[Intracranial hemorrhage caused by neurosyphilis: a case report]

It is well known that neurosyphilis is a cause of stroke and its main subtype is ischemic stroke. In this report, we present a rare case with intracranial hemorrhage in left frontal lobe and subarachnoid hemorrhage due to neurosyphilis. A 56-year-old man developed conscious disturbance, right hemiparesis, and motor aphasia, and was admitted to our hospital. Rapid plasma reagin(RPR)and fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption(FTA-ABS)serology was positive in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. MR angiography and 3D-CT angiography demonstrated no vascular abnormalities. He responded well to penicillin treatment, followed by complete resolution of his neurological symptoms. Diagnosis of neurosyphilis is sometimes difficult, as patients usually present with non-specific symptoms such as intracranial hemorrhage. To our knowledge, only 3 cases of intracranial hemorrhage caused by neurosyphilis have been reported previously. This case is reported to raise the awareness of this uncommon but important manifestation of neurosyphilis.