Abstract
Calcineurin inhibitor encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare condition occurring in patients
who are undergoing treatment with drugs from the calcineurin inhibitor (CI) family
of immunosuppressants, either cyclosporine (CsA) or tacrolimus (TAC, FK506). Generally
acute in onset, the symptoms are commonly reversible if properly managed in a timely
fashion. The differential diagnosis is broad and an evaluation should include toxic,
metabolic, infectious and ischemic causes, with abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
results (aside from elevated protein concentration in isolation), suggesting an etiology
other than CIE. Neurologic deficits are generally reversible; however, the risk of
permanent deficits or poor outcomes increases the longer the condition goes unrecognized.
Keywords
calcineurin inhibitor encephalopathy
