Clinical Reasoning: A 33-Year-Old Man With Rapidly Progressive Ataxia.
Pallavi Chandrasekhar, Vy X Pham, Liz Timple et al.
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Case in brief
A 33-year-old man with AIDS developed subacute progressive confusion, blurred vision, diplopia, and generalized cerebellar ataxia after hospitalizations for opportunistic infections. The presentation prompted evaluation for rhombencephalitis, with a broad differential that included infectious, autoimmune, and neoplastic causes. The abstract describes the diagnostic approach to refining this differential but does not report a final diagnosis, specific test findings, or clinical outcome.
What made this case unusual
The case centers on the diagnostic complexity of rhombencephalitis in a patient with AIDS after opportunistic infections, where infectious, immunologic, and neoplastic processes may need consideration.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In an immunocompromised patient with subacute neurologic deficits, consider a broad differential—including infectious, autoimmune, and neoplastic causes—when evaluating possible rhombencephalitis.