Cerebral toxoplasmosis in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome

We examined the clinical and pathological features of 26 patients who presented with a diagnosis of CNS toxoplasmosis. Patient data was analyzed with respect to demographics, clinical presentation, treatment course and pathology. Patients presented with a wide variety of signs and symptoms. All patients had positive serum antitoxoplasma IgG; ring enhancing lesion(s) were present on all but one brain CT scans. A series of guidelines in the management of CNS toxoplasmosis in AIDS patients are presented. Prior to biopsy, patients with positive serology and characteristic CT scans should receive two weeks of treatment. Biopsy is indicated in those cases with negative serology, atypical presentation, progressive clinical deterioration, or differential response of lesions to empiric therapy.     

Reversible bilateral opercular syndrome secondary to AIDS — associated cerebral toxoplasmosis

A case of reversible anterior bilateral opercular syndrome (Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome) secondary to cerebral toxoplasma abscesses is described in a patient with AIDS. The symptoms regressed following antitoxoplasma and antiedema drug therapy. Although this is the first reported AIDS-related case, the syndrome is likely to recur in AIDS sufferers in whom multifocal cerebral lesions are common.     

Cerebral toxoplasmosis and AIDS. Clinical, neuroradiological and immunological findings in 15 patients.

Cerebral toxoplasmosis is the most common cause of focal CNS disease complicating AIDS and its incidence ranges from 3% to 40% of such patients. This opportunistic infection is generally due to reactivation of chronic toxoplasmosis as a consequence of severe immune deficiency. We present the clinical, neuroradiological and immunological findings of 15 AIDS patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis. All patients had focal neurological signs. CT-scan (13 cases) and NMR (2 cases) showed single or multiple mass lesions and edema. Serum IgG anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were positive in 14 patients; CSF specific IgG were positive in 5 out of 7 studied patients, while serum and CSF specific IgM were negative in all subjects. The intrathecal synthesis of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were high in all 7 patients. A presumptive diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis is based on the focal cerebral signs and neuroradiological findings. It is more frequently confirmed by the improvement of the clinical and neuroradiological picture during the treatment with pyrimethamine-sulphadiazine or clindamycin.     

Cytomegalovirus infection of the brain in AIDS: a clinicopathological study

Based on neuropathological findings, a retrospective case control study of 39 patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and confirmed cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the brain is presented. Since 1989, the incidence of cerebral infections in AIDS autopsy material has increased progressively and, in 1994, CMV was the most frequent opportunistic central nervous system (CNS) infection. Of the patients with CMV infections of the brain 16 had one or more coexisting secondary opportunistic and/or tumorous lesions in the CNS. Cerebral involvement by CMV was more frequent in patients with multiple extracerebral organ infections, while 7 among the 39 reported cases showed isolated CMV infection of the brain. The evaluation of the clinical records of 21 patients revealed neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms in 10, while these were absent in 11. All of these patients revealed various types of cerebral lesions related to CMV infection: ventriculitis, focal lesions, and microglial nodule encephalitis. The extent and distribution of cerebral lesions showed no significant correlations with clinical, radiological, or laboratory findings. Further clinicopathological studies are warranted to recognize CMV infections of the CNS and to allow earlier and more efficient treatment of this rather frequent complication of AIDS.     

Neuropathology of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS): report of 39 autopsies from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Neuropathological findings from 39 acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) autopsies of primarily neurologically symptomatic patients and 7 brain biopsies from AIDS patients performed at St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia are reported. Autopsy findings included human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV)-type multinucleated giant cell (MNGC)-associated encephalitis seen in 17 patients, toxoplasmosis in 7 patients, and cytomegalovirus encephalitis and/or microglial nodule-associated nuclear inclusions in brain parenchyma in 9 patients. Central nervous system lymphoma was identified in 11 autopsy patients and in 4 of 7 brain biopsies. Infectious processes including HIV encephalitis were seen in 10 of 11 autopsied patients with lymphoproliferative lesions in the brain parenchyma, while 40% of patients without lymphoma had HIV-type MNGC or opportunistic infections. CNS lymphoma was not significantly increased in incidence in patients with a clinical history of zidovudine treatment, but increased duration of survival after the diagnosis of AIDS was associated with increased incidence of lymphoma in both untreated and zidovudine-treated patients. Patients displaying HIV MNGC within microglial nodules had a shorter mean duration of survival after diagnosis of AIDS than those patients with HIV encephalitis with dispersed MNGC, white matter vacuolation, and gliosis.     

