[Encephalitis with necrosis limited to the brain stem: a case report (author's transl)].

A 38-year-old woman with encephalitis presented no signs of infectious disease or exanthema. After a remission lasting 10 months, she died during a second attack after demonstrating signs of brain stem lesions. Histological examination revealed lesions, mainly in the brain stem and characterized by intense necrosis, moderate degrees of inflammation, and localized foci of gliosis. In spite of the necrotic lesions, the neurones were relatively spared. An old infarct of the left caudate nucleus was present. Taking other demyelinating diseases into account, it is suggested that this is a clinical form of multiple sclerosis, this enabling a relationship to be established between multiple sclerosis and post-infections perivenous encephalitis or acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.