CASE-OF-THE-MONTH - APRIL 1997 - A 32 YEAR-OLD MAN WITH MENTAL STATUSCHANGES AND A SEVERE OCCIPITAL HEADACHE

A 32 year old man with symptoms of an upper respiratory infection one week prior presented with mental status changes, diffuse hyperreflexia , and bilateral extensor plantar responses, An MRI scan showed multifo cal areas of high signal intensity predominantly in the parietal and o ccipital white matter, unassociated with mass affect, Despite aggressi ve treatment, the patient's symptoms rapidly progressed and he was dec lared brain dead, Postmortem examination revealed acute hemorrhagic le ukoencephalopathy. The clinical and pathologic features of this disord er are reviewed.