Homonymous field defect as the first manifestation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

PURPOSE: Although in the early stage of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease most patients have obvious dementia, we found that the disease can be diagnosed in patients solely on the basis of a visual system disorder.

METHODS

We examined three patients who initially complained of a nonspecific, insidious visual disturbance.

RESULTS

The three patients were found to have Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, confirmed by histopathologic analysis. Each patient had a homonymous hemianopsia on the first neuro-ophthalmologic examination. The initial neurologic, neuroimaging, and electrophysiologic examinations were not conclusive. The subsequent rapid deterioration in the neurologic status, including dementia and typical electroencephalographic changes, was suggestive of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

CONCLUSION

At onset of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, patients may have a homonymous hemianopsia despite normal results of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and neurologic examination.