Klebsiella pneumoniae brain abscesses in an elderly patient without clinically evident neurological signs and symptoms.

PURPOSE: It is difficult to diagnose a brain abscess if the patient does not have clinically evident neurological features. We present the diagnosis and therapeutic course of an elderly woman with multiple Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae brain abscesses without neurological signs or symptoms. CASE REPORT: The patient was an 81-year-old woman without diabetes who had been discharged from our hospital about 7 days before this admission with a diagnosis of K. pneumoniae urinary tract and bloodstream infections. She did not have any clinically evident neurological features except for a fever, however focal suppurations were identified in the cerebral hemispheres and lungs by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography, respectively. After an 11-week course of antibiotic treatment and serial cranial MRI follow-up studies, she was discharged in a stable condition with no neurological sequelae. CONCLUSION: Cranial MRI should be performed to identify the presence of brain abscesses in elderly patients with K. pneumoniae bloodstream infections but without clinically evident neurological signs or symptoms. Serial MRI studies are important to monitor the therapeutic course.

Crossed cheiro-oral syndrome: A warning sign for medullary involvement and neurological deterioration.

Crossed cheiro-oral syndrome (CCOS) is characterized by crossed sensory disturbance confined to the unilateral perioral area and contralateral hand/finger(s). Although a few classical crossed sensory syndromes accurately predict brainstem or spinal involvement, the clinical significance of CCOS remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the etiology, localization and outcome of CCOS patients. The results showed that ischemic stroke is the exclusive cause of CCOS. The location of responsible stroke is pertinent to the middle or upper level of the lateral medulla oblongata medial to the lateral sulcus. The vascular supply is from the vertebral artery or the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. Half of the CCOS patients progressed to Wallenberg's syndrome and complicated with disabled daily living. However, no patient died during the follow-up period. A larger size and dorsal extension of the infarction correlated with neurological deterioration. Therefore, CCOS is an independent clinical sign of medullary involvement. It strongly predicts involvement at the lateral medulla oblongata, especially the ischemic stroke, and neurological deterioration. A rapid evaluation of the infarction location and vascular status is suggested in cases of CCOS.