| dc.description.abstract | Neurological manifestations, secondary to perfusion problems,
vasogenic edema or small infarcts, are common in thrombotic purpura. Moreover, they are the first
symptoms of the disease in 50% of patients. We report a 50 year-old woman who presented with
focal intermittent neurological signs with aphasia and right hemiparesis, who then developed
progressive impairment of consciousness with stupor and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Despite
the severe neurological impairment, first neuroimaging studies were normal. A second magnetic
resonance imaging showed small cortical infarcts, that were visible only with the technique of
diffusion weighted imaging. The standard electroencephalograms showed focal left temporal slowing
and low voltage first and then diffuse slowing accordind to the clinical condition of the patients. She
was treated with plasmapheresis and had a partial neurological recovery at the fifth day, but died at
the twelfth day of therapy. | |
