A Case of Encephalitis, Meningoradiculitis and Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction Caused by Varicella-Zoster Virus

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 24(6); 2006 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2006;24(6): 608-610.

급성 대상포진에 의한 뇌염, 수막신경근염 및 가성장폐쇄를 보인 1예

신철승, 이승한 이영삼 이기라 최성민 박만석 김병채 김명규 조기현

전남대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실

A Case of Encephalitis, Meningoradiculitis and Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction Caused by Varicella-Zoster Virus

Cheol-Seung Shin

Department of Neurology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea

Abstract

A 19-year-old woman developed painful abdominal distension, headache and mental deterioration. Several days later, she complained of paraparesis, urinary incontinence and diuresis. Intestinal pseudo-obstruction was detected by a laparoscopic examination. Brain MRI showed encephalitis with?a high signal intensity of the corpus callosum on diffusion-weighted images. In serum and CSF, the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) IgM antibody was positive. After treatment with steroids and acyclovir, her symptoms improved. We report a patient with intestinal pseudo-obstruction, encephalitis and meningoradiculitis caused by VZV without skin lesions. KeyWords:Varicella-zoster virus, Encephalitis, Intestinal pseudo-obstruction