The spectrum of autoimmune encephalopathies.

Despite being a potentially reversible neurological condition, no clear guidelines for diagnosis or management of autoimmune encephalitis exist. In this study we analyzed clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging characteristics, and outcome of autoimmune encephalitis from three teaching hospitals. Non-paraneoplastic autoimmune encephalitis associated with antibodies against membrane antigens was the most common syndrome, especially in the pediatric population.

Factors contributing to delay in diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome and impact on clinical outcome.

Introduction: Heterogeneity of presenting symptoms makes the initial clinical diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) challenging.

Methods: Observational retrospective study from 2 teaching hospitals (Parkland Memorial Hospital and University of Texas Southwestern University Hospital) between 2008 and 2013.

Results: Sixty-nine GBS patients were identified.

Herpes simplex encephalitis as a potential cause of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody encephalitis: report of 2 cases.

Importance: Encephalitis mediated by anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antibodies and herpes simplex (HS) encephalitis are seemingly separate causes of encephalopathy in adults and children. Herpes simplex encephalitis is infectious, and anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis is autoimmune in origin. Both can cause seizures and encephalopathy, although the latter can also cause psychiatric symptoms and movement disorders.

Clinical Reasoning: a woman with recurrent aphasia and visual field defects.

A 73-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and a recent stroke presented with recurrent nonsensical speech and visual problems. One month prior, she had been diagnosed with a stroke, after sudden-onset speech and visual difficulties that resolved after a few hours. Thirteen days before, she had had a second episode of similar symptoms.

Multifocal paraneoplastic cortical encephalitis associated with myasthenia gravis and thymoma.

Objectives: To report a case of multifocal cortical encephalitis associated with thymoma and to establish an association of this thymoma-related paraneoplastic syndrome with voltage-gated potassium channel antibodies.

Design: Case report.

Setting: University hospital.

Optic neuritis presenting with amaurosis fugax.

Optic neuritis usually presents with rapid and gradual loss of vision that is either complete or incomplete, and typically associated with retro-orbital pain. To our knowledge there have been no documented reports of optic neuritis presenting with multiple episodes of amaurosis fugax, the sudden and transient loss of vision lasting seconds to minutes. We report here the case of a young woman with a possible diagnosis of demyelinating left optic neuritis that presented solely with multiple episodes of brief and transient sudden loss of vision.