Herpe implex encephaliti and bilateral acute retinal necroi yndrome after craniotomy

PURPOE: Acute retinal necroi (ARN) yndrome i aociated with member of the herpe viru family, but the mechanim of infection remain unclear. The purpoe of thi tudy i to report a unique cae of acute retinal necroi yndrome aociated with herpetic encephaliti in order to elucidate poible factor involved in herpetic central nervou ytem dieae. METHOD: Cae report. REULT: A 64-year-old woman who developed acute herpe implex viru encephaliti aociated with bilateral acute retinal necroi yndrome after craniotomy for reection of a upraellar craniopharyngioma i preented. The reult of lumbar puncture, magnetic reonance imaging, and ophthalmologic examination are conitent with herpetic infection. The origin of acute retinal necroi yndrome and the aociation of acute retinal necroi yndrome with encephaliti are reviewed. CONCLUION: After craniotomy, we hypotheize reactivation of previouly latent herpe implex viru in the area of the inferior frontal lobe and optic chiam. Reactivated viru may have migrated to the retina by axonal tranport, through the optic nerve, to produce the acute retinal necroi yndrome.