This deposition results in the release of chemicals which attract defensive white blood cells to the vessel wall. These white cells infiltrate the vessel wall, ingest the antigen-antibody complexes, and release enzymes which damage the vessel wall. The end result is the inflammation and death of the blood vessel, and the death secondarily of the tissue that the vessel no longer supplies. The symptoms associated with CNS vasculitis are varied. However, many patients with this disorder follow a similar clinical course.
Patients usually develop headaches as an initial symptom.
This may be accompanied by changes in the patients mental status. In fact, it is not uncommon for a patient to exhibit the signs of a stroke. Vasculitis which is limited to the central nervous system is rare and the diagnosis of this disease is difficult. A needle is inserted into the small of the back to recover CSF, which circulates around the spinal cord. Cerebral angiography, which is an x-ray examination of blood vessels supplying the brain after the patient has been injected with a dye.