ATYPICAL LYMPHOCYTES IN SPINAL-FLUID RESEMBLING POSTTRANSPLANT LYMPHOMA IN A CARDIAC TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT - A CASE-REPORT

The interpretation of atypical leukocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF) poses diagnostic problems. We present a case of a heart transplan t patient whose CSF contained highly atypical lymphocytes that were or iginally interpreted as ''suspicious for lymphoma.'' Because the patie nt was clinically thought to have disseminated tester, he was treated with acyclovir, and the atypical infiltrate resolved. This case exempl ifies the extreme difficulty of interpreting cerebrospinal fluid in im munosuppressed patients who are at risk of developing posttransplant l ymphoproliferative disorders.