Usefulness of stereotactic biopsy and neuroimaging in management of HIV-1 Clade C associated focal brain lesions with special focus on cerebral toxoplasmosis

Background

Focal brain lesions (FBL) in HIV/AIDS frequently pose a diagnostic dilemma as the etiology varies from infective (tuberculoma, toxoplasmosis and tuberculous abscesses) to neoplastic lesions like lymphoma. For determining etiology, advanced neuroimaging techniques, serological and molecular biological tests have been evolved with varying sensitivities/specificities. Stereotactic biopsy (STB) of the lesions is reserved for lesions unresponsive to appropriate therapy.

Objective and methods

In this study, the diagnostic yield of neuroimaging [cranial CT (n = 25), MRI (n = 24), and Th201/99Tc SPECT scan (n = 18)] is compared with histopathological diagnosis obtained by STB (n = 21) or autopsy (n = 4) in 25 HIV-1 subtype C seropositive individuals with FBL identified by neuroimaging with special reference to cerebral toxoplasmosis in an eighteen month study period (2006–2007).

Results and conclusion

Cerebral toxoplasmosis was the most frequent cause of FBL (21/25, 84%), followed by one case each of tuberculoma, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE), the last two diagnosed at autopsy. Of the 21 cases of cerebral toxoplasmosis, definitive diagnosis with histopathological confirmation was available in 14/21 (66.6%), with indirect evidence suggesting probable toxoplasmosis in seven, all of whom responded to antitoxoplasma therapy. CT and MRI had comparable specificities (75%), while MRI had marginally higher sensitivity (85% versus 80.9%) in detecting multiple lesions. The positive predictive value of both CT and MRI was identical (94.4%), suggesting that CT maybe a cost effective screening tool in resource restricted settings, for evaluating FBL. Sensitivity of 99Tc SPECT scan for diagnosing inflammatory lesions was 75% but failed to differentiate PCNSL from toxoplasmosis. This study is the first of its kind from India analyzing FBL with specific focus on cerebral toxoplasmosis in the setting of HIV-1 subtype C.     

3.0T磁共振SWI在高血压脑内微出血中的应用及临床意义

目的探讨磁敏感加权成像(SWI)在高血压脑内微出血中的应用及临床意义。方法选53例高血压患者,应用3.0T MR行常规MRI和SWI序列成像检查并结合临床资料进行分析。结果32例高血压患者脑内有微出血灶,在SWI上呈点状、圆形、椭圆形低信号。总数达887个,直径为0.3mm～7.6mm。分布于皮层、皮层下和基底节区。其中17例伴发缺血性脑血管病,5例出血性腔隙性梗塞,7例伴发出血性脑血管病,3例无临床症状。结论SWI序列可敏感的显示高血压脑内微出血灶,对伴发缺血性和出血性脑血管病的诊断治疗有重要的指导价值。     

磁敏感加权成像在出血性脑梗死诊断中的初步应用

目的 探讨磁敏感加权成像(SWI)诊断出血性脑梗死的临床价值.方法 20例亚急性期出血性脑梗死患者分别行常规MRI、扩散加权成像(DWI)和SWI检查,根据图像分析结果比较不同扫描序列所显示的梗死灶内出血灶数目及其阳性检出率;测量SWI序列出血最大层面出血灶面积和T2WI序列梗死灶最大层面的梗死灶面积,并行相关分析;观...     

