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Thrombotic cerebral vasculopathy associated with herpes zoster
Author(s) -
Eidelberg David,
Sotrel Ana,
Horoupian D. S.,
Neumann Paul E.,
PumarolaSune Tomas,
Price Richard W.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410190103
Subject(s) - medicine , vasculitis , pathology , pathological , herpes zoster ophthalmicus , immunoperoxidase , thrombosis , varicella zoster virus , cerebral arteries , inflammation , virus , immunology , dermatology , antibody , surgery , monoclonal antibody , radiology , disease
We describe the clinical, radiographic, and pathological findings in 3 patients with large‐vessel cerebral vasculopathy following herpes zoster. Two of the patients were studied at postmortem examination, and a brain biopsy was performed in the third. Each of the 3 patients suffered thrombotic occlusions of large vessels without notable inflammatory or granulomatous changes following trigeminal or segmental herpes zoster infection. In the 2 autopsied patients, varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) antigens were detected by immunoperoxidase staining within the media of the affected cerebral arteries. Little or no inflammation was associated with the foci of the VZV antigens. These studies provide evidence that the vasculopathy following herpes zoster may result from direct VZV infection of the artery and the in situ thrombosis can develop within the infected vessels in the absence of clear inflammatory vasculitis.