal verbal memory at baseline, decrement, and then rebound in verbal retrieval. Deficit at baseline and recovery up to 1 year after RT defined visual memory. Together, these observations constitute a double dissociation of memory functions. No changes over time were observed in other neurocognitive tests or in fatigue or mood measures. Time-dependent patterns of each long-term memory test were examined in relation to lesion site in individual patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The double dissociation of memory functions after RT may provide markers for the damaging and facilitative early-delayed effects of RT. Late-delayed effects were not predicted based on early-delayed changes in a small sample.

Transient MRI enhancement in a patient with seizures and previously resected glioma: use of MRS

A 35-year-old man presented with partial seizures 10 years after resection of a left-sided glioblastoma multiforme. At the old operative site MRI demonstrated extensive cortical and white matter gadolinium enhancement, and PET showed hypermetabolism. Biopsy of the area was postponed when MRS showed a normal biochemical spectrum. MRI and PET abnormalities resolved after control of the seizures. MRS is noninvasive and can provide essential information in the management of patients with seizures and previously treated cerebral neoplasms.

Infections of the nervous system

Epidemiologic trends causing infections of the nervous system remain a significant source of morbidity and mortality one half-century after the introduction of penicillin. This article outlines common causes of bacterial meningitis, aseptic meningitis syndrome, encephalitis, abscess, spinal cord syndromes, and cranial and peripheral nerve problems. Recommendations for diagnostic evaluation and both empiric and definitive antimicrobial therapy are offered; controversial management issues are also discussed. The protean manifestations of varicella-zoster virus and Lyme diseases are outlined. In addition, special considerations in the immunocompromised host, including organ transplant recipients, cancer patients, and HIV-positive persons are explained, and antimicrobial therapy is discussed.

Central nervous system infections in cancer patients

In the immunocompromised patient, even mild forms of any combination of headache, meningismus, altered mental status, or focal neurologic signs should initiate an evaluation for possible CNS infection. The limited signs and symptoms of acute CNS infection are not due to specific organisms but to pathologic changes at the neuroanatomic site of infection. The initial clinical history, examination, laboratory, and neuroradiographic data will narrow the problem to one of several groups of agents, although it may not be possible to specify a single causative agent. It should be remembered that several concurrent infections (i.e., CMV and toxoplasmosis, aspergillosis, and bacterial sepsis) may be present. Thus, the clinician should rely on broad antibiotic coverage appropriate to the suspected causative agent or agents at the site of infection. It may be necessary to offer broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage for a CSF presentation that is subsequently found to result from a viral illness or from a noninfectious cause. However, one should avoid undertreating those infections for which specific therapy can be offered, and broad-spectrum treatment usually will not be regretted. Uncertainty in diagnosis following noninvasive procedures should lead to a brain biopsy. Although many of the infections discussed in this article have a poor prognosis, some of the most common pathogens, such as Cryptococcus, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, have effective specific therapies to which the patient should have access as rapidly as possible. The clinician who has successfully treated a patient with CNS infection should remain vigilant for late sequelae or recurrence of infection. Chronic treatment of some infections, such as toxoplasmosis or aspergillosis, may be necessary. The reintroduction of steroids for the treatment of an underlying cancer may reactivate previously treated disease, such as cryptococcosis, and periodic CSF surveillance is appropriate under these circumstances. Recurrence of the symptoms should raise the suspicion of recurrent or new infection, and the patient also should be evaluated with CT or MRI for the development of hydrocephalus or for new metastatic disease. In patients who have had varicella-zoster infection, postherpetic neuralgia and delayed arteritis may develop. Seizures, hearing loss, and neuropsychologic sequelae may follow any meningoencephalitis. The patient should always be reevaluated for the possibility of infection with a different opportunistic organism. CNS infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed patients with malignancies. In one series, 60% of such patients died as a result of their CNS infection, many at a time when the underlying disease had an otherwise good prognosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The rationale and methodology for intra-arterial chemotherapy with BCNU as treatment for glioblastoma

The rationale for, methodology of, and experience with intra-arterial BCNU infusion therapy of malignant glioma are described. This approach achieves tumor levels of drug four times greater than equal doses infused intravenously, and has been used to treat 79 patients over the course of 4 years. The drug was given in 192 infraophthalmic and 66 supraophthalmic carotid artery infusions. Patients who were treated via infraophthalmic carotid artery infusion following tumor recurrence (after both operation and irradiation) survived 54 additional weeks (92 weeks after initial diagnosis). Patients who were treated with BCNU immediately after initial irradiation therapy survived 64 weeks (infraophthalmic carotid artery infusion) and 49.5 weeks (supraophthalmic carotid artery infusion). The major ocular complications (pain and diminished visual acuity) associated with infraophthalmic carotid artery infusion are avoided by selective balloon-guided supraophthalmic carotid artery administration. However, both approaches were associated with white-matter changes, seen as diminished absorption on computerized tomography scans, in 20% of patients treated following irradiation therapy. This toxicity appears to preclude intra-arterial BCNU treatment in the immediate postirradiation period. Better results are being achieved with our current therapy, which involves four infusions of BCNU (400 mg every 4 weeks) into the infraophthalmic or supraophthalmic carotid artery in advance of irradiation. Cisplatin infusions (60 to 90 mg/sq m every 5 weeks) are offered for recurrent glioblastoma.

Neurologic complications of bacterial endocarditis

(1) Neurologic complications remain a significant problem in bacterial endocarditis. Of 218 patients with endocarditis, 84 (39%) had a neurologic complication and 58% of these 84 patients died. In contrast, the mortality rate was only 20% among those endocarditis patients without neurologic complications. (2) Of the neurologic complications, cerebral embolism is the most frequent and important. An embolic stroke occurred in 37 (17%) of our patients, with 30 of these patients dying. Emboli are important not only in terms of the direct morbidity and mortality they cause via cerebral infarction, but also because of their role in the causation of mycotic aneurysms, brain abscesses, and abnormal CSF formulae. (3) Cerebral emboli are particularly common in patients with mitral valve infection, and in patients with infection due to virulent organisms, particularly S. aureus and enteric gram-negative bacilli. (4) Mycotic aneurysms occur more frequently in the course of acute endocarditis rather than late in the course of subacute disease. Management of angiographically demonstrated mycotic aneurysms is dependent upon the presence or absence of hemorrhage, the anatomic location of the aneurysm, and the clinical course of the patient. Healing of mycotic aneurysms can occur during the course of effective antimicrobial therapy, thus obviating the need for neurosurgical intervention in all such patients. (5) Macroscopic brain abscess is a rare complication of bacterial endocarditis. Miliary microscopic abscesses are more common than larger abscesses, particularly in patients with acute disease and miliary infection in other organs of the body. (6) Focal seizures occur most commonly in endocarditis patients with acute embolic disease; generalized seizures are of diverse etiologies, with metabolic factors being most important. Penicillin neurotoxicity should be considered in patients with impaired renal function who are receiving high dose penicillin. (7) With the exception of hemorrhagic complications, lumbar puncture results tend to reflect the nature of the infecting organism rather than the nature of the neurologic complication. Endocarditis due to virulent organisms such as S. aureus is usually associated with a purulent CSF formula while nonvirulent organisms, such as viridans streptococci, susually have aseptic or normal CSF formulae.