Meningoencephalomyelitis With Epidemic Parotitis: Clinicopathologic Report

Introduction The involvement of the central nervous system in epidemic parotitis is common. Indeed, the central nervous system may be involved by the virus of mumps before or without infection of the salivary glands. On the other hand, severe or damaging involvement of the central nervous system in mumps is not common. A fatal meningoencephalomyelitis due to the virus of mumps is rare. Few confirmed cases have been reported. Of the 19 autopsied cases in the literature (Table 1) we found only eight reasonably well studied. 1,3,7,10-13,16 Except for a recent report, 16 neuropathologic findings of all have featured perivascular demyelinization and necrosis, findings of the so-called hyperallergic encephalopathies (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis). Because of the rarity of the material and the need for further neuropathologic observations, we present our findings in the central nervous system of an 11-year-old girl who died on the 18th day of her mumps because of