Introduction Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Conclusion and References

 

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Section 2 - Other CNS disease related to underlying and secondary effects of malignancy

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Infection: Intracranial infection

Intracranial infection may occur in a number of ways in the leukemic or immunocompromised patient. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis: This Zygomycete may cause sinonasal infection in diabetics, or immunocompromised patients. This infection is highly aggressive and rapidly invades blood vessels leading to ischemia,necrosis, and rapid spread of infection. Intracranial spread and progression to death may occur in a few days in the leukemic patient (case 18). Aggressive sinonasal infections may spread intracranially and result in meningitis (case 19) or extraaxial empyema .

Leukemic patients are susceptible to hematogenous intracranial spread of a variety of organisms including fungal species such as Aspergillus (case 20), Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida, bacteria such as Listeria moncytogenes, and viral species such as Varicella-Zoster (case 21). Endocarditis may result in septic emboli and subsequent brain abscess. Occasionally, extracranial Herpes Zoster infections may spread intracranially along a cranial nerve (case 22).

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