Listeria monocytogenes rhomboencephalitis with cranial-nerve palsies: a case report
Shaffer, D.N.; Drevets, D.A.; Farr, R.W.
West Virginia Medical Journal 94(2): 80-83
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0043-3284 PMID: 9581507 Document Number: 495232
Listeria monocytogenes rhomboencephalitis is an uncommon complication of L. monocytogenes meningitis. It presents in a typical biphasic pattern characterized by a non-specific prodromal period followed by any combination of asymmetrical, cranial-nerve palsies; cerebellar signs; hemiparesis or hypesthesia; and diminished consciousness. The survival rate is greater than 70% when appropriate antibiotic therapy is initiated early. However, approximately 60 percent of the survivors develop neurological sequelae. We present the case of a 33-year-old woman who developed L. monocytogenes meningitis with subsequent rhomboencephalitis and cranial-nerve palsie, and review the literature on this syndrome.