Reactivation of occult herpes simplex meningoencephalitis after temporal lobe resection for refractory epilepsy--a case report.

摘要

The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is endemic and 90% of the world population is seropositive. Although HSV is the most frequent virus identified in patients with encephalitis, the incidence of HSV encephalitis (HSE) is low with only 0.7-13.8 per 100,000 annually. HSV-1 infection is ten times as frequent as cases of HSV-2 derived HSE. Early diagnosis and treatment of HSE is crucial for a good outcome, however the clinical presentation is variable and nonspecific. Untreated the mortality is as high as 70% and only 2.5% survive without any neurological deficit. The reactivation of HSE after neurosurgery is a very rare complication; few cases are reported in the literature.