A rare cause of acute hippocampal encephalopathy
N. Bahlouli, K. Imrani, F. Chait, K. Sfar, S. Choumad, I. Lahlou, M. Nabil, I. Nassar
Radiology case reports March 20, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2025.02.033 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 39-year-old male heavy cannabis user (>20 joints/day) |
| Key findings | The authors report a case of acute hippocampal encephalopathy attributed to heavy cannabis use in a 39-year-old man who presented with feverless disturbance of consciousness and hippocampal MRI signal abnormalities, after other causes of encephalitis were ruled out. They propose this as a very rare toxic cause of hippocampal encephalitis and aim to describe its radiological features. |
Abstract
Hippocampal encephalitis (HE), or more generally limbic encephalitis, can be secondary to various etiologies. Through this case, we report a very rare toxic cause: acute hippocampal encephalopathy secondary to cannabis use in a heavy cannabis user (>20 joints/day). A 39-year-old male presented with a feverless disturbance of consciousness. The MRI revealed signal abnormalities in the hippocampal regions. Further investigations ruled out other causes of encephalitis. No renal function impairment or rhabdomyolysis was found. The objective of our study is to describe the radiological features of this severe neurological complication of cannabis