Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in Treatment of Autoimmune Encephalitis: A Case Report
Sangeeta Pathak *
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Ruchi Dubey
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Surjit Singh
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Tamojit Chakroborthy
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Satish Kaushik
Department of Transfusion Medicine, Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study highlights the Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in treatment of Autoimmune Encephalitis. Due to the similarities in the clinical, imaging, and laboratory findings of many forms of autoimmune and infectious encephalitis, autoimmune encephalitis is frequently a difficult clinical diagnosis. Diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis is based on the clinical course, serological evidence of autoimmunity, EEG changes, evidence of intrathecal inflammation in the cerebrospinal fluid and neuroimaging by MRI. In view of the suspected diagnosis of Autoimmune Encephalopathy with super refractory Status Epilepticus, Methylprednisolone was later added to the treatment. This case represents an interesting scenario of sero-negative encephalitis in which an early diagnosis could be made and treatment initiated in time.
Keywords: Intrathecal inflammation, neuroimaging, autoimmune encephalitis, malignancy