title: Ganciclovir in the treatment of progressive AIDS-related polyradiculopathy.
abstract: We present 7 HIV-infected patients with a unique, subacute, progressive polyradiculopathy. All had AIDS, sacral sensory loss, acute urinary retention, and progression to flaccid paraparesis in days to weeks. Cytomegalovirus was cultured from spinal fluid of 4 patients, and postmortem examination of the 1st 5 patients disclosed an inflammatory polyradiculopathy with cytomegalic inclusions. The inclusion-bearing cells were immunocytochemically positive for cytomegalovirus. Two patients who received early anti-cytomegalovirus treatment with ganciclovir improved. Thus, early recognition and treatment with ganciclovir may be effective in this otherwise fatal condition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Greco
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000209:etiology; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009420:Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000209:etiology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011129:Polyradiculoneuropathy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: D015774:Ganciclovir