Soap bubble appearance in brain magnetic resonance imaging: cryptococcal meningoencephalitis

Although cryptococcal infections begin in the lungs, meningoencephalitis is the most frequently encountered manifestation of cryptococcosis among individuals with advanced immunosuppression. As the infection progresses along the Virchow-Robin spaces, these structures may become dilated with mucoid m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Marcelo Adriano da Cunha e Silva Vieira, Carlos Henrique Nery Costa, Jose Carlos Castelo Branco Ribeiro, Lucidio Portella Nunes-Filho, Marcos Glebson Gomes Rabelo, Walfrido Salmito de Almeida-Neto
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2013
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0142-2013
https://doaj.org/article/31c68766d6c4434cbfd778e5f77c2155
Description
Summary:Although cryptococcal infections begin in the lungs, meningoencephalitis is the most frequently encountered manifestation of cryptococcosis among individuals with advanced immunosuppression. As the infection progresses along the Virchow-Robin spaces, these structures may become dilated with mucoid material produced by the capsule of the organism. We report a case of a 24-year-old man with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in which magnetic resonance imaging showed clusters of gelatinous pseudocysts in the periventricular white matter, basal ganglia, mammillary bodies, midbrain peduncles and nucleus dentatus with a soap bubble appearance.