磁敏感加权成像在出血性脑梗死诊断中的初步应用

目的探讨磁敏感加权成像（SWI）诊断出血性脑梗死的临床价值。方法20例亚急性期出血性脑梗死患者分别行常规MRI、扩散加权成像（DWI）和SWI检查,根据图像分析结果比较不同扫描序列所显示的梗死灶内出血灶数目及其阳性检出率;测量SWI序列出血最大层面出血灶面积和T2WI序列梗死灶最大层面的梗死灶面积,并行相关分析;观察SWI序列对梗死灶内静脉血管的显示程度,以及梗死灶以外区域微出血灶的诊断敏感性。结果20例患者SWI序列均显示梗死灶内出血,两名医师共诊断43个出血灶,其中SWI序列显示42个、T1WI序列25个、DWI序列15个、T2WI序列12个;SWI序列阳性检出率与T1WI、T2WI、DWI序列相比,差异具有统计学意义（X^2=51．516,P=0．000）。T2WI序列梗死灶最大层面的梗死灶面积为（18．08±12．47）cm^2,SWI为（5．02±6．27）cm^2,梗死灶面积与出血灶范围之间呈明显正相关（r=0．562,P=0．010）。其中,13例患者SWI序列检出梗死灶以外区域的微出血灶;12例显示梗死灶内小静脉血管分支减少和（或）变细,6例血管增多、增粗和（或）扭曲。结论SWI序列对出血性脑梗死病灶内出血的显示优于常规MRI和DWI序列,并能显示梗死灶内静脉血管的变化及梗死灶以外区域的微出血灶,可作为诊断出血性脑梗死的MRI常规扫描序列。     

Focal brain lesions in patients with AIDS: Aetiologies and corresponding radiological patterns in a prospective study

We report the results of a hospital-based study of 188 consecutive patients seropositive for the human immune deficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who presented in a 4-year period (1988–1991) with possible signs or symptoms of first-ever central nervous system disease. Confirmed diagnoses were cerebral toxoplasmosis in 47 patients (25.0%), HIV-1 encephalopathy in 19 (10.1%), progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (PML) in 9 (4.8%), cerebral lymphoma in 1 (0.5%), and other conditions in 9 patients (4.8%). Seventy-three subjects (38.8%) showed focal brain lesions on initial computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, which were assessed prospectively. Positive predictivity for toxoplasmosis was 100% if multiple lesions occurred in combination with mass effect or contrast enhancement (23 patients), or if at least one space-occupying or enhancing lesion was located in the basal ganglia or the thalamus (26 patients). Solitary lesions with mass effect or contrast enhancement were seen in 26 patients and were caused by cerebral toxoplasmosis in 22 (84.6%). Eight of the 9 PML patients presented with one or more non-enhancing, non-mass lesions, although the predictive value of this pattern was low (47.1% for PML). Thus, in our epidemiological context, certain imaging findings in HIV-1-seropositive patients were highly predictive of cerebral toxoplasmosis. This may differ from findings from other parts of the world where cerebral toxoplasmosis may be less prevalent among HIV-1-infected individuals.     

Cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings in bacterial endocarditis: the neuroimaging spectrum of septic brain embolization demonstrated in twelve patients.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an elusive systemic disorder that is often associated with neurologic complications. The contribution of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the diagnosis of IE and the spectrum of such findings has been only sparsely described previously. The authors report cranial MRI findings in 12 patients with IE. Each of the patients had MRI evidence of cerebral embolization, with multiple brain lesions noted in most patients (n = 10). Cortical branch infarction was the most common lesion (n = 8), which usually involved the distal middle cerebral artery tree. The next most common finding (n = 7) was numerous small embolic lesions which typically lodged in the supratentorial gray-white junction, some of which were clinically silent and many of which enhanced (probable microabscesses). Brain hemorrhages were noted in four patients, most commonly subarachnoid hemorrhage (n = 3). Two patients developed multiple frank parenchymal macroabscesses/cerebritis lesions. A previously unreported finding in septic embolization, a stroke that became infected with abscess formation ("septic infarction"), was noted in two patients. MRI showed orbital cellulitis in two patients. Most patients studied with gadolinium showed enhancement of lesions (n = 5/8). The authors conclude that cranial MRI may be a valuable tool in the evaluation of patients with IE. The presence of characteristic cranial MRI lesions, especially of multiple types, may prompt early diagnosis and treatment.     

