Longitudinal myelitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Longitudinal myelitis is an exceedingly rare complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), of which only 11 cases have been published so far. We report a case in a 65-year-old woman in whom spinal cord dysfunction developed over several weeks, resulting in tetraparesis. She had a known history of SLE with a circulating anticoagulant. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine and a stereotactic biopsy of a brain lesion established the diagnosis of SLE-related longitudinal myelitis. High-dose glucocorticoid therapy had started to bring about an improvement when she experienced a series of complications that were eventually fatal. Her case is unusual in that longitudinal myelitis is exceedingly rare in patients with SLE.
Richard Mornas
Aurélie
A
Service de rhumatologie, CHU de Saint-Etienne, hôpital Nord, bâtiment A, 42055 Saint-Etienne cedex 2, France. aurel.richard@gmail.com
Thomas
Thierry
T
Pallot Prades
Béatrice
B
Chopin
Florence
F
Raoux
Delphine
D
D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D020945:Lupus Vasculitis, Central Nervous System / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009187:Myelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology
D005938:Glucocorticoids