Neonatal Med.  2019 Feb;26(1):63-66. 10.5385/nm.2019.26.1.63.

Bilateral Acute Retinal Necrosis and Encephalomalacia Due to Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in a Premature Infant

• Bae MH
• Lee NR
• Han YM
• Yoon L
• Kim YM
• Byun SY
• Lee JJ
• Kwon HJ
• Kwak MJ
• Park KH

• KMID: 2440702
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5385/nm.2019.26.1.63

Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a common pathogen, that causes a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from minor skin infections to severe encephalitis and widespread infections. Acute retinal necrosis (ARN), one of the most serious manifestations of HSV infection, is defined as a rapidly progressing necrotizing retinopathy that presents discrete areas of circumferential retinal necrosis, along with signs of uveitis, vitreitis, and retinal vasculitis. We encountered a case of a female infant, born at 33 weeks of gestation with a body weight at birth of 2,080 g, who had ARN and encephalomalacia due to HSV infection. ARN associated with HSV infection should be suspected when nonspecific retinal exudates are observed in neonates, especially preterm infants.

Keyword

Herpesvirus 2, human; Retinal necrosis syndrome, acute; Infant, premature

MeSH Terms

Body Weight
Encephalitis
Encephalomalacia*
Exudates and Transudates
Female
Herpes Simplex*
Herpesvirus 2, Human
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature*
Necrosis
Parturition
Pregnancy
Retinal Necrosis Syndrome, Acute*
Retinal Vasculitis
Retinaldehyde
Simplexvirus*
Skin
Uveitis
Retinaldehyde

Figure

• 

  Figure 1. Fundus photographs showing exudative lesions such as retinitis (white arrows), vitreous haziness, pale disc, and peripheral atrophic lesions of the (A) right eye and (B) left eye.

• 

  Figure 2. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed encephalomalacia at both cerebral hemispheres and the corticospinal tract, consistent with herpes simplex virus encephalitis, in the (A) T2-weighted image and (B) fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image.

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