Neuroborreliosis with involvement of rhombencephalon: A case report

Abstract

We describe a case of a 52 year-old woman who was hospitalized with rhombencephalitis caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The patient presented with intermittent fever, dry cough, fatigue, global headache, night sweats, unintentional weight loss, and neurological symptoms like diplopia, tremor, paresthesia and ataxia. Examination of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed positive Borrelia burgdorferi-specific antibody index and presence of CSF oligoclonal IgG bands, indicating intrathecal synthesis of Borrelia-specific antibodies. The clinical and biochemical picture thus suggested neuroborreliosis. Unexpectedly a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan demonstrated inflammation in rhombencephalon that are extremely rare in patients with neuroborreliosis. The patient was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone with rapid improvement of her symptoms. The MRI findings were in regress six weeks after onset of antibiotic treatment, and normalized after about seven months.

Keywords

• Borrelia rhombencephalitis
• Neuroborreliosis
• Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
• Lyme disease