[Hypoxic encephalopathy with quadriplegia and cortical blindness].

We report a 63-year-old woman with quadriplegia and cortical blindness due to hypoxic encephalopathy. She was hospitalized with a fever of 40 degrees C. After injection of an antipyretic drug, she suddenly entered a state of shock. Artificial breathing was induced, but she did not regain consciousness. She was admitted to this hospital in a state of coma. One month later, she regained consciousness, and her quadriplegia and decreased visual acuity became apparent. Neurological examination revealed cortical blindness (initially with Anton sign), geotropic ocular deviation, forced weeping, flaccid quadriplegia, and bilateral pyramidal tract signs (generalized hyperreflexia, positive bilateral Babinski sign). Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, on a T2 weighted image, showed high-intensity areas in the bilateral precentral gyri and bilateral calcarine cortex. In this case, artificial breathing was induced immediately after shock, and respiratory arrest occurred for a very short time, suggesting that the cause of this hypoxia may be due to mild hyproperfusion. Among previously reported cases, there are 5 cases with relative selective lesions in the bilateral precentral gyri and bilateral calcarine cortex. Findings in all cases were by autopsy, revealing oligemic hypoxia. The onsets of these cases were cardiogenic or peripheral shock from cardiac arrest or arrhythmia, etc., during surgery. Two cases died in a coma state. The other 3 cases regained consciousness with quadriplegia. Among these 3 cases, the case reported by Murayama had quadriplegia and cortical blindness, as in this case.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)