Disseminated cerebral toxoplasmosis in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
J Clin Neurosci
; 50: 127-128, 2018 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29428267
ABSTRACT
Infections are one of the most common causes of mortality in immunocompromised patients. In patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies, treatment with stem cell transplants (SCT) or T-cell suppressing chemotherapy increases the risk of central nervous system (CNS) infections, of which toxoplasmosis is the most common. We report the case of a 63â¯year-old woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) that presented with gait instability and visual changes. Intracranial lesions were noted on initial neuro-imaging. A rapid decline in the patient's mental status warranted an urgent biopsy of the lesions that revealed tachyzoites consistent with toxoplasmosis. In the presence of diffuse brain lesions that lack a metastatic pattern or contrast enhancement, a common approach is to perform biopsy only after a battery of non-invasive testing. This diagnostic delay may take several days, exposing the patient to a rapidly fatal infection. This report illustrates the utility of early brain biopsy in high-risk patients with hematologic malignancies and CNS lesions.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Leucemia Linfocítica Crónica de Células B
/
Toxoplasmosis Cerebral
/
Huésped Inmunocomprometido
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
Límite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Clin Neurosci
Asunto de la revista:
NEUROLOGIA
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos