Benign angiitis of the central nervous system
Overview
A generally harmless inflammation of blood vessels that affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
Symptoms
* Headaches * Encephalopathy * Strokes/Transient ischemic attack * Seizures * Behavorial changes * Focal motor/sensory abnormalities * Ataxia * Cranial neuropathies * Visual changes * Myelopathy * Radiculopathy
Diagnosis
The approach to patients suspected of having PACNS is not uniform and varies depending on the clinical presentations and subsets described above. In most instances, and depending on the clinical setting, the diagnosis of CNS vasculitis is secured by either a positive biopsy or high-probability vascular imaging, such as angiography