Abducent nerve palsy during treatment of brucellosis

Ocular Lesions in Brucella Infection: A Review of the Literature

Ocular lesions due to Brucella infection are uncommon and easily overlooked in clinical management, but must be differentiated from non-infectious eye diseases and treated promptly to protect the patient's vision. We reviewed the relevant literature and identified 47 patients with ocular complications of Brucella infection. Among them, 28 showed ocular neuropathy, 15 presented with uveitis, and four patients displayed other ocular symptoms. Ocular symptoms accompanying Brucella infection require prompt diagnosis and treatment. The main methods of diagnosis are intraocular fluid tests and blood tests. Early diagnosis and treatment with suitable antibiotics are central to protecting the patient's vision. Notably, in terms of mechanism of injury, Brucella infection is chronic and cannot be eliminated by phagocytes, and can cause damage to the eye by inducing autoimmune reactions, antigen-antibody complex production, release of endogenous and exogenous toxins, and bacterial production of septic thrombi in the tissues. In this review, we summarize the ocular symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of Brucella infection, and discuss the mechanisms of Brucella in ocular lesions, providing a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of Brucella ocular lesions.

An unusual presentation of sixth nerve palsy: neurobrucellosis

Abducens nerve palsy is generally seen in older patients with diabetes and hypertension. It is relatively rare in young and otherwise healthy patients. An extensive differential diagnosis is considered in patients younger than 50 years of age who develop a sixth nerve palsy. We report here a 25-year-old patient from Turkey who was admitted with sixth nerve palsy as a component of neurobrucellosis. She was referred to our clinic because she had double vision and restricted right eye abduction. During the ophthalmic examination, both pupils were round and reactive to light and accommodation. Extraocular movements were intact with the exception that the right eye was unable to abduct. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed no pathology. She also had a diagnosis of brucellosis and her abducens nerve palsy was a form of clinical manifestation of neurobrucellosis. We conclude that neurobrucellosis should be considered in patients with sixth cranial nerve palsy especially in areas where brucellosis is endemic.

Ocular involvement of brucellosis

A 29-year-old male diagnosed with brucellosis a week earlier was referred to the ophthalmology clinic with visual complaints. On examination, visual acuity was 20/25, he had conjunctival injection on slit lamp examination. There was also bilateral optic disk swelling plus retinal hyperemia (optic disc hyperemia and vascular tortuosity) and intraretinal hemorrhage on funduscopy. The patient was admitted and treated with cotrimoxazole, rifampin, doxycycline and prednisolone for 2 months. Ocular manifestations subsided gradually within 6 months after treatment. Brucellosis can affect the eye and lead to serious ocular complications. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment should be considered in endemic areas.

An uncommon case of pediatric neurobrucellosis associated with intracranial hypertension

We present the case of a 4-year-old boy who was admitted to hospital with intracranial hypertension, headache, diplopia, papilledema, and a normal brain MRI. Brucella melitensis in the cerebrospinal fluid was confirmed with PCR assay. We believe that neurobrucellosis should be included in the differential diagnosis when headaches persist following brucellosis. In addition, we suggest that when cerebrospinal fluid culture is negative, PCR may prove to be an optimal alternative tool for an immediate and accurate diagnosis.

Neurobrucellosis developing unilateral oculomotor nerve paralysis

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease that is common around the world. Its clinical course demonstrates great diversity as it can affect all organs and systems. However, the central nervous system is rarely affected in the pediatric population. Neurobrucellosis is most frequently observed with meningitis and has numerous complications, including meningocephalitis, myelitis, cranial nerve paralyses, radiculopathy, and neuropathy. Neurobrucellosis affects the second, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth cranial nerves. Involvement of the oculomotor nerves is a very rare complication in neurobrucellosis although several adult cases have been reported. In this article, we present the case of a 9-year-old girl who developed unilateral nerve paralysis as a secondary complication of neurobrucellosis and recovered without sequel after treatment. This case is notable because it is a very rare, the first within the pediatric population. Our article emphasizes that neurobrucellosis should be considered among the distinguishing diagnoses in every case that is admitted for nerve paralysis in regions where Brucella infection is endemic.

Neurobrucellosis with transient ischemic attack, vasculopathic changes, intracerebral granulomas and basal ganglia infarction: a case report

Introduction

Central nervous system involvement is a rare but serious manifestation of brucellosis. We present an unusual case of neurobrucellosis with transient ischemic attack, intracerebral vasculopathy granulomas, seizures, and paralysis of sixth and seventh cranial nerves.

Case presentation

A 17-year-old Caucasian man presented with nausea and vomiting, headache, double vision and he gave a history of weakness in the left arm, speech disturbance and imbalance. Physical examination revealed fever, doubtful neck stiffness and left abducens nerve paralysis. An analysis of his cerebrospinal fluid showed a pleocytosis (lymphocytes, 90%), high protein and low glucose levels. He developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures, facial paralysis and left hemiparesis. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated intracerebral vasculitis, basal ganglia infarction and granulomas, mimicking the central nervous system involvement of tuberculosis. On the 31st day of his admission, neurobrucellosis was diagnosed with immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G positivity by standard tube agglutination test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples (the tests had been negative until that day). He was treated successfully with trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, doxycyline and rifampicin for six months.