The changing pattern of HIV neuropathology in the HAART era

Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), which has been available for most AIDS patients in France since 1996, has resulted in a dramatic improvement of the progression of the disease. From the survey of our series of 343 brains with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) from patients who died between 1985 and 2002, we found both quantitative and qualitative changes in the pattern of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) neuropathology. Quantitatively, despite a dramatic decrease in the number of autopsies, brain involvement remained a major cause of death. There was an overall decrease in incidence of cerebral toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus encephalitis (CMVE), and HIV encephalitis (HIVE), for which successful treatment is available. This contrasted with the unchanged incidence of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas (MNHL). However, when looking closer at the 3 last years, the incidence of diseases affecting patients with severe immunodepression (CMVE, PML, and MNHL) decreased between 2000 and 2002, whereas infections occurring in patients with milder immunodeficiency, toxoplasmosis, varicella-zoster encephalitis (VZVE), or herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) became more frequent. In addition, we found uncommon types of brain infection such as BK virus encephalitis or general paresis. Finally, we described new variants of HIVE: severe leukoencephalopathy with intense perivascular macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration, possibly due to an exaggerated response from a newly reconstituted immune system, and chronic "burnt out" forms of HIVE as VZVE, toxoplasmosis, or PML, possibly associated with prolonged survival, in which neither inflammation nor organisms could be detected. These findings are compared with those reported in other neuropathological studies from different developed countries.     

Movement disorders due to cerebral Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Hemichorea and parkinsonism are unusual manifestations of cerebral toxoplasmosis in patients with AIDS. We here describe two such cases and we reviewed extensively the literature (through computer searches using MEDLINE) for other reported instances. In our patients, unlike the other neurological symptoms, the response of the movement disorders to anti-toxoplasmosis therapy was delayed and only partial. We demonstrate that tetrabenazine is a valuable additional symptomatic treatment for choreic movements in one of our patients. We emphasize that, among patients suffering from AIDS, particularly in countries with high prevalence of toxoplasmosis, the occurrence of movement disorders should first suggest the diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis.     

Cerebellar hemorrhage in extremely low birth weight siblings: is there a familial disposition?

Cerebellar hemorrhage is an underrecognized complication in the preterm neonate. It is multifactorial including combined maternal, intrapartum, and early postnatal factors. We present the case of 2 preterm brothers, 24 + 1 and 24 + 3 weeks of gestation, who both died because of cerebellar hemorrhage. We sought familial pathogenic factors predisposing to cerebellar hemorrhage. Cerebral imaging performed by ultrasonography through the anterior fontanel was normal and showed no signs of bleeding or brain edema. Postmortem neuropathologic findings confirmed cerebellar hemorrhagic lesions in both infants. Cerebellar vessels showed no signs of morphologic disorders or malformations. There might be a hint to a familial disposition. Neonatal cranial ultrasound protocols should include brainstem and posterior fossa examination with specific scans through the mastoid fontanel.     

Hemichorea in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Toxoplasmosis abscess in the striatum]

Three HIV seropositive patients presented with cerebral toxoplasmosis which was treated by anti-infectious agents. After partial improvement, they developed hemichorea related to striatal infectious lesions. In AIDS patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis, autopsy series have reported a high incidence of basal ganglia abscesses, explaining the occurrence of involuntary movements such as hemichorea.     

Intracranial hemorrhage in patients with polycystic kidney disease

To emphasize the important association of polycystic kidney disease and hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, a registry of 900 consecutive cases of hemorrhagic stroke was reviewed. Eleven patients (1.2%) had intracranial hemorrhage (eight had hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage and the other three had aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage) found to be associated with polycystic kidney disease. These 11 patients also accounted for 11% of the 98 cases of polycystic kidney disease during the 28-month study period. As verified by computed tomography, parenchymal hemorrhage occurred mainly in the putamen and the thalamus, the usual sites for hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. One patient with cerebral hemorrhage was autopsied and one was studied angiographically, but in neither patient was an intracranial aneurysm identified. In the patients with polycystic kidney disease and intracranial hemorrhage, hypertension had been inadequately treated or even undetected; therefore, I emphasize early detection and more effective control of hypertension in patients with polycystic kidney disease for prophylaxis against hemorrhagic cerebrovascular events.     

Secondary cystic lesions in the cerebellum in very low birth weight infants

We studied 4 very low birth weight infants with secondary cystic lesions in the cerebellum by serial cranial ultrasound and computed tomography. These infants presented severe respiratory distress, asphyxia at birth and intraventricular hemorrhage. In the neonatal period, cranial ultrasound examination showed significant intraventricular hemorrhage and posthemorrhagic ventricular dilatation with intraparenchymal hemorrhage. However, a cerebellar cyst was not seen in any of the infants. We found evidence of cerebellar hemorrhage by ultrasound in only one patient. Follow-up ultrasound examinations and CT scans showed progressive posthemorrhagic ventriculomegaly in three of the infants and large cystic lesions in the infratentorial area from 3 to 6 months old in all 4 infants. We conclude that the cystic lesions were caused by hemorrhagic and hypoxic-ischemic insults which occurred in very low birth weight infant.     

Asymptomatic diffuse “encephalitic” cerebral toxoplasmosis in a woman with systemic lupus erythematosus

Classic cerebral toxoplasmosis typically presents with neurologic symptoms such as seizures and mental status changes and histological examination shows focal lesions with necrosis. However, in the diffuse “encephalitic” form, patients are asymptomatic with diffuse, inflammatory, non-necrotic lesions. Asymptomatic diffuse “encephalitic” toxoplasmosis has been reported only in four acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients and one human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We present a 36-year-old HIV-negative woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis who was on immunosuppression for 9 years after cadaveric renal transplant and died from pulmonary hemorrhage and cytomegalovirus pneumonia. Brain autopsy findings revealed multifocal microglial nodules containing Toxoplasma bradyzoites and associated astrogliosis. These nodules were prominent in the cerebellum, midbrain and medulla and also present in the cortex and thalamus. No coagulative necrosis, necrotizing abscesses, or other opportunistic infections were present. The patient had previously exhibited no neurologic symptoms and there was no clinical suspicion for toxoplasmosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of diffuse, non-necrotizing, “encephalitic” cerebral toxoplasmosis reported in a lupus patient and also the first reported female case.     

Hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type. Clinical and computed tomographic analysis of 24 cases

Clinical and computed tomographic findings in 24 patients with hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type were reviewed. The common initial symptoms were headache and vomiting. Computed tomographic scans showed 50 hypodense and 49 hyperdense cortical lesions and in 20 patients the scans also showed generalized white matter hypodensity. Impairment of consciousness was related to the size of the hemorrhagic lesion. Dementia, seen in 11 patients, was related to the duration of the disease and the number of focal lesions on the computed tomographic scans, but not to the presence of white matter hypodensity. It is concluded that in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis-Dutch type, lobar hemorrhages account predominantly for the acute clinical syndromes. The hemorrhages often have an irregular shape and are responsible for progression of the symptoms after an acute onset. Furthermore, cerebral amyloid angiopathy leads to a generalized abnormality of the white matter, probably due to chronic hypoperfusion.