Histologically confirmed case of cerebral vasculitis associated with Crohn's disease--a case report

Masayuki Gekka1, Taku Sugiyama2, Masafumi Nomura3

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Teine Keijinkai Medical Center, 1-40 Maeda 1-12, Teine-Ku, Sapporo, 006-8555, Japan. m.gekka@live.jp.

BMC Neurology
|September 23, 2015
PubMed

Insights

This case highlights rare cerebral vasculitis in Crohn's disease (CD). Prompt treatment of inflammation improved both neurological symptoms and CD activity, demonstrating a critical link.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Crohn's disease (CD) commonly presents with extraintestinal manifestations.
  • Neurological complications of CD are rare, with few histologically confirmed cases of cerebral vasculitis.

Observation:

  • A patient with refractory CD developed fever, worsening CD symptoms, and Gerstmann's syndrome.
  • MRI and angiography revealed cerebral artery and venous occlusions; biopsy confirmed cerebral vasculitis.
  • Treatment with high-dose prednisolone alongside existing CD therapies led to rapid improvement.

Findings:

  • Histologically confirmed cerebral vasculitis significantly improved with immunosuppressive therapy.
  • Neurological status and CD activity improved concurrently, with reduced brain lesions on follow-up MRI.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of considering cerebral vasculitis in CD patients with neurological symptoms.
  • Effective management of inflammation is crucial for both neurological recovery and control of Crohn's disease activity.
Abstract

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