Summary
The clinical and pathological features of encephalitis associated with a carcinoma in the absence of cerebral metastases are described as occurring in a 54-year-old man with a bronchial carcinoma and a 59-year-old woman with an ovarian cancer. The illness lasted for 11 and 18 months respectively. The salient clinical feature was a severe disturbance of cerebellar functions. The essential pathological findings were that of encephalitis, including perivascular cuffing, diffuse gliosis and glial nodule formation. The most striking changes were found in the medial temporal cortex, the basal ganglia, brain stem and cerebellum; there was a nearly complete loss of Purkinje cells.
The relevant literature is discussed.
Zusammenfassung
Klinik und neuropathologische Befunde bei metaneoplastischer Encephalitis werden an Hand zweier eigener Beobachtungen beschrieben. Einmal handelt es sich um einen 54jährigen Mann, der an einem Bronchialcarcinom erkrankt war, zum anderen um eine 59jährige Frau mit einem malignen Ovarialtumor. Bei beiden Patienten standen während der 11- bzw. 18monatigen Krankheitsdauer cerebelläre Symptome im Vordergrund. Histologisch fand sich das Bild eines ausgedehnten, perivasalen lymphocytär-entzündlichen Prozesses mit diffusen und knötchenartigen Gliareaktionen unter Bevorzugung des temporo-insulären Cortex, der Stammganglien des Hirnstammes und des Kleinhirns mit nahezu vollständigem Untergang der Purkinjezellen.
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Spalke, G., Wenzel, U. Zur Klinik und Neuropathologie metaneoplastischer Encephalitiden. Z. Neurol. 200, 233–247 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00316921
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00316921