Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis is an uncommon disease that results in vasculitis of the CNS or spinal cord and a rare cause of stroke. CNS vasculitis is categorized into primary angiitis of the CNS (PACNS) or secondary CNS vasculitis and represents a wide spectrum of neurological signs such as headache, seizure, mental changes, and focal neurological deficit. Although no diagnostic criteria has been validated prospectively, the diagnosis of CNA vasculitis is based on a combination of laboratory findings such as elevations in cerebrospinal fluidprotein and white blood cells, imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral angiography, and histology from a brain biopsy. A variety of mimics of CNS vasculitis need to be ruled out prior to the diagnosis being made, including reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, infectious causes and malignancy. Prompt diagnosis of CNS vasculitis and urgent treatment with glucoroticoids or immunosuppressive agents such as cyclophosphamide are critical to prevent poor outcome.
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Brown, A.J., Hajj-Ali, R.A. (2017). Central Nervous System Vasculitis. In: Lee, SH. (eds) Stroke Revisited: Diagnosis and Treatment of Ischemic Stroke. Stroke Revisited. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1424-6_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1424-6_21
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