Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Case Report

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy with idiopathic CD4 positive T-lymphocytepenia mimicking a low grade glioma on proton MR spectroscopy. A case report

Norito Kokubun, M.D.1), Tetsuya Ishihara, M.D.2), Momoka Nishibayashi, M.D.1), Syun-ichiro Ikeda, M.D.3), Kazuo Nagashima, M.D.4) and Koichi Hirata, M.D.1)

1)Department of Neurology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine
2)Southern Tohoku Research Institute for Neuroscience
3)Ikeda Neurosurgical Center Hospital
4)Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pathology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine

A 61-year-old man with no history of HIV infection developed a subacutely progressive dementia and left hemiparesis. Brain MRI showed a high intensity lesion in the right frontal lobe on T2 weighted image. There was no contrast enhancement after gadolinium-DTPA administration. 1H-MRS revealed a marked decrease in the n-acetyl aspartate/creatine ratios and an increase in the choline/creatine ratio. A lactate peak also was present. A low-grade glioma was suspected and he was admitted to our hospital. On examination, there was a mild dementia and left hemiparesis. A peripheral blood count revealed lymphocytopenia (426/mm3) with a CD4/CD8 ratio of 0.28. No evidence of HIV infection, malignancies or collagen disease was found. A brain biopsy revealed no tumor cells but instead demyelinated brain tissue with large nucleated cells. JC virus antigen was detected in the cells of the demyelinated lesions. A diagnosis of PML associated with idiopathic CD4 positive lymphocytopenia was made. There are only a few reports concerning 1H-MRS findings in patients with PML and the present case illustrates the difficulty of making a differential diagnosis between PML and glioma.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 663|668, 2005)
key words: PML, idiopathic CD4+lymphocytopenia, MRI, 1H-MRS, glioma

(Received: 6-Dec-04)