ABSTRACT
Metronidazole is a widely used antibiotic for the treatment of anaerobic bacterial infections. Metronidazole-induced encephalopathy (MIEP) is a rare but potentially reversible disease. The mechanism of MIEP remains unclear, and differences in the neurotoxic effects of oral versus intravenous (IV) metronidazole administration have not yet been determined. We report the case of a Crohn's disease (CD) patient who experienced encephalopathy immediately after a single IV dose of metronidazole following long-term exposure to the oral form of the drug. The 64-year-old man with intractable CD experienced a sudden change in mental status, aphasia, and muscle weakness after IV administration of metronidazole. He had previously taken metronidazole orally for 13 years and received intermittent IV metronidazole treatments for CD exacerbation. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high-intensity signals in the bilateral medial thalamus and the midbrain and pontine tegmentum on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. After discontinuation of metronidazole, the high-intensity brain MRI signals resolved and the patient's mental status dramatically improved; however, the patient exhibited mild cognitive dysfunction 2 months after the onset of encephalopathy.
Subject(s)
Humans , Middle Aged , Aphasia , Bacterial Infections , Brain , Brain Diseases , Brain Diseases, Metabolic , Crohn Disease , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Mesencephalon , Metronidazole , Muscle Weakness , Pontine Tegmentum , ThalamusABSTRACT
Behcet's disease (BD) is characterized by recurrent oro-genital ulcers, skin lesions, and intraocular inflammation, but can also affect various internal organs. Vascular BD usually presents with luminal stenosis, thrombosis, or aneurysm formation in aorta and peripheral arteries. However, intracranial artery involvement has been uncommonly reported in patients with BD and BD cases with lenticulostriate artery aneurysm have been rarely described in the English-language literature. We hereby reported the first case of a Korean BD patient presenting with a ruptured lenticulostriate artery aneurysm, who received medical treatment, and reviewed the literature on reported cases of BD with intracranial aneurysms.