Post-infectious rhombencephalitis after coronavirus-19 infection: A case report and literature review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Valerie Jeanneret, Emory University; Daniel Winkel, Emory University; Aida Risman, Emory University; Hang Shi, Emory University; Grace Gombolay, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-05-31
• Publisher: ELSEVIER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroim.2021.577623
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY
• Volume: 357
• Start Page: 577623
• End Page: 577623
• Grant/Funding Information: None.
• Keywords: Neurosciences; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; ENCEPHALITIS; Brainstem encephalitis; Rhombencephalitis; Neurosciences & Neurology; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Immunology; Science & Technology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

A wide number of neurological manifestations have been described in association with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). We describe an unusual case of a young man who developed severe rhombencephalitis after COVID-19. He demonstrated clinical and radiological improvement with high dose corticosteroids, plasma exchange and intravenous immune globulin. Our findings, along with previously reported cases that we review here, support an autoimmune para- or post-infectious mechanism and highlight a possible role for immunotherapy in patients with rhombencephalitis after COVID-19.