A case of subacute cerebellar degeneration associated with pleocytosis and cerebellar swelling shown in computed tomography scanning

A 44 year old woman was healthy until January 3, 1986, when she had headache. On January 9, she developed gait ataxia and dysarthria. Cerebellar ataxia worsened rapidly. Aftar a week she could not sit without support and her consciousness was disturbed. Corticosteroid was administrated and consciousness proved alert, but cerebellar ataxia and dysarthria remained unchanged. The patient was found carcinoma of the lung in August 1986. Characteristic features of clinical and laboratory findings of this patient are acute progression, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis of 1,064/3 cells (860 mononuclear cell, 204 polymorphonuclear cell), and cerebellar swelling shown in computed tomography scanning. Though the mechanism of acute cerebellar degeneration is still uncertained, inflammatory process was supported to exist in cerebellum of this case. (author)