Clinical analysis of three cases of listerial rhombencephalitis / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To describe the features of clinical,imaging and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of listerial rhombencephalitis to improve the understanding of this disease in clinical practice.Methods All the clinical data of three cases of listerial rhombencephalitis from April to August 2017 in Qilu Hospital were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Results All the three cases were healthy adult women before,with a rapidly progressive course,beginning with fever (38.2-40 ℃),headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting,followed by cranial paralysis,dysphagia and paralysis of the limbs on the 2nd to 5th day of onset,and developed to acute respiratory failure and unconsciousness on the 5th to 8th day of onset.All the three patients were diagnosed with CSF culture positive for Listera monocytogenes on the 3rd to 5th day after admission.The initial CSF lactic acid increased significantly,representing 12.3,12.0 and 10.0 mmol/L respectively;CSF white blood cells were 416× 106/L,760× 106/L and 793× 106/L,respectively,and the protein levels were 0.76 g/L,0.57 g/L and 1.47 g/L,respectively.Brain images showed brain stem was involved in all the three patients,therein cases 1 and 3 with cerebellar hemisphere involved,case 2 with upper cervical spinal cord involved,and case 1 with supratentorial hydrocephalus involved.After treatment with sensitive antibiotics,case 1 recovered,case 2 died,and case 3 lived with dysphagia.Conclusions Listerial rhombencephalitis should be suspected when a patient started with fever and headache,rapidly progressed to cranial nerve paralysis,brainstem symptoms,and acute respiratory failure,especially when the brain imaging suggested brainstem involved with increased white blood cells and apparently elevated lactic acid level of CSF.The earlier the sensitive antibiotics initiated,the better the patients' prognosis.