ACUTE ASCENDING MYELITIS AND ENCEPHALOPATHY AFTER INTRATHECAL CYTOSINE-ARABINOSIDE AND METHOTREXATE IN AN ADOLESCENT BOY WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA

A 14-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed acute as cending myelitis followed by encephalopathy after intrathecal administ ration of methotrexate 15 mg and cytosine arabinoside 50 mg. The patie nt had none of the risk factors noted previously in other patients wit h intrathecal therapy (IT) induced neurotoxicity. The doses administer ed were within the standard scales, and toxicity developed in the seco nd boost of IT 20 days after the first one. There may not be any param eters to predict the occurrence of such severe and rare form of CNS ne urotoxicity attributed to IT.