Acute CNS white matter lesions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
BACKGROUND
Neurological manifestations in patients with inflammatory bowel disease supposedly are rare, although the exact frequency is not known. Most previous reports involve cerebral venous thrombosis, central nervous system vasculitis, or peripheral nerve inflammation.


METHODS
Two cases of patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease developing neurological symptoms with corresponding lesions in the white matter of the central nervous system led us to search a neurological database with clinical and radiological data for similar cases.


RESULTS
We identified five patients who presented with acute neurological deficits preceding or following a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease with evidence of lesions in the central nervous system white matter on magnetic resonance imaging. Ancillary investigations did not provide evidence of systemic infetcion, coagulation disorders, or vasculitis.


CONCLUSIONS
These cases, together with previous reports, suggest that white matter lesions may be another extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease.
de Lau
Lonneke M L
LM
Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. l.delau@erasmusmc.nl
de Vries
Juna M
JM
van der Woude
C Janneke
CJ
Kuipers
Ernst J
EJ
Siepman
Dorine A M
DA
Sillevis Smitt
Peter A E
PA
Hintzen
Rogier Q
RQ
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000473:pathology; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult