A Case of Transient Encephalopathy with Hyperammonemia Followed by Infusion of 5-Fluorouracil
Kyung Jin Kim, MD, Byung Jun Jeon, MD and Min Jeong Kim, MD, PhD
Department of Neurology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea
ABSTRACT
Background: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic agent frequently used in the treatment of various cancer. Well known side effects of 5-FU are bone marrow suppression, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomatitis. However neurologic adverse effects, such as cerebellar degeneration and leukoencephalopathy, are rarely reported. Hyperammonemia unfrequently occurs as an adverse effect of sudden continuous infusion of high dose 5-FU, but interestingly, most of patients with 5-FU induced neurologic adverse event accompanied hyperammonemia. Case Report: We report a patient diagnosed as transient encephalopathy with hyperammonemia who receiving high dose 5-FU for treatment of cervical cancer. Conclusions: Early diagnostic suspision and prompt treatment of hyperammonemia and discontinuation of 5-FU is essntial to to improve outcome of encephalopathy.
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