Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis is characterized by ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and disturbance of consciousness. It is similar to Miller Fisher syndrome, a variant of Guillain-Barre syndrome, in that they share features such as ophthalmoplegia and ataxia. The difference is that patients with Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis have impaired consciousness, whereas patients with Miller Fisher...

objective this is the first report of cns involvement by the new influenza virus (influenza a [h1n1]) in iran. the patient was a 10-year-old boy with chief complaints of fever, malaise, and cranial nerve involvement, resulting in respiratory muscle paralysis and intubation. this shows that the new influenza virus, as well as the seasonal flu, can cause neurologic complications; however, the sev...

Three necropsied cases of chronic, sporadic brainstem encephalitis of unknown aetiology are presented. Since their outstanding symptoms were dementia and ataxia of a progressive nature, a noninflammatory disease of the central nervous system was suspected. Neuropathological studies showed chronic inflammatory changes mainly in the brainstem without the presence of inclusion bodies or viral part...

A case is described of a man with an acute onset areflexic ataxic syndrome with partial ophthalmoparesis and normal limb muscle power. There was evidence of both a peripheral neuropathy and a brainstem encephalitis. The patient made a full recovery and the interrelationship and nosology of brainstem encephalitis and the Miller Fisher syndrome are discussed.

A case of brainstem infection by Listeria monocytogenes is described. The patient was a 63 year old man previously in good health and his illness did not follow the usual bi-phasic pattern. There was no prodromal phase, and the progressive brainstem signs with a lymphocytosis and a normal sugar level in the CSF led to a tentative diagnosis of viral brainstem encephalitis. Ampicillin was begun o...

A 38-year-old Brazilian man presented with a two-year history of progressive bilateral hearing loss, cerebellar ataxia, emotional lability and hypersexuality. A limbic-brainstem syndrome was suspected and neuroimaging studies performed, disclosing marked brainstem signal changes (Figure). Cerebrospinal fluid analysis disclosed a mild protein increase. During paraneoplastic screening, testicular...