Central nervous system vasculitis in rheumatoid arthritis.

The history of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and necrotizing vasculitis affecting only the central nervous system is reported. Clinical and pathological involvement by this process was present in both cerebral hemispheres, the pons and spinal cord. Review of the literature revealed that cerebral vasculitis in rheumatoid arthritis has been reported rarely and spinal cord vasculitis not at all.