Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis

ABSTRACT

A severe, but reversible encephalitis associated with antibodies to the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) was identified recently in young women with ovarian teratoma. This condition has not been reported previously in Korea. A 31-year-old woman presented with fever and behavioral disturbances; she became comatose several days later, and dyskinesia and dysautonomia developed thereafter. Antibodies to the NMDAR were positive and abdominal computed tomography detected a large ovarian teratoma. The patient improved dramatically after the removal of the teratoma and administration of corticosteroid therapy.