TABLE 1:
Clinical course | Symptoms | MR Examination | Auditory Findings | Retinal Findings | Treatment* |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patient 1 | |||||
Initial admission, 2 wk after onset | Headaches, vomiting, R arm feeling loss, impaired balance, urinary incontinence, dysarthria, decreased attention span, gait ataxia | 2 wk after onset | Normal | R branch retinal artery occlusion | IV SoluMedrol 1 g/d × 5, IVIG 0.4 g/d × 5, prednisone 60 mg/d (with taper) |
Symptom relapse, 8 wk after initial onset | Headaches, cognitive decline, clumsiness, worsened gait ataxia, upper extremity ataxia | 8 and 10 wk after initial onset | L high-frequency hearing loss | New L branch retinal artery occlusion | IVIG 0.4 g/d × 5, prednisone 50 mg/d (with taper) |
Stable condition, 8–9 mo after initial onset | Difficult in tandem walking, mild dysmetria | 8 mo after initial onset | No change | No new occlusion | Prednisone 20 mg/d |
Patient 2 | |||||
Initial admission, 2 wk after onset | Headaches, R partial vision loss | 2 wk after onset | Normal | R branch retinal artery occlusion | Aspirin |
Symptom relapse, 6 wk after initial onset | Headaches, R face and arm numbness | 6 wk after initial onset | Normal | New L branch retinal artery occlusion | IV methylprednisolone 1 g × 1, prednisone 80 mg/d (with taper) |
Symptom relapse, 4 mo after initial onset | L arm parethesias, R extremity weakness, staggering walking | 4 mo after initial onset | R partial hearing loss | New R/L branch retinal artery occlusion | IVIG 0.4 g/d × 5 (monthly basis for 4 consecutive mo), prednisone 60 mg/d (with taper) |
Worsening symptoms, 11 mo after initial onset | Worsening in vision, poor concentration, confusion, impaired balance | 11 mo after initial onset | No change | No change | IVIG 0.4 gm/d × 5 (almost every 6–8 wk for 1 y) |
Stable condition, 2 y later | Mild ataxia, poor tandem | Normal | Normal |
Note.—IV indicates intravenous; IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulin.