Case of the month: July 1997--diabetic male with transient ischemic attacks.

A 60-year-old diabetic male presented with transient ischemic attacks. Initial neurological examination and head CT were normal. Dysarthria, ataxia, delirium, and lethargy developed. A diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis was made after lumbar puncture and treatment with intravenous amphotericin B and 5-fluorcytosine was begun. A repeat head CT showed an anterior cerebral artery territory infarct. His condition worsened and he died of associated complications three weeks after admission. The case is used to discuss the association between cryptococcal meningitis and diabetes, transient ischemic attacks, and vasculitis with cerebral infarction.