Walsh & Hoyt: Primary Central Nervous System Vasculitides

Isolated granulomatous angiitis of the central nervous system (GANS) is an idiopathic, recurrent vasculitis confined to the vessels of the brain and spinal cord. It usually occurs in young adults, but it occasionally occurs in children (16) and in older adults. The condition, which affects primarily small-, and sometimes medium-sized, blood vessels, is also called ""granulomatous angiitis"" because the affected vessels are surrounded by an infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, macrophages, and giant cells. These vessels can thrombose, causing microinfarction.