Back to Search
Start Over
Toxoplasmic Encephalitis in Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Four Case Reports
- Source :
- Neurologia medico-chirurgica. 40:120-123
- Publication Year :
- 2000
- Publisher :
- Japan Neurosurgical Society, 2000.
-
Abstract
- Four patients, all males aged 40-64 years, presented with toxoplasmic encephalitis associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection manifesting as nonspecific neurological deficits such as epilepsy or hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed single or multiple lesions with ring enhancement, mimicking metastatic brain tumor or brain abscess. Marked eosinophilia was noted in three patients. Two patients who received anti-toxoplasma chemotherapy in the early stage had a good outcome. However, the other two patients suffered rapid neurological deterioration and needed decompressive surgery, resulting in a poor outcome. Toxoplasma diffusely infects the whole central nervous system from the early stage. The outcome for patients who needed emergency surgery was poor. Therefore, this rare but increasingly common infectious disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with neuroimaging findings similar to those of metastatic tumor or brain abscess. Appropriate chemotherapy should be started immediately after HIV-positive reaction is identified in patients with single or multiple mass lesions with ring enhancement.
- Subjects :
- Chemotherapy
Pediatrics
medicine.medical_specialty
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
medicine.medical_treatment
Magnetic resonance imaging
medicine.disease
Epilepsy
Hemiparesis
Neuroimaging
medicine
Eosinophilia
Surgery
Neurology (clinical)
medicine.symptom
Differential diagnosis
business
Brain abscess
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13498029 and 04708105
- Volume :
- 40
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Neurologia medico-chirurgica
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........106b581cd865492997d57adc9c6301f5