What are the symptoms of PML?
The most common symptoms include paresis, cognitive impairment, and problems with coordination. How can PML be diagnosed? Diagnosis can be challenging. MRI findings consistent with PML include multifocal lesions, limited to the white matter, that are neither associated with enhancement with contrast material (that would be consistent with inflammation) nor with mass effect. The presence of JC virus in the central nervous system (CNS) can be established by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on samples of cerebrospinal fluid. Histopathologic hallmarks include enlarged oligodendroglial nuclei at the borders of demyelination; JC virus can also be shown in pathology specimens. Measurement of the viral load of JC virus in the blood can also be done. Because of the rarity of PML, the performance characteristics of these tests in different populations have not been fully defined. What can be done for patients with PML? Among AIDS patients, the introduction of highly effective antiretroviral thera
