Encephalitis>Undiagnosed?

[Lisa-Hentrup]

  My mother has multifocal lesions throughout her front, back
  and cerebellum.  She had a seisure that was witnessed by an EMT
  as spaced out, unable to communicate, unaware of her surroundings
  and was labeled a seisure.  She's had cerebral angiogram, CAT Scans,TEE,
  Spinals, numerous blood work and 2 brain biopsies all proven negative.  
  Her EEG's are slow.  The only thing that came up is evidence of old bleeds
  from the biopsies.  I suspect an infection that was atypical,
  asymptomatic.  She has no symptoms but mental confusion, cognative deficits, unable to
  make or think through decisions.  No motor deficits. She is on dilantin.
  Ruled out:
  MS
  Cancer
  Encephalitis
  MELAS
  HERPES
  SSPE
  Full Stroke
  Cardiac disease
  DX: Encephalopathy, multifocal strokes
  She was exposed to a live polio virus through my son being vaccinated, but
  they ruled that out too as the lesions don't present that way.  
  Do you know of many cases on encephalitis that can go undiagnosed?

[CCF Neurology M.D./TJW]

Dear Miss Hentrup:
Encephalitis would have been evident in the spinal tap results; there
are no "asymptomatic" cases of encephalitis that I am aware of, nor any
with normal CSF profiles.
Please read my reply to your original post dated 8/13/98 for additional
recommendations.