Lessons of the month 1: A case of rhombencephalitis as a rare complication of acute COVID-19 infection
Po Fung Wong, Sam Craik, Piers Newman, Annabel Makan, Koottalai Srinivasan, Emma Crawford, Devapriya Dev, Harmesh Moudgil, Nawaid Ahmad
Abstract
A 40-year-old man developed acute brainstem dysfunction 3 days after hospital admission with symptoms of the novel SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19). Magnetic resonance imaging showed changes in keeping with inflammation of the brainstem and the upper cervical cord, leading to a diagnosis of rhombencephalitis. No other cause explained the patient's abnormal neurological findings. He was managed conservatively with rapid spontaneous improvement in some of his neurological signs and was discharged home with continued neurology follow up.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Complication2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)BetacoronavirusIntensive care medicinePediatricsVirologyInternal medicineOutbreakDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)Long-Term Effects of COVID-19Infectious Encephalopathies and EncephalitisCOVID-19 Clinical Research Studies