1/115. toxoplasma infection in systemic lupus erythematosus mimicking lupus cerebritis.An opportunistic infection is a known, although under-diagnosed, complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A 48-year-old woman with a recent diagnosis of SLE was admitted to the hospital because of a fever, confused state, and convulsive episode. Her symptoms were interpreted as being compatible with lupus cerebritis. Treatment with methylprednisolone resulted in a temporary improvement in the patient's condition. Nevertheless, during the next few weeks, her physical and mental condition deteriorated, and she died of massive pulmonary emboli. An autopsy revealed no signs of lupus cerebritis; however, disseminated cerebral toxoplasmosis was found. Cerebral toxoplasmosis is a rare complication of SLE that may be misdiagnosed as lupus cerebritis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = toxoplasmosis, cerebral toxoplasmosis, cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/115. Disseminated nocardiosis as a complication of Evans' syndrome.Nocardiosis is an opportunistic infection caused by gram-positive, weakly acid-fast filamentous aerobic organisms. Three species cause infection in man: N. asteroides, N. brasiliensis, and N. caviae, the first one being the most common. With increased use of immunosuppressive therapy for various autoimmune diseases, opportunistic infection by nocardia has increasingly been reported. N. asteroides infections manifest in various ways; the lungs, skin, and brain are the organs most frequently involved. We describe a patient with Evans' syndrome, a disease requiring long-term immunosuppression, who acquired systemic nocardiosis. The infection was primarily pulmonary, misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, with subsequent hematogenous dissemination to the skin and central nervous system. The diagnosis of cerebral involvement was difficult to prove, as the patient presented with stroke-like episodes. After a positive blood culture was obtained, antibiotic therapy was introduced. The patient's condition deteriorated and the brain with infiltration of the meninges, lungs, skin, and kidneys. nocardia is an important but often overlooked opportunistic infectious agent in immunocompromised hosts, causing diagnostic and therapeutic problems. As the mortality of cerebral nocardiosis is greater than 80%, early diagnosis and appropriate therapy are crucial.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.001970576972348keywords = central nervous system, cerebral, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/115. magnetic resonance imaging and angiography in cerebral fungal vasculitis.We report on an 11-year old girl treated for leukemia who developed infarcts in the right lentiform nucleus and temporal lobe. magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) showed mild intraluminal irregularities in the right carotid syphon and stenosis of the right proximal middle cerebral artery, suggesting vasculitis. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up showed evolution of the initial infarct into an abscess. Stereotactic biopsy disclosed filaments of aspergillus. This report emphasizes the fact that cerebral aspergillosis should be considered if MRA and MRI are indicative of vasculitis and cerebral infarction in immunosuppressed children.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0025875585066099keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/115. Long-term survival of a patient with invasive cranial base rhinocerebral mucormycosis treated with combined endovascular, surgical, and medical therapies: case report.OBJECTIVE: Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a clinical syndrome resulting from an opportunistic infection caused by a fungus of the order mucorales. The prognosis of rhinocerebral mucormycosis, once considered uniformly fatal, remains poor. Even with early diagnosis and aggressive surgical and medical therapy, the mortality rate is high. We present a patient with rhinocerebral mucormycosis involving the paranasal sinuses and cranial base who experienced long-term survival after multimodality treatment. Clinical characteristics of the disease are discussed, and the literature is reviewed. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 24-year-old diabetic man presented with invasive rhinocerebral mucormycosis involving the paranasal sinuses, right middle fossa, and right cavernous sinus. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent endovascular sacrifice of the involved carotid artery and radical resection of the cranial base, including exenteration of the cavernous sinus. Reconstruction with a local muscle flap was performed. He continued to receive intravenous and intrathecal administration of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: Long-term survival with invasive rhinocerebral mucormycosis is rare, but possible, with aggressive multimodality treatment, including carotid sacrifice for en bloc resection of the pathology, when indicated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0033268609370699keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/115. Management and outcome of brain abscess in renal transplant recipients.Although infection is the commonest central nervous system complication following renal transplantation, brain abscess is uncommon. Over the last 11 years, five renal transplant recipients who had brain abscesses were treated by computed tomography (CT)-guided stereotactic aspiration. Three patients had a fungal abscess, one a tuberculous abscess and the other had a methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus abscess. One patient required a craniotomy for the excision of a fungal abscess which was persistent after two CT-guided stereotactic aspirations. The survivors in this group are the patient with a tuberculous abscess who is alive and well 5 years after diagnosis, and another with a dematiaceous fungal abscess (phaeohyphomycosis). CT-guided stereotactic surgery is minimally invasive, and can safely be performed in these patients. It often leads to an aetiological diagnosis in renal transplant recipients with