Rasmussen's encephalitis in a 58-year-old female: still a variant?
BACKGROUND
We report the case of a 58-year-old female with clinical, radiological, and histopathological evidence of Rasmussen's encephalitis, representing the oldest confirmed case to date.


METHODS
The patient presented with complex partial seizures characterized by numbness of the left face and staring spells. These progressed to a state of epilepsia partialis continua with jerking of the left face, as well as severe cognitive impairment and loss of all communication. The patient responded well to Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy despite early complications and with ongoing treatment is living independently with minimal cognitive impairment.


CONCLUSIONS
This represents the oldest confirmed case of Rasmussen's encephalitis and suggests that this diagnosis should be considered in patients of any age with an appropriate clinical picture. We recommend IVIG as a first line therapy for adult cases of Rasmussen's encephalitis.
Hunter
Gary R W
GR
Department of Neurology, University of Saskatchewan, SK, Canada.
Donat
Jeffrey
J
Pryse-Phillips
William
W
Harder
Sheri
S
Robinson
Christopher A
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous