title: Prognosis of patients with suspected primary CNS angiitis and negative brain biopsy.
abstract: The authors retrospectively analyzed 25 patients who had a nondiagnostic brain biopsy for clinically suspected primary CNS angiitis to determine the effect of immunosuppressive therapy on 1-year outcome. Good outcome was seen in 6 of 10 treated patients and in 8 of 15 untreated patients (p= 0.93). These findings do not indicate that the addition of immunosuppressive therapy significantly enhances outcome of patients with clinically suspected primary angiitis of the CNS and a nondiagnostic brain biopsy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure; D020293:Vasculitis, Central Nervous System / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents