Viral encephalitis complicated by acute retinal necrosis syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Abstract. Acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN) is a viral infection characterized by focal retinal necrosis. Viral meningitis complicated by ARN is relatively rare. In the present case study, a 44-year-old male presented with fever, headache and mental disorder. After four days, the patient developed blurred vision. The patient was diagnosed with viral encephalitis complicated by bilateral ARN, based on the examination results. After treatment with antivirals and systemic glucocorticoids, the symptoms of the patient improved. Viral encephalitis may be an important risk factor for ARN. For a patient with viral encephalitis who experiences decreased visual acuity or vitreous opacification, the possibility of ARN should be considered.

Human encephalitis complicated with bilateral acute retinal necrosis associated with pseudorabies virus infection: A case report

“…Furthermore, viral encephalitis may be a risk factor for retinal necrosis. The mechanism of ARN has yet to be elucidated; however, it has been indicated that the virus may be transmitted via the brain-optic nerve axon-retina pathway (Gaynor et al, 2001;Liang et al, 2015). Also, it has been shown that after PRV infects the rat retina, the virus can invade the central nervous system via anterograde trans-synaptic spread through axons in the optic nerve and also perhaps via retrograde transport through the oculomotor nucleus that innervates the extraocular muscles of the eye (Rassnick et al, 1998).…”

Acute retinal necrosis in a patient with remote severe herpes simplex encephalitis

“…Although uncommon, other cases of ARN associated with HSV encephalitis have been reported. A search of English PubMed articles about patients diagnosed with both ARN and HSV-1 or HSV-2 encephalitis revealed 34 case reports that are summarised in table 1 8-35. Median age was 44.5 years (range of 23 days to 68 years old) and male gender was reported in 24/36 (67%) cases.…”

Acute retinal necrosis by herpes simplex virus type 1: an unusual presentation of a primary infection

“…It can also cause acute retinal necrosis (ARN) that presents with uveitis, occlusive vasculitis and necrosis of the retina, ultimately leading to retinal detachment, optic nerve atrophy and severe vision loss 2. Previous studies report an incidence of 1 case per 1.6–2.0 million people, usually associated with viral encephalitis 3. There is an equal gender distribution of the disease and most cases occur between the fifth and seventh decades of life 4…”