Visceral disseminated varicella zoster virus infection with brachial plexus neuritis detected by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection sometimes result in visceral disseminated VZV infection (VD-VZV), which is a fulminant disease featured by abdominal pain and the absence of skin lesions, particularly occurs in the immunosuppressive patients. Brachial plexus neuritis (BPN) is another rare type of VZV infection usually appears without blisters. Few diagnostic images of both VD-VZV and BPN-VZV have been reported. A 25-year-old woman receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for acute myeloid leukemia. Unexplained severe pain in the left upper extremity followed by severe stomachache, liver dysfunction and unconsciousness appeared on day 344 post-HSCT. Computed tomography (CT) showed left brachial plexus hypertrophy and edematous changes to the hepatoduodenal ligament, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) showed increased uptake in both lesions. Intravenous acyclovir therapy was started and successfully resolved all symptoms. Several days later, blisters appeared all over the body and positive VZV DNA from blood using polymerase chain reaction test was obtained. FDG-PET and CT may offer supportive findings for detecting or diagnosing blister-less VZV infectious diseases.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) with methylprednisolone pulse therapy for motor impairment of neuralgic amyotrophy: clinical observations in 10 cases

BACKGROUND

Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a distinct peripheral nervous system disorder characterized by attacks of acute neuropathic pain and rapid multifocal weakness and atrophy unilaterally in the upper limb. The current hypothesis is that the episodes are caused by an immune-mediated response to the brachial plexus, however, therapeutic strategies for NA have not been well established.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We retrospectively reviewed 15 case series of NA; 10 of the 15 patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) with methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPPT) and 9 of these 0 patients showed clinical improvement of motor impairment.

CONCLUSION

Our clinical observations do not contradict the possibility that IVIg with MPPT may be one of the potential therapeutics for NA, however the efficacy remains to be established. Further confirmatory trials are needed in patients with various clinical severities and phases of NA. Further basic research and confirmatory trials should be performed to survey the efficacy of such immunomodulation therapy for NA.

Four cases of anti-ganglioside antibody-positive neuralgic amyotrophy with good response to intravenous immunoglobulin infusion therapy

Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA), which is an idiopathic disorder in the peripheral nerves, is characterized by an acute onset of unilateral pain in the proximal limbs followed by muscular weakness and wasting. Some cases of NA are thought to be related to immune pathogenic disorders such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). We report the case of four patients with NA who were positive for anti-N-acetylgalactosaminyl GD1a (anti-GalNAc-GD1a) antibodies, had a preceding infection, and showed a good response to intravenous immunoglobulin infusion therapy. Anti-ganglioside antibodies, especially the anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody, may be a useful marker for predicting response to immune therapy.

[A case of neuralgic amyotrophy with antiganglioside antibody]

A 54-year-old-man experienced pain from his left shoulder to his left arm and had difficulty in lifting his arm after a febrile episode. Three weeks after the onset, he was admitted to our hospital. Neurological examination demonstrated weakness and atrophy of the left deltoid muscle. Deep tendon reflexes were normal and no pathological reflexes were elicited. CSF total protein was slightly increased. The occurrence rate of F-waves was decreased in the left upper limb. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the cervical cord and brachial plexus with and without Gadolinium infusion showed no abnormalities. Serological study showed that IgM anticytomegalovirus antibody was positive, and that serum IgM anti-GalNAc-GD1a antibody and IgM anti-GM2 antibody were positive. Symptoms were improved after treatment with mecobalamin, 1.5mg/day. This case was considered neuralgic amyotrophy after cytomegalovirus infection. The antiganglioside antibodies may play some role in its pathogenesis.

Wartenberg's migrant sensory neuritis

We describe a patient with the sudden onset of a painful, purely sensory, mononeuritis multiplex. Investigations showed no evidence for any underlying systemic condition. A nerve biopsy showed fascicular wallerian degeneration with perineurial thickening, inflammatory cells, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) deposition. His painful sensory deficits persisted, with no improvement after treatment with prednisone. The clinical characteristics in this case were very similar to those originally described by Wartenberg, and subsequently by other investigators. The investigations in our case strongly suggest that there may be an underlying immune pathogenesis for cases of Wartenberg's migrant sensory neuritis.

Blood lymphocytes are sensitized to branchial plexus nerves in patients with neuralgic amyotrophy

The percentage of lymphocytic subsets in the blood of cases with neuralgic amyotrophy (NA), and the proliferative response of blood lymphocytes cultured with different nerve extracts, obtained from normal subjects at postmortem, were examined in 6 patients with NA and in 18 age-matched controls with shoulder pain not related to NA. Most (5/6) NA patients had decreased CD3 values and increased CD4/CD8 ratios due to a decreased of the CD8 subset. Lymphocytes of NA patients increased their blastogenic activity in cultures with nerve extracts from different brachial plexus nerves and its branches, but not in cultures with extracts of sacral plexus nerves. Cultures did not respond to nerve extracts in any of the control cases, although mitogenic activity was similarly elicited in cultured lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin in both control cases and NA patients. These results suggest that NA is probably an immune mediated disease.

Recurrent brachial plexus neuropathy and giant cell arteritis

A 73-year-old women presented with a recurrent form of sporadic brachial plexus neuropathy, the so-called Parsonage and Turner syndrome. This diagnosis is based on clinical and electromyographic findings. Interestingly a biopsy of the temporal artery demonstrated a giant cell arteritis. The clinical picture started 2 weeks after an upper respiratory tract illness. The possible viral etiology of giant cell arteritis is considered. We think an immunological rather than ischemic disturbance may have caused the recurrent brachial plexus neuropathy. This case report suggests that giant cell arteritis be considered in the investigation of the Parsonage and Turner syndrome.