71 - OTHER CONDITIONS

Summary

This chapter focuses on the complex relationship of stroke with conditions like aortic dissections, radiation-induced vascular disease, hypereosinophilic syndrome, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, Divry-van Bogaert and Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome. Dissections can also extend into the aortic valve causing acute aortic insufficiency and can block the orifices of the coronary ostia above the aortic valve causing myocardial ischemia. The pathology of radiation-induced brain damage emphasizes vascular injury. Brain infarction is most likely attributable to medialbasic protein-mediated endothelial damage, eosinophil-cationic protein-mediated hypercoagulability, and eosinophil-mediated cardiopathy. The neurological symptoms usually have a gradual onset and consist of multifocal abnormalities in lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Neuropathologic abnormalities are brain infarcts, demyelination of white matter, and cerebromeningeal angiomatosis, which is the most constant and pathognomonic finding of Divry-van Bogaert syndrome disease. Children and young adults with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome may present with seizures or progressive focal neurological deficits.