Background: Cerebral vasculitis is very rare complication after craniotomy. We report a case and discuss the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this complication.
Case description: A 12-year-old boy was admitted because of a consciousness disturbance due to a ruptured AVM. Computed tomography revealed a left parietal subcortical hematoma. No apparent nidus was detected on the angiography findings, but AVM was suspected. After resection of the hematoma, the patient did not recover consciousness, and his high fever continued. Despite postoperative induced hypothermia, progressive multiple cerebral infarctions occurred. Postoperative angiography showed multiple arterial narrowing, and a "string of beads" phenomenon was observed in the anterior and posterior circulation in addition to the residual AVM. After administering steroid therapy, he recovered consciousness, but had a severe disability. After angiography, which was performed 1 year after onset, an improvement of the vasculitis and the complete occlusion of AVM were observed.
Conclusion: We should therefore include cerebral vasculitis in the differential diagnosis when encountering a case with an unusual progressive stroke because a timely diagnosis and aggressive treatment are of critical importance for a successful recovery in such patients.