brain abscesses. Specific antibiotic management directed towards the causative organism rather than empirical treatment can be instituted following the procedure. Although the ultimate prognosis in these patients is bleak even with specific antibiotic therapy, an occasional patient might have a good outcome with prompt and appropriate therapy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.001231274541888keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/115. liver and brain mucormycosis in a diabetic patient type II successfully treated with liposomial amphotericin b.A case of liver and brain mucormycosis in a 73-y-old diabetic patient is described. The patient presented with fever and a moderate, tender hepatomegaly and a C/T scan examination of the abdomen and brain showed multiple hepatic and cerebral nodular lesions. The largest of the liver lesions was aspirated and broad hyphae of mucor were demonstrated in the purulent material obtained. The patient was treated successfully (for 40 d) with intravenous liposomal amphotericin b and then with itraconazole for 3 months. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a diabetic patient with both liver and brain mucormycosis who has been treated successfully.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.00036965121522999keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/115. zygomycosis in relapsed acute leukaemia.We would like to report the use of liposomal amphotericin in eradicating mucormycosis in two patients who had relapsed acute leukaemia. The first patient with relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia developed a rapidly expanding solitary necrotic neck lesion associated with opacity of maxilliary sinus at a time when he was profoundly pancytopenic following high dose chemotherapy. The second patient was a 3-year-old boy with pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who developed a central nervous system relapse whilst on his first line treatment and was treated with more aggressive chemotherapy on the Medical research Council Relapse Protocol. During a period of profound pancytopenia following re-induction therapy, including high dose steroids and prolonged course of antibiotics for proven septicaemia, he developed periorbital swelling and proptosis and a clinical diagnosis of rhinocerebral mucormycosis was made. Both patients were treated with high doses of liposomal amphotericin (Ambisome Nexstar). The doses were escalated to 10 and 15 mg/kg/day, resulting in successful eradication of the mucormycosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.001600925757118keywords = central nervous system, cerebral, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/115. Successful non-surgical treatment of disseminated polymicrobial fungal infection in a patient with pancytopenia and graft-versus-host disease.Invasive fungal infections after bone marrow transplantation have an extremely poor prognosis. Surgical excision in combination with antifungal therapy is considered necessary for treatment, especially for central nervous system (CNS) infection. We describe successful medical management with lipid complex amphotericin b (ABLC) and itraconazole, without surgical excision, of disseminated fungal infection involving the lungs and CNS in a patient with pancytopenia and graft-versus-host disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.001231274541888keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/115. Fulminant toxoplasmosis in a heart transplant recipient.toxoplasma gondii infections in heart transplant recipients emerge in most cases as newly acquired infections of the immunocompromised sero-negative patient from an exogenous source, usually the donor organ. We report on a 64-year-old heart transplant recipient who developed pneumonitis, myocarditis, and hyperacute encephalitis three weeks after transplantation. Histopathological examination of an endomyocardial biopsy revealed fulminant T. gondii infection. Although appropriate chemotherapy was administered immediately, the patient died the next day. Our case demonstrates that if a histological diagnosis is not rendered in time, fulminant toxoplasmosis may lead to a fatal outcome. In conclusion, a general screening of the donors and recipients for opportunistic infections, including toxoplasmosis, and an appropriate prophylaxis should always be considered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.0250773131454keywords = toxoplasmosis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/115. Rhinocerebral zygomycosis in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.The hazards associated with invasive candidiasis and aspergillosis in oncology patients are well recognised. These conditions typically present late in treatment, often after prolonged or recurrent episodes of neutropenia. We report the occurrence of absidia corymbifera infection causing rhinocerebral zygomycosis in two children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, early in the induction phase of treatment and within a 3-month interval, in the same oncology unit. The initial presentation of facial pain was rapidly followed by the development of cranial nerve palsies, cavernous sinus thrombosis, diabetes insipidus, seizures and death within 9 days of symptom onset, despite aggressive management with high-dose liposomal amphotericin (Ambisome), surgical debridement and local instillation of amphotericin solution. These cases highlight the need for awareness of zygomycosis as a potentially lethal fungal infection that can present even with short duration exposure to the usual risk factors. Their occurrence within a limited time period raises questions as to the relative importance of environmental exposure. The failure of medical and surgical intervention to impact on the course illustrates the need to develop appropriate preventative strategies which may have to incorporate measures to reduce the environmental exposure of susceptible patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.0018482560761499keywords = cerebral (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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