title: Reversible brain MRI changes in acyclovir neurotoxicity.
abstract: This case report shows reversible brain MRI changes probably associated with acyclovir toxicity. So far, neuroimaging in acyclovir toxicity had been negative or uninformative. A 12-year-old girl developed focal secondary generalizing epileptic fits following 4 weeks of prophylactic administration of acyclovir (3 x 10 mg/kg body weight/day i.v.) on day +22 after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for CML. Infective causes were excluded. Brain MRI demonstrated multiple gadolinium-enhancing areas with impairment of the blood-brain barrier in cortical and subcortical regions. Clinical symptoms and neuroimaging pathology resolved completely within 9 days of acyclovir withdrawal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, Heinrich Heine University Medical Centre, Dusseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Blohm
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nürnberger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aulich
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Engelbrecht
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burdach
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir