Nervous system manifestations of granulomatous angiitis
What are the nervous system manifestations of granulomatous angiitis?
Granulomatous angiitis of the nervous system is also called isolated angiitis of the CNS.
Thirty percent of patients have elevated opening pressure on spinal tap with associated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis in 65% of patients, and increased protein in 80% of patients.
Cerebral angiography and brain biopsy may each be diagnostic in 50% of cases.
The differential diagnosis includes other vasculitides, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, strokes due to emboli, sarcoidosis, syphilis, Lyme disease, drug abuse–associated CNS vasculopathy, neoplasm, and lymphomatoid granulomatosis.
