https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458518771518
https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458518771518
MULTIPLE
SCLEROSIS MSJ
JOURNAL
journals.sagepub.com/home/msj 1
Multiple Sclerosis Journal
1–4
DOI: 10.1177/
1352458518771518
© The Author(s), 2018.
Reprints and permissions:
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/
journalsPermissions.nav
Introduction
Spinal neurosarcoidosis (NS) is a rare presentation of
NS which typically affects cranial nerves, base of the
brain, or meninges. Diagnosis of isolated spinal NS
can be challenging as its clinical manifestations can
be indistinguishable from other causes of transverse
myelitis. In addition, the imaging findings in spinal
NS can mimic the longitudinally extensive transverse
myelitis (LETM) seen in neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
and other disorders.
1,2
The lack of characteristic clinical or imaging findings
leads to difficulty in distinguishing spinal NS from
other conditions, often requiring biopsy for diagno-
sis.
3
We present a series of three patients presenting
with LETM and concurrent spinal nerve root enhance-
ment due to NS. We believe that this combination of
central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous
system (PNS) involvement on spinal imaging may be
a unique feature of spinal NS.
Materials and methods
Cases were collected retrospectively from chart
review from 2011 to 2014.
Case 1
A 48-year-old man presented with several weeks of
lower back pain radiating into both legs. Examination
revealed lower extremity hyperreflexia and asymmet-
ric bilateral lower extremity weakness. Cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) studies were notable for 356 mm
3
nucle-
ated cells with a 93% lymphocytic predominance.
CSF protein was elevated at 806 mg/dL. Spinal mag-
netic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed enhance-
ment of the ventral pial surface of spinal cord in
cervical region, and enhancement of nerve roots in
cervical region with increased T2 signal along the
ventral spinal cord from C2C6 and the upper thoracic
region. In addition, there was avid enhancement of
cauda equina at the level of the conus as well as
descending portions of left L5 nerve root, demon-
strated in Figure 1.
He was treated with IV methylprednisolone for 5 days
with improvement. Follow-up imaging 6 months later
showed resolving inflammation of the cord. He went
on to have several more bouts of myelitis before a
biopsy of his cauda equina showed dense non-caseat-
ing granulomas with T-cell dominant lymphohistio-
cytic inflammation consistent with sarcoidosis. He
was started on infliximab with no further events.
Case 2
A 54-year-old woman presented with several months of
numbness and tingling in both legs followed by gait
unsteadiness. On examination, she was found to have
Concurrent LETM and nerve root
enhancement in spinal neurosarcoid:
A case series
Pojen Deng, Olga Krasnozhen-Ratush, Christopher William and Jonathan Howard
Abstract: Spinal neurosarcoidosis is a rare form of neurosarcoid which can be challenging to diagnose
given its clinical or radiographic findings are often indistinguishable from other causes of spinal demye-
linating disease. We present a series of three patients with spinal neurosarcoid, all of whom demonstrated
concurrent longitudinally enhancing transverse myelitis as well as spinal nerve root enhancement. These
findings may be suggestive of spinal neurosarcoid and may help clinicians make the diagnosis as well as
reduce the need for invasive biopsy.
Keywords: Neurosarcoid, multiple sclerosis, demyelinating disease
Date received: 14 August 2017; revised: 24 February 2018; accepted: 14 March 2018
Correspondence to:
P Deng
Department of Neurology,
Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, 425 West 59th
Street, Suite 6A, New York,
NY 10019, USA.
Pojen.Deng@mountsinai.
org
Pojen Deng
Department of Neurology,
Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai, New York,
NY, USA
Olga Krasnozhen-Ratush
Christopher William
Department of Pathology,
NYU Langone Medical
Center, New York, NY, USA
Jonathan Howard
Department of Neurology,
NYU Langone Medical
Center, New York, NY, USA
771518MSJ 0 0 10.1177/1352458518771518Multiple Sclerosis JournalP Deng, O Krasnozhen-Ratush
case-report 2018
Case Report