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Archives of neurology · Jun 2008
Case ReportsAn elderly patient with Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis and transient episodes of brainstem dysfunction.
- Raymond P Roos, Betty Soliven, Fernando Goldenberg, Aamir Badruddin, and Joseph M Baron.
- Department of Neurology, Mail Code 2030, University of Chicago Medical Center, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. rroos@neurology.bsd.uchicago.edu
- Arch. Neurol. 2008 Jun 1; 65 (6): 821-4.
BackgroundBickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare inflammatory, demyelinating disease that generally has a good prognosis.ObjectiveTo describe the course of a patient with severe BBE and multiple medical complications.DesignCase report.SettingAcademic medical center.PatientAn 81-year-old woman with BBE who fully recovered. The patient had transient and very frequent episodes of brainstem dysfunction during the recovery phase.Main Outcome MeasuresClinical and biochemical evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging.ConclusionsBickerstaff brainstem encephalitis is a potentially reversible syndrome that needs early diagnosis (facilitated by magnetic resonance imaging) and prompt aggressive and supportive treatment. Frequent episodes of transient brainstem dysfunction occurred in our patient during recovery, possibly due to ephaptic transmission.
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