|
A 28 year-old HIV positive man presented with progressive cognitive decline and acute weakness, worse on the left side. |
| HIV Cerebral Vasculitis: (Top Left)
T2-weighted axial MRI. Note the area of increased signal in the right
posterior limb of the internal capsule, indicating infarction; (Top Middle and Right)
T2-weighted axial MRIs. Note the dark flow voids, which are much larger
than expected, especially in the right internal carotid/middle cerebral
and basilar arteries, indicating dilated vessels; (Bottom Left) Diffusion-weighted MRI. Note the
bright signal in the bilateral deep white matter, denoting acute
infarctions. (Bottom Middle and Right) T1-weighted with gadolinium axial MRIs.
Note again that the blood vessels are dilated, especially
in the right internal carotid/middle cerebral and basilar arteries.
DWI = diffusion-weighted image. HIV may be associated with many central and peripheral nervous system complications, either from direct HIV infection, or as a consequence of opportunistic infections or neoplasms. Cerebral vasculitis is a rare neurological complication of HIV, wherein the intracranial vessels develop aneurysmal dilatations associated with either infarction or bleeding. |
Revised
11/22/06
Copyrighted 2006. David C Preston