Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a pregnant woman with an implanted dura mater graft.

Abstract

A 28-year-old woman with prior neurosurgery involving the placement of a cadaveric dural graft developed a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder with prominent cerebellar dysfunction that was proven at autopsy to be Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. She represents the second American to develop Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in association with a dural graft. The unusual features of the case include the patient's initial clinical presentation with cerebellar ataxia in the absence of dementia, the widespread presence of kuru-type amyloid plaques on a histological examination of the brain, the development of clinical symptoms during pregnancy, and the subsequent delivery of a child who remains healthy at the age of 3 years.

• Authors: K L Lane, P Brown, D N Howell, B J Crain, C M Hulette, P C Burger, S J DeArmond
• Journal: Neurosurgery (Neurosurgery) Vol. 34 Issue 4 Pg. 737-9; discussion 739-40 (Apr 1994) ISSN: 0148-396X [Print] United States
• PMID: 8008176 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Lyodura
• Collagen

Topics

• Adult
• Arnold-Chiari Malformation (pathology, surgery)
• Atrophy
• Brain (pathology)
• Collagen (adverse effects)
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome (diagnosis, pathology, transmission)
• Female
• Humans
• Infant, Newborn
• Male
• Nerve Degeneration (physiology)
• Neurologic Examination
• Postoperative Complications (diagnosis, pathology)
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Complications, Infectious (diagnosis, pathology)