A Case of Heatstroke Encephalopathy With Abnormal Signals on Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Copyright © 2021, Hiramatsu et al..

Herein, we present a case of heatstroke encephalopathy with abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals. A 19-year-old man lost consciousness while working outdoors when the temperature was 35°C. His Glasgow Coma Scale score at presentation was E1V1M1, and his body temperature was 39°C. Chest computed tomography revealed bilateral infiltrates, and tests for urinary pneumococcal antigens were positive. He was diagnosed with heatstroke preceded by pneumococcal pneumonia. He was subsequently treated with antibiotics, and body surface cooling was performed. A diffusion-weighted brain MRI performed on day eight revealed abnormal bilateral hyperintensities from the cortex at the frontal lobe apex of the subcortex. Moreover, he had reduced spontaneity, dysarthria, nystagmus, tremor, and ataxia of both the upper limbs. He was diagnosed with heatstroke encephalopathy. On day 28 since admission, the abnormal MRI signals disappeared. Subsequently, the patient's spontaneity improved, but his other neurological dysfunctions persisted. This case study demonstrates that MRI may not be a sensitive indicator of the prognosis of heatstroke encephalopathy.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:13

Enthalten in:

Cureus - 13(2021), 8 vom: 01. Aug., Seite e17053

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Hiramatsu, Gentaro [VerfasserIn]
Hisamura, Masaki [VerfasserIn]
Murase, Makoto [VerfasserIn]
Kukihara, Yuriko [VerfasserIn]
Nakamura, Motohiro [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Case Reports
Heat stroke encephalopathy
Magnetic resonance imaging
Neurological
Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity
Subcortex

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 16.09.2021

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.7759/cureus.17053

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM330646192