Vessel wall enhancement in herpes simplex virus central nervous system vasculitis.

Abstract

Infection is a well-known cause of cerebral vasculopathy and vasculitis. We report a 36-year-old woman with cerebral vasculitis and ischemic stroke secondary to herpes simplex virus (HSV). MRI studies revealed a pontine stroke with basilar artery stenosis and vessel wall gadolinium enhancement. This case demonstrates the ability of HSV to cause a focal brainstem vasculitis and the utility of enhanced MRI in the diagnosis of stroke related to HSV central nervous system vasculitis.

• Authors: Waldo R Guerrero, Haitham Dababneh, Shushrutha Hedna, James A Johnson, Keith Peters, Michael F Waters
• Journal: Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia (J Clin Neurosci) Vol. 20 Issue 9 Pg. 1318-9 (Sep 2013) ISSN: 1532-2653 [Electronic] Scotland
• PMID: 23517674 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Basilar Artery (pathology, virology)
• Female
• Herpes Simplex (complications, diagnosis)
• Humans
• Simplexvirus (pathogenicity)
• Vasculitis, Central Nervous System (complications, diagnosis, virology)