title: [Antenatal bilateral sylvian infarction and congenital syphilis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The classical symptoms of congenital neurosyphilis include meningovascular lesions that are responsible for CSF abnormalities. Lesions of larger vessels are very unusual.
  
  
  METHODS
  A boy was born from a neglected pregnancy, weighing 2.7 kg. He was abandoned by his parents and was admitted to hospital at 40 days of age (weight: 2,220 g; height: 47 cm; head circumference: 22 cm) with axial hypotonia, peripheral spasticity and shock syndrome. The TORCH screen was negative but the Treponema Pallidium Hemagglutination Assay (TPHA) was positive. The infant died 4 days later. Brain pathological studies revealed meningoencephalitis and bilateral sylvian infarction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Local arteritis due to syphilis usually concerns small arteries, such as the meningeal and cortical vessels. The occlusion of the two middle cerebral arteries seen in this patient, which were responsible for atrophy of the parietal lobes, is uncommon in congenital syphilis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Moléculaire et de Neuropathologie, Institut National de Neurologie, La Rabta, Tunis.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Larnaout
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mongalgi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Ameur
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hentati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Debbabi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Hamida
mesh_terms: D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013590:Syphilis, Congenital / Q000150:complications*
vernacular_title: Ramollissement sylvien bilatéral anténatal et syphilis congénitale.