title: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings of HIV-negative patients with neurosyphilis.
abstract: There have been no serial studies about neuroradiological findings of neurosyphilis in the literature. There have been only case reports concerning HIV negative patients with neurosyphilis. We present 8 HIV negative neurosyphilis patients two of whom are women. The mean age of the patients was 48 years+/-12.37. Five of the 8 patients had general paresis, two optic atrophy and one multiple cranial neuropathies. The CSF findings were quite similar in 6 of 8 patients. In half of the patients cranial MRI showed mild cerebral atrophy. Nonspecific hyperintense small foci in 3 patients are thought to be related to syphilis. Hyperintensity involving bilateral medial and anterior temporal regions more prominent on the left side was seen in one of the patients with general paresis. This finding may be due to cytotoxic edema associated with status epilepticus and may mimic herpes simplex and other limbic encephalitides. Though not typical, certain MRI findings guides for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul, 34390, Capa, Istanbul, Turkey. candan.gurses@gmail.com
authors.forename: Candan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gürses
authors.forename: Başar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bilgiç
authors.forename: Bariş
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Topçular
authors.forename: Ozlem Güngör
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: Gülşen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Akman-Demir
authors.forename: Haşmet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hanağasi
authors.forename: Bariş
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baslo
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gürvit
authors.forename: Oğuzhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Coban
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emre
authors.forename: Halil A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Idrisoğlu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009494:Neurosyphilis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology