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Case Reports
. 2006 Nov;59(5):E1146; discussion E1146.
doi: 10.1227/01.NEU.0000245583.08532.35.

Spinal intramedullary histoplasmosis as the initial presentation of human immunodeficiency virus infection: case report

Thomas C Manning  1 , Donald Born, Trent L Tredway
Affiliations
Case Reports

Spinal intramedullary histoplasmosis as the initial presentation of human immunodeficiency virus infection: case report

Thomas C Manning et al. Neurosurgery. 2006 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Spinal intramedullary histoplasmosis is an extremely rare condition. We report a case of isolated intramedullary histoplasmosis as the initial manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Clinical presentation: A 27-year-old man presented with a rapidly progressive paraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed an enhancing lesion at C7-T1 with edema extending as far as the cervicomedullary junction. He improved with steroid medications.

Intervention: The patient underwent laminectomy and biopsy of the lesion. The diagnosis of histoplasmosis was made by histology, culture, and polymerase chain reaction identification of fungal deoxyribonucleic acid. The patient did not have disseminated histoplasmosis. Subsequent to the biopsy, the patient was discovered to have HIV infection.

Conclusion: The isolated spinal histoplasmosis lesion thus represented the initial presentation of HIV infection. Management of the case and diagnostic issues are discussed.

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