Two Cases of Legionella pneumophila Pneumonia with Prolonged Neurologic Symptoms and Brain Hypoperfusion on Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography

Abstract

Cerebral and cerebellar symptoms are frequently associated with Legionnaires’ disease. However, corresponding brain lesions are difficult to demonstrate using either computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report here two patients with Legionella pneumophila pneumonia accompanied by prolonged neurologic symptoms. In contrast to brain CT and MRI, which failed to detect any abnormalities, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) showed multiple sites of hypoperfusion within the brains of both patients. These cases suggest that vasculopathy, which is detectable by SPECT, might be one of the causes of neurologic symptoms in patients with Legionnaires’ disease.