[Primary angiitis of CNS (PACNS)]

Isolated angiitis in the hypothalamus mimicking brain tumor

A 64-year-old female presented with exaggerating somnolence without contributory medical and lifestyle histories. She was not aware of any preceding infection or headache. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an isolated enhanced mass in the hypothalamus without meningeal enhancement. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid examinations showed no significant findings except for hypernatremia and hyperprolactinemia. She underwent an open biopsy via the interhemispheric route. Histological examination revealed marked perivascular lymphocytic aggregation with polyclonal immunostaining both for B and T lymphocytes. No findings suggestive of underlying malignancy were recognized. Extensive work-up aiming at systemic vasculitis and lymphoma revealed no signs of extracranial lesion, so the most probable diagnosis was isolated angiitis in the hypothalamus. Angiitis may originate from the hypothalamus and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypothalamic lesion mimicking brain tumor on neuroimaging.

Cerebral vasculitis following oral methylphenidate intake in an adult: a case report

Methylphenidate is structurally and functionally similar to amphetamine. Cerebral vasculitis associated with amphetamine abuse is well documented, and in rare cases ischaemic stroke has been reported after methylphenidate intake in children. We report the case of a 63-year-old female who was treated with methylphenidate due to hyperactivity and suffered from multiple ischaemic strokes. We consider drug-induced cerebral vasculitis as the most likely cause of recurrent ischaemic strokes in the absence of any pathological findings during the diagnostic work-up. We conclude that methylphenidate mediated vasculitis should be considered in patients with neurological symptoms and a history of methylphenidate therapy. This potential side-effect, though very rare, represents one more reason to be very restrictive in the use of methylphenidate.

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system presenting with subacute and fatal course of disease: a case report

BACKGROUND

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system is an idiopathic disorder characterized by vasculitis within the dural confines. The clinical presentation shows a wide variation and the course and the duration of disease are heterogeneous. This rare but treatable disease provides a diagnostic challenge owing to the lack of pathognomonic tests and the necessity of a histological confirmation.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 28-year-old patient presenting with headache and fluctuating signs of encephalopathy was treated on the assumption of viral meningoencephalitis. The course of the disease led to his death 10 days after hospital admission. Postmortem examination revealed primary angiitis of the central nervous system.

CONCLUSION

Primary angiitis of the central nervous system should always be taken into consideration when suspected infectious inflammation of the central nervous system does not respond to treatment adequately. In order to confirm the diagnosis with the consequence of a modified therapy angiography and combined leptomeningeal and brain biopsy should be considered immediately.