Conclusions

Our patient illustrates the importance of suspecting brucellosis as a cause of meningoencephalitis, even if cultures and serological tests are negative at the beginning of the disease. As a result, in patients who have a history of residence or travel to endemic areas, neurobrucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any neurologic symptoms. If initial tests fail, repetition of these tests at appropriate intervals along with complementary investigations are indicated.

Multiple cranial nerve involvement caused by Brucella melitensis

A case of neurobrucellosis complicated by optic, abducens and vestibulocochlear nerve palsies is reported. Brucella melitensis was isolated in the cerebrospinal fluid, and the patient was diagnosed with retrobulbar neuritis. Despite medical treatment, the patient developed optic atrophy. Multiple cranial nerve involvement should be kept in mind in patients presenting with blurred vision and double vision, especially in regions where brucellosis is endemic.

Overview of neurobrucellosis: a pooled analysis of 187 cases

Central nervous system involvement is a serious complication of brucellosis; data found in the literature are generally restricted to case reports and case series. In this study we pooled the data from Turkish medical practice in order to gain a thorough understanding of the subject. A search of Turkish publications on chronic neurobrucellosis was made using both Turkish and international databases. A total of 35 publications were analyzed and 187 neurobrucellosis cases were evaluated. Headache, fever, sweating, weight loss, and back pain were the predominant symptoms, while meningeal irritation, confusion, hepatomegaly, hypoesthesia, and splenomegaly were the most frequent findings. The major complications in patients were cranial nerve involvement, polyneuropathy/radiculopathy, depression, paraplegia, stroke, and abscess formation. Antibiotics were used in different combinations and over different intervals. The duration of antibiotic therapy reported ranged from 2 to 15 months (median 5 months). The mortality was 0.5% with suitable antibiotics. Neurobrucellosis may mimic various pathologies. For this reason, a thorough evaluation of the patient with probable disease is crucial for an accurate diagnosis and proper management of the disease.

Irreversible papillitis and ophthalmoparesis as a presenting manifestation of neurobrucellosis

A 35-year-old man presented with a meningeal syndrome and acute onset of visual blurring. Clinical investigations revealed bacterial meningitis with bilateral papillitis and ophthalmoparesis. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid serology confirmed the diagnosis of chronic active neurobrucellosis. Following therapy there was no improvement and he developed optic atrophy. Extensive literature review revealed, one case of bilateral irreversible papillitis resulting from neurobrucellosis. However no cases of neurobrucellosis have been reported with meningitis, irreversible papillitis and ophthalmoparesis. This case demonstrates that in endemic areas, acute meningitis is a potential manifestation of neurobrucellosis and that bilateral irreversible papillitis with ophthalmoparesis can be a potential serious complication.

Microanatomical architecture of Dorello's canal and its clinical implications

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the membranous architecture of the abducens nerve at the petroclival region and describe the characteristics of this area in cadaveric specimen and two children with hydrocephalus and sixth nerve palsy using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Five adult cadaver heads were used to investigate the petroclival part of the abducens nerve. The heads were injected with colored latex for microsurgical dissection, and the length of the dural sleeve of the abducens nerve and its width at the apex were measured. In one cadaver head, the area between the petroclival entrance porus of the abducens nerve and the cavernous sinus was histologically studied under light microscopy. In two patients with hydrocephalus and abducens nerve palsy, the petroclival area was screened by using the MRI fat suppression technique.

RESULTS

In the cadavers, the arachnoid membrane on the clivus extended within the dural sleeve as far as the petrous apex, as an extension of the subarachnoid space. The average length of the dural sleeve was 9.5 mm and the average width was 1.5 mm at the apex, where the nerve entered the cavernous sinus. MRI scans showed that the cerebrospinal fluid distance of the petroclival region was 5 mm in the first patient and 7 mm in the second.

CONCLUSION

The subarachnoid space inside the dural sleeve of the abducens nerve can be defined by using thin-slice MRI scans. Enlargement of the dural sleeve at the petroclival region may coexist with the abducens nerve palsy. It has been documented in this study that the arachnoid membrane forms a membraneous barrier between the subarachnoid and subdural spaces within Dorello's canal.

Abducens nerve palsy and optic neuritis as initial manifestation in brucellosis

Cranial nerve involvement in brucellosis is rare. We present a case of brucellosis presenting with optic neuritis and abducens nerve palsy on the left side. Cerebrospinal fluid findings indicated Brucella meningitis with high protein count, low sugar level and pleocystosis. In addition, Brucella agglutination test (Wright test) was found to be 1/128 in cerebrospinal fluid. Serum agglutination test for Brucella was also positive at 1/1280. This case was diagnosed as brucellosis involving optic and abducens nerves. The patient was treated by ceftriaxone (intravenous), rifampicin (orally) and doxycycline (orally). Two months later the patient's vision acuity in the left eye had moderately improved and the patient's left abducens palsy had almost disappeared. In conclusion, cranial nerve involvement in brucellosis can have good prognosis if anti-Brucella treatment is undertaken early.