Peripheral neuropathy in a case with CADASIL: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is characterized clinically by central nervous system dysfunctions. It is unclear whether CADASIL is involved in peripheral neuropathy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old Japanese man with stepwise progression of sensory and motor neuropathy was admitted to our hospital. Peripheral neuropathy of the extremities was detected through electrophysiological and pathological studies, and brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral periventricular ischemic and thalamic hemorrhagic lesions. We diagnosed CADASIL after detecting granular osmiophilic material in the walls of the endoneurial vessels morphologically and identifying a heterozygous NOTCH3 mutation p.Arg75Pro. CONCLUSIONS: CADASIL is to be included in the work-up of not classified peripheral neuropathies.

Toxocara canis myelitis involving the lumbosacral region: a case report.

CONTEXT: Toxocara canis is a parasite known to cause visceral larva migrans. The infection rarely affects the central nervous system but there have been several reports of myelitis caused by visceral larva migrans due to Toxocara canis. In previous reported cases, the lesions were located in the thoracic or cervical spinal cord. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a lesion involving the lumbosacral region. FINDINGS: A 60-year-old man developed weakness and dysesthesia in the lower limbs. The symptoms resolved spontaneously, but recurred after five months. One month later, the patient developed pollakiuria and constipation. He was a dog owner and frequently ate raw chicken meat and beef liver. Sagittal T2-weighted image (T2WI) showed swelling and hyperintensity in the spinal cord from T10 to the lumbosacral region and focal nodular enhancement on the posterior segment of the lumbar spinal cord. Blood cell counts showed slight eosinophilia and elevated serum immunoglobulin E level. Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed slight pleocytosis with eosinophilia. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed high levels of anti-Toxocara antibodies in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid. In addition, confirmatory test by Western blot was positive. The patient was initially treated with intravenous methylprednisolone with slight improvement in muscle weakness. Albendazole was added with a second course of intravenous methylprednisolone. The muscle weakness in the lower limbs improved considerably, and swelling and hyperintensity on T2WI almost disappeared. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Toxocara canis myelitis cannot be discounted even if the myelitis involves the lumbosacral region.

New type of encephalomyelitis responsive to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole treatment in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the causative pathogen and investigate the effective treatment of a new type of encephalomyelitis with an unknown pathogen in Japan and report the preliminary ultrastructural and genomic characterization of the causative agent. METHODS: From 2005 to 2012, we treated 4 Japanese patients with geographic clustering and comparable clinical features, serum/CSF cytology, and radiologic findings. Brain biopsy was conducted in all patients to analyze neuropathologic changes by histology, and electron microscopy was applied to reveal the features of the putative pathogen. Genomic DNA was obtained from the affected brain tissues and CSF, and an unbiased high-throughput sequencing approach was used to screen for specific genomic sequences indicative of the pathogen origin. RESULTS: All patients exhibited progressive dementia with involuntary tongue movements. Cytologic examination of CSF revealed elevated mononuclear cells. Abnormal MRI signals were observed in temporal lobes, subcortical white matter, and spinal cord. Biopsied brain tissue exhibited aggregated periodic acid-Schiff-positive macrophages and 2-7 µm diameter round/oval bodies without nuclei or cell walls scattered around the vessels. Unbiased high-throughput sequencing identified more than 100 archaea-specific DNA fragments. All patients were responsive to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) plus corticosteroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We report 4 cases of encephalomyelitis due to an unknown pathogen. On the basis of ultrastructural and genomic studies, we propose a new disease entity resulting from a causative pathogen having archaeal features. TMP-SMX therapy was effective against this new type of encephalomyelitis.

[A patient with von Recklinghausen's disease associated with polymyositis, asymptomatic pheochromocytoma, and primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma].

A 72-year-old woman with von Recklinghausen's disease was referred to our hospital because of pain and muscle weakness in her thighs. She had elevated serum values of creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aldolase. Based on these results, a diagnosis of polymyositis was made. Treatment with prednisolone improved muscle strength, and laboratory values returned to normal. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen, and 131I-metaiodobenzyl guanidine MIBG scintigraphy demonstrated a tumor 3 cm in diameter in the region of the left adrenal gland. Endocrinologic investigation disclosed elevation of serum and urine catecholamines. Since the blood pressure was normal, nonfunctioning pheochromocytoma was diagnosed clinically. The nonhypertensive course was attributed to reduced vascular response to noradrenaline. Serum lactate dehydrogenase. alkaline phosphatase. and asparate aminotransferase became elevated, and abdominal computed tomography showed a well-defined mass measuring 13 x 12 x 10 cm in the right lobe of the liver. The patient underwent right trisegmentectomy and left adrenalectomy. Histologically the adrenal tumor was a typical pheochromocytoma. The hepatic tumor was a leiomyosarcoma consisting of elongated spindle-shaped atypical cells arranged in intersecting bundles. Immunohistochemically, the cells of this tumor were reactive for alpha-smooth muscle actin and vimentin. The leiomyosarcoma recurred and metastasized to the liver. Eight months after onset of symptom, the patient developed hepatic coma and died. The mean age at presentation with pheochromocytoma in von Recklinghausen's disease patients age is 42 years. Our patient was considerably older. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a patient with von Recklinghausen's disease developing polymyositis. asymptomatic pheochromocytoma, and primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma and illustrates the need to remain aware of the possibility of cancer in von Recklinghausen's disease.