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Course: Acute Myelopathy in a Man With Cutaneous Papules

CME Credits: 1.00

Released: 2021-11-15

A 46-year-old man presented with acute-onset weakness of his bilateral lower limbs for 3 days, accompanied by ascending numbness to just below his nipples. Three weeks prior, he had developed acute urinary retention. Neurological examination revealed weakness in bilateral lower limbs (Medical Research Council grade 4 on the right and grade 3 on the left), extensor plantar responses, and a sensory level at T6. Magnetic resonance imaging of his thoracic spine was performed 10 days after the onset of weakness and did not show any signal abnormalities or restricted diffusion. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis findings were remarkable for elevated protein (0.14 g/dL [to convert to grams per liter, multiply by 10]) but white cell count (5 cells/mm3) and glucose levels (54.05 mg/dL [to convert to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0555]) were normal. Cytology and flow cytometry were negative for malignancy. Antibodies to aquaporin 4 and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein were not detected. The patient developed a sudden worsening of weakness in his legs 2 weeks after initial presentation. Repeated thoracic spine imaging showed an area of T2 hyperintensity in the left posterolateral cord at T7, which did not enhance with contrast or show restricted diffusion (A). Notably, he had a 4-year history of an asymptomatic papular skin eruption with more lesions developing in the last 4 months. These were distributed on the neck, trunk, and limbs, sparing his face, scalp, and genitalia (B). Findings of extensive workup for malignancy, including full-body computed tomography scan, paraneoplastic antibody panel, and systemic autoimmune diseases (antinuclear antibody, antidouble stranded DNA, and myositis antibody panel), were negative. The skin papules were biopsied.


Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.


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