title: Ganglionitis in paraneoplastic subacute sensory neuronopathy: a morphologic study.
abstract: A 69-year-old woman presented with subacute sensory neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction of 9 months' duration, associated with high serum titers of anti-Hu antibodies. A small cell carcinoma of the lung was diagnosed by biopsy. She died after cardiorespiratory arrest. At autopsy, spinal and autonomic ganglia showed subacute inflammation with diffuse endoneurial T-cell, B-cell, and plasma cell infiltration. The cytoplasm and nuclei of some ganglion neurons displayed IgG immunocytochemical positivity. CD8+ T cells were tightly attached to, and indented the cell surface of, IgG-positive and IgG-negative neurons. This observation suggests that both cytotoxic T-cell-mediated attack against neurons and humoral mechanisms play a role in paraneoplastic subacute sensory neuronopathy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wanschitz
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hainfellner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kristoferitsch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drlicek
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Budka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005725:Ganglia, Autonomic; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009443:Neuritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications*; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications*