Adult-onset Mild Encephalitis/Encephalopathy with a Reversible Splenial Lesion Induced by MRSA Endocarditis
  • Hideharu Hagiya
    Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
  • Fumio Otsuka
    Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan

Keywords

Bacteraemia, corpus callosum, Infective endocarditis, mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA

Abstract

Background: Mild encephalitis/encephalopathy and a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a clinicoradiological syndrome with an unknown pathogenic mechanism, which usually involves children. Thus, adult-onset MERS is quite rare.

Case presentation: A 71-year-old man, undergoing haemodialysis due to diabetes-induced chronic kidney disease, manifested a persistent fever and disorientation. Blood culture detected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), while echocardiography revealed vegetation in the aortic and mitral valves. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed a fluid-attenuated inversion recovery-high, diffusion-weighted image-high lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum, with a number of emboli. Accordingly, the patient was diagnosed with MERS induced by MRSA endocarditis.

Discussion: Neurological impairment by MERS can be reversible. However, the differential diagnosis of the disease includes ischaemic lesions, multiple sclerosis, malignant lymphoma, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and posterior reversible encephalopathy. Clinicians should consider these diseases when MERS is suspected.

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    Published: 2022-02-25
    Issue: 2022: Vol 9 No 2 (view)

    How to cite:
    1.
    Hagiya H, Otsuka F. Adult-onset Mild Encephalitis/Encephalopathy with a Reversible Splenial Lesion Induced by MRSA Endocarditis. EJCRIM 2022;9 doi:10.12890/2022_003185.