Teaching NeuroImages: Aspergillosis-induced vasculitis presenting as ischemic stroke in an immunocompetent patient

Summary

  • 56yo M
  • c/c
    • febrile
    • Rt hemiplegia
  • HPI
    • –2mo
      • surgery for pansinusitis (Aspergillus fumigatus)
  • Ex
    • MRI
      • infarction
        • Lt lentiform & caudate nuc
      • Lt internal carotid & MCA stenosis
      • infiltrative mass
    • CSF analysis
      • lymphocytic meningitis
      • β-D-glucans 190pg/mL
  • Dx
    • Cerebral aspergillosis-related vasculitis

Further

Terminology

Original

A 56-year-old immunocompetent man had surgery for pansinusitis; culture grew Aspergillus fumigatus. Two months later, he suddenly experienced febrile right-sided hemiplegia. Brain MRI revealed a recent infarction of the left lentiform and caudate nucleus (figure, A) with left internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries stenosis (figure, B) caused by a perivascular infiltrative mass (figure, C). CSF analysis revealed lymphocytic meningitis and β-D-glucans levels of 190 pg/mL (negative in serum). MRI worsened despite voriconazole followed by voriconazole/caspofungin (figure, D) but improved with caspofungin and liposomal amphotericin B during 15 months (figure, E). Cerebral aspergillosis-related vasculitis has been rarely reported.1,2

Figure

Figure

Acute ischemia secondary to internal carotid stenosis caused by a perivascular infiltrative enhancing mass
(A) Acute ischemia on diffusion-weighted imaging in the left lentiform and caudate nucleus.
(B) Time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography: high-grade stenosis of the internal carotid with subsequent low flow. (C–E) Postcontrast T1-weighted MRI: perivascular infiltrative enhancing mass (C) at diagnosis and after (D) 7 and (E) 15 months of therapy.

References

  1. Marzolf G, Sabou M, Lannes B, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral aspergillosis: imaging and pathological correlations. PLoS One 2016;11:e0152475.
  2. Norlinah MI, Ngow HA, Hamidon BB. Angioinvasive cerebral aspergillosis presenting as acute ischaemic stroke in a patient with diabetes mellitus. Singapore Med J 2007;48:e1–e4.