Monolateral Visual Loss Due To Cryptococcal Meningitis

Pseudotumour cerebri syndrome due to cryptococcal meningitis.

Three cases are reported of the pseudotumour cerebri syndrome-that is, intracranial hypertension without mass lesion or enlarged ventricles, due to cryptococcal meningitis. In these patients the papilloedema was successfully treated with optic nerve sheath decompression, and the intracranial hypertension with lumboperitoneal CSF shunting. These cases support the concept that pseudotumour cerebr...

Hearing Loss in Cryptococcal Meningitis Survivors

Paradoxical respiratory failure due to cryptococcal pneumonia after amphotericin B treatment for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis

We present a 27-year-old lady with HIV-1 infection who died due to rapidly worsening respiratory failure one day after commencing amphotericin B deoxycholate therapy for cryptococcal meningitis. Chest x-ray appearances were consistent with pneumocystis pneumonia but post mortem examination showed evidence of severe necrotizing cryptococcal pneumonia. Cryptococcal pneumonia is an underrecognized...

Cryptococcal Meningitis

Virulence probably plays a relatively small role in the outcome of this infection: the crucial factor is the immune status of the host. The most serious infections usually develop, in fact, in patients with defective cell-mediated immunity, for example those with AIDS, organ transplantation, reticuloendothelial malignancy, corticosteroid treatment and sarcoidosis, but not in subjects with neutr...

Visual loss in HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis: A case series and review of the mechanisms involved

Permanent visual loss is a devastating yet preventable complication of cryptococcal meningitis. Early and aggressive management of cerebrospinal fluid pressure in conjunction with antifungal therapy is required. Historically, the mechanisms of visual loss in cryptococcal meningitis have included optic neuritis and papilloedema. Hence, the basis of visual loss therapy has been steroid therapy an...