Isolated Cerebral Vasculitis in the Unilateral Middle Cerebral Artery in a Case with SLE

A 47-year-old woman, who was diagnosed to have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), was admitted because she suffered a severe ischemic stroke three weeks after experiencing a transient attack of aphasia. Diffusion-weighted MRI revealed high intensity at the borderzone of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), while the proximal portion of the left MCA was occluded with its vascular wall enhanced by gadolinium. Intravenous methylprednisolone and heparin were administrated without any symptomatic benefit. She developed severe right hemiparesis with aphasia. Isolated cerebral vasculitis in the large vessel has been rarely reported in SLE patients. The presence of an enhanced vascular wall in the MRI with gadolinium could support the diagnosis.