A Myel-In, a Long Way to Go (Slides)

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Identifier walsh_2020_s1_c1-slides
Title A Myel-In, a Long Way to Go (Slides)
Creator Aishwarya Pareek; Timothy Lotze; Gail Demmler; Brandon Tran; William Whitehead; Carrie Mohila; Veeral Shah
Affiliation (AP) Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; (TL) (GD) (BT) (WW) (CM) (VS) Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
Subject Demyelinating Disease, Infectious, Ischemia, 4th Nerve Palsy
History A 9-year-old previously healthy female with two recent admissions for presumed diagnosis of ADEM re-presented with persistent headache and ataxic gait. During her initial admissions, she presented with fever, acute onset of ataxia, facial asymmetry and abnormal eye movements. Inpatient ocular exam showed normal vision and fundus in both eyes, but her motility exam revealed right 6th and 7th nerve palsy. MRI showed dorsal brainstem and right cerebellar lesions concerning for ADEM, and additional lesions extending to the 4th ventricle with associated mass effect. After extensive negative infectious disease/rheumatology work ups, she was treated with a course of IVIG and steroids during each admission, and both times demonstrated considerable clinical response with near total resolution of her ataxia and cranial nerve deficits. Four days after 2nd discharge, she presented with symptoms of slurred speech, diplopia, ataxia and severe occipital headache. On examination, she had 20/20 vision and full visual fields bilaterally. She was noted to have new horizontal nystagmus, and right 4th, 6th and 7th nerve palsy. MRI demonstrated worsening of brainstem/cerebellar lesions, new diffusion restriction in the pons concerning for ischemic infarction, and an acute communicating hydrocephalus requiring emergent EVD placement. These new findings shifted the diagnostic focus to potential etiologies of stroke including CLIPPERS, CNS vasculitis, infection, and rheumatologic disease, though extensive work up was unrevealing, including cerebral and conventional angiogram which were normal. Given the uncertainty of diagnosis, a novel plasma detection test for microbial cell-free DNA (cfDNA) identified free DNA from Cladophialophora bantiana fungi. A brain biopsy was performed with gross visualization of intraventricular pus and black, web-like material. Histopathology confirmed branching hyphae, and fungal PCR testing was positive for Cladophialophora bantiana, which validated the cfDNA test. Anti-fungal treatment was initiated aystemically, and locally with novel intraventricular approach to directly target the ventricular fungal burden.
Disease/Diagnosis Multifocal CNS phaeohyphomycoses with ventriculitis due to Cladophialophora bantiana
Date 2020-03
References 1. Ahmad M, Jacobs D, Wu H, et al. : A rare intracerebral fungal Abscess-Case series and review of literature. . 2017;03(02):e62- e68. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1598248. 2. Shrivastava A, Tadepalli K, Goel G, Gupta K, Kumar Gupta P. Melanized fungus as an epidural abscess: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Medical Mycology Case Reports; Medical Mycology Case Reports. 2017;16:20-24. doi: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2017.04.001. 3. Walsh TJ, Groll A, Hiemenz J, Fleming R, Roilides E, Anaissie E. Infections due to emerging and uncommon medically important fungal pathogens. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2004;10:48-66. doi: 10.1111/j.1470-9465.2004.00839. 4. Garzoni C, Markham L, Bijlenga P, Garbino J. Cladophialophora bantiana: a rare cause of fungal brain abscess. Clinical aspects and new therapeutic options. Med Mycol 2008;46(05):481-486.
Language eng
Format application/pdf
Format Creation Microsoft PowerPoint
Type Text
Source 2020 North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Annual Meeting
Relation is Part of NANOS Annual Meeting Frank B. Walsh Sessions; 2020
Collection Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library: Walsh Session Annual Meeting Archives: https://novel.utah.edu/Walsh/
Publisher North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society
Holding Institution Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah
Rights Management Copyright 2020. For further information regarding the rights to this collection, please visit: https://NOVEL.utah.edu/about/copyright
ARK ark:/87278/s60p67xp
Setname ehsl_novel_fbw
ID 1540457
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s60p67xp