Sudden blindness due to bilateral optic neuropathy associated with cryptococcal meningitis in an AIDS patient.
BACKGROUND
Cryptococcosis is one of the most frequent and severe AIDS defining illnesses.


OBJECTIVE
We present a patient with advanced HIV/AIDS disease and a diffuse meningoencephalitis due to Cryptococcus neoformans. The patient developed an acute and bilateral blindness associated with high cerebrospinal fluid pressure and optic neuropathy.


METHODS
Post-mortem anatomopathologic study revealed a high number of Cryptococcus in the central nervous system, including the optic nerves and the optic chiasm.


CONCLUSIONS
The patient's sudden visual loss appeared to be related to the perineuritic arachnoiditis and the massive invasion of the optic nerves by the fungus.
Division of AIDS, Infectious Diseases F. J. Muñiz Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina. marcelocorti@fibertel.com.ar
Marcelo
M
Corti
Rubén
R
Solari
Diana
D
Cangelosi
Cecilia
C
Domínguez
Claudio
C
Yampolsky
Ricardo
R
Negroni
Alicia
A
Arechavala
Ricardo
R
Schtirbu
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016919:Meningitis, Cryptococcal / Q000150:complications*; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000150:complications*