[Brain stem encephalitis related with viral infection].
There is no definite classification of brainstem encephalitis, its etiology is not clear. Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis (BBE) was established by clinical diagnosis without etiology. Recently there are great progression to identify a virus by using immunological methods and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) methods. Sometimes the progression of MRI revealed subdiagnostic images of brainstem lesion. Nowadays we can investigate anti-ganglioside antibodies in some BBE patients but not all. High IgG anti-GQ1b antibody titers were present in some BBE sera samples but decreased with the clinical course of illness. A girl was suffered from BBE whose Cytomegarovirus-DNA was detected in the CSF by PCR. Serum anti-GQ1b antibody was positive. The neurological symptoms disappeared with decreasing of anti-GQ1b antibody. Immuno adsorption therapy is effective for BBE with anti-GQ1b antibody positive patients.
Hirabayashi
K
K
Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Ebara Hospital.
D000328:Adult; D001933:Brain Stem; D018792:Encephalitis, Viral / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans