title: Listeria monocytogenes rhomboencephalitis with cranial-nerve palsies: a case report.
abstract: Listeria monocytogenes rhomboencephalitis is an uncommon complication of L. monocytogenes meningitis. It presents in a typical biphasic pattern characterized by a non-specific prodromal period followed by any combination of asymmetrical, cranial-nerve palsies; cerebellar signs; hemiparesis or hypesthesia; and diminished consciousness. The survival rate is greater than 70% when appropriate antibiotic therapy is initiated early. However, approximately 60 percent of the survivors develop neurological sequelae. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who developed L. monocytogenes meningitis with subsequent rhomboencephalitis and cranial-nerve palsie, and review the literature on this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., USA.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Drevets
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Farr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D015840:Oculomotor Nerve Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D010406:Penicillins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012249:Rhombencephalon
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins; D000667:Ampicillin