[Cerebral vasculitis]

Diagnosis and treatment of cerebral vasculitis

Vasculitides are characterized by inflammation and necrosis of the blood vessel wall. Large vessels including the aorta are affected in giant-cell arteritis, medium-size arteries in classic polyarteritis nodosa. The small-vessel vasculitides are separated in those with antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) and those without. The primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is a rare disorder affecting both medium- and small-sized vessels. Major symptoms of cerebral vasculitis are stroke, headache and encephalopathy. Diagnosis is based on laboratory and imaging findings. When cerebral affection occurs in systemic vasculitis an acute inflammatory response with raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate and increased values of C-reactive protein is present. In many cerebral vasculitides including PACNS, CSF studies reveal inflammatory findings. Magnetic resonance imaging, including ADC maps, diffusion and gradient echo sequences, is the investigation of choice to detect and monitor cerebral involvement. Certain MRI techniques and 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography allow the visualization of vessel wall inflammation when the lumen is still unaffected on angiography. The treatment recommendations for cerebral angitis are derived from protocols for systemic vasculitides. In general, a combination of steroids and pulse cyclophosphamide (CYC) is recommended for induction treatment. An alternative option is the use of the anti- CD20 antibody rituximab. Methotrexate, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil are recommended as alternatives to CYC once remission is achieved.

[Vasculitis and hereditary small vessel diseases]

In younger patients with stroke, cerebral vasculitis and hereditary small vessel diseases should be considered as important differential diagnoses. Since the clinical course of cerebral vasculitis is highly variable, diagnostic workup, which includes laboratory tests, CSF analysis, cranial magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy, is often challenging. Therapy should be initiated on an interdisciplinary basis and includes immunosuppressive induction and maintenance regimes. Hereditary small vessel diseases, e.g. CADASIL or Fabry's disease, can mimic clinical features of cerebral vasculitis. Their diagnosis which is based on family history, typical clinical features and genetic analysis often has implications for treatment and genetic counselling.

[Diagnosis and therapy of neurological manifestations of inflammatory rheumatic diseases]

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases frequently report symptoms that may indicate an involvement of central and peripheral nervous system in addition to the known musculoskeletal symptoms. The possible symptoms can be as varied as the disease mechanism which causes them. Early correct diagnosis, adequate therapy and regular monitoring of these patients are necessary to prevent permanent disability. This article summarizes current literature on the diagnosis and therapy of neurological manifestations of inflammatory rheumatic diseases including systemic Lupus erythematodes, Behçet's disease, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic vasculitides and sarcoidosis.

The spectrum of differential diagnosis in neurological patients with livedo reticularis and livedo racemosa. A literature review

Livedo is a cutaneous sign of striking violaceous netlike patterned erythema of the skin. This dermatological phenomenon is of special interest in the differential diagnosis in neurological patients. In 1907 Ehrmann distinguished two different patterns of livedo: the pathological livedo racemosa and the physiological livedo reticularis. Despite important clinical differences, in the English language literature the heading livedo reticularis is still used for all types of livedo. A literature review about the spectrum of differential diagnosis in patients with livedo reticularis (especially cutis marmorata and amantadine-induced livedo reticularis) and livedo racemosa (especially Sneddon's syndrome, Divry-van Bogaert syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, polyarteritis nodosa, cholesterol embolization syndrome, livedoid vasculopathy and haematological diseases) is provided.