Steroid-Responsive Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome

ABSTRACT

A 50-year-old woman with thunderclap headache and transient neurologic symptoms was diagnosed with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Serial angiography showed multifocal arterial vasoconstrictions, and MRI revealed multiple scattered cerebral infarctions. New neurologic symptoms and vasoconstriction in other arteries occurred repeatedly despite the on-going administration of traditional treatments. However, the symptoms reduced dramatically after administering intravenous steroid pulse therapy. This case suggests that steroid therapy can be considered as an alternative treatment when reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome is intractable to traditional treatment.