Primary central nervous system angiitis, amyloid angiopathy, and alzheimer's pathology presenting with balint's syndrome

Jacobs, Dina A; Liu, Grant T; Nelson, Peter T; Galetta, Steven L

doi:10.1016/j.survophthal.2004.04.002

« Previous Next »Survey of Ophthalmology
Volume 49, Issue 4 , Pages 454-459, July 2004

Primary central nervous system angiitis, amyloid angiopathy, and alzheimer's pathology presenting with balint's syndrome☆

Departments of ¹Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and ²Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

JONATHAN WIRTSCHAFTER AND ANDREW HARRISON, EDITORS

Abstract

We report a patient who presented with Balint's syndrome as a manifestation of primary central nervous system angiitis. Clinical findings included simultanagnosia, optic ataxia, and optic apraxia. Pathologic evaluation demonstrated amyloid angiopathy and Alzheimer's plaques. The presence of primary central nervous system angiitis along with amyloid angiopathy and Alzheimer's plaques may not be coincidental. Angiitis may be a foreign body reaction to A4 amyloid deposition.

Keywords: amyloid angiopathy, Balint's syndrome, Gerstmann's syndrome, granulomatous angiitis, primary angiitis of the central nervous system